Report from the Virginia Synod Assembly
June 9-11, 2023
Lutherans from all around the Virginia Synod gathered at Roanoke College for the 2023 Virginia Synod Assembly. The Synod welcomed Deacon Sue Rothmeyer, Secretary of the ELCA as our Churchwide Representative. The Assembly theme was The Way in the Wilderness. Hear the voice of the prophet Isaiah call out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord” (Isaiah 40:3a).
Elections
With the pending retirement of Bishop Bob Humphrey, the Assembly undertook the process of electing the next Bishop of the Virginia Synod. On the sixth ballot, the Rev. Dr. Phyllis Blair Milton, Pastor at Holy Communion, Portsmouth, was elected with 175 votes to 172 votes for the Rev. Kelly Bayer Derrick, Assistant to the Bishop of the Virginia Synod. Bishop-elect Milton will take office September 1. She will be installed as Bishop on Saturday, October 21 at First Presbyterian Church in Waynesboro.
The Assembly elected Blythe Scott (First, Norfolk) to serve as the new Vice-President of the Virginia Synod and elected Judy Casteele (Good Shepherd, Lexington) to serve as the Secretary of the Virginia Synod.
Elected to serve on Synod Council are Jillian Stierwalt (St. Andrew, Portsmouth), Christie McKee (Grace, Winchester), Christine Weller (Our Saviour, Williamsburg), Lily Harmison (Muhlenberg, Harrisonburg), and The Rev. James Armentrout (St. Mark’s, Roanoke). Re-elected to serve a second four year term are Carlton Hardy (St. Mark, Yorktown), The Rev. Phillip Martin (Epiphany, Richmond), The Rev. Monica Weber (Luther Memorial, Blacksburg), and the Rev. Harry Griffith (St. John, Norfolk).
Elected to serve on the Consultation Committee was Debbie Mintiens (Emanuel, Woodstock), Glen Kirk (Grace, Rural Retreat Parish), The Rev. Scott Mims (First, Norfolk), The Rev. Matthew Diehl (Mount Calvary, Mt. Jackson), The Rev. JoAnn Bunn (Gladesboro, Gladesboro), The Rev. Sarah Hess (Trinity, Moneta).
Elected to serve on the Committee on Discipline are Dr. William Franz (Christ, Richmond), The Rev. Sherrie Hofmann (Prince of Peace, Orkney-Basye), The Rev. Karen Van Stee (Grace, Waynesboro), The Rev. Daniel Hess (Trinity, Moneta).
Worship
The Assembly opened with a service of Holy Communion. Pastor Liz Radtke, Virginia Synod Truth and Love Coordinator, served as the preacher for worship and focused on the Assembly theme, ‘The Way in the Wilderness.’ On Saturday morning, Bishop Humphrey presided at a service of remembrance for rostered ministers and former Synod leaders who had died in the last two years and also remembered congregations that had closed. Saturday’s Assembly concluded with a Festival Service of Holy Communion that included commissioning eleven lay preachers George Donovan, Laura Doughty, Janet Gomez, James Ingraham, Erich Lantz, David Mayersky, Sylvia Miles, Ray Riggin, Kristee Trumbo, Judith Wilfong, Leon Zimmermann. The final day of the Assembly began with morning prayer and ended with a closing worship service featuring a sermon by Deacon Emily Edmunds (Chaplain, Virginia Baptist Hospital, Lynchburg) and the installation of those serving in leadership roles within the life of the Virginia Synod. This year the offering was designated to support the Lutheran Disaster Response and Virginia Synod Disaster Response.
Celebrations
We celebrated rostered minister ordination anniversaries, congregation anniversaries, lay leadership and five volunteers were recognized for the 2023 Serving Boldly Awards. The award recipients were Kisha Johnson (Good Shepherd, Galax), Carol Jones (Christ, Richmond), Robert Perry ( Zion, Edinburg Parish), Diana Tiller-Dichtel (St. Stephen, Williamsburg), and Connie Watkins (St. Mark’s, Roanoke). We will celebrate and honor Bishop Humphrey as he is concluding his term as bishop.
Assembly Business
The Assembly approved the 2023 and 2024 Investment in Ministry Plans, the 2021 and 2022 Synod Audits, and the Compensation Guidelines for 2024. Bishop Humphrey and the Officers of the Synod shared their reports and the Assembly heard from a variety of mission partners through ministry moment videos.
Nathan Rummel (Trinity, Newport News), president of the Lutheran Youth Organization, presented the Youth Assembly report, centered on the Youth Assembly theme of “Followers of the Way and the Truth and the Life.” He spoke to the immeasurable value of youth events, and also expressed the gathered youths’ vision for the new bishop of the Virginia Synod. The next LYO Board president will be Asher Porter (Our Savior, Christiansburg).
