Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary // The Shafer Family

The Shafer Family

Believe it or not, Jason and Mitzie Shafer are not ones to fit into molds. They may look like your typical young family with two beautiful children, steady jobs, and a great support network of friends and family. However, the Shafers have done many things that break molds in their lives, including setting up a planned gift to Southern Seminary, a thought that typically comes to those later in life.

Jason came from a long line of family members who attended Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Ohio. So as he finished at Lenoir-Rhyne, he also made plans to attend Trinity. He graduated college, married his fiancé, Mitzie, and hit the road to Ohio. After a year, the couple felt like they needed a change in plans. They needed to be closer in distance to their families, so Jason transferred to Southern Seminary.

Not long after coming to campus, the Shafers knew they had found their new home. “When we needed a professor, someone was always available. When we needed a friend, someone was always outside our apartment ready to listen. Everyone was so welcoming,” Mitzie recalls.

Jason received his M.Div. in 2003, was assigned to the South Carolina Synod, and was called to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Swansea, SC. Meanwhile Mitzie was beginning to feel the call to ministry as well. After the family had spent four years on campus, the Shafers broke the mold again and Mitzie began commuting to receive her M.A.R.

Three weeks before the beginning of her second semester, the couple had their first child, Ella Grace. Ella Grace faced some health issues and the faculty and staff worked to make sure Mitzie did not miss a beat, including letting the mom and daughter attend class together. Ella Grace overcame her health battles and Mitzie graduated with her degree in May 2005.

Later that year, the couple broke another mold when they took a shared call as mission developers for Crossroads Lutheran Church in Fort Mill, SC. The mission church was a special project for the synod and the Shafers felt God was calling them to this ministry. The shared call also enabled them to take care of Ella Grace and their second child, Micah, who was born shortly after their move.

Once Crossroads had started to take root in the community, and the children became a little older, Mitzie took a job as the Advancement Associate for Lutheran Family Services of South Carolina while Jason took on total responsibilities for the church. The impact of both of their ministries is being felt by the many lives they touch each day.

These forward-thinking young adults have also set up a life insurance, end-of-life gift to Southern Seminary through their Thrivent Financial for Lutherans representative. “The seminary helped us grow into the people we are. We wanted to give back to those that helped us,” says the couple. Even as young people, they understand that the impact of their planned gift will make a difference to the future of their seminary.

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The Shafer Family

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