Assistant Pastor, St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Ft. Wayne, Indiana

I was raised in Traverse City, Michigan, where my father owns and manages a cherry and apple farm and where my mother taught my three siblings and me at home. Not knowing what I wanted to study but desiring an education that would teach me to read, write, and think, I visited and applied to several small liberal arts colleges in the Great Lakes area. Hillsdale College was the perfect fit. While at Hillsdale, I was active in the Honors Program, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and the One-on-One mentoring program. I also worked as a lab assistant in the ITS office and as a Student Ambassador for the Admissions Office and worshipped at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Hillsdale. After graduating from Hillsdale College, I earned a master of divinity degree from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, which included a year of study at Westfield House in Cambridge, England, and a one-year vicarage/internship at Trinity Lutheran Church in Palo Alto, California. In 2007, I married Kristen Johnson (a 2001 graduate of Hillsdale). We have been blessed with two beautiful daughters, one in heaven and one at home. Since my ordination in October 2008, I have served as assistant pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne.

My professors and fellow students cultivated in me a love for thinking, reading, and writing about a creation that spans centuries as well as continents. I learned that all knowledge is interrelated and that each discipline—especially theology—teaches us something about this world and our place in it.

The core curriculum is more important than you think it is, so enjoy the core curriculum and apply yourself to studying those subjects. They are not merely requirements, things you “have to take,” or hoops to jump through. These—history, literature, theology, philosophy, politics, and science—are the things you need to know, no matter what your major is. From there, take the classes and professors that sound interesting and engaging, even if they have a reputation for being hard. Do your best and ignore your grades. Listen to and learn from the professors and students, inside and outside of class. Take at least one classical language, even if you are also taking a modern language. Finally, find a church that will provide spiritual care for you.

When I was looking into and visiting colleges, the Hillsdale College Admissions Office did an outstanding job of treating me as an individual, answering my questions, and introducing me to the college. They made a point to get to know me. That was also true of the students and professors. Hillsdale College was a place to study in the company of others who wanted to learn and who cared for others.

I left Hillsdale College with the ability to read, write, and think about the most important things in the world, with a love of learning and serving, and with life-long friendships.

My friendships and relationships with Hillsdale students, professors, staff, and others in the community continue to form and shape me and have left me with a love for the campus and institution of Hillsdale College. These friendships were forged in classes (American Heritage with Dr. Stewart, Southern Literature with Dr. Somerville, and Artes Liberales with Dr. Kalthoff and Dr. Whalen come to mind), in the halls of Simpson and Galloway, and through College-sponsored travels, including Honors Program trips to Boston and Washington, D.C., Dr. Stewart's Spain and France trip, and Dr. Conner's World Wars trip.

pgregory@stpaulsfw.org