This Sunday, September 7th, we will be honored to welcome Pastor Ray Tiemann, Southwestern Texas Synod Bishop to our congregation. He will preach the Sermons and preside at Holy Communion at both the 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Worship Services. He will, also, lead an Open Forum for adults and older youth during the Sunday School hour in the Activity Center. Bishop Tiemann has set a personal goal to visit every congregation in our Synod during his two terms in office.
I share the following biographical data as a way of introducing Bishop Ray to you:
BISHOP RAY TIEMANN
The Rev. Dr. Ray Tiemann was elected in May 2000 to serve as the fourth bishop of the Southwestern Texas Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He began his first six-year term of office on September 1, 2000 and was re-elected in May, 2006 for a second six-year term.
Prior to his election as bishop, Tiemann served as co-pastor at Holy Ghost Lutheran Church in Fredericksburg, Texas, since 1985. He was pastor of Abiding Savior Lutheran Church of Cameron, Texas, from 1979 to 1985.
Bishop Tiemann previously served as chair of the synod's Commission for Professional Leadership, twice as Dean of the Hill Country Conference, and as chair of the planning committees for several synod assemblies and other synodical events.
Tiemann received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Texas Lutheran College in 1975, a Master of Divinity degree from Wartburg Theological Seminary in 1979, and a Doctor of Ministry in Preaching degree from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago in 1995. His thesis centered on the relationship between the children's sermon and the general sermon for the day as a way to reach a broader segment of the congregation with the message of the Gospel.
He and his wife, Debbie, reside in Fredericksburg. They have two children, Daniel and Rebecca.
Other Facts About Our Synod
Mission Statement: “Southwestern Texas Synod is United in Christ, Diverse in People, Called by the Spirit, Equipping the people of God to be instruments of God’s Love.”
Ministry Focus through 2012: “Forming Faithfulness— in Leaders, with Congregations, among Partners!”
Membership: 67,902 baptized members in 173 congregations, including 5 missions, and 2 Synodically Authorized Worshipping Communities covering 61 Texas counties divided into the following Conferences: Austin, Coastal Bend, Hill Country, Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio, and Victoria.
The Synod Office is located on the campus of Texas Lutheran University in Seguin.
It is my prayer that Bishop Tiemann’s pastoral presence will be a blessing to our church family as we gather for worship, education, and fellowship.
“It’s ALL about love!”
—Pastor David Fetter
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