Contact: Emily Sollie, 410-230-2802; Lisa Bonds, 443-722-2162; both with Lutheran World Relief

BALTIMORE, May 23 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Rev. John Arthur Nunes will become the 4th president of Lutheran World Relief on July 1. Lutheran World Relief's (LWR's) board of directors chose Nunes as president of LWR at a board meeting on May 21.

A well-known and highly regarded pastor, theologian, speaker and community organizer, Rev. Nunes (pronounced "newness") has served as a management consultant, pastor, teacher, youth director, and parish musician. He is assistant professor of theology at Concordia University, River Forest (Chicago, Illinois). He serves also as a pastor for Bethany Lutheran Church, Chicago. Additionally, he provides consulting support to Wheat Ridge Ministries as a Staff Associate for Urban Ministry Research; he has served as director for church resource development at Concordia Publishing House (St. Louis, Missouri); and as a Research Fellow for the Acton Institute. He is a Doctor of Philosophy candidate from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, Illinois.

Nunes, 44, succeeds Kathryn Wolford, who left LWR on October 31, 2006 to become President of the McKnight Foundation in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Kirk Betts, vice chair of LWR's board of directors and chair of LWR's presidential search committee said, "We are thrilled to announce the presidency of Rev. John Nunes. His passion for the mission and ministry of Lutheran World Relief combined with his incredible ability to engage others in our quest to create a world where each person and every generation can live in justice, dignity and peace will serve our partners, friends and supporters well."

Pastor Nunes writes and presents on topics ranging from private charity to postcolonial poetry to sacramental spirituality. He earned a Master of Theology degree from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in 2006. He received a BA from Concordia College, Ann Arbor, Michigan; a Master of Divinity from Concordia Seminary in St. Catharines, ON, Canada; and an honorary Doctorate from Concordia University, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The author of the book, Voices from the City, he is a contributing scholar for Modern Reformation magazine, and holds membership in the American Academy of Religion. Nunes is an active member of Bethany Lutheran Church in Chicago. John's hobbies include bike riding, basketball and Scrabble. Monique Nunes (formerly Odom), his wife, serves as the principal at St. John Lutheran School in Forest Park, Illinois. John and Monique are the proud parents of 4 daughters and 1 son.

Lutheran World Relief is a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS), individuals and parish groups in international relief, development, advocacy and social responsibility.