Endowment and Scholarships

The Institute’s endowments and scholarship offerings—both of which help support the Institute’s administrative costs as well as reduced or free registrations for first-time attendees and full-time students—are named in memory of the following:

The Rev. Herbert F. Lindemann, 1909–95

The Institute’s endowment was established in 1995 in memory of the Rev. Herbert F. and Ruth Lindemann by their estate. Both Lindemanns embraced liturgical practices as a means of enriching the life of the church. Herb, a parish pastor, centered his ministry on worship—liturgy, sacrament, music, and preaching—but his passion was liturgy. Ruth, with extensive knowledge of sacred music and a beautiful alto voice, supported and strengthened these endeavors.

Herb belonged to the Liturgical Society of St. James and its successor, the Institute of Liturgical Studies at Valparaiso University, and chaired the latter from 1958–76. In 1966 he worked with then-director Hans Boehringer to institute an ecumenical conference that involved leading liturgical representatives of the Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Roman Catholic churches shortly after the Second Vatican Council. He became the chair of the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship, which produced the Lutheran Book of Worship in 1978.

Especially in the 1960s and 1970s, students from Concordia Senior College in Fort Wayne came to Redeemer Lutheran Church, where Herb was pastor, to participate in the liturgical life and to hear him preach. Many of these students were guests in Herb and Ruth’s home, often for Sunday dinner. One among them was David Truemper, who became a lifelong friend and colleague, in whose memory recent gifts to the Institute’s endowment established the David G. Truemper Memorial Concert as another permanent part of the Institute.

The Rev. Dr. David G. Truemper, 1939–2004

The David G. Truemper Endowment Fund was established in 2005 in honor of David’s twenty-year tenure as director of the Institute of Liturgical Studies.

David joined the Valparaiso University faculty as professor of theology in 1967 and served from 1993–2004 as chair of the theology department. David attended Concordia College, Milwaukee, and earned degrees from Concordia Senior College, Ft. Wayne, Indiana (B.A., 1961); Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri (M.Div., 1965, and S.T.M., 1969); and Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago/Christ Seminary—Seminex (Ph.D., 1974). He was ordained into the holy ministry in 1968. He served Lutheran congregations in northern Indiana and as a member of the pastoral staff of the Chapel of the Resurrection at Valparaiso University.

In addition to his teaching at Valparaiso University, he served as visiting Professor of Systematic Theology at Concordia Seminary and Concordia Seminary in Exile, St. Louis, and Notre Dame University. He was a member of the American Academy of Religion, the Council on the Study of Religion, the North American Academy of Liturgy, and Societas Liturgica.

David co-authored Keeping the Faith: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine with colleague and friend Frederick Niedner, Jr. In addition, he contributed a vast number of articles to a variety of professional journals and University publications. A frequent lecturer, David addressed areas of liturgical study and practice, Christology, Martin Luther’s theological thought, the Lutheran Confessions, and ecumenism.

The Rev. Peter J. L. Perella, 1978–2014

In 2014, the Institute’s student scholarship fund was named in honor, and later, in memory of the Rev. Peter J. L. Perella. Peter contributed to the Institute as a member of its advisory council and served the wider church as director of worship formation and liturgical resources of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. 

This scholarship supports students, seminarians, and others who are preparing for worship-related vocations and wish to attend the Institute—either as first-time attendees or while enrolled as full-time students. Peter first attended the Institute as a recipient of this scholarship. As registration fees for these students are waived, gifts to this fund allow the Institute to continue its support of future church leaders.

Make a Gift

You are invited to make a tax-deductible contribution to the Institute of Liturgical Studies Endowment Fund. Please send a check payable to Valparaiso University (indicating ILS Endowment in the memo line) and mail directly to:

Valparaiso University
Institute of Liturgical Studies
Helge Center
1600 Chapel Drive
Valparaiso, IN 46383