New pastor brings rich life experience, interfaith passion to Augustana
Augustana University welcomes Pastor Shawna Day as she joins the Office of Faith and Spiritual Life as an associate campus pastor.
Prior to joining Augustana this August, Day attended Concordia University in St. Paul where she studied social justice before joining Luther Seminary in St. Paul and earning a Master of Divinity degree.
Day also served in the United States Navy as a hospital corpsman from 2000 to 2004, working in labor and delivery, NICU, E.R., pediatrics and family medicine. She recalls casting broken bones, administering medications, starting IV fluids, drawing blood and taking emergency training to save someone’s life.
Day moved often, living in Illinois, Virginia, Iceland and Florida during her service. While stationed in Iceland, at only 19 years old, Day received a National Achievement Medal for designing and implementing a same-day surgery procedure supply unit for her team of doctors.
Rev. Ann Rosendale spoke very highly of Day, calling her life outside of the ministry “rich.” She referred to Day as a seasoned human being who brings a wealth of skills from her time in the military, healthcare and ministry.
“It’s been wonderful working with Pastor Shawna,” Rosendale said. “When we interviewed Pastor Shawna, we were just so impressed by her faith, her life experience and her eagerness to be at Augustana.”
Day was raised Catholic and grew up attending church with her family.
“I’ve always had a really deep curiosity for interfaith as well in all religions at a young age,” Day said. “It was a place where I found strength, where I found God’s love, where it helped me get through tough times.”
Day felt a call to a small congregation in Minnesota after becoming familiar with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. There she found a sense of belonging and felt she could be who she was.
Day spoke of having a good relationship with the South Dakota Synod before coming to South Dakota, having communicated with the Synod over the four years prior. She felt a real connection with the staff and considered that South Dakota could be a good place for her and her family to settle, Day recalled. Day is joined by her wife, two children and four pets in Sioux Falls.
Day said navigating the Christian space with her wife is an ongoing challenge that comes with adversity and something she is frequently asked about by students.
“What has gotten me through is a deep sense of call and that we are all children of God,” Day said. “No one is left out. We are all children of God, and I would say to anyone that is going through some of those convictions that it gets easier the older you get, and the only person who can really make you comfortable with yourself is you.”
Day advises anyone who may also be navigating their religion and sexuality to be brave.
Since starting at Augustana, Day has been immersed with the student body around campus. In her words, no one day in ministry is the same. One can find her attending lectures, supporting seniors in their weekly sermons or chatting over a cup of coffee with students and staff.
Rosendale sees Day connect with students frequently. According to Rosendale, Day took a group of students to Falls Park, walked with them and got to know them before buying them ice cream.
Senior Sammie Kross, member of the chapel staff and prayer team co-coordinator, also spoke about working with Day.
“It's been a pleasure working with Pastor Shawna. She actively checks in with students; she seeks to know and understand others more; and she is curious about the Augustana community and culture," Kross said
Aside from assisting Rosendale, Day works with the chapel staff, interfaith council and the first cohort of Buntrock scholars.
Augustana’s Buntrock Scholars program supports students active in the ELCA church who want to continue to grow in their faith at college. The scholarship program is available for first-year students only and is renewable for additional years.
Day has been working alongside the South Dakota Synod office and Our Savior’s Lutheran Church to host a dinner for the Buntrock Scholars. Day handles every detail of the dinner, Rosendale explained, which involved ordering the food, sending out invitations and prepping the program for the evening.
In a parting statement, Day touched on how she feels faith is important in a college student’s life.
“What’s cool about Augustana is we have two pastors, we have an interfaith Chaplain and that there is a home for you here somewhere,” Day said. “We celebrate people who are more naturalists, and so, maybe, they don’t proclaim any God but believe in the natural world around them, and that is still equally as important.”
Day hopes to give students a space where they can deal with “church hurt.”
“Ann, myself, [the interfaith chaplain, Jennifer Dreiske] and Augustana as a whole, we want you to know this is a safe place,” Day said. “So, try to come in with curious eyes, knowing that maybe some of those things that did cause hurt aren’t here.”
