Laura Hollengreen
Congregational Membership: Lutheran Church of the Foothills, Tucson, AZ, Not sure Conference
Education/training: Ph.D. - Historian of art and architecture
Occupation: University of Arizona faculty member (Associate Professor) and administrator (Associate Dean for Academic Affairs)
Life Experiences: My parents were not religious but sent my sisters and me to a private Christian school (in Virginia), which I attended from third through tenth grade. During that time, I began to attend services at an Orthodox Presbyterian Church with my best friend and her family (the pastor was also the principal of the school which my friend and I attended). I was baptized at the age of twelve after scrutiny by the Session. The church has been a part of my life ever since, although I have belonged to churches of different denominations (Lutheran and Methodist) before setting finally in 2010 on ELCA-affiliated congregations.
I was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church in Atlanta, GA from 2010 to 2017, and enjoyed that very active, progressive, and loving congregation. During part of that time I served a term as Chair of the Worship and Music Committee and sang in the choir.
When I moved to Tucson in 2017, I was drawn to Lutheran Church of the Foothills because it was one of only a few churches in the city that were Reconciling in Christ congregations. I have had many friends and colleagues who are gay and inclusion of LBGTQ+ peoples is important to me. I am presently in my second term as President of the Congregation and Council at LCF, an exciting, gratifying, and (in the context of the pandemic and a pastoral transition) challenging experience for me. I also sing in the church choir when it is in session and am a member of our Worship Renewal Committee.
My scholarly research as a historian of medieval art and architecture has focused on religious art, with special emphasis on Old Testament imagery. I recently gave a Humanities Seminars Program lecture series at the University of Arizona entitled, "Localizing the Sacred: Medieval Christian Art and Architecture" which looked at four main sites ranging from fifth-century Syria to thirteenth-century France.
Related Activities: Chair, Worship and Music Committee, St. John's Lutheran Church
President, Congregation and Council, Lutheran Church of the Foothills