Gerhard Knutson ’57 Th.M. died on March 3. In addition to serving as a pastor both in the United States and Norway, he was bishop of the Northwest Synod for eight years. He wrote “Ministry to Inactives: A Manual for Establishing a Listening Witness to Inactive Members,” as well as a book about his brother, who was the first presiding bishop of the American Lutheran Church.

Oradell Nordness ’58 died on June 27. He served congregations in Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

Clifford Olsen ’58 M.Div. died on June 13. He served first as a chaplain in the U.S. Navy and then as a port chaplain with the Norfolk Seamen’s Friend Society. Shortly before his death, he was recognized by the Virginia Synod for his 65 years of ordination.

James Thvedt ’59 M.Div. died on March 26. He served
congregations in the United States and abroad. He also held an educational role at the ELCA Wittenberg Center and produced the Hour of Hope radio broadcasts for 10 years.

Robert Bergland ’60 M.Div. died on May 4. He served congregations in Minnesota.

Robert Ingvoldstad ’62 died on June 30. He served congregations in Minnesota and South Dakota.

David Christensen ’67 M.Div. died on May 29. He served congregations in North Dakota and Minnesota

“The Gospel of John: A Devotional” by Gerald C. “Jeb” Monge ’69 M.Div. was published in May. This is Monge’s fourth published book.

Stuart Peterson ’69 Th.M. died on April 11. He served congregations in Wisconsin, Washington, and Idaho.

Roger Schwartz ’69 M.Div. died on March 8. He served congregations in Minnesota.

Morris Vaagenes ’70 Th.M., ’79 D.Min. died May 8. He was pastor of North Heights Church (Roseville and Arden Hills, Minnesota) from 1961 to 1999. He also served as a missionary and as president of Renewal International, a ministry in Madagascar. He was author of “Church on Fire!: A Testimony of Revival” and “Baptism: God’s Activity of Grace.”

Allen Saterbak ’71 M.Div. died on February 28. He served congregations in Minnesota and North Carolina. Later, he worked in development for the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse and Gundersen Medical Foundation before becoming a fundraising consultant. He also served as minister of music for Desert Hills Lutheran Church in Green Valley, Arizona.

Howard Skulsted ’71 died on July 9. He served congregations in Minnesota.

Howard Fosser ’72 M.Div. died February 25. He served congregations in Washington and Oregon.

Carl Richard Evenson ’75 M.Div. is the author of a poetic novel, “Ever Nearer: Mysterious Odyssey of a Papyrus Fragment and Handmade Gospel Book.”

Jim Brandt ’79 M.Div. retired from Saint Paul School of Theology in Leawood, Kansas, and was named professor emeritus of historical theology. His scholarship focused on Friedrich Schleiermacher’s “Christian Ethics.” He led eight student trips to Guatemala.

“Amending the Christian Story: The Natural Sciences as a Window into Grounded Faith and Sustainable Living” by Ron Rude ’79 M.Div. was reviewed in Covalence, the magazine for the Lutheran Alliance for Faith, Science, and Technology, in April 2023. He served congregations in Minnesota, New York, and Colorado, and served as campus pastor at the University of Arizona–Tucson before retiring to writing and teaching in 2019.

Peter Muschinske ’92 M.Div.was recently featured in the Living Lutheran story, “ELCA chaplain fulfills a dual calling in the Navy.” Muschinske has served as a reserve component chaplain in the U.S. Navy for three decades. He is the first U.S. Navy ELCA chaplain from the reserve component to be nominated to the rank of rear admiral as well as to the position of deputy chief of chaplains for reserve matters.

Katherine Finegan ’02 M.Div. was reelected to serve a second six-year term as bishop of the Northern Great Lakes Synod. Prior to becoming bishop in 2017, she served as an assistant to the bishop in the synod from 2012 to 2017 and as pastor of Bethany Lutheran Church in Republic, Michigan, from 2002 to 2012.

Kyle Schifelbein-Guerrero ’07 M.Div. recently edited the book “Church After the Corona Pandemic: Consequences for Worship and Theology.” He recently joined Lutheran Theological Seminary Saskatoon as its first Grace Professor of Leadership.

Stacy Seger ’08 M.Div. recently joined the University of Arkansas College of Engineering as assistant director of development. She continues to serve as a part-time pastor in the ELCA in Bentonville, Arkansas. She also recently began pursuing a Master of Science degree in operations management.

Nathan Roberts ’12 M.Div. was ordained by the United Church of Christ Minnesota Conference to serve at First Lutheran Church of Columbia Heights. As the director of community engagement, he coordinates local community organizing, after-school programming, and theater ministry.

On July 1, Scott Dalen ’13 M.Div. celebrated his 10-year anniversary serving in his first call as solo pastor of Underwood Lutheran Church in Underwood, Iowa.

In May, Aaron Fuller ’13 M.Div. graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Doctor of Ministry in integrated chaplaincy. His thesis earned the Divinity School’s Frederick Buechner Prize for top student in this year’s D.Min. class. In August, he began his call as pastor at Bratislava International Church in Slovakia, a four-year assignment with ELCA Global Mission. Earlier in the year, he served as assistant coach when the Augsburg University men’s wrestling team won the NCAA Division III national championship.

Andy Bruhn ’14 M.S.M. graduated in May with a Doctor of Musical Arts in choral music from the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign. This fall, he began a full-time tenure track position as director of choral activities at Illinois State University.

An updated and expanded edition of “Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians” by Austen Hartke ’14 M.A. was recently released. The book offers updated terminology and statistics plus new materials for congregational study, preaching, and pastoral care.

Kyle Hanson ’20 M.Div. was named CEO and executive director of Agate Housing and Services in Minneapolis in 2022.

Brian Coffey ’21 M.Div. is serving his first call at Epiphany Lutheran Church in Carbondale, Illinois. This call also includes campus ministry for Southern Illinois University. In part due to his prior service with the Illinois Army NationalGuard, he was asked to give the Memorial Day invocation and benediction at Woodlawn Cemetery in Carbondale. Woodlawn Cemetery is credited as the birthplace of “Decoration Day,” which later became Memorial Day.

In February, Dustin Haider ’21 M.Div. was ordained as a pastor of the ELCA and installed as minister at Holden and Dale Lutheran Church in Kenyon, Minnesota. He is the 10th pastor of the 167-year-old congregation.