LogoutAsta, the Rev. Theodore W.
72, Westminster, Colo.; June 6, 2026. Calls: LCMS calls; Christ the King, Nashua, N.H.; Redeemer, Woburn; assistant to the bishop, ELCA New England Synod, and Trinity, both Worcester; Grace, Needham, all Mass.
Bergh, the Rev. Alvin J.
93, Aurora, Ill.; July 3, 2026. Calls: Faith, Hannaford; Mable, Sutton, both N.D.; Faith, Rochelle; St. Timothy; coordinator for urban ministry, ALC Illinois District; executive director, Lutheran Family Mission, all Chicago, all Ill.
Claybaker, the Rev. Richard W.
88, Hudson, Wis.; May 29, 2026. Calls: St. John, Fayetteville, Ark.; chaplain, Methodist Hospital, St. Louis Park, Minn.
Davenport, the Rev. Patricia A.
70, Philadelphia; July 29, 2026. Calls: Spirit and Truth Worship Center, Yeadon; director for evangelical mission and assistant to the bishop for evangelical outreach and congregational mission, ELCA Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod. In 2018, she was elected the ELCA’s first female African-descent bishop, serving the synod until her retirement in 2026.
Decker, Deacon William A.
74, Des Plaines, Ill.; July 5, 2026. Calls: editorial assistant and managing editor, Lutheran Partners, ELCA Division for Ministry, Chicago; grant writer, JOURNEY'S: The Road Home, Palatine, both Ill.
Doub, the Rev. Eleanor S.
78, Williamsport, Md.; June 5, 2026. Calls: St. John, Haven and St. Matthew, Hagerstown; St. Peter, Keedysville, all Md.
Fetter, the Rev. M.D.
81, Austin, Texas; June 9, 2026. Calls: Peace, Rosenberg; Zion, Houston; St. John and Abiding Love, Austin;
Gibson, the Rev. Patricia M.
89, Chicopee, Mass.; June 15, 2026. Calls: Emmanuel, Augusta, Maine; Christ the Good Shepherd, Hamden, Conn.;
Gottschling, the Rev. Ray G.
85, Maumee, Ohio; June 16, 2026. Calls: St. John, Monroeville; Community of Christ, Whitehouse; assistant to the bishop, ELCA Northwestern Ohio Synod, Findlay, all Ohio.
Groh, the Rev. John E
87, Scottsdale, Ariz.; May 17, 2026. Calls: chaplain, U.S. Air Force Reserve; Savior Divine, Palos Hills, Ill.; assistant professor of theology, Christ Seminary-Seminex, Chicago; lecturer and adult educator, La Casa de Cristo, Scottsdale.
Helge, the Rev. Mark P.
76, Rockford, Ill.; July 8, 2026. Calls: Zion, Walsh; Holy Trinity, Glenview; Messiah and Our Savior, both Rockford, all Ill.
Hembrock, the Rev. Richard G.
94, Boonsboro, Md.; July 15, 2026. Calls: St. Peter, Peters; St. John, Wallis; St. John, Cat Spring, all Texas; Army chaplain; chaplain, National Lutheran Home for the Aged, Washington, D.C.; Holy Trinity Memorial, Sharpsburg; Salem Bakersfield; Mount Zion, Rohrersville, all Md.
Heppe, the Rev. Melinda R.
66, Shenandoah, Pa.; July 15, 2026. Calls: Town & Country Lutheran Ministry, LCA Western Pennsylvania-West Virginia Synod; St. John, St. Clair; St. John, Shenandoah; Zion, Girardville, all Pa.
Mackey, the Rev. Larry L.
78, Fairport Harbor, Ohio; July 7, 2028. Calls: Christ, Cuyahoga Falls; Christ, Cambridge, both Ohio; Immanuel, Bluefield, W.Va.; St. Paul and Martin Luther-St. Paul, Cleveland; Emmanuel, Warren, all Ohio
Pederson, the Rev. Ann E.
69, Sioux Falls, S.D.; July 15, 2026. Calls: teaching pastor, Augustana Campus Congregation, and professor of religion, Augustana University, Sioux Falls.
Rehrauer, the Rev. Edwin K.
85, Sunbury, Pa.; July 17, 2026. Calls: Trinity First, Minneapolis; First St. Paul, Chicago; Concordia and St. Stephen, Midlothian, both Ill.; Gloria Dei, Detroit; Windsor Park, Chicago; Resurrection, Roxbury, Mass.; St. Martin, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Pine Street, Danville; Peace, Bensalem, both Pa.
Sadness, the Rev. Albert J.
93, Fergus Falls, Minn.; June 11, 2026. Calls: Bethel and Skudeness, Elbow, SK, Canada; Bisbee, Bisbee; Lakeview, Egeland, both N.D.; Grace, Albert Lea, Minn.; Silver Lake and Bristol, Northwood; staff, Waldorf College, Forest City, both Iowa; Ascension, Albert Lea, Minn.; Emmanuel, Abercrombie; Galchutt, Galchutt, both N.D.; Norman, Kindred; Davenport, Davenport; both N.D.; interim, ELCA Northwestern Minnesota Synod; Mooreton, Mooreton, N.D.
Sanders, the Rev. Raymond P.
86, Minneapolis; July 9, 2026. Calls: Bethany, Cromwell; Bethlehem, Wright; First, Duluth; Trinity, Minneapolis, all Minn.
Schaertel, the Rev. John C.
93, Mechanicsburg, Pa.; July 11, 2026. Calls: Gilead, Troy (Cropseyville); St. Peter, Verona, both N.Y.; U.S. Army chaplain; Trinity, Fairless Hills, Pa.; Redeemer, Rochester, N.Y.; Epiphany and Our Saviour, both Harrisburg, Pa.
Skinner, the Rev. Arda L.
91, Seattle; Feb. 25, 2026. Calls: Twin Harbors, Grayland; Shepherd of the Valley, Startup; coordinator for spiritual services, Foss Home and Village, Seattle, all Wash.
Straka, the Rev. William R.
85, Stillwater, Minn.; July 13, 2026. Calls: St. John, Zimmerman; Hope, Big Lake; Ascension, Albert Lea; Bethel, Minneapolis; St. Paul, Pine Island, all Minn.; chaplain, Strawberry Point Lutheran Home for the Aged, Strawberry Point; chaplain, Memorial Hospital, Waterloo, both Iowa; interim, Saint Paul Area Synod.
Swanson, Deacon Dorothy E.
89, Minneapolis; May 29, 2026. Calls: director of outreach, Woodlake, Richfield; administrative assistant and chaplain, Lyngblomsten Care Center Inc., St. Paul; resident activity coordinator, Ebenezer Society, Richfield; outreach director, St. Paul, Hopkins; associate in ministry, Reformation, St. Louis Park, all Minn.
Ullestad, the Rev. Steven L.
73, Cedar Falls, Iowa; July 12, 2026. Calls: St. Timothy, Hudson, Iowa. In 1988, he was called to serve as an assistant to the bishop in the newly formed ELCA Northeastern Ohio Synod in Waverly. Four years later, he was elected as the synod's bishop, serving for 28 years until his retirement in 2020.
Ware, the Rev. Michael W.
51, Mohnton, Pa.; July 8, 2026. Calls: Zion, Trevorton; St. Peter, West Cameron; St. John, Leck Kill; Zion Union, Herndon; Robeson, Mohnton, all Pa.
Weinkauf, the Rev. Mary L.
87, Rhinelander, Wis.; May 19, 2026. Calls: Siloa, Ontonagon, Mich.; Calvary, Minocqua, Wis.
Widerholdt, the Rev. Richard L.
94, Polson, Mont.; May 28, 2026. Calls: Pleasant Prairie and Zion, Flaxville; Our Savior, Bonner; Scobey, Scobey; Peerless, Peerless, all Mont.; Trinity, Columbus; Christ, Lignite; American, Stanley, all N.D.