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- 91勛圖厙
- School of Theology
- Seminary Alumni
- Alumni Recognition
Seminary Alumni Recognition
We are so proud of all of our Seminary alumni for their incredible work serving others, as leaders in their communities, and beyond. We honor select members of our community with several awards, distributed annually.
91勛圖厙 Theological Seminary Alumni Recognition
The John Hus Alumni Award and The Bishop Edwin W. Kortz Award in Pastoral Counseling are two awards that recognize alumni for their service and passion after graduating from 91勛圖厙 Theological Seminary. Seminary alumni are invited to nominate fellow alumni for either award .
John Hus Alumni Award
Initiated in 1974, the John Hus Alumni Award was created to recognize an alumnus or alumna who, through outstanding service and loyalty to ministry, has brought distinction to the work of the ministry and to 91勛圖厙 Theological Seminary. It is appropriately named for John Hus, one of the great leaders of the Christian Church, who is revered as a pastor, preacher, scholar, and martyr for his faith.
2018 Moufid H. Khoury S93
2017 Rev. Dean R. Jurgen 76, S81, P07
2016 Rev. John D. Rights S85
2015 Rev. Theodore E. McCabe S73
2014 Rt. Rev. Samuel J. Gray 80, S96
2013 Rev. Dr. C. Daniel Crews S70, P97
2012 Rt. Rev. Dr. D. Wayne Burkette S69, H 05
2011 Rev. Dorothy Osterhout Burcaw S85, S91, P80, P83, P88, P94*
2010 Rt. Rev. Douglas H. Kleintop 71, S75, P00, P95
2009 Rev. Dr. Robert E. Sawyer S67
2008 Rev. Dr. Douglas W. Caldwell 66, S69*
2007 Rt. Rev. Dr. Kay K. Ward S80, P91
2006 Rev. Richard L. Sides S75
2005 Rev. Charles W. Eichman S51*
2004 Rev. Dr. Samuel B. Marx 39, S42*
2003 Rev. Dr. Gene E. Handwerk S77, S85*
2002 Rev. James L. Johnson 56, S59*
2001 Rev. Robyn Grigonis Szoke S87, S89, P99
2000 Rev. Dr. Gordon L. Sommers 57, S61, P82, P83
1999 Rt. Rev. Dr. Edwin A. Sawyer S38*
1998 Rev. John H. Giesler S58*
1997 Rt. Rev. Dr. Allen W. Schattschneider S25*
1996 Rt. Rev. Dr. Arthur J. Freeman Jr. S52*
1995 Rev. Dr. Mary D. Matz S75, S82*
1994 Rev. Dr. George L. Lloyd S62*
1993 Rt. Rev. Warren A. Sautebin 43, S45*
1992 Rev. Dr. Henry E. May 60, S63*
1991 Rev. Dr. Earl R. Shay 41, S44*
1990 Rev. William E. Gramley S62
1989 Bishop Edwin W. Kortz 31, S34
1988 Rev. Dr. William W. Matz Sr. 50, S53*
1987 Rev. Dr. Joseph H. Gray Jr. S45
1986 Rev. Dr. Mervin C. Weidner 37, S40*
1985 Col. Thomas N. Christianson 61, S65
1984 Rev. Dr. William H. McElveen S58, H94
1983 Rev. Ann Deppen Lutz S70*
1982 Rt. Rev. Wilbur Behrend 46, S49*
1981 Rev. Elmer R. Stelter S44*
1980 Rt. Rev. Milo A. Loppnow 37, S40*
1979 Rev. David M. Henkelmann 53, S57, P77
1978 Rt. Rev. Robert A. Iobst 36, S39*
1977 Rt. Rev. George G. Higgins 31, S34*
1976 Rev. Gordon A. Stoltz 35, S38*
1975 Rev. Dr. Vernon W. Couillard S24*
1974 Rev. Dr. Frederick P. Stocker 20, S23*
* denotes deceased
Bishop Edwin W. Kortz Award in Pastoral Counseling
The Bishop Edwin W. Kortz Award in Pastoral Counseling was established in 2004. The award honors a 91勛圖厙 Theological Seminary or School of Theology graduate who received a Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling (MAPC) or Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling (MACC) degree or who has otherwise achieved excellence in the field of pastoral or clinical counseling or chaplaincy and who has brought distinction to the work and ministry of the Seminary.
2017 H. Kyle Borowski 06, 08
2016 Mr. Gregory A. Krausz 95, S02
2015 Ms. Carol A. Wikerd S85, S99
2013 Mr. Bruce D. Bowen S01, S03*
2011 Rev. Charles J. Otto S03*
2010 Rev. Kenneth V. Daniel S89, S99
2009 Rev. Dr. F Thomas Lichner S82, S99
2008 Rev. Dianne Murray Kareha S93, S97, S99
2007 Ms. Julie Noyes Cook S87, S99
2006 Rev. Dr. Janice M. Young S82, S91, GP20
2005 Mrs. Emily B. Wallace S94, S99
2004 Ms. Louise H. Young S90, S99, P07
* denotes deceased
Lancaster Theological Seminary Alumni Recognition
The Meck Award and Moss Award are two awards that recognize alumni of any denomination. The LTS Alumni Council awards these special honors annually. Seminary alumni are invited to nominate fellow alumni for either award .
Meck Award
The Meck Award honors the memory of Allan S. Meck, class of 1911 and Seminary president from 1947-1957. It is presented for distinguished service in the practice of pastoral ministry.
Rev. Laura Baker L05 an ordained clergy person in the United Church of Christ, is passionate about creating safe space and fruitful opportunities for disciples to discover, explore, and use their unique gifts for sharing the Gospel. For 19 years, Rev. Baker has served Starview United Church of Christ in Mount Wolf, Pennsylvania. In the span of two decades, Rev. Baker has helped church members initiate such lay-led ministries as Called to Care, Safe Sanctuary, and JAM (Jesus and Me) which is a mid-week intergenerational, faith development ministry with a special focus to children and youth.
Rev. Baker finds great joy and meaning as an active member of the larger community, fostering ecumenism and interreligious relationships. For example, these past 5 years she has acted as Chaplain to Eagle Fire Company and over many years, has served multiple terms as a board member on organizations like the NE Senior Center and York County Council of Churches and on planning committees for historic charity events like the York County Heritage Trust Festival of Trees and Four Chaplains Prayer Breakfast (York).
To better serve the EMS community and local school district when experiencing a crisis or trauma such as child suicide, she earned her certification in Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) for Individuals and Groups. CISM teams are commonly known as psychological first aid teams. As a certified National Academy Sports Medicine (NASM) personal trainer, she combined those skills with those for pastoral care and offered personalized ministry to those embarking on a journey towards wholeness: body, mind, and spirit.
Prior to entering LTS, Laura worked for two decades as a board certified technologist in the field of radiology, specializing in CT and MRI. For multiple years, she also worked as an adjunct professor at Hagerstown Community College teaching a cross-sectional anatomy course.In her personal time, she relishes life as a wife to Scott, mother to two adult children, Jessica and Cory, and as Ya-Ya to her grandsons, Landyn, Bradyn, Gavin, and Owen. She also enjoys cooking and aspires to age faithfully, as healthy and whole as possible
Rev. Dr. Frederick Young L04, L15 began his ministry as a Chaplain Resident at York Hospital (WellSpan Health) as the Chaplain for the Behavioral Health and Oncology Service Lines. While serving in this capacity, he began working as the Youth Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, York. Pastor Young left these positions to become the Chaplain of the Margaret E. Moul Home of York.
Upon graduation from LTS, he was ordained in March of 2005 and began his parish ministry as the Associate Pastor of Christ Church UCC in Elizabethtown, PA. Throughout his 13 years as Christ Churchs pastor of Faith Formation and Outreach, Pastor Young led 7 intergenerational mission trips, wrote several summer youth programs, and adult studies. He later created a comprehensive intergenerational Confirmation curriculum, entitled, A Ministry of Presence, which was showcased alongside a few other faith formation programs during a Confirmation summit at the UCC National Offices in Cleveland. Rev. Young served as the Chair of the Lancaster Associations Parish Life Committee and eventually as the President of the Association. Pastor Fred was thrilled to have been a member of the UCCs Board of Local Church Ministries.
Dr. Young began serving as the Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, Gettysburg, PA in the Summer of 2018. The following year he became the moderator of the Gettysburg Ecumenical Ministerium. Pastor Young enjoys facilitating a small community of practice for clergy of the Penn Central Conference and was trained as a clergy/church coach with the PCC Church Empowerment Team. Dr. Young is the current chair of the Refugee Resettlement Program of Gettysburg. The partnership has resettled two Afghani families into Gettysburg. He is also the current Co-Chair of the Gettysburg Associations Committee on Ministry. Since January of 2024, Rev. Young has been serving as the Transition Pastor of Grace UCC, Hanover, ministering part time in both the Gettysburg and Hanover congregations.
Over the past two years, he has discovered the joy of transforming old windows into upcycled art, translating scripture onto the glass. Along with his wife, Kara Young L16, Fred has published two childrens books; Billy, the Closest Star and Clydes Christmas Joy. Both Fred and Kara look forward to becoming grandparents in September.
Moss Award
The Moss Award honors Robert V. Moss Jr., class of 1945 and Seminary president from 1957-1969. It is presented for distinguished service in the practice of specialized ministry (i.e., chaplain, administrator, educator, judicatory staff, etc.).
Rev. Dr. Richard Christensen L70 has served the Church as a pastor, missionary, and teacher over a period of more than fifty years. Ordained in 1970, he served as a local church pastor for 14 years. He and his wife Lainie also served three years as missionaries in the southern African nation of Botswana.
After receiving his Ph.D. in Church History in 1992 from Union Theological Seminary in Virginia, he taught at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 1998, Lakeland College in Wisconsin appointed him Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion, where he taught numerous undergraduate courses and played a major role in instituting and teaching a M.A. program in Theology.
He is the author of The Ecumenical Orthodoxy of Charles Augustus Briggs, a monograph on 19th century ecumenism in the U.S., Learning to See: A Memoir of Southern Africa, co-author of All May Be One: Historical Essays on the Wisconsin Conference of the United Church of Christ, and author of more than two dozen journal and magazine articles. He and Lainie have a daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren.
Selection Criteria
The committee looks at specific criteria for indications of excellence in ministry, including:
- Fostering the vitality of the ministry;
- Exhibiting excellent pastoral presence;
- Demonstrating creativity in ministry;
- Enlisting and nurturing the gifts of others; and
- Relating the Gospel to the commonly-shared experiences in the ministry.
Nominations
Nominations must contain the following criteria:
- Name and address of the nominee;
- Particular setting of ministry of the nominee;
- A paragraph indicating how the nominee meets the five criteria listed above;
- Indication of how long the nominator has known the nominee and in what capacity; and
- Name, address, and contact information of the person submitting the nomination.
Please note: Nominations not selected as award recipients have been retained and will be considered for future awards.
Selection
The Alumni Councils Awards and Recognition Committee will select award recipients. The Awards and Recognition Committee encourages you to pass this information to members of churches, agencies, and institutions served by graduates of Lancaster Theological Seminary. Please copy, post, and distribute this notice to others who may be interested in submitting nominations.
Questions may be submitted to Carol Bassie, Director of Alumni Engagement at bassiec@moravian.edu.