Debbie Lou Ludolph presented with Leadership Award

Martin Luther University College is pleased to announce that Debbie Lou Ludolph, Dean of Chapel, Director of Kanata Centre for Worship and Global Song and Instructor of Practical Theology, received a Leadership Award at the 2024 Eastern Synod Assembly for exemplary service to the wider community.

Ludolph worked for a decade as the Worship Director for the synod, but this award specifically recognizes the work she has done in the broader community

"Frederick Buechner said — the place God calls you to is where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet. And so began Inshallah. And then Kanata Centre with Art on the Wall, Sing Fires of Justice and Open Door," said Ludolph while accepting the award.  

              

"Thank you to those who set me free as a lay person to be creative and courageous: Principal Deans at Luther — David Pfrimmer, Mark Harris, Kris Lund, and Bishop Michael; and those colleagues with whom I have collaborated at Luther and Community Music at Laurier, the Ministry Directors and Assembly teams at synod, and Advisory Circles and all those who are part of the projects at Luther, with the same heart to draw the circle wide and sing the journey deep. You are my teachers. We have led together." 

"Jesus was a boundary–crosser and early on, you, synod and seminary, gave me opportunities to see boundary-crossing potential as an imperative for faithful leadership: in Palestine and Israel, at Six Nations, and in the classroom, the mosque, the synagogue. Thank you. Art and music are boundary-crossers too and they can assist in the messy work of living toward human flourishing and the well-being of creation . . . changing us until we 'know' our interconnectedness and act on our interdependency, inside and outside the church," said Ludolph. 

"Thank you to faith communities, friends, and family that have shaped, supported, and loved me through the years. I asked for the gift today to be given to Augusta Victoria Hospital in the West Bank. Please Pray. Give. Act. For Peace with Justice. Be grateful for life and for love. I am. Thanks be to God."