Established in 1991 by the Luther Seminary Alumni/ae Council, the Faithfulness in Ministry Cross Award recognizes faithful servants of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Council presents three awards to individuals nominated by their peers who graduated within the past 10 years, the past 25 years, and more than 25 years.
Faithfulness In Ministry Cross Award Honorees
Someone who sticks with something from start to finish is often described as "faithful." The 2009 Faithfulness in Ministry Cross Award recipients have demonstrated that it takes special tenacity and vision to bring new life to communities struggling to survive. They've used their God-given gifts to nurture diverse communities around the world.
It is with thanksgiving that Luther Seminary and its Alumni/ae Council honor the honorees for 2010:
The honorees will be given the Faith in Ministry Cross Award during Mid-Winter Convocation, Jan. 13-15, 2010.
Is there a Luther Seminary alum whose ministry has been particularly inspiring to you? Whose story should be shared? Download a nomination form or completed your nomination online. Nominations are due May 30.
Read more about the Faithfulness in Ministry Cross Award.
Robert Hurlbut, '71
Looking at the life of Robert Hurlbut, '71, it might be easier to list the things he didn't accomplish in his varied career as a pastor. He's worn the hat of Young Life wrangler, youth pastor, colleague, support group leader, synod staff member, consultant, counselor and more. He led a support group for wives of military personnel, served as assistant to the bishop, helped publish the Lutheran Book of Worship and had a hand in starting Stephen's Ministry. But one thread connects the pieces of his ministry: Robert Hurlbut empowers others to pursue their calls in the world.
"I have no idea how many pastors and lay people Bob counseled, enabled them to turn their lives around, and released them into a new future to respond to their calling, but I bet the numbers would amaze all of us," said John Lee, who served with Hurlbut in Texas.
Perhaps the role most fitting to Hurlbut is counselor, an innovative approach to ministry he deemed necessary.
He helped students at Luther "work through issues they needed to address in order to become healthy pastors," said The Rev. Dr. Nancy Maeker, former Luther Seminary dean of students. One of those students, The Rev. Stephen Fiksdal, '95, continued his relationship with Hurlbut for a decade.
"Ministry is hard," he said. "Bob gave me the tools I needed to continue when I hit a rough spot."
Nancy Winder, '76
Faith Lutheran Church, Seattle
The Rev. Nancy Winder was a pioneer of women pastors in the Lutheran church and among the first in the Pacific Northwest. "Experiencing a very long wait for her first call in a church that was unfamiliar with and sometimes prejudiced toward women clergy, Nancy was sustained by her solid Lutheran theology", says The Rev. Joan Beck. "She believes that the office of ministry is given by God, in the church, to all those who preach the Word and administer the Sacraments and that our human diversity does not diminish but rather enriches the incarnational nature of our work and witness."
Winder served Faith Lutheran Church in Seattle for nearly 29 years and is the current pastor at Holden Village. Bishop Chris Boerger considers her "a colleague in the finest sense of the word. She is available to her ministry partners in a variety of ways, her passion for good liturgy and preaching has established her as a mentor to others and her commitment to raising up leaders means there has been a member of Faith Lutheran studying for ordained service every year of her ministry there," says Boerger.
Faith Lutheran church experienced growth on many levels under Winder's leadership. Beck says Winder measures her success according to the community that has developed at Faith. Says Karla Peterson, parish nurse and visitor, "It is not Pastor Winder's faithfulness to her ministry that should be celebrated but rather her faithfulness to the specific gifts God has given her, which she has used to lift up the ministry that she leads all of us into."
Joann Conroy, '00
Woyatan Lutheran Church, Rapid City, S.D.
Joann Conroy fulfilled a dream to start the first Native American Lutheran Church in South Dakota.
As an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota tribe, she was raised on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. She currently serves as the pastor of Woyatan Lutheran Church in Rapid City, S.D. She was originally called to Atonement Lutheran Church in Rapid City, but when the church decided to relocate, Conroy worked with the South Dakota Synod to create Woyatan from the building Atonement left.
"Despite cultural differences, she has remained faithful to her ministry calling by serving as a mission developer of a new ethnic congregation," says Pastor Barbara Wangsness Lizarazo, associate pastor of First Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls.
