Connecting Church & College

An Article Written by the Capital Campaign Team

There has always been a connection between Luther Memorial and Grand View University. We come from the same DNA as the very people who started the church and started the college. Though our purposes are different, the same spirit drives us: faith, education, vocation, fun, love of nature and love of neighbor. And so, it comes as no surprise that the church’s new construction has strengthened our tie to Grand View.

In the past year, the church has hosted a theology department course, a conducting class for music majors, weekly Chapel, and student ministry events such as Alpha and Peer Ministry. We have also hosted Student Leadership Training, a gathering for students training to become teachers, a ceremony for nurses who received their nurse pins, and many other ceremonies including weddings and baptisms. Our national champion shooting team held weekly meetings at the church so the students could do homework in order to stay eligible. We also hosted fun events such as a pickleball tournament, a nerf gun battle, a board game night, and a free pancake meal.

In speaking with alumni, such events are very similar to the kind of fun-loving, community-building, and faithful formation experiences they had as students. Current Grand View students feel the same way. One student said, “I was a little scared to come to the church because I do not go to church. But taking a class here and being welcomed by the people who work here is really nice. The church feels just like the rest of Grand View. It feels like I belong.”

None of this would be possible without the support and generosity of all of you. Your financial support to the building campaign has helped provide the space for this connection with Grand View to grow. In addition, your weekly offerings fund the ministries that reach deeply into Grand View’s community.

Thank you for your faithful support.