John W. Allen Endowed Scholarship Fund

The John W. Allen Endowed Scholarship Fund for Student Financial Aid was established by John W. Allen in 1996. John Allen was a strong lay leader in his congregation, Minnetonka Lutheran Church in Minnetonka, Minn. Together with his wife Chrystal, John volunteered for three years with the World Brotherhood Exchange Program; spending the first year working in Madagascar, the second working with the Radio Voice of the Gospel, and the third working with the Lutheran Publishing House in South Africa. John was a strong financial supporter of Luther Seminary over many years. When he was a teenager during the Great Depression, John received financial assistance from an aunt and a grandmother to attend two semesters of college; John said, “in gratitude for the help given me by relatives, someday I would try to help at least 100 young people get an education.” This fund is designated for financially deserving M.Div. students preparing for ordained ministry in the ELCA.