ELCA NEWS SERVICE
January 25, 2005
Rev. Morris Zumbrun, Former ELCA, LCA Synod Bishop, Dies
05-012-JB
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Morris G. Zumbrun, former bishop
of the Delaware-Maryland Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America (ELCA) and the Maryland Synod of the Lutheran Church
in America (LCA), died Jan. 20 following a long illness.
Zumbrun, 82, resided in Westminster, Md.
A memorial service for Zumbrun will be held Jan. 28 at
7 p.m. at First Lutheran Church, Ellicott City, Md.
Born May 5, 1922, in Hampstead, Md., he attended Carroll
County (Md.) public schools and graduated from Hampstead High
School in 1938. In 1942 he received a bachelor of arts degree
from Gettysburg (Pa.) College. In 1945 he earned a bachelor of
divinity degree from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at
Gettysburg. In 1975 Gettysburg College awarded Zumbrun an
honorary doctorate in divinity.
Gettysburg College is one of 28 ELCA colleges and
universities. The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg is
one of eight ELCA seminaries.
Following his ordination in 1945, Zumbrun served until 1953
as pastor of the congregations of the Jefferson (Md.) Lutheran
Parish. In 1953 he was called to serve as pastor at Christ
Lutheran Church, Dallastown, Pa. In 1965 he became pastor of St.
John Lutheran Church, Linthicum Heights, Md., and he served there
until 1984, when he was elected bishop of the LCA Maryland Synod
at a special convention. The synod included congregations in
Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia.
When the ELCA was formed in 1987 through the merger of the
LCA, the American Lutheran Church and the Association of
Evangelical Lutheran Churches, Zumbrun was elected the first
bishop of the ELCA Delaware-Maryland Synod.
During his tenure as bishop, Zumbrun oversaw development of
the Lutheran Office on Public Policy in Maryland and Delaware.
He helped to develop several large-scale housing projects for
people living in poverty, including Interfaith Housing Project on
Maryland's Eastern Shore; Nehemiah Project, Baltimore; and
Western Maryland Interfaith Housing Development Corporation.
Zumbrun was active in a variety of other church and
community organizations. He was synod director of the "Strength
for Mission" appeal of the LCA, member and chair of the synod's
Commission on Finance and Budget, a member of the synod's
Executive Board, a trustee of Gettysburg College, and a district
dean and secretary. At separate times he was a member of the
Human Relations Commission in York County, Pa., and in Anne
Arundel County, Md.
Zumbrun authored a book, "A Day in the Life of a Bishop,"
in 1998.
In 1990 Zumbrun received the Rev. Dr. Bryce Shoemaker
Ecumenical Leadership Award from the Central Maryland Ecumenical
Council in recognition of his efforts to foster long-term
interdenominational understanding among Christians.
Before his retirement as bishop in 1991, the synod named
Zumbrun Bishop Emeritus. In May 1999, St. Paul Lutheran Church,
Jefferson, dedicated the "Bishop Morris Zumbrun Parish House" in
his honor.
He was a longtime member of Immanuel Lutheran Church,
Manchester, Md.
Zumbrun is survived by his wife of more than 60 years,
Evelyn; three daughters, Linda Zumbrun and Susan Bullock, both of
the Baltimore area; and Martha Bidlingmyer of Barberton, Ohio;
and five grandchildren.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
