wfn.org | Canadian Lutheran Synod Elects First Woman to Serve as Bishop

["Frank Imhoff" <FRANKI@elca.org>]

"Halmarson Is A Very Experienced Pastor," Noko Says

WINNIPEG, Canada/GENEVA, 11 July 2002 (LWI/ELCIC News) - The
Saskatchewan Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
(ELCIC) took a historic step in electing Rev. Cynthia G.
Halmarson, as its new bishop. She is the first ELCIC woman pastor
to serve in this position.

Halmarson 47, assistant to the ELCIC National Bishop since May
1996, will be ordained as bishop on September 22 at Trinity
Lutheran Church in Regina, Saskatchewan. She was elected at the
synod's July 4-7 convention in Swift Current, Saskatchewan.

Welcoming the synod's action, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF)
General Secretary, Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko, described the bishop-
elect as a "very experienced pastor within the ELCIC, who brings
with her tested pastoral skills." He said her election "to the
position of synodical bishop reflects the spiritual maturity of
the ELCIC-the calling into the ministry of oversight, qualified
men and women irrespective of gender."

The convention delegates elected Rev. Jerry Borkowsky as synod
vice-chairperson.

Bishop Allan Grundahl, the incumbent, had announced plans to
retire prior to the convention. Halmarson takes office on October
1.

Bishop-elect Halmarson was ordained in the New England Synod of
the then Lutheran Church in America in 1982. From 1982-1994, she
served two congregations in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, first as
assistant pastor at Augustana Lutheran Church and later as pastor
at Resurrection Lutheran Church. She was Assistant to the Bishop
of the Saskatchewan Synod for two years, and was the Secretary of
that synod (a volunteer position) from 1990-1994.

Born and raised in Bristol, Connecticut, Halmarson moved to Canada
at the time of her marriage in 1978 and became a Canadian citizen
in May 2001. The couple has two children, Sarah, 18, and Daniel
17.

"I accept God's call through your election to return to
Saskatchewan, my Canadian home, and to minister to the pastors,
diaconal ministers and congregations of this synod. I ask for your
prayers and your participation in our common ministry," the
bishop-elect said. The synod has 141 congregations.

The ELCIC is Canada's largest Lutheran church with a membership of
188,654. Its five synods have around 870 pastors including 115
female clergy. The ELCIC vice-president, Susan Johnson, 44, who
serves as an LWF Council adviser, is Assistant to the Bishop of
the Eastern Synod. An LWF member church since 1986, the ELCIC will
host the LWF Tenth Assembly, 21-31 July 2003 in Winnipeg, Canada.

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now
has 133 member churches in 73 countries representing over 60.5
million of the 64.3 million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on
behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as
ecumenical relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human
rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and
development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva,
Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of
the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted,
material presented does not represent positions or opinions of the
LWF or of its various units. Where the dateline of an article
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