Skip to Main Content
Women of the ELCA
  • Donate
  • Shop
  • Tools For Leaders
  • Publications
  • Daily Grace
  • Contact
  • Ministry & Action
    • Discipleship
    • Justice
      • Human Trafficking
      • Racial Justice Advocacy
      • Racial Justice Advocacy Network resources
      • Domestic Violence
    • Membership
    • Stewardship
      • Thankofferings
      • Faithful Friends
      • Katie’s Fund
      • Gift Planning
    • Special Initiatives
      • Raising Up Healthy Women & Girls
      • Dear Friend in Christ
    • Scholarships
      • Lutheran laywomen
      • Lutheran Ordained Ministry
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Events
  • About
    • History
    • Executive Board
    • Staff
    • Get Involved
  • Donate
  • Shop
  • Tools For Leaders
  • Publications
  • Daily Grace
  • Contact
« Back to WELCA Blog

A Woman Who Inspires
by Women of the ELCA

5.1.2013
|
News

Katie’s Fund

by Emma Crossen

Ask women why they support Katie’s Fund, and one answer comes up again and again: They love Katie. Or, Katharina von Bora Luther, to be more precise.

“We never knew anything about her before,” said Marie Tesch, a longtime Katie’s Fund donor from Waseca, Minn.

That all changed 16 years ago when Women of the ELCA created an endowment and named it after Martin Luther’s wife and partner. Since then, Katie’s Fund has grown to nearly $763,000. Along the way, thousands of women, like Marie, have grown to admire the woman it honors.

Marie was born into a Lutheran family and has been active in women’s ministries for more than 40 years at St. John Lutheran Church in Waseca. “We knew Martin Luther was married,” she said of her congregation. Before Katie’s Fund, however, they did not know that Katie was a theologian in her own right and a savvy business woman who managed a busy house-hold that served her large family, the local community, and the broader Reformation movement.

Like Katie, Marie knows a thing or two about managing a small business at the heart of a community. She and her husband, Russell, owned and ran Tesch Service Center, the local filling station, for 38 years.

Since Katie’s Fund was established in 1987, anecdotes like this have emerged among Women of the E LCA to give a fuller picture of Katharina von Bora and the integral roles she played in church history. A Bold Life of Faith: Katharina von Bora Luther is one Women of the E LCA resource that shares these stories.

 Emma Crossen is director for stewardship and development for Women of the ELCA.

You can read the full article here. To read all Gather articles, subscribe now. To request a free copy of the magazine, contact us. Remember to tell us which issue you want.

Share

Categories

  • Post (1,257)
  • News (295)
    • Gathering 2021 (9)
    • Triennial Convention 2021 (7)
  • Devotions (76)
  • 2122 (3)
  • Uncategorized (2)
Women of the ELCA
6 Feb
Women of the ELCA
@WomenoftheELCA

As we continue celebrating the lives and stories of bold African Descent women this month, today’s blogger writes about Sojourner Truth and reminds us to continue to the work she began. womenoftheelca.org/blog/post/… #BlackHistoryMonth #mondaymotivation #livingherstory pic.twitter.com/R7LNZ5dsjS

Expand reply reply retweet retweet favorite favorite
Back to home

8765 W. Higgins Rd.

Chicago IL 60631

800-638-3522

[email protected]

Stay In Touch

Sign up for the WELCA Newsletter

Explore WELCA
  • Ministry & Action
  • Daily Grace
  • Resource Library
  • Events
  • Blog
  • News
  • About WELCA
  • Tools For Leaders
  • Publications
  • Donate
  • Shop
  • Photos
Explore Publications

Bold Cafe

A Lutheran perspective for women of Christian faith or any woman who is interested in how faith relates to the issues facing women today.

Gather Magazine

A mix of articles, theological reflections, devotions and stories of comfort and challenge that help readers grow in faith.

Cafe Podcast

Subscribe to our podcast:

Click to subscribe

© Copyright 2023 Women of the ELCA. All Rights Reserved.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
© Copyright 2023 Women of the ELCA. All Rights Reserved.