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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Ben Vineyard ’06
Concordia’s environment was very spiritually energizing and strengthening for me. Whether exploring my faith with new friends, spending time with God in the campus nooks, or soaking in the challenges and clarity in my classes, the rhythms, practices, and insights I received at Concordia stick with me today. These influence how I live with God and minister in the world. Even now, visiting Seward is spiritually recharging.
Ben is currently serving at Trinity Lutheran in Shawnee, Kan.
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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Kathleen Garner ’11
My Concordia experience has blessed me and prepared me beyond compare for work in the church and world. It was a gift to be able to pursue my dream of an overseas missionary internship, a dream that the DCE program and its professors both prepared me for with coursework, as well as spurred me on during the course of a year and a half in Riga, Latvia. Regularly receiving support and encouragement from staff at Concordia and friends back home, I was strengthened by the body for work across the ocean, sharing God’s love and mission for his people. Through such generous hands and hearts I was equipped to enter ministry full-time, seeing the true potential of Christ’s body of believers.
Kathleen is currently an youth director at St. John Lutheran Church in Denver, Colo.
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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Lydia Wilcke ’08
My time at CUNE is something I truly treasure. The four years I spent on campus were some of the best of my life. The staff and professors did a great job of teaching us in the classrooms, but what was more impactful was how they were very intentional about building relationships and caring about their students. The relationships I built at CUNE with professors and other students have carried me through internship, my 1st call, my 2nd call, and are still very present in my life today. I was not just taught how to do ministry; I was shown how. That level of relationship building and care has shaped how I approach ministry with the children, youth, and families I have had the privilege of serving.
Lydia is the family minister at Timothy Lutheran Church in Blue Springs, Mo.
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Ben Vineyard
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Kathleen Garner
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Lydia Wilcke
