October 4, 2010

CHICAGO – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Fund for Leaders in Mission honored 22 seminary students who received full-tuition scholarships for the 2010-2011 academic year. Each scholarship recipient is enrolled in one of the eight ELCA seminaries.

The students were honored Oct. 1 at a banquet attended by members of the ELCA Conference of Bishops, seminary presidents, churchwide leaders and supporters of the Fund for Leaders.

The ELCA Conference of Bishops is an advisory body of the church that includes the ELCA's 65 synod bishops, presiding bishop and secretary. It is meeting here Sept. 30-Oct. 5.

Now in its 10th year, the Fund for Leaders is an ELCA initiative to build an endowed scholarship resource to provide tuition assistance to qualified candidates studying at ELCA seminaries. When fully endowed the fund's goal is to provide full-tuition assistance for every ELCA seminary student committed to a future in parish ministry.

For the first time the fund awarded more than $1 million in seminary tuition scholarships in a single year, said the Rev. Paul N. Hanson, director, ELCA Fund for Leaders in Mission. He said the fund's value now exceeds $20 million.

In addition to the 22 honored here, partial-tuition scholarships from the Fund for Leaders were awarded to 16 students. Another 165 were awarded scholarships through synod funds. In its history the fund has awarded more than 700 scholarships, Hanson said.

"Tonight is really a celebration of all of you, the giftedness of this church and the work of the Spirit. On behalf of this church I thank all of you," said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, in remarks to the scholarship recipients.

The presiding bishop told the ELCA leaders and scholarship recipients that he often hears members say they are ready to move forward with the church's mission and ministry. He said his sense of the ELCA is that it is "becoming a new church" being led by the Spirit "toward God's new promised future."

Cynthia S. Halverson, executive for ELCA Development Services and president of the ELCA Foundation, recognized organizations and individuals that have contributed significant gifts to the Fund for Leaders. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Minneapolis, contributed $1 million to help start the Fund for Leaders and gave another $1 million challenge grant, she said. The ELCA Mission Investment Fund contributed a $1.5 million challenge grant and awarded scholarships, she said.

Halverson also recognized benefactors who have contributed significant gifts to the fund's endowment: Kent and Elizabeth Dauten, Northfield, Ill.; John and Sharon Haugo, Hudson, Wis.; and Duane and Phyllis Sander, Brookings, S.D.

The Rev. Ann M. Svennungsen, Collegeville, Minn., announced that an endowment is being raised for initiation of the "Benjamin Larson Memorial Seminary Scholarship." The scholarship is named for the late Benjamin Larson, senior seminary student at Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, who died earlier this year in the earthquake in Haiti. Svennungsen, a friend of the Larson family, said ordained women of the church would be among the first invited to contribute, in honor of Larson's mother, the Rev. April Ulring Larson, the first woman elected a synod bishop in the ELCA.

Students who received full-tuition scholarships for the 2010-2011 academic year, each studying for a master of divinity degree, are:

• Maria Anderson, Oakland, Calif., Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, Calif., the Rev. Donald P. Schneider Seminary Scholarship

• Matthew Barnhouse, Monument, Colo., Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, Duane E. and Phyllis A. Sander Honorary Seminary Scholarship

• Elizabeth Buuck, Bedford, Texas, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio, Fund for Leaders Churchwide Scholarship

• Douglas Kearney, Gastonia, N.C., Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, S.C., Dr. William Wubben Seminary Scholarship

• Edwina Landry, Concord, N.H., Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (Pa.), Gunther C. and Johanna W. Holpp Seminary Scholarship

• Amanda Nelson, Attleboro, Mass., Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Fund for Leaders Churchwide Scholarship

• Seth Nelson, Valparaiso, Ind., Wartburg Theological Seminary, Kent and Elizabeth Dauten Honorary Seminary Scholarship

• Alexander Raabe, Bluffton, Ohio, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, The Kenneth and Sandra Falkinham Seminary Scholarship

• Karen Sease, Columbia, S.C., Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, Fund for Leaders Churchwide Scholarship

• Marc Stutzel, Astoria, N.Y., Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, Fund for Leaders Churchwide Scholarship

• Sara Suginaka, Rochester, Minn., Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, J. Binnie and Sara Kramer Wolfe Seminary Scholarship

• Joshua Thompson, New Haven, W.V., Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Fund for Leaders Churchwide Scholarship

• Jeremy Ullrich, Brenham, Texas, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., ELCA Churchwide Staff Honorary Seminary Scholarship

• Kerri Wadzita, Virginia Beach, Va., Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, the Rev. Guy S. Edmiston Seminary Scholarship

• Emily Wiles, Prentice, Wis., Luther Seminary, John E. and Sharon K. Haugo Honorary Seminary Scholarship

• Inge Williams, Alpena, Mich., Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Fund for Leaders Churchwide Scholarship

Students receiving MIF/Mission Developer Scholarships are:

• Floyd Blair, Baltimore, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia

• Joseph Brosious, Columbus, Ohio, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Henry Broesche Family Scholarship

• Benjamin Hilding, St. Paul, Minn., Luther Seminary

• Abigail Letsinger, Machesney Park, Ill., Wartburg Theological Seminary

• Stacy Siebrasse, Berkeley, Calif., Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary

• Melaku Tizazu, Summit, Mo., Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary

ELCA News Service