Give
In addition to registration fees collected during each spring gathering, the Institute’s year-round administration, planning, and development of resources for the wider church also depends on the generosity of donors.
Gifts may be used to support several areas, among them:
The Peter J. L. Perella Scholarship Fund
In 2014, the Institute’s student scholarship fund was named in honor, and later, in memory of the Rev. Peter J. L. Perella. Peter contributed to the Institute as a member of its advisory council and served the wider church as director of worship formation and liturgical resources of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. By waiving registration fees for all full-time students regardless of year or degree program, this scholarship supports students and seminarians who are preparing for worship-related vocations and wish to attend the Institute while enrolled as full-time students. Peter first attended the Institute as a recipient of this scholarship, and gifts to this fund allow the Institute to continue its support of future church leaders.
Institute of Liturgical Studies Endowment
Established in 1995, the Institute’s endowment helps ensure its long-term stability by reducing dependence on registration fees, providing reduced registration for retired persons, and by generating support for offerings such as Truemper Concert performances.
Commissioning Fund
In addition to the Christus Rex Hymn Commission Series, the Institute annually commissions writers, musicians, and artists to help develop resources that serve the church’s liturgy and song in ever-changing contexts. Many resources first “field tested” at the Institute can be found in worship books such as Evangelical Lutheran Worship and Lutheran Service Book. Several songs by Anne Krentz Organ first commissioned for “Table of Thanksgiving: How Eucharist Forms Us” (2019) were included in All Creation Sings.
General Operating Fund
Gifts may also be directed to the Institute’s general operating fund which supports the day-to-day and year-round administration of the Institute such as printing and postage costs, catering and banquet expenses, honoraria for presenters, and more.
Ways to Give
You are invited to make a tax-deductible contribution to the Institute of Liturgical Studies in the following ways:
To give electronically, we recommend the following steps:
- Visit give.valpo.edu, enter a gift amount, then select “Other Designation(s)”
- Next, select “Other” from the next menu that appears and type “Institute of Liturgical Studies” in the dialogue box
- If you’d like to give to one of the specific areas listed above, you can indicate that by typing, for example, “Institute of Liturgical Studies: Perella Scholarship Fund,” etc.
- You can also use the “Tribute” and “Additional Comments” section at the bottom of the form to give in honor or memory or provide additional information
Checks payable to Valparaiso University with “Institute of Liturgical Studies” or “ILS: Commissioning Fund,” etc., written in the memo line may be sent directly to:
Valparaiso University Donor Relations
Institutional Advancement
1100 Campus Drive South
Valparaiso, IN 46383
Questions about giving may be directed to Institute Executive Director, James Wetzstein.