retired Lutheran pastor and Emeritus Professor of Religion at Carthage College, was a Mission Developer and parish Pastor prior to becoming Chaplain and Instructor of Religion at Carthage where he served for more than 50 years. He developed one of the first courses on death and dying in the United States, taken by more than 5,000 students. He was one of the founding members of Kenosha Hospice Alliance and is known nationally for his work with the suffering, dying, and grieving. He also offered numerous presentations and workshops for grievers and the professionals who serve them.

Pastor Riggle received the Distinguished Teacher Award and honorary doctoral degrees from Carthage College and Wittenberg University. He also received the Carthage Flame Award, the highest honor the college bestows. He was a close friend and colleague of Dr. Hamilton for over 30 years. This sermon for Larry Hamilton was previously unpublished. He turned 90 years old on December 21, 2022.

is an ELCA pastor, a graduate of Carthage College, the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, and Harvard Divinity School. He has served churches in Toledo, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; and Newport Beach, California.

serves the church bivocationally, as pastor of Zumbro Lutheran Church, Rochester, MN, and as manager of the team of Regional Representatives for Portico Benefit Services, the benefit ministry of the ELCA. She finds joy in encouraging others, checking things off lists, and taking walks with her dog.

Pastor of Judson Memorial Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN, and an adjunct faculty member at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. He has served as an American Baptist pastor for 23 years in both small towns and urban churches. Norvell is passionate about the social gospel in the local church as the link for both social justice and church renewal.

He says, “For the past ten years I have tried to only walk, ride my bike or take public transit for my job as a pastor. I give the winter bike commute reports for MPR [Minnesota Public Radio] Mon-Fri. Every year I try to get the [baseball] Twins to offer a clergy pass like the Red Sox, Cardinals and Reds - and every year they say ‘NO.’”

resides in Rochester, MN where he serves as Lead Pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (ELCA). He received his M.Div from Vanderbilt Divinity School (’09) and Ph.D from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (’17).

Prior to ordination in 2015, Carl-Eric served in various capacities in camp, youth, and campus ministries. His doctoral emphasis places Luther’s approach to theology in conversation inter-faith and inter-creature experiences of otherness. As a Luther scholar, he is passionate about the practice of theology experienced through daily mundane and profane encounters with the real presence of Christ.

serves as the Directing Pastor at United Lutheran Church in Red Wing, MN. He graduated from Wartburg College in 1998 and Luther Seminary in 2003 before spending his first ten years of ordained ministry at Faith Lutheran in Dodge Center, MN. In 2013, he accepted his current call to United. He is easily the worst singing pastor in the history of both of these congregations. When he is not playing dorky board games or chasing the family dogs, Justin regularly embarrasses his wife and teenage children with his ridiculous faith in the Iowa Hawkeyes.

a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In her 16 years of ordained ministry, she has served 3 congregations, always striving to create places where people can be fully themselves, they can encounter God and their faith is deepened. She received her bachelors degree at Concordia University, Irvine and her Masters of Divinity at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia where she learned from both Dr. Timothy Wengert and Dr. Gordon Lathrop. Ordained: October 29, 2006. Pastor Bodenschatz currently serves at First Lutheran Church, ELCA in Onalaska, WI, where she has served for 11 years.

nephew-in-law of Dorothy Hardtke

the Religion, Faith and Values reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Rochester Post-Bulletin: Reporter & Feature writer; July 06, 2022