As a new school year begins, Lutheran campus ministry in Canada is turning 65. In 1956, Rev. Don Voigts became a Lutheran chaplain at the University of Alberta and the first Protestant chaplain in a university setting in Canada. At the time, his ministry was deemed on the cutting edge of mission.
According to research done by Rev. James Hendrickson to mark the 40th anniversary of Lutheran campus ministry in Canada in 1996, Voigts was so committed to the concept that he sold his car to put a down payment on a house—the first Lutheran Student Centre in the country. His wife Winnie and he lived on the upper floor, while the students lived on and maintained the main floor.
Rev. David Lowe explores the ever-changing ministry of chaplaincy through various conversations with pastors, chaplains, deans, professors and various members of the ELCIC across Canada in the September 2020 issue of Canada Lutheran.
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