Trinity pastor to be honored by women's commission

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by bob reeves

In 1969 Lauren Ekdahl was a student pastor at the United Methodist Church in the small town of Douglas. Roberta Sugden, a member of his congregation, nominated him to serve on the United Methodist Commission on the Role and Status of Women.

"Her pastor happened to be someone she felt could benefit from that experience," Ekdahl said.

And benefit he did.

"It was a consciousness-raising experience," he said. "I found myself becoming sympathetic to a lot of women's issues."

That concern grew stronger over the years as Ekdahl advanced in his ministerial career, including serving as senior pastor at Lincoln's Trinity United Methodist Church since1991.

On Friday Ekdahl will receive the Erasmus Correll award from the Lincoln-Lancaster Women's Commission for his long history of advocacy and support of women's issues at the local, state and denominational level.

When he first became a pastor, Ekdahl said, the country was in the midst of a debate about the Equal Rights Amendment. He championed the cause of equity and fair treatment of all people, regardless of gender, and wrote many letters to members of Congress and other leaders in support of equal rights.

"I had a vested interest," he said. "I had my wife and three daughters in my household. I thought about the inequities my daughters would experience. I knew they were bright, independent women and they needed that opportunity."

Ekdahl became sensitive to "exclusive language," especially in the church, that used masculine terms to refer to nearly everything divine. He also became an advocate for leadership roles for women in the church.

When he became a student pastor in 1967, there were only a handful of women pastors in the denomination. Now 50 percent of the students at St. Paul School of Theology, where Ekdahl got his degree, are women, and many United Methodist churches across the state and nation are led by women.

In 1992, he taught a class entitled "Churches in Solidarity With Women" as part of the Schools of Christian Mission sponsored by the Nebraska Annual Conference of the UMC.

Over the years, he has spoken out - both from the pulpit and in other forums - in support of laws and policies supportive of women. He has spoken to the state Legislature on many bills promoting reproductive health and reproductive choice. He established a sexuality education program for parents and youth at his church, has served on the board of Planned Parenthood-Lincoln and currently is a member of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.

"Whenever there's a bill that would limit a woman's right to make her own moral choices, I tend to provide testimony," he said.

That strong stance on the pro-choice side has brought him some criticism, but he said most of the comments he gets from the public and from members of his church are supportive.

Ekdahl has"always felt called to be involved in social action issues," said the Rev. Patsy Moore, a member of Trinity and former director of the Women's Institute of Theology at Nebraska Wesleyan University. "He has been very supportive of having an inclusive church," with leadership positions open to all, regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation, she said.

"It's courageous for a man" to champion rights of women, she added. "He stands out where other men fear to go."

Ekdahl has also been an outspoken opponent of both gambling and the death penalty, two other issues that deal with fairness and equality, he said. The uneven penalties given by the courts in capital cases and the unfair effect of gambling on families are two key issues for him. "Gambling causes an increase in domestic violence and all kinds of family (problems) affecting both men and women," he said.

He recently spoke in support of a proposed city ordinance requiring employers with city contracts to pay a living wage. Economic disparities are especially hard on women and children, he said.

He frequently gives emergency assistance in the form of $15 food or gas vouchers to people in crisis. "The vast majority of those are women who have been abandoned by their men," he said.

Ekdahl's wife, Shirley, is a former high school teacher, and their three daughters are married and have careers. "They're self-assertive young women. They know who they are and they celebrate that," he said.

The Ekdahls have three grandsons, two granddaughters, one great granddaughter and a step granddaughter.

"Rev. Ekdahl first demonstrated his support for women and their issues nearly 35 years ago, a time when few men had the courage to publicly advocate equality for women," said Bonnie Coffey, director of the Lincoln-Lancaster Women's Commission. "He has never retreated from his early support. This constancy deserves public recognition and praise."

The Erasmus Correll award was established in 1994 to recognize Erasmus Michael Correll, who published and edited the Western Women's Journal in 1882 in Lincoln.

Besides Ekdahl, others being honored by the commission are: Gerise Herndon, director of women's studies at Nebraska Wesleyan University, winner of the Alice Paul award; Sara Mason, a senior at Lincoln High School, winner of the Young Feminist award; and Judith K. Hart, executive director of the Angels Theatre Company, winner of the Woman Artist in Performing Arts award.

The event will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at The Cornhusker, 333 S. 13th St. The keynote speaker will be Mayor Coleen Seng. Tickets are $20. For reservations, call 441-7717.

Reach Bob Reeves at 473-7212 or at breeves@;journalstar.com.