South Carolina General Assembly
117th Session, 2007-2008

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H. 4832

STATUS INFORMATION

House Resolution
Sponsors: Rep. McLeod
Document Path: l:\council\bills\gm\24110ac08.doc

Introduced in the House on March 6, 2008
Adopted by the House on March 6, 2008

Summary: Reverend David A. Donges

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
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    3/6/2008  House   Introduced and adopted HJ-16

View the latest legislative information at the LPITS web site

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

3/6/2008

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A HOUSE RESOLUTION

TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR REVEREND DAVID A. DONGES FOR HIS OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP AS BISHOP OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA SYNOD OF THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA, UPON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT AFTER MORE THAN FORTY YEARS OF FAITHFUL SERVICE, AND TO WISH HIM CONTINUED SUCCESS IN ALL HIS FUTURE ENDEAVORS.

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, with a profound sense of gratitude, recognize Reverend David A. Donges, who has dedicated his life to nurturing the spiritual well-being of God's children; and

Whereas, Bishop Donges earned an A.B. in psychology from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania and a Master of Divinity from Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg. He also has received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters conferred by Newberry College; and

Whereas, having been ordained as a minister of the Church in the Holy Office of Word and Sacraments on September 16, 1967, Dr. Donges has served with distinction and by example as chaplain resident at Baltimore City Hospitals and Memphis Medical Center, and as associate pastor at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Atlanta; and

Whereas, he continued his ministry as senior pastor at the Lutheran Church of the Incarnation in Columbia, as assistant bishop for congregational life in the South Carolina Lutheran Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and then as bishop of the synod; and

Whereas, during his two terms as bishop, Reverend Donges has had primary responsibility for the ministry of Word and Sacrament in the synod and has exercised sole authority to ordain, commission, or consecrate the synod's rostered leaders; and

Whereas, while serving as the synod's chief ecumenical officer, he has fully embraced the ecumenical relationships established in the partnership of South Carolina Lutheran, Anglican, Roman Catholic, and United Methodist faith communities, known as LARCUM; and

Whereas, he has strengthened the unity of the Lutheran Church as a member of the ELCA Conference of Bishops, and he has nurtured the companion synod relationships with the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church, as well as the South West Diocese of the ELCA in Tanzania; and

Whereas, he has further served the Lutheran Church as a board member of Lutheran Social Services of Central South Carolina, as the president of Columbia's Ministers' Association, and as the president and convener of the Lutheran Pastors' Association of Columbia; and

Whereas, Bishop Donges extended his ministry into the community as a member of the Columbia Rotary Club, the Religious Advisory Committee for Newberry College, the Chaplains' Advisory Committee of Richland Memorial Hospital, board of directors of the Greater Columbia Strategy Team, Community Care, Inc., Hospice, Inc., and president of the Alston Wilkes Society; and

Whereas, Bishop Donges and his beloved wife Carolyn have nurtured the faith of their godchildren, and during his ordained ministry, he has baptized, confirmed, and welcomed countless numbers into the family of faith; and

Whereas, he has counseled parishioners and pastors alike through births, marriages, illnesses, and deaths, providing loving counsel to them in their joys and sorrows; and

Whereas, it is fitting and proper that the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives pause in their deliberations to express their profound appreciation for the deep commitment, steadfast efforts, and notable achievements of Reverend David Donges as bishop of the South Carolina synod, ELCA. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize and honor Reverend David A. Donges for his outstanding leadership as bishop of the South Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, upon the occasion of his retirement after more than forty years of faithful service, and wish him continued success in all his future endeavors.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to Reverend David A. Donges.

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