NUrturing Faith

Sharing Stories from LCMNU

June 2025

How do i show up: ave’ra Dorsey

When Ave’ra Dorsey (‘17) came to Northwestern, she knew that she wanted to continue having a church life but did not have a firm idea of what that would look like. During her freshman year, she was periodically involved with another Christian group on campus, but in her sophomore year a friend invited her to a Wednesday night supper at LCMNU. There, she met Pastor Deanna, who invited her to coffee where they talked about faith. While Ave’ra did not go to LCMNU her freshman year, by her senior year she noted that she was at the Center nearly every week!

The strength of the relationships at LCMNU kept Ave’ra coming back; some of her closest friends at Northwestern were from LCMNU, and she still keeps in contact with them today. Ave’ra also valued the unique experience that campus ministry offers to students, noting that having everyone in the community at the same life stage meant that Pastor Deanna’s Sunday sermons were particularly meaningful because they spoke to students’ specific situations. While she does not enjoy public speaking, Ave’ra also even preached sermons in her junior and senior years–exercising a skill she noted has served her well as a student and after graduation.

Shortly after graduating from Northwestern, Ave’ra joined the LCMNU Board of Directors and later became the President. She noted that she learned more about the ministry during her time on the board, and also gained appreciation for the work that goes on in the background to ensure LCMNU is a good place for students to develop relationships and grow in their faith.

At LCMNU, Ave’ra gained the words to describe how her faith impacts her life, particularly her work as an attorney, and now applies a lens of “vocation” to her career. She is more intentional about what she is doing, and why, asking herself “How do I show up? I say I have these beliefs, do my actions match up with that?” Ave’ra particularly lights up when discussing her pro bono work. The cases that she takes on, in immigration law or in nonprofit funding of minority-owned businesses, and how she treats her clients is a reflection of her own faith values and experiences as a black woman who grew up low-income. She also recognizes the continuing focus on vocation at the ministry when she returns for Homecoming or the Showcase and hears students and other alumni talking about how their faith also impacts their lives as students or professionals.

Reflecting on her time at LCMNU, Ave’ra appreciated that she was welcomed at LCMNU, even though she had not grown up with a Lutheran background, and that she was able to serve in leadership roles at the ministry, as both a student and an alumna. She loved that openness in the community at LCMNU, saying “The community does such a good job of making sure that–no matter your background or who you are–if you have something to contribute, you can contribute that.”