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Courtesy photoALUMNI PROFILERev. Dr. Ben H. Coltvet ’66: Pastoral call leads to Berlinby Rebecca Welle ’05When the Rev. Dr. Ben H. Coltvet ’66 toured with the Augsburg Choir to Berlin in 1965,little did he know that he would eventually return to Berlin as a pastor at the AmericanChurch in Berlin (ACB).Coltvet is currently serving as pastor of the ACB, where he and his wife, Margit, reside.He and Margit found their way to Berlin through the Division for Global Mission (DGM)of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA).“It was in the interview process and selection process for working with DGM that a callwas extended to us to serve in Berlin,” said Coltvet.The ACB is an independent church that has close relationships with the ELCA, theAmerican Foreign Christian Union (AFCU), the Association of International Churches inEurope, the Middle East, Africa, and the Evangelische Kirche in Berlin-Brandenburg.Coltvet graduated from Augsburg with a B.A. in biology and a minor in political science.“I was going to be a funeral director,” Coltvet said, but “instead ended up going to theLuther Theological Seminary in St. Paul.”At Luther, Coltvet received a Master of Divinity degree and then went on to attain aCertificate of Supervised Training in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University ofPennsylvania. Later, he received a Doctor of Ministry degree from Eastern BaptistTheological Seminary in Philadelphia in Marriage and Family Care.During his time at Augsburg, Coltvet served as president of the Augsburg Choir, presidentThe Rev. Dr. Ben Coltvet ’66 and his wife,of Student Christian Fellowship, andMargit, reside in Berlin, Germany, wherewas involved in Men’s Senate. It was atColtvet serves as pastor of the AmericanAugsburg that Coltvet met Margit. Church in Berlin.After two years at Augsburg, Margittransferred to Cornell University for adegree in nursing, and in 1968 they were married.The American Church in Berlin, where the Rev. Dr.Coltvet ’66 serves.The members of the ACB come from more than 15 Christian denominations and morethan 30 different nations. They are united by three commonalities, which include theirChristian faith, the English language, and the spirit of tolerance that appreciates andrejoices in the difference. The congregation consists of nearly 280 attending memberswith an average Sunday attendance of 175 worshippers. Their congregation has beenwelcoming worshippers to Berlin since the mid-1880s and has ministered to an estimated1,250 members and countless visitors seeking a spiritual home in the past 25 years.The location of the ACB holds great significance, Coltvet said, not only because of thecity it is in, but also because of the building itself. The importance of the city of Berlinhas to do with its “unique physical location, its historically symbolic importance, and itscurrent political importance,” Coltvet said. Because of this, “ACB recognizes a compellingneed to play a Christian role in building bridges across diversity in the city.”Coltvet and his wife enjoy living in Berlin and have an avid interest in traveling, as theyhave ventured to Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Kenya, Cameroon, Tanzania,England, Hungary, Austria, and Italy all in the last few years—much of this travel beingwork related.The Coltvets have five grown children and four grandchildren who are scatteredthroughout North America. Their youngest daughter attends graduate school at theCleveland Institute of Music in Cleveland, Ohio, for violin performance.This October, the Alumni Association tour to Germany and Eastern Europe will feature aspecial worship service with Coltvet at the ACB.Courtesy photoSpring/Summer 200437