NEWS

Newberry, S.C. - On Friday, Newberry College awarded Bishop Virginia S. “Ginny” Aebischer an honorary degree during the second day of the annual South Carolina Synod Assembly, held this year in Columbia, S.C. The College recognized Aebischer for her dedicated service and leadership within the Synod and her contributions to the ministry and mission of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).


Aebischer was elected bishop of the South Carolina Synod of the ELCA on July 25, 2020, after serving as assistant to the bishop from 2008 to 2020. She is retiring at the end of her six-year term, which concludes on August 31, 2026.

“I give God thanks for Bishop Aebischer and how she has lived out her faith in service to the church. She has encouraged all who serve campus ministries at colleges and universities around our state. She preached on campus and prayed at graduation at Newberry College,” said the Rev. David Coffman ’97, campus pastor of Newberry College. “She is always helping people discern their baptismal vocations through serving others.”
 

A native of New Jersey, Aebischer earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Upsala College in 1983 and a Master of Divinity degree from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in 1989. She was ordained on September 17, 1989, and installed as pastor of The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Charleston, S.C. In 2001, she was called to serve as pastor of Mt. Tabor Lutheran Church in West Columbia, S.C.
 

During her tenure as bishop, Aebischer served on the boards of trustees of several South Carolina Synod institutions and participated in the work of the ELCA Conference of Bishops. In addition to overseeing and supporting the synod’s rostered ministers and congregations, she served as co-director of ELCA Evangelical Mission for the synod from 2024 to 2026 alongside the Rev. Rick Carter.
 

Aebischer has been married for more than 40 years to the Rev. Paul Aebischer, a retired pastor. They have two adult sons and one granddaughter.