The Rev. Howard “Howie” Wennes, Bishop Emeritus of the Grand Canyon Synod of the ELCA and President Emeritus of California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, passed into glory on Tuesday, July 12 after a recent hospitalization.
Howard Wennes received a B.A. in economics from St. Olaf College in Minnesota; an M.Div from Luther Theological Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was ordained June 12, 1966 at St. Olaf Lutheran in Austin, Minnesota.
He received his D.Min from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley in 1982. He also received an honorary doctor of divinity degree from Cal Lutheran in 1987.
He and Mary Dunlap Wennes were married in 1962, and their partnership took them to parishes throughout the Western United States and to mission work in Japan with the South Pacific District of the American Lutheran Church; ministry work with Lutheran Retreats, Camps, and Conferences; the World Council of Churches; Lutheran World Relief; the Inter-Lutheran Task Force on Health and Wellness; Spirit in the Desert in Arizona; and much more.
Rev. Wennes served as the first Bishop of the Grand Canyon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America from 1987 through 2001. He then served as interim pastor at congregations including Ascension, Thousand Oaks and Spirit of Grace in Surprise, Arizona, and as a staff member of ELCA Hunger Appeal.
At California Lutheran University, he served as Assistant to the President for University Ministries and Director of Church Relations and as a member of the Board of Regents. In 2006 and in 2007 he was asked to serve as interim university president in a challenging time of transition and change, during which he was a leader in strengthening the university’s international and ecumenical alliances. He was awarded Cal Lutheran’s Christus Award in 2009 for his efforts at strengthening the tie between the church and the University. The David Wennes Memorial Scholarship is an endowed scholarship for creative writing and other artistic expression, honoring Howard and Mary’s son who died in 1999, and the campus Wennes Interfaith Meditation Chapel also honors the work of the Wennes family.
In “A season of lament,” published May, 2020 in Living Lutheran, Rev. Wennes wrote: One of my favorite Bible verses over the last decade is from Hebrews 10:23: “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for [God] who has promised is faithful.” Through our holy history, the life of the saints over the ages and our own experiences, we’ve learned to hold on to hope no matter what.
Pastor Howie is survived by Mary, adult children Sally and Tim, grandchildren, and extended family. A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Sunday, August 14 at Ascension Lutheran Church in Thousand Oaks at 1:00 p.m. The service will also be livestreamed during that time, and a link will be sent out in advance of the date via Caring Bridge and social media.
In lieu of flowers, the Wennes family has asked that memorial contributions be made to the ELCA Mary and Howie Wennes Hunger Leaders Endowment Fund or to the David Wennes Scholarship Fund at CLU – links will be made available at Caring Bridge.
