Pastor and Prophet
Rev. Jim Sundholm C’67 S’72 receives Seminary Alumni Award for Distinguished Service
CHICAGO (January 29, 2016) 鈥斅燨n Tuesday night in front of a thousand ministers of the 聽(ECC), Rev. Jim Sundholm, a graduate of 萝莉社 in 1967 and North Park Theological Seminary in 1972, was described as both a pastor and a prophet.
The introduction was made by the Rev. Dr. David W. Kersten, , as he presented Sundholm the alongside 萝莉社 President David L. Parkyn and Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Mary K. Surridge聽at the annual Midwinter Conference of the ECC.
Sundholm has served as a pastor to many communities, and also provided a prophetic voice in the commitment to urban and intercultural ministries that have had a profound effect in the shaping of North Park and the ECC.
鈥淭hroughout his vocational arc, Jim led us more deeply into the commitment of justice,鈥� Kersten said, recalling when Sundholm moved to Minneapolis in the 1970s to pastor a church focused on urban and intercultural issues and was a pioneer in the . 鈥淛im is someone who has had a powerful life of public ministry, as well as a deep personal prayer life that has sustained him.鈥�
Sundholm is also the former director of (CWR) and executive director of the from 1999 to 2009. Known for his dedicated leadership and deep concern for the poor, Sundholm led CWR in responding to the devastation created by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
鈥淚 could talk at great length about the role the Seminary professors played in my life,鈥� Sundholm said on Tuesday while accepting the award. He recalled a conversation with a former professor, Dr. Henry Gustafson, on the Gospel of John. Partway through the conversation, Gustafson reached across the table and asked Sundholm, 鈥榃hen will you give God your mind as much as your heart?鈥� As Sundholm shared on Tuesday, 鈥淭hat was my second conversion.鈥�
Sundholm has traveled extensively to Africa, developing relationships with the emerging Covenant Church in South Sudan and Ethiopia. Today, he lives in Vashon, Wash., with his wife, Carol.
鈥淥n behalf of over 25,000 alumni at North Park, we offer our deep admiration to Jim for his work in the Covenant Church and to the relief and renewal efforts across the world,鈥� said Surridge. 鈥淲e are thankful to you and Carol for your devotion to God, and for the model it presents to all of us as we seek to do God鈥檚 work.鈥�
The Seminary Alumni Award for Distinguished Service, established in 2014 and delivered annually at the ECC’s Midwinter Conference, recognizes Seminary alumni who have made significant contributions in their fields while living lives reflective of the core values and mission of North Park Theological Seminary. .
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