Title: Kurt Kusserow Elected Bishop of ELCA Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod ELCA NEWS SERVICE
June 18, 2007
Kurt Kusserow Elected Bishop of ELCA Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod 07-106-JR*/JB
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Kurt F. Kusserow, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Latrobe (Trauger), Pa., was elected June 15 to a six-year term as bishop of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Kusserow was elected on the fifth ballot for bishop, 270-248 over the Rev. Martha W. Clementson, assistant to the bishop, ELCA Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod.
The synod assembly was June 14-16 at Thiel College, Greenville, Pa. Thiel is one of 28 ELCA colleges and universities.
Kusserow, 43, will succeed the Rev. Donald J. McCoid. McCoid, 63, previously announced he would not seek re-election. McCoid has served as bishop of the synod since 1988.
On the fourth ballot for bishop, Kusserow received 200 votes. Clementson, who led on the first through fourth ballots, received 208 votes and the Rev. Kevin E. Anderson, Forks-Zion Lutheran Church, Leechburg, Pa., received 118 votes. There were 30 names on the first or nominating ballot.
Kusserow will assume the role of bishop on Sept. 1. He will be installed Oct. 20 at Calvary Episcopal Church, Pittsburgh.
Born in Shelby, Ohio, Kusserow is the son of parents who were missionaries in the former Lutheran Church in America. In 1966 the family moved to Malaysia, and they lived in Lenggong and Ipoh. In Singapore they lived in Jurong, where Kusserow's father served as one of two pastors of Jurong Christian Church. Kusserow graduated from Singapore American School in 1981.
After returning to the United States, Kusserow attended Thiel College, where he received a bachelor's degree in English in 1985. In 1989 he received a master of divinity degree from Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio, one of eight ELCA seminaries.
Kusserow was ordained in 1989. He was pastor of the Westmoreland Unit of Town and Country Lutheran Ministry, serving Faith Lutheran Church, Apollo (Oklahoma Boro), Pa., and Hebron Lutheran Church, Avonmore, Pa. before he became pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in 1997.
Kusserow and his wife Pamela are parents of a son, Benjamin, and a daughter, Abigail. The Kusserows reside in Latrobe.
The ELCA Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod has 86,039 baptized members in 207 congregations. The synod office is in Pittsburgh.
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*Judi Rogers, supplement editor for The Lutheran, ELCA Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod, provided information.
Information about the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod is at http://www.southwesternpasynod.org on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog