ELCA NEWS SERVICE July 29, 2009 H. Gerard Knoche, Bishop of ELCA Delaware-Maryland Synod, to Retire 09-158-MRC CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. H. Gerard Knoche, bishop of the Delaware- Maryland Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), announced he will retire Oct. 31, 2009. Knoche, 66, was elected bishop of the synod in 2000 and re-elected to serve another six-year term in 2006. In a July letter to members of the synod, Knoche said his health has been a concern for the past few years. "The synod has been very patient and much in prayer during my past illnesses, for which I am most grateful," Knoche wrote. "But after much discussion and prayer, I have come to the conclusion that the synod needs a bishop who does not have to devote so much time to self-care when there is so much synodical work to be done." Knoche thanked members of the synod for the "privilege of serving" as bishop. "God has sustained me in that calling, and for that I give thanks," he wrote. "Bishop Knoche has been a clear and strong voice calling the ELCA to draw upon the depth of our theological foundations while actively engaging in God's mission. He consistently calls us to faithful proclamation of God's Word," said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop. "He courageously challenges us to confront racism and injustice in church and society. Remaining centered in the means of grace and ecumenically related are hallmarks of Bishop Knoche's leadership. We thank God for his servant leadership," Hanson said. A special synod assembly to elect a new bishop is tentatively scheduled for January 2010. Born in Baltimore, Knoche graduated from Harvard College, Cambridge, Mass.; Yale Divinity School, New Haven, Conn.; and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (LTSG), Gettysburg, Pa. LTSG is one of eight ELCA seminaries. Ordained in 1967, Knoche served as assistant pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, Westminster, Md.; associate chaplain for Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Pa.; director for Lutheran Campus Ministry at the University of Wisconsin, Madison; and pastor of New Hope Lutheran Church, Columbia, Md. Gettysburg College is one of 28 ELCA colleges and universities. Knoche is the father of two adult children. The ELCA Delaware-Maryland Synod includes about 88,000 baptized members in 183 congregations in all of Delaware and most of central Maryland. The synod office is in Baltimore. - - - Information about the ELCA Delaware-Maryland Synod is at http://www.demdsynod.org on the Web. For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog