CLU to honor late faculty member
Christus Award to be presented at convocation
The Rev. Paul Egertson will receive the Christus Award posthumously for strengthening the partnership between CLU and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Oct. 7, 2011) California Lutheran University will honor a longtime member of the religion faculty posthumously during Founders Day Convocation at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 28, in Samuelson Chapel.
CLU's Founders Day Convocation is held annually to give thanks for the university's heritage and pray for its continued success.
Greg Egertson will accept the Christus Award on behalf of his late father, the Rev. Paul Egertson. The award is presented to those who have made significant contributions to strengthening the partnership between CLU and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) because of their love for both institutions. Egertson, a bishop emeritus of the ELCA Southwest California Synod, died Jan. 5.
The Thousand Oaks resident had been a part-time or full-time member of the CLU faculty since 1984 and was a senior lecturer when he died. He also served as director of the Center for Theological Study, a continuing education program for Lutheran pastors at CLU.
Egertson, an ELCA pastor for 21 years, garnered widespread national attention as an advocate for full inclusion of gays in the life of the church and the ordination of gay and lesbian candidates for ministry. In 2001, he became the first active bishop in the denomination to join in the ordination of a noncelibate gay or lesbian.
The Rev. Rebecca Schlatter, associate pastor at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Reno, Nev., will be the keynote speaker at the convocation. She has focused on faith formation for all ages, working with both congregations and campus ministries. She previously served as campus minister for vocation discernment at Santa Clara University, a parish pastor in Silicon Valley and a seminary intern in Hong Kong. Her experiences informed her 2009 book, "The Treasure Hunt of Your Life: Seeking Your Calling, Encountering God, Finding Yourself." A graduate of Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Schlatter was ordained in the ELCA in 2002.
The service will also feature the commissioning of CLU's Board of Regents and Convocation.
The event is free and open to the public. The chapel is located south of Olsen Road near Campus Drive on the Thousand Oaks campus. Additional parking is available at the corner of Olsen and Mountclef Boulevard. For more information, call the Office of Church Relations at 805-493-3936.