Lutheran Bishop, D. Jensen Seyenkulo has extolled members and partners of the Lutheran Church in Liberia for the conduct of a peaceful Bishopric Election at its convention held in Gbarnga, Bong County from April 20-24, 2022.
It can be recalled that the LCL celebrated its 162 years of ministry in Liberia during its 19th Biennial Convention held at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Gbarnga City, under the Theme: “One Faith, One Spirit and One Hope.”
According to the release issued on Friday, May 6, 2022, the LCL April 2022 Bishopric convention brought together at least 750 official delegates, observers and delegate-at-large from the 58 Lutheran parishes in Liberia and Guinea.
At the 2022 Bishopric Election Convention, Rev. G. Victor Padmore was elected as the new Bishop of the LCL and his consecration will be on Sunday, July 3, 2022at which time he will succeed the outgoing Bishop Seyenkulo.
The Biennial Convention is the highest decision-making body of the Lutheran Church in Liberia.
The Bishop-Elect, Rev. Padmore currently serves as LCL Chaplain of the Phebe Hospital and Associate Pastor of St. Luke’s parish and following his consecration, he will steer the affairs of the Lutheran Church in Liberia for a six-year term.
Established since 1860 by Rev. Morris Officer an American missionary from the Evangelical Lutheran Mission in America, the Lutheran Church in Liberia is one of the oldest Lutheran Churches on the continent of Africa.
Moreover, since the end of the missionary era in the 1960s, it has been a self-governing church.
Bishop Jensen, according to the release, lauded its guests who attended the convention from sister churches of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone, the Evangelical Lutheran in the Gambia, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, as well as PROMISSIO, a Danish Lutheran Mission.
The release added that the convention also honored the presence of leaders representing the Liberia Council of Churches, the Inter Religious Council of Liberia, the United Pentecostal Church of Liberia and Guinea, among others.
The release furthered that about five nationals have led the church since its founding and they include; Rt. Rev. Ezra Dahn Keller who served with the title “president”; the Rt. Rev. Dr. Roland J. Payne (Bishop); the Rt. Rev. Dr. Ronald J. Diggs (Bishop); the Rt. Rev. Dr. Sumoward E. Harris (Bishop); and now the Rt. Rev. Dr. D. Jensen Seyenkulo (Bishop) who is retiring after 39 years of active service with the Lutheran Church.