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The Rev. Gus Schultz Memorial Award in Peace & Conflict Studies

The Reverend Gustav H. Schultz Memorial Award Fund was established in 2008 with a gift from student alumni of the Committee for Korea Studies, an ASUC organization of Korean undergraduate students at UC Berkeley.

The award will be made to outstanding UC Berkeley undergraduates who have successfully organized a public program or are engaged in public service promoting peace and reconciliation. The award will be administered by the Peace and Conflict Studies program in International and Area Studies.

Reverend Gustav H. Schultz served as pastor of University Lutheran Chapel, Berkeley, from 1969 – 1997. Through his ministry Reverend Schultz sought to provide hope and refuge for the less fortunate, playing an integral role in starting the Berkeley Emergency Food Project that provided meals to those in need. As an anti-war activist he played an important role in the sanctuary movement. Under his leadership the University Lutheran Chapel received national recognition for offering sanctuary for American soldiers during the Vietnam and first Gulf Wars and to Central American refugees.

In response to increasing repression of popular movements for democracy and economic reforms in Central America in the 1980s, Reverend Schultz was a founder and President of the Board of the SHARE (Salvadoran, Humanitarian, Aid, Research and Education) Foundation, founder and Board President of the National Sanctuary Defense Fund and founder of the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant - all providing aid, comfort and often seeking to protect the lives of Central American refugees.

In support of the Korean people’s struggles for democracy and peaceful reunification, Reverend Schultz helped organize, in 1980, a successful international campaign to save the life of South Korean dissident leader, Kim Dae Jung. He was invited to attend Kim’s presidential inauguration in 1998 in appreciation of his efforts. Reverend Schultz also traveled as part of delegations to North and South Korea to promote dialog on reunification among American and Korean churches, and in partnership with Korean students of the Committee for Korea Studies at UC Berkeley he helped raise awareness of, and advocated for, the reunification of Korea by hosting public forums on reunification inviting speakers from both North and South Korea to campus.

As a leader in the religious community, Reverend Schultz worked for progressive social change within the Lutheran Church. He helped found the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC) in 1976 to which he was elected Bishop. Among many other accomplishments the AELC opened the doors to the ministry for women and elected the first African-American to serve as a Bishop in a Lutheran Church body. The AELC also served as a catalyst for unity by initiating dialog with two other Lutheran bodies leading to the merger of all three in 1988 as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the largest and most liberal Lutheran Church body in the U.S. today.

A recipient of the Berkeley Peace Prize, Reverend Schultz was highly regarded for his ability to work with diverse groups of people in order to forge practical solutions to challenges facing the community and for his support of charitable organizations and advocacy for peace and social justice.

To make an online contribution to the Reverend Gustav H. Schultz Memorial Award in Peace and Conflict Studies, please click here.

Posted by Pastor Jeff at 6:13 PM