FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY’S 2008 DISTINGUISHED AWARDS ANNOUNCED
ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 11, 2008 – Concordia University—Ann Arbor is proud to announce the distinguished award recipients for the 2007-08 academic year. The awards will be handed out during spring commencement on Saturday, May 3, 2008. The Christus Primus Award, in recognition of a lifetime of service to the church and exemplifying in word and deed the university motto, “That in all things Christ might have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18), will be given to the Reverend David Eberhard, Ph.D., pastor of Historic Trinity Lutheran Church in Detroit, Michigan. An Honorary Doctor of Laws, given in recognition of distinguished servant leadership in the Church and society, will be awarded to Bruce N. Braun, superintendent of Lutheran schools in the Michigan District. The Distinguished Alumnus Award, honoring a graduate for reflecting in their life and career the values upon which the university is founded, will be awarded to the Reverend Wray A. Offermann, senior pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Decatur, Illinois.
Rev. Eberhard has served as head pastor of Historical Trinity Lutheran Church in downtown Detroit since 1983. Since be called to the Detroit area in 1959, Eberhard has remained active in the Civil Rights Movement through serving on the city council and maintaining a variety of community outreach programs including a clinic, senior citizen programs, a day care center, a youth home, a co-op store, and a local peace corp. At Historic Trinity, Rev. Eberhard has sought to establish a meaningful example for downtown churches in America.
Bruce N. Braun began his ministry in 1978, teaching Old Testament at Lutheran North in Macomb, Michigan. In 1990, he became assistant principal at Lutheran Westland, and went on to serve as principal at Guardian Lutheran School in Dearborn in 1993. In 1999, he was led to the assistant superintendent’s ministry at the Michigan District. Since 2006, Braun has served as the superintendent of Lutheran schools in Michigan. Braun received his master’s from Saginaw Valley State University and has taken additional counseling classes at Oakland University.
Rev. Offermann has been in the pastoral ministry for over 30 years, most of which has been in the service of St. Paul in Decatur, Illinois. During his tenure at St. Paul, the congregation has grown to a membership of 2000, with a weekly attendance of 1000. Rev. Offermann has led the congregation by providing sound doctrine and exemplary preaching of the Word. He has been able to strike a balance in worship style, meeting the needs of worshipers while remaining firmly rooted in scripture and in the heritage of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
Concordia University—Ann Arbor is a liberal arts institution of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. With a Christian environment and an academic community dedicated to excellence, CUAA offers a broad range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. CUAA is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) and by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). CUAA Family Life Program is certified by the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR). CUAA’s Athletic Program is a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Champions of Character institution. CUAA is listed as one of America's Best Private Colleges®. For more information on CUAA, visit: www.cuaa.edu.
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