LAMPa Policy Council

Meet the Members of LAMPa’s

2008 Policy Council . . .

The Rev. B. Penrose Hoover, Bishop of the Lower Susquehanna Synod, Harrisburg, represents the PA Lutheran Bishops and will serve for the year 2008.

Paula Ford represents the Allegheny Synod and serves on the Finance & Constituency Relationship Committee. She lives in Altoona and is a member of Trinity Lutheran. She is the coordinator of the Learning Resources Center at Penn State Altoona. Paula has been actively involved in church, peace, and environmental organizations for her entire life. As a college student, she volunteered at the State College Peace Center to help draft-eligible young men write their petitions for conscientious objector status. She was the founding president of the Audubon Council of PA. Paula recently attended the Equipping for Peacemaking-II training given by the ELCA.

Rev. Betty E. Landis represents the Allegheny Synod and serves on the Grassroots Advocacy Committee. She "lives and serves in the heart of Altoona" at Bethany Evangelical Lutheran. She is a graduate of Gettysburg Seminary, attended the Christian Theological Seminary in Indiana, the Seminary Consortium for Urban Pastoral Education in Chicago, and the Bread for the World Institute in Washington, DC. Betty has been passionate about and involved in urban, justice and advocacy ministry for many years and counts her first vocation as an employment/labor lawyer (serving in private, government, and corporate sectors) as a wonderful foundation for ministry as an ELCA pastor in PA.

Rev. Ed Robbins, LAMPa Policy Council Secretary, represents the Lower Susquehanna Synod and serves on the Personnel Committee. He is pastor of Zion Evangelical Lutheran, Glen Rock.

Judith Gifford represents the Northeastern PA Synod and serves on the Policy Council Development Committee. She is retired from the bishop's support staff and, formerly, worked as events director for the LCA. Judy lives in Schnecksville.

Kenneth Miller also represents the Northeastern PA Synod and serves on the Personnel Committee. He is retired from military service and state employment in vocational rehabilitation of the mentally ill. He has served as a leader and worker in a wide variety of social programs. Ken lives in Coopersburg.

Bob Massing represents the Northwestern PA Synod. He serves on the Finance & Constituency Relationship Committee and is in his second term on the Policy Council. Bob works on his farm located in Greenville.

Rev. Karl Runser, LAMPa Treasurer, represents the Northwestern PA Synod in his second term. He serves on the Executive Committee and chairs the Finance & Constituency Relationship Committee. Rev. Runser is the pastor at St. Paul’s, Coudersport, and St. Paul, Galeton.

Rev. Serena Sellers represents the Southeastern PA Synod. She serves as Executive Committee member-at-large and as a member of the Policy Council Development Committee. Rev. Sellers is Assistant to the Bishop of the synod located in Norristown.

Rev. Andrena Ingram also represents the Southeastern PA Synod, and serves on the Grassroots Advocacy Committee. Rev. Ingram is a recent graduate of the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and currently the pastor of St. Michael's on Germantown Avenue in Philadelphia. She comes from Transfiguration Lutheran Church in the Bronx where she was active in justice issues surrounding racial profiling.

Rev. William Hower represents the Southwestern PA Synod and serves as chair of the Grassroots Advocacy Committee. Bill is a retired pastor, living in Moon Township. He is currently serving as interim pastor of Redeemer Lutheran, Pittsburgh.

Wayne Franzen represents the Southwestern PA Synod and is in his second term. He serves on the Finance & Constituency Relationship Committee. Wayne is a retired engineer and lives in Pittsburgh.

Ruth Koble represents the Upper Susquehanna Synod and is in her second term. She serves on the Grassroots Advocacy Committee. Ruth is a retired teacher, living in Sunbury. She has been an active volunteer for many years with her church and synod, especially working with hunger and poverty issues, and has shared her teaching skills in travels to Liberia, Upper Susquehanna's ELCA “Companion Synod”...more on Ruth and hunger...

Rev. Dennis Smith, LAMPa Vice Chair, represents the Upper Susquehanna Synod and is in his second term. He serves on the Personnel Committee. Rev. Smith is the pastor of East Kishacoquillas Lutheran Parish, Milroy.

Matthew James represents the Pennsylvania Lutheran Network (PLN) Campus Ministries. He is a seminary student at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. Matt graduated from Penn State University, where he first participated in the campus ministry program. Matt serves on the Policy Council Development Committee.

Leighton "Mac" McKeithen represents the PLN Lutheran Services in America-PA (LSA/PA) Caucus - our PA ELCA social ministry organizations (SMOs) - and is a member of the steering committee of LSA-PA. Mac serves on the LAMPa Finance & Constituency Relationship Committee. He is a senior vice president of Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network, Allentown, where his responsibilities include development, marketing, communications, government and community relations, as well as the operations of the vocational rehabilitation program. A resident of Chester County and member of the Presbyterian Church, he joined Good Shepherd in 2003 after an extensive career with major corporations in the information, apparel and food industry sectors.

Rev. John Richter also represents the PLN LSA/PA Caucus and is serving as chair of the Personnel Committee. He is the Vice President for Church Relations of Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries, with his office located in Allentown. Rev. Richter lives in Reading.

Dr. Pat Savage, LAMPa Chair, represents the PLN LSA/PA Caucus and is in the last year of her second term. She serves on the Personnel Committee. Pat is President and CEO of Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries. Her office and her home are in Hollidaysburg.

Dr. Robin Steinke represents the PLN Seminaries. She is chair of the Policy Council Development Committee. Dr. Steinke is Dean of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, where she lives on campus.

Members are appointed to 3-year terms and have the opportunity to be reappointed for a second 3-year term.

Contact information for Policy Council members is available by contacting the LAMPa office at 717-545-3500.

The LAMPa Policy Council holds a meeting every December with the seven PA bishops in attendance. Clicking on the thumbnail photos of the December 6, 2007 meeting below will enlarge them.

Seated at the table in the picture above and below are (l-r) Bishops B. Penrose Hoover, LSS; Robert Driesen, USS; David Strobel, NEPA; Gregory Pile, Allegheny; and Claire Burkat, SEPA. Only five of the bishops were able to attend on December 6, 2007.