Called to
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Aaron and Amanda Vergin at the baptism of their daughter, Evangeline, at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Convoy, Ohio.
Counting the Cost By Jayne E. Sheafer
I am very grateful to the seminary, and especially to its Office of Financial Aid. In my experience, they do everything they can to help their students. Specifically for me, the seminary has helped by providing a grant of 50% of tuition, by offering a convenient list of outside scholarships, by facilitating the Student Adoption Program, by making important financial information (such as the Cost of Attendance) readily available, by dispersing extra funds when they are available and by giving a presentation on student debt and repayment. 16
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aron Vergin, a Michigan native, has just finished his fourth year at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne. He and his wife, Mandy, and their daughter, Evangeline, will be moving to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, West Bloomfield, Michigan, where he has been called to serve as their pastor.
Like many, he began to contemplate the vocation of pastor after being encouraged by his family and pastors. “God certainly worked through my family and home congregation to direct me toward the Office of the Holy Ministry. At home, at church and at school I was raised to know Christ and to love Him. This I think was the most foundational influence,” says Vergin. “However, I would also add that Mr. Brian Horvath, my religion teacher during my senior year of high school, was an important influence. He taught me
to appreciate the faith I had received from childhood. Similarly, I need to mention here Pastor Dave Weber from Saints Peter and Paul Lutheran in Houghton, Michigan. I attended his congregation when studying at Michigan Tech. Through Pastor Weber and the members of Saints Peter and Paul, I was introduced to the joys of the ministry, and together they encouraged me in pursuing it.” Once the decision was made to attend CTS, there was also the importance of assessing the financial cost. “My goal going into seminary was to acquire as
For the Life of the World