Seminary Receives $6.1 Million from Estate of Long-Time Friend  

In late December 2007, Moravian Theological Seminary received $6.1 million from the estate of Charles Daniel Couch, a long-time benefactor of the institution. Couch passed away at the age of 91 on December 31st, 2006.

“This wonderful gift from Mr. Couch coincides with the Seminary’s 200th anniversary celebration. His support will help us to provide outstanding theological instruction for the next two-hundred years,” said Christopher M. Thomforde, President of Moravian College and Theological Seminary.

The funds will be used to support the priorities of the Seminary’s strategic plan which is currently being finalized. According to Dean Frank Crouch, “for the past two years the Seminary has engaged in a far-reaching strategic planning process. Goals and priorities that had target dates of 5 to 10 years in the future will be realized much sooner because of Charles Couch’s generosity. It is an exciting time for the Seminary as our enrollment continues to grow and energy for new programs abound. As we near the end of the planning process the Couch gift has kick-started our fundraising and dramatically increased our ability to carry out our work on behalf of the ministry of the Church. We look to invest in the future of educating people for ministry by increasing scholarship aid to students, creating new faculty chairs, expanding our facilities, and developing opportunities for our students to engage in missional ministries.”

The roots of Charles Couch’s family run deep in Moravian history. He is a direct descendent of Moravian patriarch, Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf. Many of his ancestors have figured prominently in the history and development of the Seminary and the Church. Enrollment records show that since 1830, more than a dozen members of Charles Couch’s extended family (including those in the deSchweinitz family) have attended the Seminary. Among Couch’s ancestors are the Rev. Edmund deSchweinitz, the third president of the College and Seminary who served from 1867 to 1885, and the Rev. Paul deSchweinitz, an 1884 graduate who served as president of the Moravian Church, Northern Province.

Though not a graduate of the Seminary himself, Charles’ connection to the Seminary was close, as his brother, Paul deSchweinitz Couch, graduated from the institution in 1952. Two of Paul’s children, Blair and Paul, are also Seminary alumni and like their father were ordained into the Moravian ministry. Today Blair, a Moravian bishop and church pastor, also serves as a teaching associate for the Seminary.

A 1938 graduate of Lehigh University and a 39-year employee in the treasury department of DuPont, Couch cherished his Moravian roots. As a long-time benefactor, he established numerous charitable gift annuities throughout the years with appreciated securities. His generosity was motivated by a desire to ensure that Moravian would continue to prepare future generations of students for ministry.

The Couch bequest is the largest single gift in the history of the Seminary. In July of 2007, the Seminary received a gift of approximately $3.2 million from the estate of a prominent southside Bethlehem businessman and active Moravian Church member, Adam Brinker, who died in 1928. The foresight and philanothropy of both of these men will have a lasting impact on future generations of students of Moravian Theological Seminary as well as the individuals and congregations that they serve.