2 p.m., Olson Campus Center, Luther Seminary


We hope you can join us for Luther Seminary’s annual donor celebration, Giving Thanks: A Community of Saints. We’re eager to celebrate your commitment to Luther Seminary’s mission through your financial support.

We want to thank you for all you do to prepare leaders for Christian communities. To capture the importance of community in our spiritual lives, we’re telling Bible stories—but not the ones you heard in Sunday school. We’re gathering the personal and moving stories of the Bibles held near and dear by our students, faculty, staff—and you! See a sample story below.

Does your Bible have a story to tell? Did it come to you in a unique way? Was it passed down through generations? Was it a gift from a treasured loved one? How does it tell the story of your community of saints? We want to hear about it! We also welcome photos that represent why your book of faith is so uniquely special to you. Send us your stories at communic@luthersem.edu or call 651-641-3399.

 

Here is a touching example of how a student's Bible story speaks to the importance of one of many communities: family.

I have the Bible my mother bought for me several years ago. I treasure it because she asked me one day in 1997, "Susan, do you have a Bible?" I was embarrassed to tell her that I did not have one, and I was not a Christian.  So she suggested that I pick one out ... and she would buy it for me.  Mother used to say to me, "God has something for you, Susan."  It used to make me feel uncomfortable because I was not living for the Lord at that time.

I was scared to go into that Bible bookstore! I carefully looked through several Bibles, and selected The Open Bible, NKJV. When my mother subsequently gave it to me for my birthday in 1997, she wrote in her beautiful handwriting, "From Mother, to Susan, with Love."  Each time I look at that page, I get a warm feeling in my heart. My mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2006, and now she no longer has that beautiful handwriting. But, the Lord heard her prayers for me, and "reclaimed" me in January 1999. She was right. God did have something for me: a new life in Jesus Christ, and all of the subsequent experiences of my life in Him.

One of the biggest blessings the Lord has given me is a mother, Zephal Marie Davis, who prayed for me, even when I wasn't praying for myself, and her gift of my Bible.

Susan Davis, M.A. Senior