Bishop Wilma S. Kucharek of the Slovak Zion Synod—ELCA was honored at the Assembly of the Slovak Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Serbia as the recipient of the Gold Medal established by that church in recognition of their first bishop, the Rev. Adam Vereš. Our Bishop was honored for her support of Slovak Lutherans in Serbia, including her leadership through our Synod which provides support of seminarians, future leaders, conferences, and various projects of the Slovak Lutheran church in Serbia.
The Assembly met on June 18, 2025 in the Lutheran church in Novi Sad, Serbia and was attended by the clergy and lay members of the congregations. The day began with worship led by Bishop Jaroslav Javornik, with Bishop Kucharek serving as preacher and the Rev. Dr. Thomas S. Drobena participating in the liturgy. The Assembly heard various reports, including from the bishop, conference deans, council, and financial officers. At the conclusion of the day’s reports and business, the Bishop Adam Vereš medals were bestowed by the church’s Bishop Javornik.
The citation accompanying the medal received by Bishop Kucharek stated that Bishop Javornik, by the will of God and the will of their Assembly, upon the motion and unanimous decision of the Council and Assembly, based on Article 74 of the constitution of the church, bestows the Bishop Adam Vereš medal in the 1st degree to the Bishop of the Slovak Zion Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Rev. Wilma Kucharek, for excellent and extraordinary support of our church and the Slovak Evangelical people in Serbia.
Upon receiving this honor, Bishop Kucharek shared words of gratitude for our partnership in the gospel as part of the one body of Christ, the church. She noted that those giving honor to others give honor first to God and, on this occasion, to their first bishop, Adam Vereš. The bishop added that, by extension, this honor which was extended to her is a reflection of the kind of people they are who are giving the honor, and that due honor belongs to them as well.
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