James Bozarth: Scholarship Recipient

Heather, Adalyn, Avin and James Bozarth

James Bozarth will begin training for the pastoral ministry at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis this Fall.    His goal is to complete the Master of Divinity program in four years and join the ranks of ":second career pastors" who were moved by God to become full-time church workers after successful careers in another field.  "I was surprised to learn that there are many engineers who enroll at the seminary and I will be one of them," he explained.

James grew up in Mesa, Arizona and was baptized as an infant by Pastor Larry Stoterau at Love of Christ Lutheran Church.  Following college, he and his wife Heather settled in Warner Robins, Georgia where they found a "cozy LCMS church" called Mt. Calvary.  There he taught and attended various classes, participated in Evangelism Explosion and served as an elder.

Wanting to be closer to family, the Bozarths moved back to Arizona and became actively involved in the ministry of Christ's Greenfield Lutheran Church in Mesa.  There he has been a confirmation class leader and home Bible class group leader while also mentoring two middle school boys.  James and Heather are now the parents of two children of their own - Avin is 5 years old and Adalyn is 3.

Summarizing his desire to enter the pastoral ministry, James wrote, "I pray that my family experiences and secular career experiences will aid in the pastoral ministry.  My neighbor lives in the world, he needs Jesus, and he is called to share Jesus with others.  Until the end, I would like to support my neighbor through their struggles and rejoice with them in their victories - I will do this through Word, Sacrament, and walking with them in the love of Christ."

James applied for and will receive scholarship support from the Mountain View Scholarship Fund, which is funded through the generous contributions of many members and guests of the congregation.