ELCA NEWS SERVICE

October 14, 2004

ELCA Fund For Leaders In Mission Awards 31 Scholarships
04-194-FI

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Sixteen first-year students at the eight
seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
began the 2004-2005 academic year with full-tuition scholarships,
and another 15 students had partial-tuition scholarships through
the ELCA Fund for Leaders in Mission.  The Rev. Mark S. Hanson,
ELCA presiding bishop, presented the full-tuition scholarships in
a ceremony here Oct. 8.
     Some family members of the scholars were in the audience,
which included members of the Fund's Leadership Council and board
members of the ELCA Division for Ministry.  The division supports
the church's seminaries.
     Hanson told the gathering these seminarians personified the
"ecology" of the ELCA.  They were the products of Lutheran
households and ELCA congregations, youth and outdoor ministry
programs, and colleges and universities, he said.  They were part
of the ELCA theological education network and recipients of
scholarships generated by relationships between donors,
congregations and synods of the church.
     The Fund for Leaders in Mission is an ELCA initiative to
build an endowed scholarship resource that provides tuition
assistance to qualified candidates studying at the church's eight
seminaries.  It awarded its first eight scholarships in 2000.  In
2003 the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation issued a
challenge grant to match $2 million in new contributions from
individuals and congregations to the Fund with another $1
million.
     The Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation is a private
foundation funded by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, based in
Minneapolis.  The Fund for Leaders in Mission is administered
through the ELCA Foundation, which encourages lifelong
stewardship in support of all ministries of the church.
     "The Fund for Leaders in Mission is blessed by a growing
number of partners in this good work of increasing financial
support for seminary students," said Cynthia Halverson, Fund
director, ELCA Foundation.  "Because of their generosity, we look
forward to significantly increasing the number of students who
will receive this churchwide scholarship support by 2007."
     The Fund has already raised $1.6 million toward meeting the
Thrivent Foundation Challenge, said the Rev. Donald M. Hallberg,
executive director, ELCA Foundation.  He said the Fund plans to
match the challenge and take delivery of a $1 million check from
the Thrivent Foundation at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly, Aug. 8-
14, 2005, in Orlando, Fla.
     Hallberg said the Fund's long-term goal is to have at least
$200 million in its endowment, so it can provide full-tuition
scholarships for every student at ELCA seminaries who is
committed to a future in parish ministry.
     The Fund for Leaders in Mission has awarded $1.2 million in
98 scholarships in the past five years.  There are 75 students at
ELCA seminaries now receiving tuition support through the Fund
and related partnerships.
     Several of the ELCA's 65 synods and 10,657 congregations
have created partnerships to award scholarships, including the
ELCA Eastern Washington/Idaho Synod, the ELCA Oregon Synod, the
Santa Cruz and Sunrise Conferences of the ELCA Grand Canyon
Synod, the ELCA's Southeastern Minnesota and Southwestern
Minnesota Synods, St. John Lutheran Church, Knoxville, Tenn., the
former Calvary Lutheran Church, Pittsburgh, and St. Armand's Key
Lutheran Church, Sarasota, Fla.
     The 16 new students, who were selected for full-tuition
scholarships, are listed by name, home town, degree program and
seminary:
+ Kristin Barnett, Austin, Minn.
   M.Div., Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
+ Allen Breedlove, Lawrenceville, Ga.
   M.Div., Lutheran Theology Seminary at Gettysburg, Pa.
+ Andrea Cain, Baraboo, Wis.
   M.Div., Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa
+ Emily Chrissis, Hutchinson, Minn.
   M.A., Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.
+ Amy Danchik, Plano, Texas
   M.A., Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, S.C.
+ Lucinda Francisco, Mertztown, Pa.
   M.Div., Lutheran Theology Seminary at Gettysburg, Pa.
+ Tasha Genck, Andover, Minn.
   M.Div., Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.
+ Mark Huber, Pataskala, Ohio
   M.Div., Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio
+ Lara Janssen, Volga, S.D.
   M.Div., Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley,
Calif.
+ Bryant Kaden, Fremont, Neb.
   M.Div., Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa
+ Cora Lazor, Milton, Pa.
   M.Div., Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia
+ Carolyn Lesmeister, Washington D.C.
   M.Div., Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley,
Calif.
+ Rebecca Mentzer, Carlisle, Pa.
   M.Div., Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia
+ Jacqueline Pagel, Tempe, Ariz.
   M.Div., Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, S.C.
+ Tara Sensenig, Pittsburgh
   M.Div., Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio
+ Kimberly Vaughn, Cleveland
   M.Div., Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago

     Fifteen new students received partial-tuition scholarships:
+ Carrie Anderson, Ferryville, Wis.
   M.Div., Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa
+ Katherine Brundage, Walkersville, Md.
   M.Div., Lutheran Theology Seminary at Gettysburg, Pa.
+ Kari Casper, Minnesota City, Minn.
   M.Div., Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.
+ Robert Godsall Myers, West Chester, Pa.
   M.Div., Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.
+ Jon Haug, Medford, N.J.
   M.Div., Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley,
Calif.
+ Dana Hendershot, Cedar Springs, Mich.
   M.Div., Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
+ Sara Houpt, Dayton, Ohio
   M.Div., Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, S.C.
+ Lloyd Luedeman, Pueblo, Colo.
   M.Div., Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio
+ Danielle Miller, Lititz, Pa.
   M.Div., Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia
+ Katherine Murray, Albuquerque, Minn.
   M.Div., Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio
+ Bruce Romanic, Kulpmont, Pa.
   M.A., Lutheran Theology Seminary at Gettysburg, Pa.
+ Miriam Schmidt, Chelan, Wash.
   M.Div., Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia
+ Meghan Sobocienski, Utica, Mich.
   M.A., Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, Calif.
+ Adam Stubbendick, Waverly, Neb.
   M.Div., Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
+ Carol Vige, Niceville, Fla.
   M.Div., Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, S.C.
-- -- --
     Information about the Fund for Leaders in Mission is at
http://www.elca.org/fo/FundforLeaders/index.html on the Web site
of the ELCA Foundation.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news