Shelley Wickstrom elected bishop of ELCA Alaska Synod

[<NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

Title: Shelley Wickstrom elected bishop of ELCA Alaska Synod
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

>April 28, 2012  

Shelley Wickstrom elected bishop of ELCA Alaska Synod
12-26-MRC

CHICAGO (ELCA) - The Rev. Shelley R. Wickstrom, Seattle, was elected
April 27 to a six-year term as bishop of the Alaska Synod of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Wickstrom was elected on
the third ballot during the synod's assembly April 26-28 at Joy Lutheran
Church in Eagle River, Alaska.

Since 2007, Wickstrom has been coordinator for missional leadership
in the ELCA's Region 1 office based in Seattle.

Of the 67 votes needed for election, Wickstrom received 72 votes.
The Rev. Brian M. Crockett of Brevig Memorial Lutheran Church in Brevig
Mission, Alaska, and Teller Lutheran Church in Teller, Alaska, was runner-
up with 14 votes. On the second ballot, Wickstrom received 67 votes to 11
for Crocket. There were 18 names on the first or nominating ballot.

Wickstrom was pastor-developer of Dillingham Trinity Lutheran in
Dillingham, Alaska, from 1987-1994. She was pastor at Lord of Life
Lutheran in North Pole, Alaska; American Lutheran Church in Billings,
Mont.; and Christ the King Lutheran in Bozeman, Mont. She served as camp
staff at Lutherhaven in Coeur-d'Alene, Idaho, from 1976 to 1980.

In 1981, Wickstrom earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy and
religion at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, Calif., and
in 1986 earned a Master of Divinity degree at Wartburg Theological
Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. California Lutheran is one of 26 ELCA colleges
and universities; Wartburg is one of eight ELCA seminaries.

Prior to the election, the Rev. Don Maier had served as interim
bishop for the Alaska Synod since August 2011. Earlier that year, the
Rev. Michael F. Keys announced that he would not seek re-election as
bishop and accepted a call to Bethel Lutheran Church in Portland, Ore.,
and he became director for evangelical mission for the synod.

Information about the ELCA Alaska Synod is available at
http://www.ELCAalaska.org.

>---

About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United
States, with 4.2 million members in 10,000 congregations across the 50
states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work.
Our hands," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in
Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's
roots are in the writings of the German church reformer, Martin Luther.

>For information contact:
>Melissa Ramirez Cooper
>773-380-2956 or Melissa.RamirezCooper@ELCA.org 
>http://www.ELCA.org/news
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