April 2017
Two educators in Northern Illinois District ministries have been honored by the national Lutheran Education Association this year. LEA selected Rev. William Beckman to receive its 2017 Christus Magister award, and Verne Schultz to receive the 2017 Outstanding New Lutheran Middle School Teacher honor.
Schultz is on staff at St. John’s Lutheran School in Elgin, Illinois. He is in his third year of teaching, which is his second career. He has a BSLA from Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, in mathematics and a BS from Elmhurst College in computer science.
At St. John’s, Schultz teaches mathematics, social studies, outdoor education, technology and a variety of electives (STEAM, computer game design, cryptography and Personal Interest Endeavor). He was selected for the award by LEA’s Middle School Teachers Network leadership team.
Parents and students alike appreciate his seriousness for learning and warm sense of humor. One parent commented, “He leads his students to become more and more independent and is diligently preparing them for the rigors of high school.”
Rev. Beckmann serves at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Batavia, Illinois, as one of the church’s pastors and as co-director for children’s ministries. In his current ministry he works with middle school youth in Sunday School and confirmation class. “This frequently leads me to work with parents and help them see how the Word impacts family life,” he says.
He earned degrees from Concordia Collegiate Institute in Bronxville, New York, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Teachers College – Columbia University, New York, and Northern Illinois University, DeKalb.
Starting out as a DCE (director of Christian education), Rev. Beckmann also has been a teacher and administrator at Lutheran high schools in Illinois and Indiana. He has been published many times over the course of his career, including curriculum and other writings for Concordia Publishing House and LCMS School Ministry.
A colleague said, “Even though he has been in the ministry for 50+ years, he still studies current trends in all different aspects of ministries. He always has ideas to share with the team about what is changing in our world for kids and the direction our church needs to be going to keep up with those changes.”
The Christus Magister award presented to Rev. Beckmann is LEA’s top honor, and selection is made by the association’s Board of Directors. Since 1965, LEA has presented this award to those who have made significant contributions in the field of Lutheran education.