On Joel R Workin’s Birthday, we are happy to announce that the Workin Scholarship committee received five incredible applications for this Scholarship cycle. This Spring, the committee met, discerned, and decided to award two Working Scholarship awards.

This year’s honor comes with a $7500 grant to be used for the specified purposes of the fund: professional or spiritual development, or educational, ministry, or candidacy expenses.

Meet the awardees:

The Reverend Juan Manuel Arias-Perea (He,Him, Él) serves as the pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Weehawken, New Jersey. Originally from Cuba, Rev. Arias-Perea brings a rich blend of academic and pastoral experience to his ministry. He holds a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, a Master of Theology from the Mexican Theological Community in Mexico City, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry at Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado.

Rev. Arias-Perea is a committed public theologian whose work is shaped by a liberative and decolonial perspective, informed by his experiences in Cuba and his theological formation across Latin America and the United States. His writing and teaching often explore the intersections of faith, justice, and identity, with a particular focus on dismantling systems of oppression within and beyond the church. He believes that theology must be embodied, prophetic, and responsive to the cries of the marginalized.

In addition to his pastoral duties, Rev. Arias-Perea serves on the Board of Directors of Seafarers International House, reflecting his commitment to social justice and advocacy for marginalized communities. Under his leadership, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church continues to be a vibrant, bilingual, and multicultural congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), dedicated to creating an inclusive, welcoming community for all.

Seminarian Max Del Bosque (he/him) is a queer, bi, transgender, Latinè seminarian at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and candidate for ordination in the ELCA’s Southwest California Synod. Max has an MFA in Studio Art, and is a practicing visual artist and tenured art professor at Los Angeles’s Pierce College. He has taught painting workshops for Yale Divinity School’s Graduate Conference on Religion and Ecology and Harvard Divinity School’s Program for the Evolution of Spirituality, as well as painting workshops for San Francisco Night Ministry, and art workshops for transgender and gender diverse folk out of his studio, Miel de la Tierra Studio. Max’s art explores identity as it relates to gender, culture, and sacred connections to land and place.

The Joel R.Workin Memorial Scholarship was established in 1995 by the generosity of Joel’s family, colleagues and close friends to honor his life and legacy. Read more about Joel and the scholarship here. We are pleased to add Rev. Juan Manuel Arias Perea and Seminarian Max Del Bosque to this distinguished roster of previous Workin Scholars: Bishop Jen Rude, Rev. Matthew James, Rev. Julie Boleyn, Rev. Asher O’Callaghan, Rev. Laura Kuntz, Rev. Emily Ewing, Rev. Becca Seely, Rev. Gretchen Colby Rode, Justin Ferko, Christephor Gilbert, Ben Hogue, Rev. Leon LaCross, Jory Mickelson, Rev. Rachel San Diego, and Rev. Reed Fowler.

Please join us in congratulating these two awardees and in giving thanks for their continued witness as beloved members of Christ’s body.

Sincerely,
Rev Mycah McNett, Chair, Extraordinary Lutheran Board of Directors
Michael Price Nelson, Chair

Workin Committee members: Greg Egertson, Bishop Jeff Johnson, Michael Price Nelson, Rev. Becca Seely, Rev. Amalia Vagts, Rev. Becca Seely, Rev. Kelsey Green.
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Bio: Mycah McNett (She/Her) is a life-long Lutheran who hails from both Washingtons: the State and the DC Area. Being a Queer Lutheran is a major part of Mycah’s identity. Mycah is a 2023 graduate of United Lutheran Seminary and is ordained in the ELCA. Mycah holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from James Madison University, specializing in environmental and evolutionary fields as well as anthropology. After college, Mycah served as a Young Adult in Global Mission through the ELCA in Manchester, UK. Before attending seminary, Mycah served as a lay staff member in a Lutheran congregation where she worked with communication, youth, and young adult ministries. Currently, Mycah is located just outside Philadelphia, PA with her spouse, Alyssa, and three cats: Clem, Clio, and Minnie.