Speaker

Bishop Abraham D. Allende

Bishop Abraham D. Allende began his call as Bishop of the Northeastern Ohio Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) on September 1, 2014. At the time of his election, Allende was serving as pastor of The Lutheran Church of the Covenant in Maple Heights.

A second-career pastor, Reverend Allende taught Spanish and French in the Akron Public School system for six years before entering the field of broadcasting, where he spent more than 20 years reporting news and sports for television and radio stations in the Cleveland market.

Following his broadcasting career, Allende spent six seasons as Community Relations director of the Cleveland Indians, where he was instrumental in assisting the Indians' Latin American players with cultural transition issues and English language instruction.  He was also the play-by-play announcer for the Indians' Spanish language radio broadcasts from 1998 to 2000.

Allende has served on the Northeastern Ohio Synod Council’s Executive Committee and on the boards of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland, Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton, the Hartville Migrant Ministries and the board of Catholic Charities Housing Opportunities of the Diocese of Youngstown.

A native of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Allende holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from California University of Pennsylvania and has done graduate work in Spanish Literature at Kent State University.