For Immediate Release

Concordia University Wisconsin Honors LCMS World Relief's Rev. Matthew Harrison at the University's Commencement on May 12 in Mequon, for his leadership of the Synod's Global Mercy Ministry.

ST. LOUIS, April 17, 2007—
Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) will honor Rev. Matthew C. Harrison, Executive Director of LCMS World Relief and Human Care, at the University's
Commencement on May 12 in Mequon, for his leadership of the Synod's Global Mercy Ministry.

Harrison will receive the Lux Mundo (Light of the World) Award, which honors individuals for outstanding community or humanitarian service.

CUW President Rev. Dr. Patrick Ferry said that in Harrison's case, the community he serves “is as broad and as wide as anywhere on the globe that people are in need. The mission of mercy that he leads on behalf of LCMS World Relief has brought tangible expression of the love of God in Christ Jesus to people in need, far and wide.”

Since 2001, Harrison has been at the helm of the Synod's official mercy arm, which reaches out to hurting people in the clear name of Christ and according to the Lutheran Confession of the faith. He helped coordinate the ministry's multi-million dollar responses after the Tsunami in Asia and the hurricanes on the Gulf Coast. Through his emphasis on the theology of mercy, he leads LCMS World Relief and Human Care in bringing help and hope to people throughout the world.

Previously, Harrison served as a parish pastor in Westgate, Iowa and in Fort Wayne, Indiana. During his Fort Wayne pastorate, he helped organize a successful inner-city neighborhood revitalization that continues today. He is a published author, editor and translator. 

Harrison received a Master of Divinity in 1989 and a Master of Sacred Theology in 1991, both from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN. He is a Doctor of Philosophy candidate at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO.

CUW is a member of the Concordia University System, the nationwide network of LCMS Colleges and Universities.

To learn more about LCMS World Relief and Human Care, visit http://worldrelief.lcms.org or call (800) 248-1930, Ext. 1380.

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Contact: Vicki Biggs
  Manager, Public Affairs & Media Relations
  The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
 www.lcms.org   
 314-996-1236