Seminary Intern Graduates with Honors

Our 2007-08 Seminary Intern, Damen Heitmann, who graduated in May, is the focus of an profile in this year’s Annual Report from the United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities.

Damen is pictured in our sanctuary, speaking with long-time member Ian Barbour, one of the many people who have helped Damen to live a life of curiosity and faithfulness.

Here’s the article:

Damen Heitmann ‘09 ranks his confirmation class at Trinity United Church of Christ in Victor, Iowa, high on his list of formative experiences. “When Pastor David Mears said whatever language we used to write our personal religious creeds was the right language,” Damen explains, “he took the Divine out of a box that previously had only one key and gave everyone equal access.”

The same pastor told the young Damen that he, too, might one day receive a call to ministry. The freedom to express himself in his own words and to think critically on matters of faith has played an important role in Damen’s path to answering his call.
As a teenager, Damen, along with several friends from various churches, joined the most active youth group in town. On a weekend retreat, the guest speaker distributed free copies of a book he had written that attempted to disprove the theory of evolution. Damen discussed with his father how the book contradicted what he had learned in science class, and in his father’s response, Damen once again benefited from encouragement to think for himself and reach his own conclusions. This marked the beginning of Damen’s interest in the relationship between science and religion that became an important theme in his undergraduate studies and seminary work.
But first a detour or two:
When he entered Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, Damen first chose to major in television production, then elementary education. Finally, after taking a required course in religion, Damen found what he’d been seeking. “When I decided to major in religion,” he said, “it felt like coming home.”
After earning a bachelor’s degree with a major in religion, Damen sought an opportunity for service and spent a year in AmeriCorps VISTA as a volunteer coordinator at the University of Minnesota in Duluth. There he recruited students to volunteer at local non-profit agencies.
All of these formative experiences led Damen to discern a vision for his life. Echoing the scriptural injunction to choose life over death and blessing over curse, Damen began to see the church as a place that promotes the flourishing of life in large and small ways. He began to see himself helping to bring this about through preaching, teaching, and pastoral care.
United Theological Seminary, as a seminary of the United Church of Christ and with a long tradition of open inquiry, was a natural choice for Damen as he claimed his call to ministry. Affirming his youthful experience in confirmation class, he found at United an ecumenical ethos that “gives everyone equal access to the Divine.” United’s academically challenging program in biblical studies and theology was also an important consideration in Damen’s decision to enroll at United.
When he was admitted to United, Damen was selected as one of three George fellows for his outstanding potential as a church leader. The George Family Foundation established these fellowships for students at United who show exceptional promise for leadership. The fellows receive full tuition scholarships for three years at United. The fellowship also provided Damen with the opportunity to participate in a summer conference for outstanding seminary students, sponsored by the Plymouth Congregational Church’s Center for Progressive Christianity. Fortuitously, Damen completed his internship requirement at the United Church of Christ in Northfield, where he met long-time member Ian Barbour, professor emeritus of Carleton College. A theologian and physicist, Barbour is credited with breaking down age-old barriers between science and religion and received the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion in 1999.
In his years at United, Damen exhibited the characteristics that will serve the church well as he moves into congregational ministry. An outstanding student, he served as teaching assistant to Marilyn Salmon, professor of New Testament Theology, and received the award for best academic record in New Testament studies at United’s 47th Commencement on May 17. A winsome leader of the community, Damen organized a kick ball team that played – and won – matches with Luther and Bethel Seminaries. A sensitive theologian, Damen demonstrated his deep and thoughtful nature, and the love of life that infuses his vision for the church.

Ode to Process v2.0
by Damen Heitmann
Ever changing ours the journey
Shift we down life’s earthly path
Seeking fresh new ways of living
Alleluia allelu
Moments bloom from wombs maternal
Resurrection present now
Newness springs from ground eternal
Alleluia allelu
Toward your vision lure us always
Incomplete and not yet done
Heaven breaks forth in our own time
Alleluia allelu
Ever present, ever flowing
Fount of life be known to us
Spirit bless us on our journey
Alleluia allelu