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TULSAA Announces 2025 Alumni Award Recipients
The United Lutheran Seminary Alumni Association (TULSAA) is pleased to announce the 2025 TULSAA Alumni Award recipients. Thank you to everyone who submitted a nomination. Alumni Award winner biographies and photos are found below. We look forward to celebrating the receipt of these awards with you at our upcoming Spring and Fall Convocations.
TULSAA Alum Awards 2025 Celebrated Lifetime Ministries
The Rev. William Sowers ’62 G
The Rev. Bruce Davidson ’74 P
Called to Lead - Excellence in Parish Ministry
The Rev. Dr. Warren Eshbach ’67 G
Witness to the World – Excellence in Community Ministry
The Rev. Dale Selover ‘89 G
The Rev. Dr. Noah Hepler ‘2011 P and ‘2021 ULS
The Rev. William C. Sowers was nominated by his friend and classmate the Rev. Herbert L. Bomberger, ’62 LTSG. Rev. Bomberger outlined the variety of ministries Pastor Sowers assisted in creating in his nomination including the York County CROP Walk for the Hungry (1970) and the first and only “Parents of Lesbians and Gays” (PFLAG) in Central Pennsylvania in the late‘70’s.
The Rev. William C. Sowers, son of the late Louis Carl Sowers and Rose Anna (Jones) was born on April 1,1936 in Latrobe, PA. His formal education included a B.S. degree in Physics from Thiel College in 1958, Master of Divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg, PA in1962, plus post graduate studies. From 1974 -78 he completed two extern programs in Family Therapy at the Child Guidance Clinic, Children’s Hospital, Philadelphia, PA.
In the summer of 1959 Bill served as a chaplain at Custer State Park located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, a ministry of the National Council of Churches Ministry to the National Parks. That Fall he served his internship at First Evangelical Lutheran Church, New Kensington, PA.
Bill married his beloved wife, Bonnie L. Youkers, in1961. They moved to Gettysburg where Bonnie began her teaching career at Meade School while Bill completed his seminary studies. They have four children, Amy, Dan, Rebecca (Korean), and Andrew (Korean).Bonnie taught for 25 years at York Country Day School. Bonnie died in 2018.
Bill was ordained on June 13, 1962 by the Pittsburgh Synod and received his first Call to the Pen Mar Parish, Quincy and Rouzerville, PA. Other calls were to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Hanover from1964 to 67, and Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Trinity Road, York, PA from 1967-1978.
The early years of Bill’s ministry at Saint Paul were devoted to building a church sanctuary which was dedicated on December 12,1971. A year earlier, on November 22, 1970, as York County CROP Chairperson, Bill helped conceive, plan, and direct the nation’s first CROP Walk for the Hungry to help support the work of Church World Service.
This was a time of rapid growth for Saint Paul Lutheran church. Many young families, interested in scouting programs, softball, active youth groups, a pre-school Center For Young Children, Christian education, and worship, became interested in church membership. Bill contributed to the York community by organizing COPE, a support group for parents who have abused their children, Compassionate Friends, a group for parents grieving the loss of a child, and the Thomasville Area Senior Center. He was also involved with Community Focus, a group of pastors working to prevent “red lining” practices by banks and real estate agencies.
In September 1978 Bill accepted a Call to Special Service as Counseling and Education Specialist with Tressler Lutheran Services where he served for 17 years. Bill led or supervised several support groups, including Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (P-Flag). Bill met with P-FLAG every month for 17 years.
In 1979 Bill, asked by public School teachers to run for the West York Area School Board, was elected and served on the board until 1983.
Besides his ministry at Tressler, Bill was interim Pastor for nine Lutheran churches in York. While at Zion Lutheran Church he initiated, and helped with the move, from center city to Brandywine Lane. The congregation grew from fifty-five members to over one thousand in a few years. Bill presently serves as co-chairperson to the Metro York CROP Hunger Walk Committee and is on the Reconciling In Christ committee at St. Matthew Lutheran Church. Bill’s hobby is caricature carving, and he is a member of Conewago Carvers.
The Rev. Bruce H. Davidson was nominated by colleague the Rev. Daniel K. Eisenberg, ’14 LTSP. Pastor Eisenberg shares, “Pastor Bruce Davidson is a faithful servant of the gospel and has worked diligently to support the dignity and holiness of God’s most vulnerable children. Pastor Davidson is clever, hard-working, and he serves with joy.”
The Rev. Bruce Henning Davidson graduated from the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia (now ULS) in May of 1974. His undergraduate studies were at the Community College of Philadelphia (A.A. 1968) and Temple University (B.A. 1970). Ordained by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Lutheran Church in America on May 19, 1974, he served as Pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Wildwood NJ (1974-1981) and St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Teaneck, NJ (1981-1992),
In 1992, Pastor Davidson was called to specialized ministry by the New Jersey Synod, serving as Director of Lutheran AIDS Ministry in NJ. This ministry focused on HIV/AIDS education in synod congregations and especially with young people. Part of this ministry also included being chaplain at Betak, a long-term care facility for people with AIDS operated during that time by the Lutheran Home in Germantown. Bruce was a founding member of the National Lutheran AIDS Network and served as Board President for two years.
From 1996-2000, Pastor Davidson served as Transition Pastor at St. John's Lutheran Church in Summit. In 2000, he was called by the New Jersey Synod to serve on synod staff as Director of the Lutheran Office of Governmental Ministry in New Jersey, one of the state public policy offices of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In that role, he became a founding member of the Anti-Poverty Network of New Jersey and served as Co-Convener for 11 years. He was also on the Boards of several organizations in New Jersey that worked on issues of hunger, Immigration Justice, Affordable Housing, Civil Rights, and Abolition of the Death Penalty. He was appointed by New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine to serve on the state's first Inter-agency Council on Preventing and Reducing Homelessness.
Pastor Davidson has been active in working for justice for the LGBTQIA+ Community in the church and in society. He was active in advocating for marriage equality in New Jersey, which was granted in the state in 2013, two years before the Supreme Court allowed it throughout the U.S. He was honored by Garden State Equality and given the Loretta Weinberg Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his advocacy on behalf of LGBTQIA+ people.
Throughout his pastoral ministry, Pastor Davidson held a number of leadership positions in the New Jersey Synod, including serving as a voting member of 14 Churchwide Assemblies of the LCA and ELCA. He also served on the steering committee of the Northeast Region of the ELCA and was Chair for 10 years.
Active in the Alumni Association of LTSP, Bruce served on the Board and as President of the Association for 8 years. He was a member of the President's Councils of LTSP and ULS and has been an adjunct faculty member. In 2011, he was named Distinguished Alumnus by LTSP.
Bruce retired in 2011. He and his husband Donald E. Barb relocated from New Jersey to Philadelphia in 2017. Since retirement Bruce has served as an interim pastor in two New Jersey Congregations, a supply preacher, and currently serves as Partner Pastor at Christ Ascension Lutheran Church in Philadelphia.
Bruce continues to be active in community organizations. He has been a member of the Boards of the New Jersey Foundation on Aging, The Housing and Community Development Network of NJ, and The Board of the Philadelphia Chapter of the ACLU. As a guest of NJ Congressman Rush Holt, Bruce was part of the 2012 Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage to Alabama, led by Congressman John Lewis.
The Rev. Dr. Warren M. Eshbach was nominated by one of his former students, the Rev. Kelley Ketcham, ’09 LTSG. Kelley notes, “As a professor at LTSG, Dr. Eshbach taught hundreds of students, and his teaching and influence can be seen in many deacons and pastors to this day.” Ministry, teaching, and music have all played a role in Warren Eshbach‘s life and career. He began as a public school music teacher, was called into the ministry of the Church of the Brethren and served in that capacity as pastor of four congregations, twice in a long-term care facility as Director of Pastoral Care and was a District Executive Minister for nearly fourteen years.
Later in his career he became an adjunct professor at Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg (now United Lutheran Seminary) teaching in the Town and Country Church Institute, where his classes emphasized interactive learning in order to better learn the art of pastoring congregations. Students in those classes spent time under the supervision of Pastors in congregations or church related agencies. Classes centered around life and issues affecting congregational life. Being a minister from the Anabaptist/Pietist tradition, Pastor Eshbach also instructed class sessions regarding sixteenth century Anabaptist reformers and eighteenth-century Pietism. In addition, he co- taught Integrative Seminars and courses on ecumenical ministry, reconciliation, and preaching.
In addition, Pastor Eshbach was Director of the Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center of the Church of the Brethren at Elizabethtown College, during which time he served as adjunct Professor for Bethany Theological Seminary, Richmond, IN which is the Seminary for the Church of the Brethren.
For the past four years, Dr. Eshbach has been an Instructor in the Pathways Institute for Lifelong Learning. He has always enjoyed teaching courses that are interactive with students in relating biblical and theological perspectives to current issues that impact faith and life.
Eshbach earned the following Degrees:
D. Min, McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, IL
M. Div. Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg, PA
B.S. Music Education, Gettysburg College
He played clarinet with the Spring Garden Band of York and the Sunderman Conservatory Symphony Band at Gettysburg College. He has also been a Docent at the Seminary Ridge Museum on the campus in Gettysburg, PA.
He and spouse, Theresa Cocklin Eshbach are living at Messiah Lifeways, a Continuing Care Retirement facility and enjoy spending time with three sons, eight living grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
His lifetime hobby has been operating Electric Train layouts which were often used as the ending class of his courses.
The Rev. Dale Selover was nominated by colleague the Rev. Brandi Hebert, ULS ’21. In her nomination Pastor Hebert reflected, “The themes of spiritual direction, pastoral care (especially for clergy), community connection and engagement, radical hospitality, and creating a meaningful place of grace in the lives of those she is called to serve have been the hallmarks of her ministry. Her expertise in creating sacred space for others helps them move toward spiritual growth and emotional well-being.”
Pastor Dale Selover serves as the Director of The House Next Door, a ministry of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Princeton Junction, where she provides a spiritual direction and retreat ministry. Inspired by her own hunger for a deeper relationship with God, Dale provides respite for all who hunger for a safe space and a place of grace to dwell in the heart of God. Following the example of Jesus, Dale is committed to meeting people where they are and companioning them on their journey. The House Next Door is a spiritual formation center providing respite for all who are seeking healing, wholeness, and transformation.
Pastor Selover received her training as a spiritual director through Oasis Ministries for Spiritual Development. For fifteen years she has provided direction for both individuals and groups. For more than twenty-five years Pastor Selover has led retreats for congregational women’s groups, councils, families, and Christian Education teams. She is also a retreat leader for Cross Roads Camp and Retreat Center, an ecumenical ministry of the New Jersey Synod and the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, New Jersey. In addition to her spiritual direction and retreat ministry, Pastor Selover has served on the teaching staff of Oasis Ministries for Spiritual Development, as well as chaired Oasis’ Board of Directors.
For over thirty-five years, Pastor Selover has served as a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. She has served as the pastor of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Kendall Park, Zion Lutheran Church in Oldwick, and Abiding Peace Lutheran Church in Budd Lake. She is a graduate of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg and Gettysburg College. A native of New Jersey, Dale grew up in North Brunswick.
Dale is married to Pastor Peter Froehlke. They are the proud parents of two daughters, Sara Grace and Hannah Ruth.
The Rev. Dr. Noah D. Hepler was nominated by friend and colleague the Rev. Rachel Zimmermann, ’09 and ’12 LTSP. In her nomination she observed, “one of Noah’s pastoral gifts is to empower and encourage students, parishioners, friends, and colleagues alike to take on leadership roles, expanding the ways they might serve and engage the wider community. The way Noah leads is often to walk with and beside others, nurturing and encouraging them in their journey of faith.”
The Rev. Dr. Noah D. Hepler (he/him) is serving as the pastor for two congregations. He is called to the Church of the Atonement Lutheran (Fishtown, Philadelphia) and serves under contract with St. Michael’s Lutheran (Kensington, Philadelphia).
Pastor Hepler holds a Ph.D. in Historical Theology from the United Lutheran Seminary, where he teaches as an adjunct and is the Director of Institutional Assessment. He also earned his Master of Sacred Theology at Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, his Master of Divinity from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary and his Bachelor of Arts from Wingate University.
Noah appeared in Netflix’s Queer Eye – Season Five, Episode One. When he isn’t nerding out on theology, he can frequently be found geeking out with a computer or tabletop game.
Pastor Hepler’s passion for Church History developed out of a crisis of faith and the cultural proximity we have in our modern age to the Church of the 2nd through 4th centuries, hence an abiding interest in the work of both Bonhoeffer (modern) and Augustine of Hippo (ancient).
