For Immediate Release:
May 9, 2017
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Miji Bell
mbell@lirs.org; 410-230-2841
Michelle Blundell
mblundell@mrss.com; 202-478-6176
BALTIMORE, MD – Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service President and CEO Linda Hartke will receive the Living Loehe Award from Wartburg Theological Seminary (WTS) at commencement exercises on Sunday, May 14th in Dubuque, Iowa.
The Living Loehe Award was established by Wartburg Seminary in 1973 as a way of honoring individuals who have given distinguished service to and through the church and exemplify Christ’s call to be disciples in the context of their own daily lives and professional commitments.
A Wartburg Seminary press release states: “Linda Hartke exemplifies the Loehe tradition through her dedication to serving immigrants and refugees. Before serving as President and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, she was Director of the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (Geneva, Switzerland), and has served on boards and advisory councils for the World AIDS campaign, the Rose Marie Khoo Foundation, and Amnesty International USA, plus served seven years in Washington, D.C., as chief of staff to Representative Chet Atkins (D-MA), and out of the country as a director to Cambodia for Church World Service. An active Lutheran, Hartke resides in Baltimore, Maryland and has served on ELCA national and regional boards, and with the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.”
In addition, Hartke will lead a conversation at Wartburg about the ongoing work of developing just and welcoming communities for migrants, immigrants and refugees on Monday, May 15th at 9:00 am in Weiblen Commons on the seminary’s campus.
Wartburg Theological Seminary is one of eight theological schools of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Wartburg is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools and educates women and men to serve the church’s mission as ordained and lay leaders. Established in Dubuque, Iowa in 1854, Wartburg Seminary is in its 163rd academic year.
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Founded in 1939, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service is the second largest refugee resettlement agency in the United States. It is nationally recognized for its leadership advocating with refugees, asylum seekers, unaccompanied children, immigrants in detention, families fractured by migration and other vulnerable populations. Through more than 75 years of service and advocacy, LIRS has helped over 500,000 migrants and refugees rebuild their lives in America.