Calling herself a “woman of many hats,” Karren Lawson is a preacher, music minister, food pantry facilitator, and vaccine hesitancy outreach worker. And now she is adding seminary student to the list as she pursues a Master of Divinity degree at the University of Dubuque Seminary in Iowa.
“I came from humble beginnings, and the most important thing I have done thus far is answering my call to preach,” Karren says. “I will push for change and seek out everyone who desires to serve God, no matter what life they may lead. There is enough room for everyone in God’s house.”
Karren has witnessed many LGBTQIA Christians feeling like God is not with them or that they are not worthy of worshipping God. She wants to be a counsel and guide for those people who want to experience the fullness of God.
She says, “My objective is to one day have an ecumenically based church that welcomes all people to worship God, no matter what race, color, creed, or sexual orientation they are.”
To the donors of this scholarship, Karren says, “I want to say thank you for helping to make a difference in the lives of people who cannot afford to pay for their education. You are helping people who have the knowledge base to accomplish their goals, but they lack the finances.”
The Chris Andersen WomenLead Scholarship awarded over $100,000 to 32 recipients since its inception in 2017. The scholarship was made possible by the generosity of our donor base.
While no new scholarships are available at this time as Thrivent Charitable focuses on other educational initiatives, donors may be inspired to