Installation of Bishop Megan Rohrer Official Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Catherine Slabaugh
Communications and Connections Coordinator
Sierra Pacific Synod, ELCA
650-302-0364
Rev. Megan Rohrer to Be Installed as Bishop of Sierra Pacific Synod
Church leader is the first openly transgender bishop elected
in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - The Rev. Dr. Megan Rohrer (they/them) will become the first openly transgender bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) when they are installed to the Sierra Pacific Synod at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, Calif. at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. Joining Bishop Rohrer for this historic day will be Elizabeth Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA, along with nearly all 65 bishops of the different ELCA synods across the United States.
The Holy Eucharist and the rite of installation service will celebrate voices of people at the intersections of physical, racial, ethnic, linguistic, gender and sexual diversity.
“I step into this role, because a diverse community of Lutherans in Northern California and Nevada prayerfully and thoughtfully voted to do a historic thing,” said Bishop Rohrer. “My installation will celebrate all that is possible when we trust God to shepherd us forward.”
The installation service will also feature the installation of the Sierra Pacific Synod staff who will serve alongside Bishop Rohrer. They include the Rev. Manda Truchinski, assistant to the bishop; the Rev. Hazel Salazar-Davidson, assistant to the bishop; the Rev. Tita Valeriano, director of evangelical mission and assistant to the bishop; Catherine Slabaugh, communications and connections coordinator; Diana Barrios, director of finance; Steve Wright, candidacy director; and the Rev. Bill Wong, call process assistant.
The weekend of Sept. 10-11, 2021, will be filled with events celebrating this historic moment. On Friday, Sept. 10, at 4 p.m. St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in San Francisco, Ca., will host a listening session led by gender diverse faith leaders. Transgender Lutheran clergy and leaders from around the country will explain what it is like to be transgender among the people of God. Later that day, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., Bishop Megan Rohrer will be at the Church of 8 Wheels roller-skating rink, raising funds for Mt. Cross Ministries summer camp and roller-skating with synod youth. On Saturday, Sept. 11 at 8 a.m., the Sierra Pacific Synod will partner with the San Francisco Interfaith Council and the San Francisco police and fire departments to host an interfaith memorial observing the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The installation service will take place at 2 p.m. at Grace Cathedral with light refreshments following.
“The diverse events surrounding my installation point to a God who joins us in worship, on the streets, at our jobs and when we roller-skate,” said Bishop Rohrer. “During all the difficulties we have encountered through the pandemic, it is more important than ever to celebrate joy, hope and love everywhere that we find it.”
A press conference with Bishop Rohrer, Presiding Bishop Eaton and Bishop Marc Handley Andrus of the Episcopal Diocese of California will be held at 12 p.m., two hours prior to the installation service on the front steps facing Taylor Street of Grace Cathedral. If you are interested in covering this event live or participating in the press conference, please email Catherine Slabaugh at catherine@spselca.org for more information.
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with nearly 3.3 million members in more than 8,900 worshiping communities 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.