Rev. Roger Veum Memorial Scholarship

The word vocation means different things to different people. The simple dictionary definition is “one’s profession or trade.” The word actually derives from the Latin vocare which means to call or summon. And for someone who has the genuine sense of having been called by God into a life of service and ministry, vocation takes on a very specific meaning. Rev. Roger Veum had that sense of being called by God into the Christian ministry, and his parishioners felt it as well.

Roger was a graduate of St. Olaf College in Minnesota, where he majored in English, philosophy and history before continuing his studies at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. He was an especially strong student during his time at both institutions. Ordained in 1955, Roger served five congregations over the next 40 years, four of which were in California. His longest ministry (1974-1992) was as pastor of the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer in Oxnard. Health issues caused Roger to consider a less demanding parish, and in 1992 he accepted the call to St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Las Vegas, where he served for three years. He passed away in 2000 after a seven-year battle with colon cancer, just three weeks shy of his 70th birthday.

Roger had met the love of his life, Grace Mathre, during his undergraduate years at St. Olaf. After her graduation, Grace became a parish worker, first in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, then in California. Roger and Grace were married in 1955 just after his ordination. Their family grew to include two daughters and one son. Pastor Roger’s children recognized that their father was a special person—a scholar, a philosopher, a writer and a preacher. They knew that he had a clear sense of his calling. In the words of his son Jonathan, “For him being a minister was not just a job; it was his life, a mission he took very seriously.” .

It was the scholarship committee of the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer in Oxnard that established the Rev. Roger Veum Memorial Scholarship by designating to CLU the memorial gifts received following Roger’s death. Since the congregation boasted several CLU alumni among its members, the committee decided to encourage more of their young people to attend CLU and asked that their members might be given preference as recipients. If a congregation member is not eligible for the scholarship, an award is to be made to a student of minority background.