Gifts to Luther Seminary’s Sustaining Fund make a significant impact on the future leadership of the church. This past year gifts to the Sustaining Fund helped Luther launch the first Distributed Learning Master of Divinity program within the ELCA, helping students who couldn’t previously attend seminary now answer “Yes!” to God’s call.
These students are people like Lisa Kipp. While working as a youth director at Zumbro Lutheran Church in Rochester, Minn., Kipp felt a call to ordained ministry. The mother of three young boys, Kipp knew it wasn’t feasible to move her children from their home. Beyond that, she didn’t want to abandon her youth group. Kipp began to take seminary classes one at a time, joking with family and friends that she was on a “15-year plan.”
Now thanks to the DL M.Div. degree program, Kipp is able to take a combination of online classes and on-campus intensives, which allows her to remain in her context while earning her degree–on a track that will allow her to finish in about six years.
This program is just one example of what a gift to Luther Seminary can make happen. Students like Kipp are now able to say, “Yes!” to God’s call.
A generous friend of Luther Seminary is eager to work with you to help the church continue to build strong, new leaders. Through this donor’s Make it Happen Sustaining Fund Challenge Match, your gift to the Sustaining Fund between now and Nov. 15 will automatically be matched dollar for dollar by the Make it Happen Challenge. That means that a gift of $250 will be worth $500, doubling your impact.
We ask that you prayerfully consider how your gift will strengthen the church today and for many years to come. To learn more or make a gift online, go to www.luthersem.edu/gifts/make_it_happen.asp.