Local Pastor Earns Prestigious Award

Pr. Bill Beckmann of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Batavia, was selected by LEA’s board of directors to receive LEA’s top honor, the Christus Magister award. Since 1965, this most prestigious Lutheran Education Association award has been presented to Lutheran educators who have made significant contributions to Lutheran education.

Rev. Beckmann is pastor and co-director for children’s ministries at Immanuel. Previous service includes administrative, teaching, and service positions at Lutheran high schools in Illinois and Indiana. Pastor Beckmann also served as a Director of Christian Education in the early years of his ministry. He has been published many times over the course of his career, including curriculum and other writing for Concordia Publishing House and LCMS School Ministry.

Bill’s current ministry is to middle school young people in Sunday school and confirmation class. He says, “This frequently leads me to work with parents and help them see how the Word impacts family life.”
Bill earned degrees from Concordia Collegiate Institute in Bronxville, New York, Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, and Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois.

In support of his nomination, one colleague said, “Even though he has been in the ministry for more than 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 in to keep up with those changes. In our church, he is the balance that keeps the old traditions with new and upcoming traditions. Some might say--he keeps the old people mixing with the new people.”

https://immanuelbatavia.org

Photo credit: Kristy Joanis Photography