By Carrie Gubsch

Rev. Mark Dumke, Faith Lutheran Church, Winona, serves on the board for Lutheran Campus Ministry, Winona. He spoke in favor of the resolution. Photo by Karen Surprenant.

One voter knows the importance of Lutheran Campus Ministry.

He says it saved his life when he was in college.

“I was dealing with a lot of personal issues with my personal life,” he said of his college experience with Lutheran Campus Ministry. “It brought me to know Christ a lot more. They saved my life.”

This voter spoke in favor of a resolution to extend and expand support of Lutheran Campus Ministry from the Southeastern Minnesota Synod Assembly and its congregations.

The resolution passed overwhelmingly.

The Rev. Tammy Dahlvang, a campus pastor at Lutheran Campus Ministry, Mankato, said supporting campus ministry in prayer and ministry is just as important as financial support.

“By voting for this motion you will not just consider supporting us financially but learning more about what we do,” said the Rev. Mark Dumke of Faith Lutheran Church in Winona, Minn. “These are the people we’re talking about. The future leadership of our church.”

The Rev. Roland Martinson, a professor at Luther Seminary, wrote that campus ministry is a key factor in sustaining the faith of young adults, according to the resolution.

The resolution calls for congregations to select one campus ministry site for intentional financial support, raise awareness of Lutheran Campus Ministry, feature a Campus Ministry Sunday at least once a year, and create partnerships with Lutheran Campus Ministry.

“Its been so wonderful to see the support so many congregations have given us,”  Dahlvang said.

There are two Lutheran Campus Ministry sites in the Southeastern Minnesota Synod - Lutheran Campus Ministry, Mankato and Lutheran Campus Ministry, Winona.