Acts 1:8 fund and Romans 1:16 endowment support Concordia Nebraska’s international mission trips

Concordia Nebraska offers many different international mission trips that allow faculty, staff and students to demonstrate God’s love while serving the world and discovering different cultures. Past mission trips have included teaching English as a second language in Poland, medical mission trips to Guatemala and spreading the Gospel and serving local communities in places like the Dominican Republic, Peru, Uruguay and Puerto Rico.  

Concordia Nebraska currently has two grants in place to support faculty, staff and students’ mission trip expenses: the Acts 1:8 Students in Mission fund and the Romans 1:16 endowment. 

“The original Acts 1:8 funding has been around since about 2005. The university applied for a grant from AAL to do mission trips with college students and local Lutheran high school students,” explained Concordia Nebraska Director of Global Opportunities Julie Johnston Hermann. “The Romans 1:16 grant came about because a supportive family wanted to provide additional funding for group leaders to lead mission trips for our students. The Romans 1:16 funding comes from an endowment, and we use the annual interest to support group leaders traveling with students each year.” 

“Funding from the Romans 1:16 endowment encourages continued development of mission and service trips by Concordia Nebraska faculty and staff that embolden the university’s mission of equipping men and women for lives of learning, service and leadership in the church and world.”

“We covet people’s gifts to support these funds,” added Hermann. “Gifts of any size really do make a difference. I work closely with faculty that sponsor these trips. Whether they are mission trips or study abroad trips, there is an incredible amount of coordination and training that goes into each travel experience, but these trips are life changing opportunities to learn, grow and share Jesus with others.”  

The Acts 1:8 Students in Mission grant supports Concordia Nebraska students participating in any Gospel outreach mission experiences. Students may apply for grants to cover up to one third of mission trip cost. The fund originated with previous Aid Association for Lutherans (then AAL, now Thrivent) grant funds that the university received to support mission trips.  

From 2016 to 2025, 143 students have received grants to help them serve in 43 different Gospel-focused mission experiences in Mexico, Guatemala, Haiti, Alaska, Poland, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Uruguay, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Tunisia, Peru, Mongolia, Spain, Austria, Czech Republic, Cambodia and Vietnam. 

The Acts 1:8 funds are not endowment funded, instead the university welcomes gifts of any size to grow the fund. Funds received from various Lutheran Women’s Missionary League districts have also been used to grow the fund.  

The Romans 1:16 Endowment supports Concordia Nebraska faculty and staff leading students on university-sponsored mission trips. The annual available amount is divided to cover trip leader expenses. These funds are available thanks to a generous endowment established in 2011 by friends of the university Dave and Kristi Burmeister. Funds were available for support beginning in 2013.  

From 2014 to 2025, 36 Concordia leaders have been blessed with funding as they led students on trips to Ghana, Belize, Guatemala, Mexico, Uruguay, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Peru and Cambodia. 

“The idea to support faculty and staff developed during a casual discussion with then Concordia University, Nebraska President Dr. Brian Friedrich at a St. Louis Cardinals game,” explained Kristi. “After learning that faculty or staff coordinating Concordia Nebraska student mission and service trips usually paid their own expenses to host the trip, in addition to giving of their time, often during a school break, we began brainstorming ideas to ensure these trips continued to be offered for students to proclaim the Good News of Christ by word and deed. The goal of developing the Romans 1:16 endowment was to reduce financial barriers by offsetting travel expenses for university faculty or staff members organizing or sponsoring a mission or service trip and to build awareness to encourage more mission or service trip offerings.” 

The Burmeister’s children Kerri Harmon ‘12 and Rev. Devin Burmeister ’15 were both Concordia Nebraska undergraduate students at the time of the endowment’s development. Romans 1:16 is one of Devin’s favorite Bible verses, embracing the essence of the endowment’s purpose: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes...” Kristi previously served on the Concordia University Foundation Board. She concluded her term June 2025 as secretary. Dave and Kristi Burmeister both attended Lutheran schools prior to meeting at the Lutheran Student Center at the now-named Missouri State University.  

“Funding from this endowment encourages continued development of mission and service trips by Concordia Nebraska faculty and staff that embolden the university’s mission of equipping men and women for lives of learning, service and leadership in the church and world,” said Kristi. “These hands-on opportunities further the work of God’s kingdom by sharing the gospel through word and deed, attracting and retaining students interested in serving others, and providing hands-on experiences for students to be better equipped to use their God-given talents and live by faith.” 

Gifts of any size help support the mission of Concordia University, Nebraska. Your gifts are gratefully welcomed at cune.edu/giving/ways-give. For those who do not wish to give online, checks may be sent to Concordia University, Nebraska, Office of Institutional Advancement, 800 North Columbia Avenue, Seward, Nebraska 68434. Questions may be directed to the Concordia Nebraska Office of Institutional Advancement at 800-535-5494 ext. 7221 or email giftprocessing@cune.edu.