by Frank Imhoff, ELCA News Service
Valparaiso (Ind.) University appointed the Rev. Darlene
E. Grega, Trinity Lutheran Church, Canton, Ohio, to serve
as an associate pastor of its Chapel of the Resurrection
beginning Aug. 23. She joins the Rev. Joseph R. Cunningham,
university pastor and dean of the Chapel, and the Rev. James
A. Wetzstein, university associate pastor and associate dean
of the Chapel. Cunningham and Wetzstein are pastors of the
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS). Grega, a pastor of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), is the
first non-LCMS pastor on the Chapel staff. Valparaiso
University is an independent Lutheran institution.
Grega, 53, was born in Cleveland and graduated from Valparaiso
University and the Lutheran Deaconess Program housed on
campus. She earned a master of arts degree in theology
from Duke University, Durham, N.C.; a master of arts degree
in counseling from the University of North Dakota, Grand
Forks; and a master of divinity degree from Luther Seminary,
St. Paul, Minn. Grega brings 25 years of experience in higher
education to Valparaiso. She was director of international
students at St. Cloud (Minn.) State University and director
of the international center at Virginia Polytechnic Institute
and State University, Blacksburg, Va. She also has nine
years of experience in campus ministry at colleges and
universities in North Carolina, Minnesota and Texas.
"We are delighted that Rev. Grega has accepted the call to
join the ministry team at the Chapel of the Resurrection,"
Cunningham said in a Valparaiso news release. "The ministry
of the chapel benefits from the presence of a pastor from
the ELCA. There are many areas of campus ministry where
Pastor Wetzstein and I are looking forward to cooperating
with Pastor Grega within the guidelines of our respective
church bodies." Cunningham said Grega will play a significant
role in residential ministry and will be encouraged to develop
new initiatives for international students at the university
while collaborating with chapel staff associated with the LCMS
in meeting the spiritual needs of the university community.
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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.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
