CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Scott M. Minson, an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) teacher, was found dead Oct. 12 in his apartment at Jian Teachers College, Jiangxi Province, People's Republic of China. The cause of death has yet to be determined.
Minson, 25, was serving with the Amity Teachers Program, an English teaching program administered through Church World Service and Witness, a unit of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. In his work, he taught English as a second language classes to college-age students. Minson began his work in China in August.
"I wish to express our profound sense of loss and sadness at the death of Scott Minson," said the Rev. Will L. Herzfeld, associate executive director of the ELCA Division for Global Mission and president of Church World Service and Witness. "Especially do we remember Scott's family, his parents and brother, and hold them in prayer that they may be sustained in this difficult time."
The Amity Teachers Program is a cooperative program in which Church World Service and Witness works directly with the Amity Foundation of China, Herzfeld said. Minson served in one of six positions supported annually since 1988 by the ELCA, he added.
"We hold up in prayer all who serve with Amity and who now mourn the loss of a colleague and friend," Herzfeld said. "We give thanks for the life and gift of one of God's servants, Scott Minson."
Minson, born in Independence, Mo., graduated in 1992 from Buffalo Grove (Ill.) High School. In May 1996, he graduated with honors from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, after completing a bachelor of arts degree with a double major in biology and religion.
Prior to accepting the teaching assignment in China, he was employed at Hewlett-Packard, Falls Church, Va. He was a member of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod congregation in Prospect Heights, Ill.
Minson is survived by his parents, Michael and Judy Minson, Arlington Heights, Ill., and a brother, Jeffrey.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
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Candice Hill Buchbinder
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Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
