Sanctuary Blog

Lutheran Campus Ministry at UW Celebrates Growth with Move to Dedicated Student Ministry Space

9/4/2025

Seattle, WA — Lutheran Campus Ministry at the University of Washington is entering an exciting new chapter. After four years of thriving in partnership with University Lutheran Church, the ministry has grown to the point of needing its own dedicated, student-centered space.

From the very beginning of their time at University Lutheran, the vision included having a larger and more permanent home—one designed specifically for student ministry. “We are grateful beyond words for the way University Lutheran Church has welcomed us, supported us, and stood alongside our students,” said the Board of Directors. “The volunteers, donors, and stand-in parents and grandparents at ULC helped shape this community into what it is today. We could not have done it without them.”

Following prayerful discernment and conversation with nearby congregations, Lutheran Campus Ministry will relocate to University Congregational United Church of Christ (UCUCC). The new location, just steps from campus, offers long-term tenancy potential, dedicated space for students, and greater flexibility for both pastors to expand their ministries—including Pastor Joseph Li’s ministry with international students. The building also hosts several nonprofits, opening doors for collaboration and community engagement.

The move also strengthens opportunities for ecumenical partnership while keeping LCM’s roots firmly in its ELCA identity. “Our commitment to the inclusive theology of grace and the message of God’s radical, inclusive love remains unchanged,” said Pastor Chelsea Globe. “We’ll continue to live out our Lutheran values in this new setting, while learning from and serving alongside our new UCC partners.”

Though the daily proximity to University Lutheran will change, the relationship will remain strong. LCM will continue the tradition of Wednesday student dinners at the new location, welcoming volunteers from ELCA and other local congregations. The LCM students continue to affirm their deep value and appreciation of the relationships built with ULC members, and the ministry looks forward to continuing those connections while building new ones at UCUCC.

“This move is not about leaving—it’s about expanding,” the Board shared. “We are building on a foundation of partnership, carrying it forward into a space that will allow this ministry to grow, flourish, and serve more students than ever before.”

For more information, contact:

Rev. Sara Funkhouser, Board President
[email protected]
Don Boelter, Treasurer
[email protected]

Future Pastor Sara

6/3/2025

Sara began to suspect that ordained ministry might be in her future when her childhood congregation started calling her “Future Pastor Sara.” “They started calling me that in high school,” she remembers. “And I was like, nope. Not gonna happen. Thank you very much, but not gonna happen.”

Sara went on to Concordia College (ELCA) with a plan to study civil engineering and build bridges, and definitely not be a pastor. However, those plans shifted a couple of times. She switched to a biology major intent on becoming a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. Then she tried global studies. Finally, she landed on English literature. And as a finishing touch, she added a double major in religion “because I was interested in the study of religion and how it impacts people’s lives.” She became a leader in daily chapel services, joined the campus ministry’s Queer People of Faith group, took Biblical Hebrew, went on mission trips, and interned with Interfaith America. But ask her about being a pastor? The answer was still “I don’t think so.”

“But people in my life kept asking the question. After I preached for the first time during chapel in my senior year, a professor asked me when I was going to seminary. During my internship with Interfaith America, I had to give a presentation and these students from Union Seminary came up and asked me, when are you going to seminary? And I said, never, thank you very much.” However, that “never” didn’t last long. “That night I couldn't sleep and at two in the morning, I started looking at seminaries online.” Sara graduated from college and went right on to Wartburg Seminary the next fall.

Sara credits her college campus ministry as the place that nurtured her call to ordained leadership. “Being involved in all those things led me to actually accept my call to be a pastor. I had a campus pastor who really helped me see that there is space for me. And some of the things that I was afraid of, I knew that I would have support in.” She continues, “It was through campus ministry that I was able to really to figure out how to live authentically and still practice my faith, and merge the two in a way that felt really natural. I was really grateful for that space.”

Pastor Sara now serves at Luther Memorial Lutheran Church in Seattle. Because of her high regard for campus ministry, she also makes time to serve on the Board of Directors for Lutheran Campus Ministry at the University of Washington as president. She is especially honored to steward this ministry during the building project with University Lutheran Church “It's something that at the end of the day we get to be proud of, to have this new space where students can gather. It's their own space and they get to figure out what that looks like, and that feels really exciting.”

When you support campus ministry, you support students like young Pastor Sara who are discerning their vocation, providing them a safe place in community to learn where God is leading them to serve. Thank you for your generous gifts of prayer and support.

Non-Negotiable

5/5/2025

Growing up in a Lutheran family, going to church for Liv was just “what we did, but I never really understood why.” The whole family attended church together in her hometown of Walla Walla, Washington. When she went through Confirmation classes, however, Liv’s perspective on church started to change. “My pastor was a really big influence on my spirituality. He was the nicest person and his sermons were always incredible and very touching,” Liv remembers. “I started to make up my own mind about what being a Lutheran was to me, rather than just being dragged to church by my family.”

When Liv moved to Seattle to attend the University of Washington, it was an “incredibly difficult transition period, adjusting to college. It was really hard for me.” Thankfully, during the student club fair that first week of classes, she found Lutheran Campus Ministry’s table.
“I met Pastor Chelsea on the Quad, and I was like, what’s this? They’re Lutheran, and I’m Lutheran!” she recounts. “I didn’t know what it would look like for me continuing on with church, and then it just came together very serendipitously.”

Liv quickly became a regular at Wednesday night dinners. “Having this to come to was a really big source of comfort, especially when I didn’t know many people. Everyone here is so welcoming and it's just a safe space for anyone to come. I think anyone would feel welcome, but I also like having that tie back to something so familiar: church and my faith.”

Now a sophomore, Liv is a student leader for Lutheran Campus Ministry. She serves as the Student Board Liaison, attending monthly meetings of the Lutheran Campus Ministry Board of Directors. In this role, she makes sure that students voices are represented and heard. Last month, she participated in our first Interfaith Fellowship with UW Hillel, the Jewish campus ministry that is located across the street. “I really liked that we had the opportunity to do that because where else are you going to have such a concentrated discussion of Christianity and Judaism? It was really cool.” She learned that there are many similarities across religious experiences. “Someone said, my Jewish grandma loves that I'm involved in Hillel, and I said, my Lutheran grandma loves that I'm in Lutheran Campus Ministry!”

“Wednesday dinners are just built into my schedule. They are mandatory for me, nonnegotiable. I have to say to people, oh, sorry, I'm busy that night. I love the variety of activities we have after dinner. I like that there's a mix of faith-based discussions. Then also there are times when we've just done a game night, which just allows for more bonding and socialization, which I think is really important to have those deeper discussions. It's just acceptable to flow in between the silly conversations and the deep stuff. That's just the community we’ve created here.”

When you give to Lutheran Campus Ministry, your gift directly supports students like Liv who are in need of loving, supportive community.

First Fruits

3/4/2025

“It’s Carol Ann dinner!”

Those words have brought students running to the table at Lutheran Campus Ministry at the University of Washington for over twenty years. Carol Ann began making meals for students in 2002 when the pastor for campus ministry at the time, Scott Postlewaite, was visiting her congregation. “When Pastor Scott invited congregation members to make meals for students, I raced to be the first to sign up!” she recounted with a laugh. And so, for the past 22 years she has been faithfully bringing meals to students of Lutheran Campus Ministry at least once a quarter.

For Carol Ann, this act of service is also one of love. When she arrived on the University of Washington campus as a freshman in 1969, she knew she wanted to find a church home. “A fellow student pointed me to the Lutheran Student Center, which was then a three-story house on 16th and 52nd,” she recalled. “We met for Wednesday night services. It was 8-10 students, all earnest and open-minded.” The group was very social justice-oriented and concerned about the Vietnam War. “We helped take over the I-5 freeway after the Kent State shootings,” she recalls proudly. “I’m sure the FBI had files on all of us. Though mine would be very small, I’m sure!”

Now, fifty years later, she sees history repeating itself in the students of today. “They are experiencing challenges and joys that echo what I was experiencing when I was a student in the ‘60s and ’70s. It’s not the same, but similar. It feels good to be a guest auntie or grandma once a quarter and be with them, and bring them a comforting homecooked meal they can’t get in the dorms or can’t afford to make on their own.”

For Carol Ann, Lutheran Campus Ministry at the University of Washington taught her that faith is active in the world. It stands up to power and humbly serves others. That’s why she treats these meals like feasts. “For me, these are first fruit meals. These students are special people in my life. I didn’t have kids or grandkids, so these students are my chance to pour out that love and care to the next generation. You need to feed the future,” Carol Ann asserts.

Because of generous volunteers and supporters like Carol Ann, Lutheran Campus Ministry at the University of Washington will keep feeding students with good food and the love of Christ for generations to come!

Coming Home

2/4/2025

Julia comes from a long line of Lutherans. “Growing up, my family attended a Lutheran church in Tacoma that was pretty diverse and engaged in the community,” she remembers. “We were pretty involved.” All that changed when her family moved to Japan when she was seven years old. For the rest of her childhood, Julia and her family split time between Japan and Tacoma. She learned to operate in two cultures and two churches. “In Japan, there weren’t as many choices, so we went to an international Baptist church. It was really different. There was the added stress, and beauty, of lots of different cultures coming together to worship.”

For college, Julia chose to return to her roots and attend the University of Washington. “I wasn’t sure how much church stuff I’d be doing. After all, that’s when most people take some time off from church.” She came to the UW Lutherans ice cream social during the first week of classes and enjoyed it, but she wanted to try new things too. “I wanted to make friends, so I went to a bunch of different clubs, including different religious groups. I did the theatre club, the film club, international student groups, trying to find my people. My second year, I realized I was tired of trying do everything and be friends with everyone. I just wanted to find home!” And so, at the beginning of sophomore year, she went back to the UW Lutherans ice cream social for a second try. And she thought, “I gotta go back more. I set my mind to it and I started coming regularly.”

And that is what she found: home. “It felt like family. We can hang out and talk about whatever. Campus ministry has given me the ability to feel more comfortable calling myself Christian in college because of what people assume that means – that we aren’t Team Love- and campus ministry is so the opposite of that. Campus ministry provides a safe space for students and shows people that there are Christians who are Team Love, who are inclusion-focused.” And for the first time, Julia has been able to have a female pastor, which has had a big impact on her. In fact, Julia is considering going to seminary after she graduates. “I would be thrilled if Julia continues to follow this call to ministry, wherever that leads her,” Pastor Chelsea affirms. “She has a compassionate heart, gentle nature, stands up against injustice, and knows that the Church isn’t perfect but is still beautiful. Julia would make an excellent pastor or deacon.”

Because of your generosity, Lutheran Campus Ministry at the University of Washington can keep encouraging and mentoring future church leaders like Julia. Thank you for your support of this vital ministry to Lutheran young adults!

Where Else?

1/6/2025

Jack was born in 1926 and baptized at Central Lutheran Church in Everett, Washington. After graduating from high school in 1944, Jack immediately joined the army and witnessed the end of World War II in Europe.

He came home in 1946 and turned his attention to higher education. After a year of community college, he enrolled at the University of Washington, because, as he put it, “Where else would you go?”

“The U” was the only choice for him. As a returning veteran, he was a little older than the average sophomore and didn’t know anyone in Seattle. He’d heard about “Luther Club,” as Lutheran Campus Ministry was known then, and its host congregation, University Lutheran Church, from his older sister. He hoped to find friends, food, and a warm welcome there.

“I had nothing in common with the other guys living in my boarding house. Luther Club became my hub,” Jack recalls. “Pastor Steinhoff was a real neat person, I really felt at home with him.” Many of the other young men who attended were also recent veterans and Luther Club gave them a space to have a normal college experience after the trauma of war. They would gather for Bible study and book discussions, attend basketball and football games together, even spend hours together singing hymns and camp songs! They knew they could always count on a good meal and good company at Luther Club.

“Luther Club was my social outlet. All I did at The U was attend class and study, but my whole social life was Luther Club,” Jack recalled. He continued with a twinkle in his eye, “And it wasn’t to meet women!” Ironically, Jack met his wife Betty through Luther Club. They were married for 63 years until her death in 2015.

At 98 years old, Jack still attends worship every Sunday at University Lutheran Church. He regularly gives generously to Lutheran Campus Ministry. He sees students today enjoying the same benefits and friendships that he experienced all those years ago. He has made plans to leave a portion of his estate to campus ministry as well. “It’s something you need to support! It really is,” he says. “It was the hub for me,” as it continues to be for so many students today.

Because of Jack and your generosity, Lutheran Campus Ministry at the University of Washington will continue to be a community hub for the next generation of students and many more to come.

Plus One

12/2/2024

Erika grew up in a family with deep Lutheran roots, where going to church every Sunday was the norm. When she went to college at Oregon State University, it was only natural that she sought out the Lutheran campus ministry.
Kevin began to explore faith on his own as a teen. “I church-shopped in high school,” he says, “and ended up at the Lutheran church and youth group.” When he got to college, he did the same thing. Faced with many choices of Christian groups to join, he turned to his high school youth pastor for advice. “He told me to choose the group that I would be comfortable bringing other people to. And that was the Lutheran one. They weren’t flashy or hip, but it was the place that was comfortable and where everyone was welcome.”
That’s the story of how they met at Lutheran campus ministry at Oregon State in 2014. Kevin and Erika were married in 2018 and have since lived all over the country, traveling to support each other’s further education and career goals. Soon after Erika completed her Master’s in Occupational Therapy, Kevin was accepted into the PhD program in Bioengineering at the University of Washington, and it was time to move again. This time, they were headed to Seattle. They knew what they needed next: community. So just like he did as an undergraduate, Kevin checked out the different campus ministries. He found Lutheran Campus Ministry at UW through our website and emailed Pastor Chelsea, asking if graduate students were welcome. And, he wondered, would Erika be welcome too, even though she was no longer a student? And of course, the answer was yes!

“I was thankful there were no expectations, especially as a grad student,” Kevin reflected. “You spend most of your time with people in the same program or lab. While everyone is great, you end up comparing yourself to others. At campus ministry, no one cared how many papers I published. I could just relax.” Erika concurred: “In both groups, as an undergrad and as a ‘plus one young adult,’ there was space and time to get to know people and breathe.”

Community is exactly what they found at Lutheran Campus Ministry. “Campus ministry was the first time in a faith community that I connected on a community level,” said Kevin.“In other church experiences, you go, you sing, it’s about Jesus… That’s great, but it’s very individual. Campus ministry is all your peers. That’s very impactful. It loops your faith in with community. It’s not just something you do on the inside.”

Now, Erika and Kevin have moved again, this time to Boston for a post-graduate study program. And of course, right away they looked up their closest Lutheran congregation. But they aren’t done with Lutheran Campus Ministry yet. Kevin just began serving on our Board of Directors. “It felt like a cool way to be connected with the ministry still,” he says. “Campus ministry is unique because the members of the group don’t have the capacity to lead and contribute like in a congregation. When I was a student, people were there behind the scenes making it happen. I want to pay that back.”

Kevin and Erika are also among our most faithful donors. “We donate as a conscious effort because for the past ten years, campus ministry has been our primary congregation,” Erika explains. “I was raised with the idea of regular and consistent tithes. Also, the ministry gave a lot to me and has been an incredible resource to me, so it’s a natural place to put our resources into now. If someone can get one small amount of benefit that I have got, than that money is well spent.”

Your faithful giving enables us to provide community and faith formation for young adults like Erika and Kevin during these big life transitions. Thank you!

Calico Beans

11/21/2024

Ethan describes his experience growing up in a strict church in Hong Kong as “not that pleasant.” “God was the church,” he shared. “I was told that my religious values should be based only on what the church said. There was lots of bigotry, misogyny, and judgment.” As a transgender person just beginning to find his identity, he knew he could never be his full self in his home church.

After high school, he chose to attend the University of Washington in Seattle. For that first year, he stayed away from all things church-related. “I began to realize that God was bigger than the church and I still believed in Jesus; he’s a pretty cool guy.”

When Ethan walked by the Lutheran Campus Ministry table on campus, he saw our rainbow logo and affirming messages. He attended Wednesday night dinner and even remembers the calico bean casserole our dinner volunteer made that first night. “Free food?” he thought. “I gotta be here!” He has been a regular attendee ever since and now serves as a club officer and student intern.

For Ethan, LCM provides a space to relax, tap into spiritual life, and put aside the worries of the day for a few hours. But it’s more than that. “For the first time ever, I have found a church community where I can fully belong as a trans person. I’ve made friends. I can say what I honestly think and believe. I can ask any questions I have. And I really like that we learn about social and community advocacy. We learn about issues in our community and our role in them. It has strengthened my faith and made me realize that people in church aren’t all bad. They are welcoming, kind, loving people. I have a new view on Christian people as a whole.”

Ethan has also begun attending Sunday morning worship at University Lutheran, LCM’s host congregation. “Getting back into the routine of Sunday worship is a comfort. And the people are really nice.” No matter where life takes him after graduation, he plans to find a welcoming, loving congregation to call home. “Religious beliefs are personal, but having them shared with a bigger group and a sense of community and belonging is great.”

Your generosity to Lutheran Campus Ministry at the University of Washington makes it possible for us to keep providing for students like Ethan and reach out to more students who need to know about God’s welcoming, inclusive love!

Spring Break Reflection: REST

3/24/2021

“So then, a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God; for those who enter God’s rest also cease from their labors as God did.” Hebrews 4:9-10

You did it! Finals are over. All that hard work is done! You deserve a break.

But this spring break, as you know, is not going to be a normal one. Just like last year… no road trips, no parties on the beach, no crowded frat houses or beer bongs or hooking up with strangers. Maybe you’ll get to go home and see your parents and siblings and dog. Or maybe you’re just still sitting there in your apartment or dorm room, or the parents’ house you never left, for a spring break that is pretty much just like any other damn day in this time of COVID.

I know your plans are not what you want. You’d probably rather be so many other places right now. That sucks. And… it also gives you an opportunity to really, actually rest. Sleep is the single greatest thing you can do for your overall health and wellbeing. But real rest is more than just sleep, right? So ask yourself: What makes you feel really rested? What brings you the most peace? What or who or where can calm your heart and mind and soul? That’s what you need to tap into this break as you gear up for spring quarter. And perhaps you can bring this new habit of seeking rest into the next quarter and beyond, too.

Blessings on your break and I’ll see you next quarter!
Pastor Chelsea Globe

God of rest, what a gift it is to us that you rested on the seventh day. Oh how we need that example. Oh how I need that example. I am weary, so today I pray: Give me the strength and the wisdom to rebuild my life with rest at the center. Amen.
—Prayer by Rev. Sarah Are | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart. org

Lent and Finals... a moment for reflection

3/16/2021

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:16–17

Today, I got the opportunity to preach a sermon on John 3:16 (the most well-known verse in the Bible) and how our usual understanding of it reflects characteristics of white supremacy culture. Yup, you read that right. It was heavy, but good.

The congregation I was preaching for is using this whole Lent season to confess the sin of white supremacy and name the ways it continues to impact our world and our lives. And one of the characteristics that we lifted up today was the idea of “perfection.”

Of course, we all know that perfection is a myth. There is no such thing as perfection. And yet… it is something we are all taught to strive for, basically from the time we are born. We are praised for everything good thing we do and every new step we achieve. As students, your whole world is focused on getting as close to perfect grades as possible, having the perfect social life, internships and jobs, in order to set you up for the perfect career…

Does that ring true for you? We have been conditioned to find our worth and our value in what we do and achieve and the praise those things bring us from others. As followers of Jesus, we know that that’s not true. Our worth and value come from God’s unconditional grace and love that is already within us, not from any outside source. Trying to be “perfect” is just a waste of time.

And I learned this week that the ideal of “perfection” is not just detrimental to our self-esteem and worth, but it is actually hurtful to us as a society. It is a racist and patriarchal tool of oppression which benefits those who have set the standards and made the rules (historically white men) to the detriment of everyone else. Perfectionism convinces us that there is a specific goal or standard to which we must conform, and if we don’t do it, we have failed.

And yet, so many of us CAN’T reach the goal because the GAME IS RIGGED. If you aren’t white, straight, and male, then you were never meant to reach those goals and standards. And this is a tool of white supremacy and patriarchy because it allows those who set the standards to judge and put down, well, everyone else.

So many of us, especially if you are white, hetero, and cisgender, have been caught up in this game for a long, long time, without even realizing it. And today, I give you permission to just stop. We aren’t perfect, God knows. We aren’t supposed to be perfect. We are just supposed to be OURSELVES, exactly who we are and who we were created to be. No more, no less. If you can live your life according to that standard, you will literally be making the world a better place for everyone. And learning how to live your own life with grace and peace, knowing that perfection does not exist and you can stop trying to achieve it.

That being said, I know you have exams to study for and final grades to think about. Sometimes, we do have to play the game a little bit. In all the bustle and stress, I hope you can take time to breath and remember that this moment and these experiences do not define you or your future. You will get through it and you will be OK. You’ve got this.

Prayer Prompts:

Do you think you are pressured to be “perfect”? When and where in your life to you feel it?
Next time you feel that pressure, try to notice it happening. Mentally push pause and remind yourself that perfection is a myth and is not possible or required of you.
Dear God, Thank you for creating me just as I am and not expecting me to be perfect. Thank you for the beautiful diversity of this world, for the opportunity I have to learn from those who are different from myself, and for the ways I can work to bring about change for all people. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

In Peace and Love,
Pastor Chelsea