Covenant News

Funeral Services Held for Joanne M. Benson

ROCHESTER, MN (July, 1999) - ROCHESTER (MN) – Funeral services for Rev. Joanne M. Benson, formerly associate pastor of the Rochester Covenant Church, were held Monday, July 19, at the church, 4950 31st Avenue NW. Benson died July 14, to be followed by burial near the family home in Winthrop.

Benson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education from Mankato State College and taught sixth grade for seven years in Winthrop. It was following her experiences as a CHIC counselor in 1976 and participation in a Christian education workshop that she felt a call into ministry. She completed work at North Park Theological Seminary in 1983 and completed additional studies at Yale Divinity School in 1987.

Following an internship at Covenant Congregational Church in Cromwell, Connecticut, she was called to serve that church as well as the Children's Home of Cromwell. Benson accepted a call to the Rochester church in 1991 and concluded her ministry there at the end of 1998. Benson's sister, Karen, is a Covenant missionary in Bangui, Central African Republic.

The family suggests memorials be directed to the following: Habitat for Humanity, the Covenant Children's Home of Cromwell, and the Rochester Covenant Church to be used for camp scholarships in her name.

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