FULLER LEGACY PLANNED GIVING NEWSLETTER | FALL 2021
SCHOLARSHIP FOR MUSIC AND WORSHIP MINISTRY By Barbara Heimburger, Legacy Circle Donor
+ Barbara Heimburger
In 1962, I began teaching. I loved it! Three decades later upon my retirement, the Lord guided me to a second career as an academic volunteer. Along the way, I met Fred and Lois Bock.
Fred was a choral conductor, church music director, composer, pianist, organist, and music publisher, who used his multiple talents to serve God. After Fred’s death, Lois wrote: “Music was the air he breathed, the beat he marched to, the harmony he lived by.” Establishing a scholarship fund in The Fred Bock Institute of Music at Fuller was a natural step because like Fred, the institute “exists to perform, to understand, to share, and to witness to the life of music in the church and in God’s world.”
Enter Joel Yoshonis, the current recipient of the scholarship. Following the Holy Spirit’s leading, in 2019, Joel left his position as a worship pastor in Michigan. He, his wife, Liz, and their three young sons came to Pasadena so Joel could complete his Master of Divinity degree at Fuller. Upon becoming the recipient, Joel said, “Your generosity in the form of this scholarship has been, quite literally, a life-altering gift for my family and me.” My reply: “For me, too.” Giving is life-altering. ... Financially supporting Fuller students is a partnership that equips them for the “manifold ministries of Christ and his church.” And one day, both the sponsor and the recipients will fully comprehend the life-altering impact of their commitments. + Joel Yoshonis