 RE: United
Keeping alums connected
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 Sister Simone Campbell at Westminster Town Hall Forum
(co-sponsored by United)
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"Nuns on the Bus: The Call to Compassion"
Thursday, November 13
Noon - 1:00 PM
Westminster Presbyterian Church
1200 S Marquette Ave, Minneapolis
Cost: Free. No tickets necessary.
Join United alums, faculty and staff as we listen to Sister Simone Campbell from Nuns on the Bus. The forum will last one hour, consisting of a presentation by Sister Campbell, followed by Q&A with written questions from the audience. Live music precedes the forum, starting at 11:30 AM. A public reception with a light lunch follows the presentation.
Sister Simone Campbell is executive director of NETWORK, a Washington-based public policy research organization lobbying for immigration reform, healthcare, economic justice and peacebuilding. An attorney and member of Sisters of Social Service, Campbell was one of the "Nuns on the Bus" who traveled the country to offer support to people living in poverty. She also served as executive director of JERICHO, an interfaith public policy organization in California, and founded Community Law Center, which provides family law and probate support to the working poor.
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2015 Distinguished Alum Nominations Due November 1
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Distinguished Alums are graduates of the seminary who have made a meaningful and lasting contribution to making the world a better place through their work and ministry. Nominees need to have graduated at least 10 years ago from United, Yankton or Mission House Seminary.
The Distinguished Alum is honored annually at the Alum Banquet during United Days. Please return the completed form by November 1.
Download the nomination form
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Community Pizza Night (featuring United's brand new Outdoor Community Oven)
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Friday, October 17
5:00 - 7:00 PM
McMillan Center Patio (west campus)
Cost: $7-10
Rain or shine!
Join United alums, staff, faculty and neighbors for Community Pizza Night, featuring homemade pizza dough and fresh ingredients to top it yourself. Pizzas will be cooked in United's newly built brick oven. There's plenty of room for everyone, so please join us! Questions, contact Brian Braskich, 651.255.6170.
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United Days
"Faithful Leadership in a Multifaith World"
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 All-class Reunion & Educational WorkshopsThursday and Friday, May 14-15, 2015
We're in the planning stages of our annual fall event. United Days (formerly Spring Convocation) is historically one of our biggest fundraisers of the year, and we could always use more help. To learn more about how you can volunteer, please email Kiely Todd Roska. Hope to see you there! |
Recent Alum News
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Jameson and Cecilia (Runge) Baxter '13 welcomed their son Henry into the world in April. Henry was baptized in United's Bigelow Chapel on August 8.
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|  Denise Dunbar-Perkins '04 was elected to a three-year term in executive leadership in the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area. Denise also was a featured interviewee in the six-part documentary "Late Life," produced by Twin Cities Public Television (tpt) in collaboration with Allina Health. The LifeCourse project is a community- based endeavor aiming to create a sustainable model to improve the experiences of individuals, their families and friends when living with the challenges of a serious illness. "Late Life" aired on August 24.
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|  Douglas Holland Federhart '84 has joined the full-time staff at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, Plymouth, Minn., as a spiritual care professional (chaplain), after serving there on-call for a year. He works with adolescents and young adults receiving treatment for chemical dependency. |
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Justin Gromoll '13 began his chaplaincy residency in August at United Hospital in St. Paul, Minn.
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|  William Handy '77 is serving United Presbyterian Congregational Church (UPCC) in Ashland, Wis. It is the 18th church he has served as interim; all but two congregations have been in the Michigan Conference of the UCC. UPCC came from a late 1940s merger of two local Presbyterian and Congregational (now UCC) churches.
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Judy Hoover '91 is retired, but she serves as an assisting priest at Church of the Epiphany in Plymouth, Minn., and in monthly rotation at Trinity Episcopal Church in Litchfield, Minn.
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|  Nancy Horvath '91 received her D.Min. from Phillips Theological Seminary, Tulsa, Okla., in 2007. She retired from pastoring MCC churches in 2012 due a diagnosis of myasthenia gravis. She is director of Life Enrichment at Shorewood Senior Campus in Rochester, Minn., where her duties include the spiritual care of residents.
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Naomi Jackson '96 is taking early retirement from Hampden Park Co-op in St. Paul, after working there 16 years, to pursue her interest in urban farming and local, sustainable food production.
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|  David Johnson '90 began a Kickstarter effort that ran through September 6, 2014; the project is a downloadable stewardship program. It is David's hope to develop the website into a place where church professionals and creative people can buy and sell downloadable church resources.
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|  Bill Klossner '79 retired June 30 from active parish ministry after 26 years serving Congregational United Church UCC in Punta Gorda, Fla., which capped 39 years of serving Wisconsin and Florida churches. Bill continues his 17-year service as senior chaplain in the Punta Gorda Police Department. He also remains board president of the Charlotte County Arts & Humanities Council and continues to travel. His wife Chris lost her two-year battle against cancer in April.
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|  Steven O. Langehough '83 was awarded the Doctor of Philosophy in Pastoral Psychology on June 2 from The Graduate Theological Foundation. His doctoral thesis was entitled "Child Abuse Resiliency and Faith: The Relationship between Resilience, Spirituality, and Religious Practice."
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Anna Larson '13 is serving as pastor at Circles of Faith United Church of Christ in Waubun, Minn. Her story was shared in the Mahnomen Pioneer newspaper. Read the story. |
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|  Karla McGray '91 has completed 13 years as a chaplain at North Memorial Hospital, where she serves as an independent contractor to provide employee support. While at North Memorial, Karla started "The LifeWork Program," a care and support program for its more than 5,500 employees. As Karla advances toward retirement, she continues to write, paint and develop adult enrichment programs for Judson Church. She also volunteers with SafeJourney, a program for victims of domestic violence, and serves on the art selection committee for the new Walker Public Library. |
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 James M. Moravek '08 continues to work as an electrical engineer for a small M/W/DBE firm in Minneapolis; he also works at home on various projects. James worships at University Baptist Church in Minneapolis and volunteers for the Senator Al Franken Re-election Committee. |
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 Tim Morrison '74 was hired as a chaplain on a PRN basis at WellStar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, Ga., after 22 years as a pastoral care volunteer. He also continues to work with/for Write Choice Services, which helps people write the books they have always dreamed of writing and also creates high-level resumes. |
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 Leslie Neugent '12, along with Wayzata Community Church in Wayzata, Minn., will host a UCC StillSpeaking worship event in October, intended for anyone interested in making their church and workshop services more inclusive. The event is part of the church's Parables ministry, an interactive, special-needs-friendly worship service open to anyone and everyone. More information.
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Tara Parrish '12 will teach two classes this fall at Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts in Fridley, Minn. One is on inspirational reading and the other is on biblical women in art and literature.
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|  Stina Pope '77 continues to serve part time at Sei Ko Kai, a Japanese Episcopal congregation in San Francisco, Calif., and as president of the Japanese American Religious Federation of San Francisco. Stina also works as a transformation and holistic health coach for those looking for something outside the Western medical box. Utlizilizng her recent master's degree in holistic health education and nutrition, she offers an array of nutrition, meridian tapping therapy, guided imagery and emotional protection to individuals who have not found relief elsewhere, on the phone. |
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 William Schroeder '59 '72 and his wife Shirley celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary in June; he also celebrated 55 years of ordained ministry. William was ordained by the Northern Synod of the Evangelical & Reformed Church at Minnesota Lake, Minn. In June, he had the opportunity to return to Minnesota Lake and led worship at Peace UCC. He continues to do pulpit supply in the Woodland, Calif., area for churches of several denominations. William and Shirley have traveled to every U.S. state (visiting almost every capitol), all seven continents, all but two provinces in Canada, and many places in Mexico. |
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|  Fred Sprenger '58 (Yankton) is retired. His ministry included 15 years in parishes and 25 in institutional settings, where he served as a chaplain and a program director in facilities serving developmentally challenged people. In retirement, Fred has been an annuitant visitor for the UCC pension board He also serves on the board of Dow Rummel Village, a retirement community in Sioux Falls, S.D. Fred says his seminary education was truly a transformational experience, which he has cherished throughout his career.
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| Judith Strausz-Clement '86 is retired and living in Seattle, Wash., with her husband John Clement.
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| Dr. James D. Weimer '60 is enjoying retirement in Huntley, Ill.
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In Memory and with Gratitude
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Rev. Richard F. Hempenius '54 (Mission House) passed away July 9 in Blue Springs, Mo. During WWII, Richard served in the U.S. Army. He also served for many years as an ordained minister with the United Church of Christ. On December 27, 1953, he was united in marriage to Deloda Vanderwalt in Lafayette, Ind., and she survives in the home. Richard is also survived by his children: son Craig R. Hempenius and wife Diane of West Branch, Iowa, and daughter Michelle (Marc) Hjerpe of Phoenix, Ariz.; brother Walter Hempenius of Cary, Ill.; and sister Carolyn Niccum of Lafayette, Ind. Funeral services were held at Immanuel United Church of Christ in Lafayette. Rev. Eugene L. Loftis '56 (Yankton) passed away September 15, 2012, in Omaha, Neb. Eugene was a retired pastor of Ralston United Church of Christ (UCC) and St. Paul's UCC of Plattsmouth, Neb. Services were held at Trinity United Methodist Church in Ralston. He is survived by his wife Val; children and their spouses Michael and Julie Loftis, Heidi and Randy Sell, Dale and Sachiko Buscher, and Christine and Charles Bilyeu; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and sisters and brother-in-law Shirley and LaVerne Schmidt of Blair, Neb., and Iva Johnson.
 Joan Lovrien '86 passed away May 19 in Rochester, Minn. Joan was a long-time resident of St. Paul. She later lived in Woodbury, before moving to Rochester to be near her daughter Anna. She recently resided at Rochester's Madonna Towers. Joan was a writer and artist and had a roving intellect. She continued studying all her life, obtaining a Master of Divinity degree from United in 1986. She also studied business and was skilled in mathematics, statistics and computers. A long-time member of Unity Church-Unitarian in St. Paul, she more recently belonged to First Unitarian Universalist of Rochester. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Friends of the St. Paul Public Library. A private burial took place at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis.
 Daniel Alan VanderPloeg '62 died peacefully at home in Oakdale, Minn., on August 16. Dan lived with Parkinson's disease for 21 years, eventually complicated by Lewy body dementia. Dan was ordained in the United Church of Christ, serving 46 years; he was a pioneer in supporting the LGBT community in the church. He also enjoyed singing with barbershop choruses, attending plays and concerts, fishing, traveling, golf and Rail Baron. Dan was surrounded by family at the time of his death. He much appreciated the visits and care he received, and his family deeply appreciates the friends and colleagues who were such an important part of his life. He bequeathed his body to the U of M for medical research/education. Dan's life was celebrated August 23 at Spring House Ministry Center in Minneapolis.
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