1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity

EPISTLE
LSTC
FALL 2010
Magazine of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
Work and
vocation
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
This fall I am serving as the Acting President of LSTC
ed names like Vööbus, Braaten, Hefner, Niedenthal,
while President James Kenneth Echols is taking a sixBenne, Fuerst, Linss, Granskou, Kildegaard, Swanson,
month sabbatical. I come to this temporary position
Syre, Norquist, Fischer, Kuskkonen, Arnold, Scherer,
from serving as the chairperson of LSTC’s Board of
Lindberg, and others. It was one exciting, challengDirectors. I have found it to be fascinating, challenging, and sometimes contentious time in church and
ing, and fun to be on campus on a day-to-day and
society.
week-to-week basis. It is much different than just
Our times today are also exciting, challengattending board meetings a few times a year. I wish
ing, and sometimes contentious. LSTC, especially
that everyone could experience the LSTC commuthrough its faculty, is a place where students will
nity on a daily basis.
grow in their faith in the context of rigorous aca During the summer, I spent a fair amount of
demic challenge. I believe the faculty at LSTC today
time getting acquainted with the administrators
is as dynamic and distinguished as the faculty of earand a few faculty members. Leadership at LSTC is
lier days.
in good hands. Our administrators are committed,
The church needs visionary leaders today as
competent, and hard-working. In the midst of many
much as at any time in its history. LSTC’s curricuchallenges, they work hard to assure the future of
lum, its international faculty and student body, its
LSTC in a responsible and
sustainable way.
As the fall term began,
students and faculty
returned to campus. This
big building has come
alive again with a vibrant
community. I participated
in retreats for returning
and new students as well
as orientation activities.
Dean of Students Pastor
Terry Baeder, and our new
Pastor to the Community
and Cornelsen Director of
Spiritual Formation, Joan
Beck, provided the leadership and hospitality that
President James Kenneth Echols, the Rev. Dr. Ralph W. Klein, and Acting President Philip Hougen at the inauguration of
are so important to help
the Ralph W. and Marilyn R. Klein Chair of Old Testament
form a community. When
daily worship began again under the direction of the
commitment to its Lutheran Christian identity, and
Dean of the Chapel, Dr. Ben Stewart, the center of
its openness to culture and context make it an excelour community around Word and Sacrament came
lent place to study.
alive. LSTC is a Christian community with an aca As you can probably tell, I love this community
demic mission; it is an academic community with a
and this place. I am enthusiastic about its future.
Christian identity.
LSTC will continue to change in order to thrive in
The faculty is perhaps LSTC’s greatest asset. It is
the future. I am confident that LSTC is up to the
a privilege for me to work with them. These people
challenge of serving our changing church in this
are world-class scholars who are people of faith.
changing world. Our history is the story of adaptive
change, able to meet new challenges.
They are committed to the church and to their call
to train visionary leaders for the church. Many of
The dynamic community that is LSTC has much
them are widely published in both scholarly journals
to give in service to the church and the world. It is a
and church publications. They care about their stuprivilege to be a part of this community.
dents and the community that is LSTC.
When I came to LSTC in 1968 for my senior year
of seminary, the school was being put together from
five predecessor institutions. The faculty list includ-
FEATURES
LSTC
EPISTLE
Fall 2010 • Volume 40 • No. 3
The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, a
seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America, forms visionary leaders to bear witness
to the good news of Jesus Christ.
Vision statement
LSTC seeks to build up the body of Christ and
work for a world of peace and justice that cares
for the whole creation.
Visit www. lstc.edu or call 1-800-635-1116 for
more information about LSTC’s programs,
conferences and special events.
Editor
Jan Boden
Designer
Ann Rezny
Contributors
Jan Boden
Joy Heine
Kurt K. Hendel
Philip Hougen
Joy McDonald Colvet
José David Rodríguez
Linda Wimmer
Communications and Marketing Advisory
Committee
David Abrahamson
Mark Bangert
James Echols
Joy McDonald Coltvet
Janette Muller
Durk Peterson
Tom Rogers
Mark Van Scharrel
LSTC Board of Directors
Michael Aguirre
Clarence Atwood, Jr.
Myrna Culbertson
Susan Davenport
Gregory Davis
Melody Beckman Eastman
Kimberlee Eighmy
James Fowler
Trina Glusenkamp Gould, Secretary
J. Arthur Gustafson
Kathryn Hasselblad-Pascale
Philip Hougen
Greg Kaufmann
John Kiltinen
Mark Klever
Susan Kulkarni
Michael Last
Roger Lewis
Gerald Mansholt
Sandra Moody
Harry Mueller, Treasurer
Peggy Ogden-Howe
Durk K. Peterson
Melinda Pupillo
Gerald Schultz
Sarah Stegemoeller, Acting Chair
Harvard Stephens Jr.
Keith Wiens
Jean Ziettlow
The LSTC Epistle is published three times a year
by the Communications and Marketing Office.
Printed on FSC certified paper with soy-based inks
Alison Williams washes the feet of a student in the
summer 2010 Serving Christ in the World program.
3 News from LSTC
Robert Tobias dies at 91
Lea Schweitz named director of
Zygon Center
4 La Vocación –José David
Rodríguez on God’s call
5 Finding God’s call in the
spiritual and the practical
by Linda Wimmer
7 Working together:
Religion and labor
Kaila Hocchalter blesses Meggon Thornburgh's dog,
Inara, in chapel on the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi.
Equipping the Saints for
Ministry
14 Campaign exceeds $56
million goal
15 Doing the most good:
Closing congregations
share gifts with LSTC
by Jan Boden
16 Photos from the Klein
Chair inauguration
by Joy Heine
9 It all starts with baptism:
Luther on vocation
Departments
President’s messageinside cover
by Kurt K. Hendel
11 Youth in Mission prepares
seminarians for service
by Joy McDonald Coltvet
12 2010-2011 Scholarship
and Fellowship recipients
Cover: Nick Spehar carrying out one of his
many ministries at LSTC
Photo credits: Hannah Berridge, Jan Boden,
Dan Hille, Tricia Koning
Opportunities at LSTC
2
Faculty notes
18
Class notes
21
Transitions24
Opportunities at LSTC
Chapel Music Series features Chicago
premiers at Bach for the Sem
Center. Each week will have a special focus, including African sisters and brothers on campus, and
youth. A revival service will be held every Thursday
that month. For event details watch http://centers.
lstc.edu/mc/en-us/.
Hear new music by Robert Buckley Farlee and
Thomas Gabriel at Bach for the Sem on Sunday,
January 9, 2011, at 4 p.m. at St. Luke Church
in Chicago. This annual benefit for LSTC’s
music program also includes the second part of
Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and a carol setting by
Herzogenburg, presented by Chicago area musicians
and singers under the direction of Mark Bangert.
Tickets are available by calling 773-256-0712.
Free Chapel Music Series concerts in December,
February and March are at the Augustana Chapel at
LSTC. On December 5 at 7 p.m., Dean of the Chapel
Ben Stewart and Cantor to the Seminary Daniel
Schwandt lead a service of Advent Lessons and
Carols.
A Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for
Peace and Justice will co-sponsor The Salaam-Shalom
Music Project on February 27, 2011, at 4 p.m.
Members of Chicago’s Maxwell Street Klezmer Band
join forces with Lebanese oud player Rami Gabriel
and other musicians to present Middle Eastern music
from Muslim, Jewish and Christian folk traditions
and fusion pieces that accent the musical similarities
and interdependence of these religious cultures.
Cellist Eric Kutz and pianist Miko Kominami,
the Murasaki Duo, return to the Chapel Music Series
on March 27 at 4 p.m. for a concert that includes
Chopin’s “Polonaise Brilliante” and Barber’s Sonata
for Cello and Piano.
Experiencing God through Preaching and
Worship
Don’t miss the 2011 Leadership Conference,
April 4-5, 2011. Keynote speakers are Maxwell
Johnson, professor of liturgical studies at Notre
Dame University, and Craig A. Satterlee, Axel Jacob
and Gerda Maria (Swanson) Carlson Professor of
Homiletics at LSTC. You will be invited into the holy
mystery of weaving together the elements of the
liturgical rites of worship. Details will be in the mail
and on LSTC’s website in January.
Join the annual Sacred Texts Conference on
March 13
Spend an afternoon at Grace Lutheran Church, 200
N. Catherine, LaGrange, Ill., discussing the similarities and differences in the sacred texts of the three
Abrahamic faiths. Write Sara Trumm at strumm@lstc.
edu or call 773-256-0708 for more information.
Sustaining Creation
“The Future of Creation: Foundations for a Just and
Sustainable World,” brings together scientists, theologians, and leaders of faith communities to explore
how we can work together for a just and sustainable world. The weekly lecture series at LSTC begins
February 1, 2011, at 6:30 p.m. See details for the
series at www.zygoncenter.org, the website for series
sponsor Zygon Center for Religion and Science, or
call 773-256-0670.
Online courses at LSTC
Are you curious about seminary-level courses? Take
an online course taught by LSTC faculty. New courses begin January 31. Choose from Church History
II taught by the Rev. Dr. Peter Vethanayagamony,
Israel’s Prophets taught by the Rev. Dr. Klaus-Peter
Adam, Lutheran Confessional Heritage taught by Dr.
Lea F. Schweitz, Life and Letters of Paul taught by
the Rev. Dr. Ray Pickett. See http://www.lstc.edu/lifelong-learners/online-learning.php for course descriptions. Contact Dorothy Dominiak at ddominia@lstc.
edu or 773-256-0726 to register.
Are you receiving LSTC’s monthly
e-newsletter?
You may subscribe to the E.pistle at
www.lstc.edu/communications/e.pistle.php.
Each e-newsletter includes a list of upcoming
opportunities at LSTC.
February is African Descent Heritage Month
“Sankofa” is the theme for African Descent Heritage
Month events planned by LSTC’s Multicultural
2
News from LSTC
Robert Tobias, professor emeritus of
ecumenics, dies
sions of the second round of Lutheran-Orthodox
dialogue in North America and wrote books and
articles related to his work, including Heaven on
Earth: A Lutheran-Orthodox Odyssey.
Tobias was an avid pilot, sailor, skier, and gardener. He held degrees from Phillips University in
Oklahoma, Union Theological Seminary in New
York, and the University of Geneva in Switzerland.
In his last days, his wife, Gertrude, transcribed
Tobias’ words of gratitude: “Pilot, pastor, professor,
there’ve been great touchdowns from Canada to
Mexico, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, with students, pastors, family, friends, and fellow explorers
in the magnificent panorama of heaven on earth.
Thank you all.”
From the Racine Journal-Times obituary. A remembrance of Dr. Tobias will appear in the next issue of the
Epistle.
The Rev. Dr. Robert Tobias, 91, died in his sleep
on Wednesday, October 6, 2010, at United Health
Systems, Kenosha, Wis. Dr. Tobias served as professor of ecumenics at LSTC from 1964 until his retirement in 1987. He is survived by his wife of 68 years,
Gertrude (Trudy) and their six children, seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. A funeral
service was held October 10 at Holy Communion
Lutheran Church in Racine, Wis.
“Robert Tobias
helped shape LSTC’s
ecumenical mark
through his many
relationships with leaders in other Christian
denominations,” said
LSTC’s Acting President
Philip Hougen. “He was
also the first head of
the doctor of ministry
program at LSTC and it
still reflects his and the
seminary’s commitment
The Rev. Dr. Robert Tobias
to ecumenics.”
After World War II, Tobias was assistant director
of the Department of Inter-Church Aid and Service
to Refugees of the World Council of Churches
with special responsibilities for East Europe and
the Orthodox churches. He was a World Council
of Churches observer of the Geneva sessions led
by Eleanor Roosevelt in drafting the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. For his work in
Europe, Tobias was made a Commander of the Royal
Order of the Phoenix by King Paul of Greece. In
Yugoslavia he was decorated by patriarchs German
and Pavel with the Order of St. Sava. Tobias also
received the “key to the city” in Geneva.
Before joining the faculty at the Lutheran
School of Theology at Chicago, Tobias was professor of theology at Christian Theological Seminary
in Indianapolis, Ind. He continued his visits with
Orthodox Church leaders in East Europe and served
on numerous commissions of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America and other ecumenical
and international organizations.
Beginning in 1983, Tobias co-chaired the ses-
Lea F. Schweitz appointed director of
Zygon Center for Religion and Science
Dr. Lea F. Schweitz, assistant professor of systematic theology/religion and science at LSTC, has been
appointed director of the Zygon Center for Religion
and Science by the center’s co-sponsors, the Center
for Advanced Study in Religion and Science (CASIRAS)
and the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
She has served as the associate director of the Zygon
Center for more than two years. Dr. Gayle Woloschak
continues as associate director of the Zygon Center
after serving as director from 2007-2009.
Dr. Karl Peters, president of CASIRAS, said, “Dr.
Schweitz will lead the Zygon Center in engaging a new
generation of scholars, scientists, and religious leaders
with the living legacy of founding figures like Ralph
Wendell Burhoe, William Lesher, and Philip Hefner.”
Dr. James Kenneth Echols, president of LSTC,
concurred, “We aim to train visionary leaders with
both a rich appreciation of history and a bold sense
of possibility for the future. In her scholarship and
her teaching, Dr. Schweitz brings both of these qualities to the present and pivotal moment.”
Schweitz earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and
philosophy at Luther College and master’s and doctoral degrees in philosophy of religion at the University
of Chicago Divinity School. Her doctoral work explores
how early modern philosophers like Leibniz can contribute to our contemporary views of personhood.
continued on page 6
3
La Vocación
José David Rodríguez looks at God’s call
by Jan Boden
In Scripture and in the history of the church, each
period challenges believers with a different set of
circumstances. In his book, La Vocación, published
earlier this year in the Abingdon Press “Ministerio
Series,” José David Rodríguez looks at the concept
of vocation in the history of the church from the
Old Testament to the present. He uses historical
and theological approaches to examine the call to
ordained ministry, the call to teaching, and the call
to understanding the church. The final chapter of
the book examines the Latino experience of call. “I
assert that there is one call from God, but a variety
of expressions,” says Rodríguez, Augustana Heritage
Professor of Global Mission and World Christianity.
Education for Emerging Ministries (TEEM) program is
using La Vocación as a textbook. It is also being used
in Latin American seminaries and Rodríguez has made
presentations about it in Puerto Rico and Mexico.
La Vocación is available directly from AETH’s online
bookstore at http://aeth.org.previewc40.carrierzone.com/
sma12/. Watch for notices of the English translation
from Fortress Press.
.
Excerpts from the translation of
La Vocación
It is important to point out that this power of God’s
word to call us to being is the foundation of all the
other expressions of the call to believers. Whether or
not we believe in God, obey or disobey him, follow
him or give his presence our backs, our life becomes
reality because God calls us to being. This faith conviction is central to our understanding of our call,
because what will make it possible for us to respond
to it with diligence and faithfulness, despite difficulties and challenges we might encounter, is our certainty that every expression of God’s call carries with
it the same power of the original call God made us
into being. Consequently, the call God makes to us
in any manner of its varied expressions constitutes,
not only an invitation to be and do something, but
also a promise of his reality. God not only calls us to
being and to follow him, but also makes us his followers. He not only offers us a new life, but also produces and makes possible that new life in us.
____________________________________________
The Rev. Dr. José David Rodríguez
Used by TEEM program, others
La Vocación, scheduled to be released in English
translation by Fortress Press in 2011, is being distributed by the Association for Hispanic Theological
Education (AETH), an organization composed of
about 400 Protestant Latino leaders in the United
States. The association has developed original theological works in Spanish for the Hispanic community in the U.S. and Latin America. Theologians are
commissioned by AETH to write introductory books
and commentaries on the New Testament, Old
Testament, missions, ethics, and individual books of
the Bible. Rodríguez was invited to write the one on
vocation and Christian call.
The Latino component of the ELCA’s Theological
Faithfulness to the gospel brings great difficulty
many times. Each person is called to decide whether
or not to expose him or herself to it. But if we decide
to follow our Lord in these situations, we will realize
that there is nothing that can overwhelm us with
fear and anxiety, even when our enemies do their
best to cause us damage and difficulty. In fact, there
is only one secure place in this life for every believer,
and that place is found when—in our discernment—
we reach the conviction of the power of God’s
promise to be with us always to strengthen us and to
inspire our hearts and minds with the power of His
presence and will to withstand any kind of difficulty,
danger, and confrontation.
4
Finding God’s call in the spiritual and practical:
Joan Beck, Cornelsen Director of Spiritual Formation
by Linda Wimmer (2010, M.Div.)
Colorful tissue paper butterflies adorn Joan Beck's
office windows, a children's Easter project that, she
confides, also provides a great basis for a children's
sermon. These symbols of transformation are also
a reminder that Beck has come a long way on her
journey to LSTC.
Avoiding and answering God’s call
Laughingly describing herself as “pan Lutheran,”
she was baptized in a Wisconsin Synod church
in Minneapolis, but attended a Missouri Synod
church with her family starting when she was in
the fifth grade.
Very involved with her youth group at church
growing up, Beck made a conscious decision against
studying theology, majoring instead in German at
Valparaiso University. Her call story involves a pivotal moment that came as she neared graduation. A
friend and classmate headed for Concordia Seminary
asked her, “Why don’t you go to seminary with
us?” Beck did, entering Concordia and becoming
one of three or four female students among the 350
students who left with 43 faculty members to form
Christ Seminary-Seminex.
On internship, she was sponsored by the
Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches
(AELC) and sent to Tri-Lutheran Campus Ministry
and a congregation in Denton, Texas. She met some
resistance because of her gender: the campus ministry would not sponsor a female intern, and one
bishop told her she was violating Scripture. “I told
him I believed God had called me and given me gifts
for ministry,” Beck recalls. “I think I gave him something to think about.” She appreciated the experience she gained during this period. “I learned how
to do theology in the trenches in St. Louis and how
to stand up and fight for important things.”
Cornelsen Director of Spiritual Formation and Pastor to the Community Joan
Beck with her turtle, Bruno
call,” she said. It was a half-time position at a church
in Oregon. In the meantime, Beck earned a master’s
degree in rhetoric. She also ran Sunday school and
adult education at one congregation while doing visitation for another. In addition, she did a lot of pulpit
supply. She appreciated the opportunity to experience
worship and became acquainted with a number of
congregations in Eugene and Springfield, Ore.
Beck heard about the Cornelsen position at LSTC
soon after its creation, while walking with a pastor and neighbor. She applied. When the position
came open a second time, she applied again and was
delighted to receive the call.
Learning how the church works
After internship, Beck finished her master of divinity
degree at Luther Seminary, assuming that, because
the American Lutheran Church had been ordaining
women since the 1970s, she would be placed more
quickly. She was wrong.
“Churches work relationally, and no one knew
me. It was six years until I was placed in my first
Discovering ways to guide herself and others
Beck is especially enthusiastic about future possibilities in spiritual formation at LSTC. She describes her
approach as “spongelike,” paying attention, showing up, noticing patterns and becoming aware of
people’s expectations, all of which she expects will
5
influence her development of longer-term goals for
the position.
To nurture her own spiritual life, Beck engages in
morning and evening prayer using the New Zealand
prayer book daily and attends chapel at LSTC.
Making collages is another of her spiritual practices.
Beck would like to explore an indigenously
Lutheran approach to spiritual formation and appreciates skills-based approaches. She hopes that spiritual formation at LSTC “contributes a sense of lived
relationship with God that sustains students’ lives
and ministries.”
Beck believes that “God has brought me here for
a reason,” and she is looking forward to discovering
“what grows organically out of my presence and witness” at LSTC.
Her only sadness at LSTC is watching birds fly
into her office windows daily; not all of them survive the experience. Her most immediate practical
project involves finding ways to steer birds away
from colliding with the glass of the chapel windows.
New decals, placed on the windows of Beck’s office,
warn the birds to turn away from the sky and trees
mirrored in the glass. “It’s helped, but some birds
still fly into the reflection,” Beck said. Her persistence and willingness to try new paths may help
Beck find ways to guide even the birds.
News from LSTC continued from page 3
New staff will support online courses, use
of technology for teaching and learning
Rachel K. Wind joins LSTC
Advancement Office
Scott Chalmers and Jeff Fitzkappes have been hired
to support LSTC faculty, students and staff with the
design and use of technology for teaching and learning with particular focus on online courses.
Scott Chalmers will work approximately 20
hours a week as teaching and learning technologist.
He holds a Ph.D. in biblical studies from LSTC and
has designed and taught online courses for LSTC,
Trinity Lutheran Seminary and Lewis University.
Jeff Fitzkappes, a Ph.D. student at LSTC, will
serve as assistant teaching and learning technologist
for 10 hours per week. Fitzkappes earned a master
of arts degree in Christian thought through a distributive learning program from Bethel Seminary,
St. Paul, Minn., which included both intensive oncampus and online courses.
The two part-time positions are funded by
a grant from the Floy L. and Paul F. Cornelsen
Charitable Foundation.
In July, Rachel K. Wind (2010, M.Div.) joined the
LSTC Advancement Office as a regional gift officer.
She will be meeting with congregations, alumni
and donors in the northeast (Boston to Washington,
D.C.), Wisconsin, Minnesota, the Caribbean Synod,
and a portion of the Metropolitan Chicago area to
advance the seminary’s mission of forming visionary
leaders to bear witness to the good news of Jesus
Christ.
Wind says she chose to study at LSTC because of
its relevance to where she feels the church is going.
She holds a degree in social work from St. Olaf
College.
6
Working together: Religion and labor
by Joy Heine, (2003, M.A.) Diaconal Minister
Human beings are created “in God’s image” (Genesis
1:27) as social beings whose dignity, worth and
value are conferred by God.
Sufficient Sustainable Livelihood for All, 1999 Social
Statement of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America
the cost of basic necessities like food, clothing and
gasoline have risen.
Working for dignity and respect
When I began my internship, all I knew about
unions came from newspaper articles where unions
were viewed as a negative force that upset people by
creating conflict and tension. I quickly learned that
through union organizing many traditionally lowwage jobs turn into good, family-sustaining, middle
class jobs.
In 2001, I began my seminary internship with
Interfaith Worker Justice. My internship goals were
to educate, organize and mobilize the religious community to help improve wages, benefits and conditions for workers.
I was assigned to the labor union UNITE, which
was advocating for women who worked at BBJ
Linen, a fine linen laundering facility. They were fed
up with constant changes to their work hours and
low wages with no increases in pay after eight years
of employment. Several of the women had sought
help from the local congressional representative.
He recommended they talk to organizers at UNITE
about forming a union. They did, and were fired.
Working for sufficient and sustainable
livelihood
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America lays
out a moral imperative around economic life in the
1999 social statement, Sufficient Sustainable Livelihood
for All. The statement affirms that we, as people of
faith, are called to be part of an economic system
which includes all of God’s children, especially those
living in poverty. This system includes a sustainable livelihood. People should be able to work and
receive compensation, which, at the very least, provides for their basic necessities. At the very most it
is sufficient—enough, but not too much. Finally, it
creates a sustainable environment for people and the
rest of creation to survive now and in the future.
In recent years, the economic gap between rich
and poor has been widening and the U.S. is losing its middle class. Many top CEOs now make 400
times more than the average salary of their company’s employees. This gap has occurred since the last
century, when CEOs' salaries averaged 20 times more
than the company’s average worker.
When pay increases are given to employees, they
do not keep up with the cost of living. Labor statistics show gains in productivity without commensurate increases in compensation. At the same time,
Joy Heine at a labor rally in Chicago
I saw parallels between unions and religious
communities. Like religious communities, unions
want the best for those who work hard for a living: fair wages, safe working conditions, healthcare
benefits and respect for workers. Labor unions, like
religious groups, are not perfect. They are comprised
7
of human beings. Organizers desire to empower
workers to stand up for themselves and, united, to
change their working conditions. People of faith
want to end poverty and wage theft. Kim Bobo, in
Wage Theft in America (2008), offers this definition:
“Wage theft occurs when workers are not paid all of
their wages, workers are denied overtime when they
should be paid it, or workers aren’t paid at all for
work they’ve performed.”
Labor unions are the most powerful antipoverty
and anti wage-theft vehicle around. Both union
organizers and people of faith desire a world where
livable wages are the norm and workers can do more
than just provide for their basic necessities.
Laity United for Economic Justice in Los Angeles
and directed by Lutheran Pastor Alexia Salvatierra,
walked down Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills with a
banner reading, “All Religions Believe in Justice.”
They stopped in front of two hotels, which, after a
long struggle, had agreed to negotiate a fair contract
with their workers. Here they placed bowls filled
with milk and honey – biblical symbols of the promised land – along with baskets of Easter lilies. But to
a hotel that had refused to sign the new contract,
they instead brought bitter herbs, the Passover symbol of slavery. Within three weeks, all of the hotels
they had called to accountability had signed new
and fair contracts with their low-wage workers.
We all deserve to make enough money to support
our families. Religious communities have a powerful
moral voice which can support workers struggling
for jobs that pay living wages and benefits to support
their families. Together, we can ensure that there is a
sufficient, sustainable livelihood for all.
Working together for change
My work with Interfaith Worker Justice and various
labor campaigns has convinced me that in order for
us to have economic stability in the U.S., labor laws
will need to change and employers will need to be
held accountable to respect their workers through
compensation and fair treatment. I’m also convinced that partnerships between labor and religious
communities can make a difference.
Several years ago, during the Easter season,
over 150 religious leaders organized by Clergy and
Take action to learn more about labor issues and work
for a sufficient, sustainable livelihood for all. Visit www.
lstc.edu/lifelong-learners/resources.
Worker Justice Reader a resource for seminarians and congregations
Joy Heine has compiled and Interfaith Worker Justice has published A Worker Justice Reader: Essential
Writings on Religion and Labor (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2010). It is available from the publisher
at www.maryknollsocietymall.org and Amazon.com for $24.00.
While at Interfaith Worker Justice, Heine had worked with a number of professors who asked for
written resources on labor and religion. She gathered key writings on labor and economic issues
from a variety of faith traditions, including Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim.
The essays cover the crisis U.S. workers face, the history of the religion-labor movement, what
religious traditions say about work, the theology and ethics of work, and the religion-labor movement today.
8
It all starts with baptism: Luther on vocation
by Kurt K. Hendel, Bernard, Fischer, Westberg Distinguished Service Professor
of Reformation History
The Christian life is a life of faith active in love.
How do Christians live lives of love and service?
What opportunities do they have to do so? What
are the specific contexts for service, for love, for
doing good works that serve God and the neighbor?
Luther’s doctrine of vocation answers these questions.
of the priesthood of all believers and of vocation,
both of which were informed by his baptismal theology. His ideas did not only have theological importance, but they also had significant social and political implications.
All are priests
It all starts with baptism. Luther insisted that in baptism human beings receive faith and are reborn. The
punishment of sin is taken away. They are marked
Defining vocation
Vocation does not only refer to the professions or
jobs that people are pursuing or intend to pursue,
although they are also included in this concept.
Rather, Luther insists that all other roles, responsibilities and callings that human beings have in life are
vocations. Thus, being a wife or a husband, a daughter or son, a citizen, a member of a congregation, a
student, are all vocations. For Luther, vocations are
all the various responsibilities and roles in life that
human beings have. These are the specific opportunities God provides to serve God and the neighbor.
Eliminating hierarchy of “estates”
During Luther’s time, the leaders of the church,
indeed, the whole society, differentiated between the
so-called spiritual and temporal estates. (Estate here
means a group or groups of people who pursue a
particular vocation, calling or profession.) Only the
priests, monks and nuns were considered to be part
of the spiritual estate. They had special privileges,
both in God’s eyes and in the eyes of the society
of that day. They alone were fully involved in the
service of God. Thus only their callings were truly
pleasing to God because these spiritual people did
what was called the opus Dei or the work of God.
The lay people were the temporal estate, and
they pursued callings which were necessary for the
society to function politically, economically and
culturally. However, their vocations were neither as
important nor were they as pleasing to God as the
vocations of priests, monks and nuns. In short, the
laity could not and did not serve God as the clergy
and the members of monastic orders did. There was,
therefore, an essential difference between the clergy
and the laity which had all kinds of spiritual implications. Lay women and men were clearly secondclass citizens in God’s realm or kingdom.
Luther rejected this worldview with his doctrines
Pastor Craig Mueller introduces a newly-baptized member to the congregation
at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Chicago.
with the sign of the cross and become spiritual people. Thus all are priests, whether they are ordained
or remain lay people.
In “To the Christian Nobility,” Luther asserts:
It is pure invention that pope, bishop, priests, and
monks are called the spiritual estate while princes,
lords, artisans, and farmers are called the temporal
estate. This is indeed a piece of deceit and hypocrisy. Yet no one needs to be intimidated by it, and
for this reason: all Christians are truly of the spiritual estate, and there is no difference among them
except that of office. Paul says in I Corinthians
12[:12-13] that we are all one body, yet every
member has its own work by which it serves the
others. This is because we all have one baptism,
one gospel, one faith, and are all Christians alike;
for baptism, gospel, and faith alone make us spiritual and a Christian people.
…As far as that goes, we are all consecrated
priests through baptism, as St. Peter says in I Peter
9
not my own advantage but theirs. I will use my
office to serve and protect them, listen to their
problems and defend them, and govern to the sole
end that they, not I, may benefit from my rule.” In
such manner should a prince in his heart empty
himself of his power and authority, and take unto
himself the needs of his subjects, dealing with
them as though they were his own needs. For this
is what Christ did to us [Phil. 2:7]; and these are
the proper works of Christian love. (“Temporal
Authority: To What Extent It Should Be Obeyed,”
1523)
2[:9], “You are a royal priesthood and priestly
realm.”
…It follows from this argument that there is no
true, basic difference between laymen and priests,
princes and bishops, between religious and secular, except for the sake of office and work, but not
for the sake of status. They are all of the spiritual
estate, all are truly priests, bishops, and popes. But
they do not all have the same work to do.
…A cobbler, a smith, a peasant—each has the work
and office of his trade, and yet they are all alike
consecrated priests and bishops. Further, everyone
must benefit and serve every other by means of his
own work or office so that in this way many kinds
of work may be done for the bodily and spiritual
welfare of the community, just as all the members
of the body serve one another [I Cor. 12:14-26].
This advice, addressed to a ruler, is, of course, applicable to all Christians. All are called to imitate Christ
and to focus on the needs of the other as they fulfill
the various callings of life.
When people of faith serve others in such ways,
they may be assured that God works through them:
Fulfilling our Christian vocations
This, then, is the great glory with which the Divine
Majesty honors us: It works through us in such a
manner that It says that our words are Its words
and that our actions are Its actions, so that one can
truthfully say that the mouth of a godly teacher is
God’s mouth and that the hand which you extend
to alleviate the want of a brother is God’s hand.
(Lectures on Genesis, 1535-1545)
Since all believers are priests and spiritual people,
all the vocations they pursue are spiritual and Godpleasing, as long as they are done in faith and benefit other human beings. These vocations are spiritual
because spiritual people pursue them. All the callings that Christians have are God’s gifts and blessed
opportunities to serve God and the neighbor.
When Christians faithfully fulfill the obligations
of their various vocations, they can be assured that
they serve God. Luther, therefore, advises:
Living coram Deo
With his doctrine of vocation, Luther reminds
Christians that all of the callings they have in life
are opportunities to serve God and the neighbor. As
people of faith they have the privilege of using these
opportunities to exercise their freedom in service
and to express their faith in loving actions. Such
actions are truly good works that please God and
benefit those whose lives they touch. The Christian
life, to which believers are called in their baptism,
is a life of faith, of service, of love, of good works.
It is a life lived coram Deo, in God’s presence, and it
reflects the life Christ lived for the sake of the whole
creation. Such a life is not easy, but it is a blessed
and faithful life. May it be the life you live.
For these works have been commanded by God,
and for this reason they are truly divine works,
whether you are a pupil and learn letters, a maid
and sweep the house with brooms, or a servant
and tend horses or do other things. A monk, of
course, leads a more burdensome life and wears
more sordid garments; but that he serves God—
this he will nevermore be able to say truthfully, as
can those who serve the household, the state, or
the church. (Lectures on Genesis, 1535-1545)
If believers want to be certain that they serve God
and others, they must strive to follow the example
of Christ. Luther describes how a Christian ruler
should fulfill his office:
This is a portion of Kurt Hendel's presentation to the
high school students who explore vocation during Youth
in Mission’s “Serving Christ in the World” summer program. To read the three parts of the presentation and
discussion questions, visit www.lstc.edu/lifelong-learners/
resources/
He should picture Christ to himself, and say,
“Behold, Christ, the supreme ruler, came to serve
me; he did not seek to gain power, estate, and
honor from me, but considered only my need, and
directed all things to the end that I should gain
power, estate, and honor from him and through
him. I will do likewise, seeking from my subjects
10
Youth in Mission programs prepare seminarians
for service
by Joy McDonald Coltvet, (2001, M.Div), director of admissions
Serving Christ in the World and Beyond Belief, two
of LSTC’s Youth in Mission programs, are designed
to transform high school students’ faith, life and
sense of God’s calling. But seminarians who work
with youth through these programs find themselves transformed and better prepared to work with
the whole people of God. Through the three-week
immersion of Serving Christ in the World, the weeklong Beyond Belief Chicago servant trips, and as
Outdoor Ministry Ambassadors at camps throughout
the region, seminarians grapple with challenging
questions, immerse themselves in daily ministry and
foster a sense of gratitude.
and multiple musicians,” Wilke said.“‘How do I hear
God’s call?’ and ‘What do I do in response to God’s
call?’ formed the basis of our discussion during ‘Sally
time’ on Thursday. Even as I shared my call story, I was
able to remember how I knew God in my life when I
was their age… I was hoping to be able to contribute
something to their program and I believe I did. Yet I
know that I left there with much more than I gave.”
Passions and interests shape ministry
Alison Williams, (M.Div., intern), who served as
a mentor last summer with Serving Christ in the
World, had the opportunity to engage with high
school youth at a time when they are exploring their
own passions and interests. “To walk with them
into situations entirely outside their worldview was
amazing,” Williams said.
“Just as they were confused and challenged
about the issues that impact our world today, I saw
their minds and hearts open up: Why do Muslim
women wear head scarves? Why would composting be a way of worshiping God? How do the lives
of Mexican people affect our lives? What difference
can one person make in this world? We explored
those questions and the world together. The most
wonderful gift I’ve been given is the ability to look
back on my life and see what passions and interests I
had long before I ever considered seminary and how
they play a huge role in my ministry today.”
To learn more about Youth in Mission, visit http://
yim.lstc.edu/. To read more stories of life at LSTC, visit
LSTC’s newest blog, “Taste and See: Morsels of life at
LSTC” http://tasteandseelstc.blogspot.com/.
Valuing all vocations
“The most important role I had as an Outdoor
Ministry Ambassador (OMA) was to listen to the stories of the camp staff,” said Zachary Johnson (M.Div.
intern). “Each person I talked to had a wonderful
faith story to share. It opened my eyes to recognize
that all vocations are grounded in our baptism and
to learn that there is a deep desire among young
adults to have people who will walk with them as
a representative of God’s love and guidance. Most
young adults are hungry for direction. I learned they
have wonderful gifts to share with all of creation.”
Sally Wilke, now on internship in Walker, Minn.,
guided conversations about vocation while serving at
the Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Center (LOMC) and
Crossways/Waypost. Youth there shared their dreams.
“Two wish to be pediatric nurses; one is a potential
teacher who has been playing school as long as she can
remember; and there were a couple of budding artists
2010 Serving Christ in
the World mentors, Matt
Stuhlmuller, Kevin Baker,
Alison Williams, Kjersten
Priddy, Zachary Johnson,
and Youth in Mission
Program Coordinator
Kristin Johnson
11
2010-2011 Scholarship recipients
The Munderloh Foundation has provided grants to 34 LSTC master of divinity students in 2010-2011. Recipients of the grants are asked to accept the challenge
of recruiting others to seminary. From left to right, front: Ashley Hochhalter, Sarah Rohde, Sara Suginaka, Rebekkah Lohrmann, Dara Schuller-Hanson; Second row:
Meredith Harber, Katy Harder, Amanda Bergstrom, Amy Gillespie, Emily Ewing, Jenna Pulkowski, Emily Hefty, Janice Heidlberger, Cuttino Alexander; Back row:
Christina Garrett, Zachary Wagner, Nathan Sutton, Travis Meier, Monica Villarreal, Becca Ajer, Charles McKenna IV, Chris Honig; Not pictured: Christine Anderson,
Lynn Bird, Sara Freudenburg-Puricelli, Laura Gerstl, Peder Hinderlie, Kaila Hochhalter, Matthew Keadle, Kara Propst, Betty Rendon Madrid, Rebecca Sheridan, Andrew
Tyrrell, Mauricio Vieira.
Fund for Leaders in Mission Scholarships include full-tuition scholarships awarded by the ELCA and partial scholarships from students’ synods or supporting congregations. Front row: Kwame Pitts, Sarah Rohde, Sara Suginaka,
Andrew Rindfleisch; Back row: Meredith Harber, Nathan Sutton, Katy Harder, Amanda Bergstrom, Monica Villarreal;
Not pictured: Becca Ajer, Alexander Raabe.
Opal Dancey Awards support master of
divinity students who are from states in
the Great Lakes Region: Illinois, Indiana,
Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Meredith
Harber and Mauricio Vieira are pictured.
Laura Gerstl also received an Opal
Dancey Scholarship.
Zachary Wagner and Meredith Harber were named
Congregational Fellows by the Fund for Theological
Education. They each were nominated by their pastor
and selected from a nationwide pool of applicants.
The fellowship requires them to prepare for congregational ministry, have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 and have the intellectual and interpersonal
gifts for pastoral leadership.
12
Timothy Weisman and Christine Anderson
(not pictured) received Creative Teaching
Ministry Grants, established by a recent LSTC
graduate who wishes to remain anonymous.
Grant applicants must create an arts-integrated multicultural Christian education curriculum for 13-18 year-olds on a specific theme
supplied by the donor.
Siebert Lutheran Foundation grants support students who
are from Wisconsin. From left: Alexis LaChapelle, Amanda
Bergstrom, Dara Schuller-Hanson; Not pictured: Edward
Baseman, Laura Gerstl, Micah Sievenpieper, Timothy Tahtinen,
Elisabeth Zant.
Advanced Studies fellowship recipients
Pimentel-Chacon receives HTIC award
Other Advanced Studies Awards
Jonathan Pimentel-Chacón, a first-year doctor of
philosophy student at LSTC, has received an award
from the Hispanic Theological Initiative Consortium
(HTIC). The award is given by HTIC to increase the
number of Latino/a students and faculty in theological education and better equip U.S. institutions to
serve the growing Hispanic population. Chacón is
studying systematic theology.
Chacón comes to LSTC from the Universidad Biblica Latinoamericana - Latin American Biblical
University- and the Universidad Nacional de Costa
Rica - National University of Costa Rica, where he
was professor of theology and a researcher. He has
also served as the director of the theological journal,
Revista de Teologia Siwo. Chacon is interested in Latin
American liberation theologies, the literature of Juan
Carlos Onetti, Marxism and theology, the history of
flesh in the Western tradition and patristics—Tertullian, Origen, Augustine and the monastic movement. He has published more than a dozen articles
in theological journals and books. William J. and Elizabeth M. Danker Fellowship
(International student/ World Mission)
Seo Young Lee
Wiriya Tipvarakankoon
Ji-Woon Yoo
Prinstone Ben
Mervin Boas
Prince Vethamonickam Rajamony
Niveen Sarras received
the Christian Palestine
Scholarship and an
International Student
Fellowship.
Charavarthy Zadda received
the Grover Wright Scholarship
and an International Student
Fellowship.
Eleanor and Arnold Scherer Fellowship
(International student/World Mission)
Ju Young Kim
Kathryn Sehy Endowed Fellowship (Interfaith)
Iskandar Bcheiry
Prince Rajamony
E. Theodore and Mercia B. Bachmann Fellowship
Seong Heon Lee
International Graduate Student Scholarship Fund
Kyung-Taek Hong
Meredith Coleman Tobias, a new
Ph.D. student studying theology and anthropology, received
several prestigious awards: a Ford
Foundation Fellowship, a Doctoral
Fellowship from the Fund for
Theological Education, and is
one of four LSTC Robert Marshall
Graduate Fellows.
Robert Marshall Graduate Fellowships are awarded to North American
students in LSTC’s Ph.D. program. Jeff Fitzkappes, Kevin Dudley, and
Richard Frontjes, pictured here, and Meredith Coleman-Tobias, are the
2010-2011 Marshall Fellows.
13
Kevin Dudley has received
the Covenant Cluster African
American Doctoral Fellowship
Award. Dudley currently
teaches at Trinity Lutheran
Seminary in Columbus, Ohio.
He is also one of LSTC’s Robert
Marshall Graduate Fellows.
Adam Braun received the
2010-2011 Ralph W. Klein
Fellowship in Biblical Studies.
Nayoung Ha and Eun Ae Lee received the International Women’s
Scholarship. Both are Ph.D. students.
Equipping the Saints
Campaign exceeds
$56 million goal
The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago’s first
comprehensive campaign, Equipping the Saints
for Ministry, ended June 30, 2010, exceeding its
$56 million goal by over $300,000 in realized and
planned gifts in a three-year quiet phase and threeyear public phase of the campaign.
“LSTC’s board and administration are grateful for
the partnership of so many alumni and friends who
gave generously to the seminary over the course of
the campaign,” said the Rev. Dr. Philip Hougen, acting president of LSTC. Hougen served as co-chair of
the campaign with his spouse, Diane, and Larry and
Christie Tietjen.
“The success of this campaign shows how much
the church values the type of leaders LSTC forms
for ministry,” said Janette Muller, Chair of the LSTC
Foundation. “Good pastors, teachers, and leaders are
essential for the future of the church. That was a key
message of this campaign.”
A campaign closing celebration was held on
November 12 in Chicago, during the fall Board of
Directors meeting.
goal of $56 million in cash and planned gifts, the
number of alumni making gifts to LSTC increased
approximately 10% each year of the six-year
Equipping the Saints for Ministry Comprehensive
Campaign. Total alumni giving increased by 300%
during that same period.
Total number of donors to LSTC increased
15% during the campaign and gifts from donors
increased by nearly 200%.
Endowed and planned gifts up significantly
Equipping the Saints for Ministry sought to grow
LSTC’s endowment and increase the number of
planned gifts made to the seminary.
Gifts to restricted endowment funds, designated
for scholarships or chairs, increased an average of
10% each year of the campaign.
The number of planned gifts increased by 25%
during the campaign and the total amount of
planned gifts grew 75% to $35 million.
“Gifts like these strengthen LSTC’s ministry and
mission,” said Mark Van Scharrel, vice president for
advancement. “We are grateful that so many people
value the type of theological education LSTC provides for the future of our church and world.”
Alumni, donor gifts increased 200% and more
In addition to exceeding the ambitious fundraising
$MILLION
TOTAL GOAL
$56,000,000
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
GOAL
$30,000,000
GOAL
$26,000,000
PLEDGE/
PLANNED
GIFTS
$19,267,836
GIFTS
RECEIVED
$10,755,100
LSTC FUND
PLEDGES
$812,500
PROGRESS
$56,312,604
GIFTS
RECEIVED
$25,477,168
ANNUAL FUND
14
CAMPAIGN TOTAL
Doing the most good
Closing congregations witness to the Gospel through gifts to LSTC
by Jan Boden
Going to church usually means going to a certain
place – a building where we worship, meet, share our
stories over coffee and rolls, have potlucks and soup
suppers, study God’s word in Sunday school or adult
forums, practice with the choir, or lend a hand on a
property committee workday. It’s what happens in
the place we call church that makes it church. The
“happening” and being church continue even when
a congregation decides it’s time to close the doors of
their particular church building.
Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Maywood, Ill.,
and Wilmette Lutheran Church in Wilmette, Ill., are
two congregations that concluded their ministries
in particular places but continue to witness to the
Gospel by helping form leaders for the future of the
church.
from where he went to seminary. A 1938 graduate of
Chicago Lutheran Theological Seminary (Maywood),
Pastor Smuzer became pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran
Church in 1945 and served them faithfully and well
until his retirement in 1986. He led the congregation through a new building expansion during the
“baby boom” of the 1950s. Pastor Smuzer “never
preached the negative, [he was] always positive,” one
former member recalls. He was known throughout
the neighborhood. After retirement, he was given
the title “Pastor Emeritus” and continued to worship
with the community he had led. Pastor Smuzer died
on January 8, 1989.
When members of Emmanuel Lutheran Church
voted to close its doors, they chose to honor Pastor
Smuzer by using a portion of the proceeds from
the sale of the church building to create a scholarship for students who are preparing to serve smaller
neighborhood parishes like Emmanuel. With 80%
of their gift to LSTC they created the Emmanuel
Lutheran Church, Maywood, Illinois, Scholarship in
Honor of Pastor Wesley J. Smuzer.
Emmanuel Lutheran scholarship honors a
beloved pastor
The Rev. Wesley J. Smuzer served almost his
entire ministry at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in
Maywood, Ill., a small, neighborhood parish not far
Pastor Robin Brown (2003, M.Div.; 2010, D.Min.) and members of Wilmette Lutheran Church present the congregation's documents to Metropolitan Chicago Synod
Bishop Wayne Miller (1984, M.Div.) at the congregation’s closing service in October 2009.
15
Because they also value those who teach at
seminaries and colleges, 20% of the $300,000 from
Emmanuel Lutheran Church is designated for an
endowment fund providing scholarships for Ph.D.
students.
a former Seminex professor, became our pastor. He
invited many of his Seminex colleagues to lead adult
forums at Wilmette Lutheran Church,” Smith said.
Barb Hiller, congregation president of Wilmette
Lutheran Church, worked with LSTC Ministry in
Context students at Wilmette and continues to do
so in her new congregation. “I’m very impressed
with LSTC students. Helping them financially is
what our gift is all about.”
Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in South Africa, the
Metropolitan Chicago Synod, and the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Lands
will also receive gifts from the sale of the church
property. With the money in its endowment fund,
Wilmette Lutheran Church gave gifts to Holy
Family Lutheran School in Chicago, Bethel New
Life Ministries in Chicago, Bethania Ministry in
India, the Howard Area Food Pantry (Evanston, Ill.),
Interfaith Action Council of Evanston, and Lutheran
Campus Ministry (Evanston, Ill.).
Wilmette Lutheran Church shares its gifts
In May 2009, after the congregation voted to
close Wilmette Lutheran Church, members were
invited to take part in the committees that would
decide how to distribute the assets of the congregation. One committee worked to disburse the “holy
things” such as paraments, altar furnishings and
hymnals. Another committee dealt with the “mundane things” such as tables, chairs and kitchen supplies. Another committee worked to determine how
the assets from the church’s endowment fund and
the eventual sale of the church buildings would be
distributed.
“More people signed up to help decide where
the money would go than for any other committee
we’d had at Wilmette Lutheran Church,” said Pastor
Robin Brown, who served the congregation from
February 2006 until its final service on October 4,
2009.
Doing good out in the world
Barb Hiller, with remaining council members, has
shepherded the sale of the property and disbursement of anything usable within the building.
“Everything has been gifted,” Hiller said. “The kitchen things went to a community center, and we even
found someone to take the radiators. It’s very emotional to go to the building and see it gutted. But we
figured out the difference between bricks and mortar
and God’s gifts.”
In late October, Hiller and Pastor Brown were
present at the closing of the sale. The property was
purchased by a developer. Margye Smith said, “We
had some discussion about what type of offer to
accept for the property. Did we want to hold out for
the very best price possible or did we want to get the
money to the ministries that needed it? We accepted
a compromise on the final price of the building to
be able to distribute the gifts.”
The gift to LSTC will be approximately $220,000.
Approximately 20% of the gift will be used to provide scholarships for students entering seminary
in September 2011. The remainder of the gift will
provide endowed scholarships for both master’s level
and doctoral students.
“We were glad to give it,” Smith said. “Many in
the congregation were convinced that we needed
to leave the ‘bricks and mortar’ in order to do good
work out in the world.”
"How can we do the most good?"
Margye Smith, a long-time member of the congregation, led the Major Assets Committee through a process of prayer and discernment. The committee first
set guidelines and priorities for giving gifts to other
organizations. “After considering a number of priorities, we chose four to guide our giving: the organization’s witness to the power of the Gospel, its need,
the number of lives affected by the organization’s
ministry, and how long the benefit of its ministry
lasts,” Smith said. “We asked how we could do the
most good with the money we had to give.”
The committee also needed to decide which
ministries were more appropriate for them to give
money from the endowment fund or from the
sale of the property. The endowment fund gifts
could be distributed more quickly and in an exact
amount. Gifts from the sale of the property would
be made in percentages because the amount of the
gift would depend on the final sale price of the
property.
Wilmette Lutheran Church decided to give 20%
of the amount of the sale of its church building to
the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. “Ties
between LSTC and Wilmette Lutheran Church grew
stronger decades ago, when Andrew Weyermann,
16
The Klein chair inauguration
President James Echols thanks Ralph Klein during
the September 15, 2010, inaugural ceremony
as Pastor Jennie English, Bethlehem Lutheran
Church, Chicago, looks on.
Ralph W. Klein, Esther M. Menn, and Marilyn R. Klein. Menn is the first
Ralph W. and Marilyn R. Klein Professor of Old Testament.
Dr. Peter Machinist delivered the lecture, “What is
Wisdom for? The Problem of Ecclesiastes,” as part
of the inaugural celebration.
17
FACULTY NOTES
Klaus-Peter Adam, associate professor of Old
Testament, conducted
a Teaching Theologians
Meeting workshop at the
Annual Conference of
“Lutherans Concerned”
in Minn. July 9-11. He
preached on Sunday,
September 5, at St. John
United Church of Christ
in Naperville, Ill., (German
service). Adam presented
the paper “The Books of
Samuel in Persian and
Hellenistic Times” at
the Society for Biblical
Literature International
Meeting in Tartu, Estonia,
held from July 28-31.
Adam published “Saul
as a Tragic Hero: Greek
Drama and its Influence
on Hebrew Scripture in
1 Samuel 14,24-46 (10,8;
13,7-13A; 10,17-27)” in
For and Against David. Story
and History in the Books of
Samuel BETL 232, edited
by E. Eynike and/A. G.
Auld (Leuven: Peeters,
2010). With Mark Leuchter,
Adam co-edited Soundings
in Kings: Perspectives and
Methods in Contemporary
Scholarship (Minneapolis,
Minn.: Fortress Press,
2010). It includes his chapter, “Warfare and Treaty
Formulas in the Background
of Kings.”
Mark Bangert, John H.
Tietjen Professor Emeritus
of Pastoral Ministry:
Worship and Church Music,
served on the planning
committee for the 50th
anniversary of Concordia
Senior College, Ft. Wayne,
Ind. The event took place
August 4 – 6, 2010.
Kathleen D. "Kadi"
Billman, John H. Tietjen
Professor of Pastoral
Ministry: Pastoral Theology,
preached at the commissioning service of
the Greater New Jersey
Conference of the United
Methodist Church on
June 4, 2010. She attended
the Society for Pastoral
Theology Conference
held June 17 – 19. In July,
Billman completed an
8-week online course sponsored by the Wabash Center
for Teaching and Learning
in partnership with the
University of Wisconsin
– Madison, designed to
help theological educators
explore pedagogical issues
in online teaching and
learning. In July, she also
completed a 5-day intensive
training in narrative counseling at the Evanston (Ill.)
Family Therapy Center.
for a model of balancing
the “big brain” with the
individual “cell.”
Kurt Hendel, Bernard,
Fischer, Westberg
Distinguished Ministry
Professor of Reformation
History, made a presentation on the theme, “You
will Be My Witnesses,” at
the Metropolitan Chicago
Synod Assembly June 4,
2010. He preached and presided at Ashburn Lutheran
Church, Chicago, on
June 13 and preached for
Dana O’Brien’s ordination
at Atonement Lutheran
Church in Racine, Wis.,
on August 7. In June, he
led the 2010 LSTC Youth
in Mission Program participants in exploring “A
Lutheran Understanding of
Vocation.”
James Kenneth Echols,
president, attended the
Northern Illinois Synod
Assembly and led a Bible
Study on “Faith and
Practice: Study Scripture”
on June 18, 2010. Echols
also held a lunch forum
on “Faith Practice – Invite/
Witness” during the
assembly. He attended the
Association of Theological
Schools Biennial Assembly
in Montreal held June
23–25.
Philip Hefner, professor
emeritus of systematic theology and senior fellow,
ZCRS,was quoted by New
York Times online commentator, Robert Wright,
on July 13, following
Hefner’s comment to him
on Wright’s piece about the
internet as a superorganism.
Hefner suggested Wright
look to Teilhard de Chardin
Ralph Klein, Christ
Seminary-Seminex Professor
Emeritus of Old Testament,
conducted forums on April
11 and 18 at Redeemer
Lutheran Church, Hinsdale,
Ill., and on May 2, 9, and
16 at Bethlehem Evangelical
Lutheran Church in
Chicago. Klein preached at
Bethlehem on June 13, at
Ashburn Lutheran Church,
Chicago, on June 20, and
at Christ the Mediator
Lutheran Church, Chicago,
on August 29. He was the
keynote speaker at the 40th
class reunion of Concordia
Seminary on July 21.
Klein authored reviews
of The Architecture of Herod
the Great Builder by Ehud
Netzer, Jeroboam’s Wife: The
Enduring Contributions of
the Old Testament’s LeastKnown Women, and Judaism
of the Second Temple Period,
Volume 1: Qumran and
18
Apocalypticism by David
Flusser for Currents in
Theology & Mission (August,
2010).
Edgar Krentz, professor
emeritus of New Testament,
published the article
“Peter: Confessor, Denier,
Proclaimer, Validator of
Proclamation – A Study in
Diversity,” in Currents in
Theology & Mission (August,
2010).
Alma and David Lindberg,
professor emeritus of world
mission and world religions, were married on
July 28, 2010, in LSTC’s
Augustana Chapel.
Ray Pickett, professor of
New Testament, received
the Durstan McDonald
Teaching Award from the
Seminary of the Southwest
in Austin, Texas, an
Episcopal seminary where
he taught before coming to
LSTC. Pickett taught at the
Lay School at Gettysburg
Seminary June 21 – 25,
and attended the San Juan
Workshop on online education at the Seminário
Evangélico in Puerto Rico
August 19-20. He was the
keynote speaker at the
Arkansas/Oklahoma Synod
theological conference held
September 13 – 15.
Barbara Rossing, professor of New Testament, was
quoted in an article published in The North Jersey
Record on September 23,
2010, concerning comments by Tim LaHaye’s
author of the Left Behind
series. Rossing distinguished between LaHaye’s
understanding of prophecy
FACULTY NOTES
and the biblical notion of
prophecy. On July 23, the
Kansas City Star quoted
Rossing in an article on the
end times.
Craig Satterlee, Axel
Jacob and Gerda Maria
(Swanson) Carlson Professor
of Homiletics, gave the
presentation "Worship
Renewal and the Dynamics
of Change and Transition”
at the ELCA Partners
in Evangelical Worship
Training Event in Houston,
Tex., held June 22 – 24,
2010. He delivered the
Don M. Wardlaw Lectures,
July 5 – 7, during the
ACTS Doctor of Ministry
in Preaching Program
at LSTC. His topic was
“Preach Jesus, Not Oprah:
Proclaim Christ as Savior.”
Satterlee gave the presentation “Telling Your Story of
Faith” to Youth in Mission
participants at LSTC on July
2. In August, he presented
“Learning to Picture God
from Those Who Cannot
See: Picturing God in a
Fragmented World” at the
Societas Homiletica 9th
International Conference
at Yale Divinity School,
New Haven, Conn. Satterlee
spoke on “Preaching in
Times of Congregational
Transition” at the
Upstate New York Synod
Ministerium in Syracuse,
N.Y., in September.
Satterlee published the
“Holy Week” section of
New Proclamation: Year
A 2011 Advent Through
Holy Week (Fortress Press
2010), and “Affirming
Christian Vocation,” in
Sundays and Seasons 2011,
Year A, Suzanne K. Burke,
ed. (Augsburg Fortress,
2010). His articles,“Sirach
35: 12-17: Homiletical
Perspective,” ”Psalm
84: 1-7: Homiletical
Perspective,” “Job 19:
23-27a: Homiletical
Perspective” are published
at http://www.feastingontheword.net. Satterlee’s
article “How Does Where
You Hear Scripture Impact
How You Hear Scripture?”
appeared in the August
2010 issue of Currents in
Theology & Mission.
Church in River Forest,
Ill. Stewart was a member
of the teaching faculty at
the Ghost Ranch Retreat
Center in Abiquiu, N.M., in
June 2010, where he taught
“Baptismal Water and
the Waters of the Earth.”
Stewart was a guest lecturer
at the University of Illinois
at Chicago in September
on the topic of “Trends in
Green Funeral Practices.”
Lea Schweitz, assistant
professor of systematic theology/religion and science
and associate director of the
Zygon Center for Religion
and Science, is the coorganizer of “The Wonder
of It All: Faith and Science
Discovery Series” presented
in fall 2010 at the Lutheran
Center. Details are at www.
zygoncenter.org.
Schweitz led the Wabash
Center’s summer 2010
Teaching and Learning
Workshop for Pre-Tenure
Theological School Faculty.
She presented “Leibniz’s
Theodicy: Context and
Content” at a conference
at the University of Notre
Dame in September.
Schweitz published “On
the Road with Religion-andScience and the Romance of
the Past” in Zygon: Journal
of Religion and Science
Vol. 45, no. 2 (2010). Her
review of Epicureanism at
the Origins of Modernity
by Catherine Wilson was
published in The Journal
of Religion, vol. 90, no. 3
(2010).
Mark Swanson, Vogelaar
Professor of ChristianMuslim Studies and
Interfaith Relations and
associate director of A
Center of Christian-Muslim
Engagement for Peace
and Justice, published The
Coptic Papacy in Islamic
Egypt (Cairo, Egypt: The
American University in
Cairo Press, 2010).
Mark Thomsen, retired
director of advanced studies and visiting professor of
world missions, has published a Japanese translation of Crucified Christ: 21st
Missiology of the Cross, trans-
Ben Stewart, Gordon A.
Braatz Assistant Professor
of Worship, served as the
homilist in May 2010, for
"Ring Forth, You Songs,
Resound, You Strings,"
part of the Bach Cantata
Series at Grace Lutheran
19
lated by Arata Miyamoto
(2009, Ph.D.).
Christine Wenderoth,
director of the JKM Library
and associate professor
of ministry, attended the
American Theological
Library Association’s annual
conference in Louisville,
Ky., June 16 –20, where,
she chaired the Teaching
& Learning Interest Group
and served on the education committee.
Vítor Westhelle, professor of systematic theology, published the chapter
“Hybridity and Luther’s
Reading of Chalcedon”
in Gudstanken aktualitet:
Bitrag om teologiens opgave
og protestantismens indre
spaendigner: Festskrift til
Peter Widman, Else Marie
Wiberg Pedersen, Bo
Kristian Holm, and AndersChristian Jacobsen, eds.
(Copenhagen: ANIS, 2010).
Westhelle has new website, www.vitorw.com.
IN MEMORIAM
In Memoriam
Robert J. Werberig
1929 - 2010
Pastor, artist, sculptor, illustrator, and teacher Robert
J. Werberig died on October 1, 2010. Pastor Werberig
graduated from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo.,
and was ordained in 1957. He served congregations
in Louisiana and Florida before joining the faculty
of Concordia Seminary in 1965. He was a faculty
member of Christ Seminary-Seminex from 19741980. Pastor Werberig then served Good Shepherd
Lutheran Church in Irving, Texas, for 15 years. He is
survived by his wife, Alice, five daughters, one son,
and ten grandchildren. A memorial service was held
on October 10 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.
Class of 1970 responds
Gary Nickel of the Class of 1970 couldn’t attend the
reunion at LSTC in April, but he was able to identify
many of his classmates that others could not (and
he helped us spell their names properly, too.) Bob
Mueller also provided names of a few people who
are not in the photo and corrected the spelling of
one name.
The class of 1970 was much larger than the
informal photo indicates. It is the only LSTC class
without a formal photo. Pastor Nickel recalls that
there was some controversy about graduation preparations, a dress code, and attendance requirements
that likely contributed to the lack of a photo.
Informal photo of the Class of 1970 taken by Otto Sickert. Front row from left, starting with man in light colored jacket: Keith Nelson, Paul Hansen, Carl Malin,
Roger Prehm, Bob Mueller, Wayne Kempe; Second row: Paul Dawson, Allan Rholfs, Fred Sickert, Eliguard Nasari (from Tanzania), John Leaf, George Johnson, Jim
Walker, David Franzen; Third row: John Jack, Gary Schenk, Jon R. Fogleman, Neal Engbloom, Mike Zolnosky, Bill Berg,? Moihetuck? (sp?); Fourth row: Peter Manfred,
(probably) Robert Maier, Fred Meyer, Bill Graf, (probably) David Peterson, Roy Poltrack, John Duffus; Fifth row: Wayne Strohschein, Mike Lagerman, Dennis Ellison,
Richard Phalen, Dennis Carroll; Back row: Charles Infelt, Paul R. Swanson, Lynn Ertsgaard, Ron Mohr, Cy Warmanen, Albert Bodaski, Jim Robinson, John Heins, Martin
Peterhaensel; Not pictured: James Clark, Brian Eklund, Carl Gauck, Brian Helge, Doug Holmgren, Ken Johnson, Thomas McCrone, Richard Merkner, Quinton Meyer,
Gary Nickel, Kent Nylander, Carl Onofrio, Ken Suter
Correction to class reunion photo
Seated: Jim Walker, Albert Bodaski, Gary
Schenk, Charles Infelt; Standing: John
Heins, Ken Johnson, John Leaf, Paul
Swanson, Keith Nelson, Fred Sickert
(correction)
20
CLASS NOTES
1963
Larry D. Cartford
(Augustana, M.Div.) has
published a book entitled
From Pastor to Atheist: A
Non-God Way of Life. He
explains his reasons for
becoming a non-god person. For more information
about his book, email Mr.
Cartford at [email protected],
or visit his website, www.
frompastortoatheist.com.
1974
Dr. Paul Rajashekhar
(Th.M.) is part of the faculty for the Western Cluster
TEEM Program - Monterey
Park Extension. He leads a
session on systematic theology March 17-19, 2011, in
Monterey Park, Calif.
1982
Dennis Kelly (M.Div.) was
installed as pastor of the
Lutheran Church of the
Ascension, Northfield, Ill.,
on November 1, 2009, by
the Rev. Carol Breimeier,
Assistant to the Bishop,
Metropolitan Chicago
Synod.
Richard Mark Weaver’s
(Christ Seminary-Seminex,
M.Div.), wife, Estelle Marie
Weaver, died on July 4,
2010. Bishop Marcus
Lohrmann of Northwestern
Ohio Synod preached and
presided at the funeral service held at Hope Lutheran
Church in Bowling Green,
Ohio.
1985
Mike Blair (M.Div.) celebrated the 25th anniversary of his ordination on
September 24, 2010 at
Luther College, where he
serves as campus pastor.
Janet Wittenmyer (M.Div.)
was featured in an article
in the suburban Chicago
Southtown Star. For the
past 17 years, Wittenmyer
has served as pastor of
Redeemer Lutheran Church
in Oak Forest, Ill.
1986
Melody Eastman (M.Div.)
was LSTC’s representative at the inauguration
of Philip Graham Ryken
as the eighth president of
Wheaton College,Wheaton,
Ill., on September 17, 2010.
Charles J. Miller (M.Div.;
1998, D.Min.) began a new
call at Messiah Lutheran
Church in Brownsburg,
Ind., on August 16, 2010.
1989
Richard Wolff (M.A.), associate professor of speech,
media studies and dramatic
arts at Dowling College,
published the article “The
State of Media Curricula
in Accredited Seminaries
in the U.S.,” in the peerreviewed Journal of Media
and Religion. The study
examines media curricular
at all 197 seminaries in the
U. S. to analyze their media
course offerings, exploring particular differences
among seminaries of various church traditions.
1990
Martin Klammer (M.A.),
professor of African studies and English, and the
head of the African Studies
Department at Luther
College, Decorah, Iowa,
co-authored a book with
Blanche La Guma, In the
Dark with My Dress on
Fire: My Life in Cape Town,
London, Havana and Home
Again (Jacana Press, 2010).
Dr. Eardley Mendis (D.Min.;
1993, Th.M.; 1997, Ph.D.)
was featured in the
September 2010 Lutheran
magazine story telling how
First Lutheran Church,
Chicago, one of the congregations he serves, has been
revitalized through its ministry to homeless people
in its neighborhood. Eric
Wooldridge (2010, M.Div.),
also part of this ministry,
secured for it a $1200 Fund
for Mission grant.
1991
Pongsak Limthongviratn
(Th.M.; 2000, Ph.D.) is
teaching for the Western
Mission Cluster TEEM
Program- Monterey Park
(Calif.) Extension. He is
scheduled to lead a session
on Lutheran Confessions
December 16-17, 2010.
1994
D. Jensen Seyenkulo
(Th.M.; 1999, Ph.D.) is
on the faculty for the
Western Mission Cluster
TEEM Program - Monterey
Park (Calif.) Extension,
where he is scheduled to
lead a session on Biblical
Hermeneutics August 20-22,
2011.
1995
Karla Suomala (M.A.) associate professor of religion at
Luther College in Decorah,
Iowa, presented the free
public lecture “Interfaith
Engagement on College
Campuses: Case Studies in
Cooperation and Conflict,”
on September 23 at the
Center for Faith and Life
Recital Hall on the Luther
campus.
David Vasquez (M.Div.;
2001, D.Min.), campus
pastor at Luther College
in Decorah, Iowa, presented “On the Move:
Conversation about Faith
and Migration,” an Internet
21
video event on August 12,
2010. He reflected on his
sabbatical work on stories
of migration in the Bible.
Vasquez has developed a
Bible Study resource on this
topic.
Vasquez presented a
Luther Religion Forum lecture, “Faith on the Move:
Migration Narratives in
the Bible and in People’s
Lives” at Luther College on
October 21, 2010.
1999
Jen Nagel (Certificate of
Studies) was received onto
the clergy roster of the
ELCA on September 26,
2010, at Salem English
Lutheran Church in
Minneapolis, Minn. Bishop
Craig Johnson of the
Minneapolis Area Synod
preached.
Sharon Stalkfleet (M.Div.)
has been added to the
ELCA roster of ordained
ministers in the ELCA Sierra
Pacific Synod. Stalkfleet, a
pastor from Extraordinary
Lutheran Ministries, serves
Lutheran Ministry to
Nursing Homes in Oakland,
Calif.
2000
Michael Bradburn (M.Div.),
joined the counseling staff
at Samaritan Interfaith
Counseling, Consulting and
Education in Naperville, Ill.
Ed Kruse (Certificate of
Studies; 2003, D.Min.)
led the LSTC Tithing and
Stewardship Foundation
workshop “Re-visioning
Stewardship” at LSTC on
Saturday, October 16, 2010.
Jenny Mason (D.Min.)
has been reinstated to the
ELCA roster of ordained
ministers. A former ELCA
missionary in Santiago,
Chile, Mason was removed
from the clergy roster in
2001 for being an openly
lesbian woman in relationship. She now works for
a faith-based developer of
affordable housing as a
Congregational Partnership
Organizer.
2002
Rebecca Gordon (M.Div.)
announces the birth of
Owen Allen Gordon on
June 17, 2010. Owen
weighed 9 lbs. 1 oz. and
was 21 inches long. He was
baptized on October 10.
Pastors Jennifer and Seth
Moland-Kovash presided
at the baptism. Big sister
Amelia is thrilled with her
new baby brother.
where he presented a session on church polity
October 7-9, 2010.
tor of Messiah Lutheran
Church in Aledo, Ill.
Elizabeth Lee (M.Div.) was
ordained and installed at
Immanuel Lutheran Church
in Waupun, Wis., on
September 26, 2010.
Jason Chesnut (M.Div.) was
ordained on September 4 at
the Chapel of the Abiding
Presence at Texas Lutheran
University in Seguin, Texas.
Pastor Chesnut has been
called to serve as Associate
Pastor at Central Lutheran
Church in Edgerton, Wis.
Jordan Miller-Stubbendick
(M.Div.) has accepted a call
to St. Timothy Lutheran
Church in Beamus Point,
New York. She will begin
serving her new congregation on November 8, 2010.
Elaine Watskey (M.Div.)
began a call as Assistant to
the Bishop for Candidacy in
the Grand Canyon Synod
on June 1, 2009.
Patricia Volberding Decker
(M.Div.) was ordained
at St. Andrews Lutheran
Church in Cedar Rapids,
Iowa, on October 10, 2010.
Bishop Michael Burk of the
Southeastern Iowa Synod
presided. Decker serves
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
in Cedar Rapids as associate
pastor.
2007
2009
John Hubers (Th.M.) has
accepted a full-time position
as instructor in missiology
at Northwestern College in
Orange City, Iowa.
Natalie Barnes (M.A.) was
ordained and installed
September 5 at Trinity
Lutheran Church in Joppa,
Md. Barnes serves Rivers of
Life Community Church,
an LCMC congregation.
Jean Pagliaro (M.Div.) was
featured in an article in the
stories of faith in action
section on the ELCA’s
website (www.elca.org). It
discusses the emergence of
a Vision Board, instead of a
church council, at Halfway
Creek Lutheran Church
near Homen, Wis., where
Pagliaro serves as pastor.
Jim Davis (M.Div) was
ordained on September
26, 2010, at St. John’s
Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Bloomington,
Ill. Bishop Warren Freiheit
of the Central Southern
Illinois Synod presided.
Pastor Davis was installed
at American Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Gibson
City, Ill., on October 3,
2010.
Arata Miyamoto (Ph.D.)
published Embodied Cross:
Intercontextual Reading of
Theologia Crucis (Wipf &
Stock, 2010). He also translated into Japanese Dr. Mark
Thomsen’s book, Crucified
Christ: 21st Missiology of the
Cross, which was recently
published in Japan.
2008
Gregory Villalon (D.Min.)
is part of the faculty for the
Western Mission Cluster
TEEM Program-Monterey
Park (Calif.) Extension,
2010
Gwen Sefrhans (M.Div.)
was ordained on October
31 at Immanuel Lutheran
Church, Dixon, Ill. She has
been called to serve as pas-
Aaron Decker (M.Div.) was
ordained October 17 at St.
Mark’s Lutheran Church
in Norwich, Conn. Bishop
Margaret Payne of the
New England Synod presided. Decker will serve
as Associate Pastor at
Immanuel Lutheran Church
in Holden, Mass., and as
Director for Social Policy
Advocacy for the New
England Synod.
Mark Fischer (M.Div.)
was ordained at Trinity
Lutheran Church in Des
Plaines, Ill., on Saturday,
July 31. Dr. Vitor Westhelle
preached and Bishop Gerald
Mansholt of the Central
States Synod presided.
Mark serves as pastor for
St. Martin Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Kansas
City, Kan.
22
Todd Andrew Koch (M.Div.)
was ordained on October
10 at First Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Tulsa,
Okla.
Dana O’Brien (M.Div.) was
ordained and installed
by Bishop Jeffrey Barrow
at Atonement Lutheran
Church in Racine, Wis. Dr.
Kurt Hendel preached and
Dr. Edgar Krentz presided at
the service.
Lois Ann Ryan (M.Div.)
was ordained at Trinity
Lutheran Church in North
Bethesda, Md., August 28.
Bishop Gregory Pile of
Allegheny Synod presided.
Ryan has been called to
serve as pastor at Graef’s
Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Cairnbrook, Pa.
Linda Wimmer (M.Div.) was
ordained on October 20 at
Sillerud Lutheran Church,
Balaton, Minn. She has
been called as pastor of a
tri-parish in North Dakota,
Zion Lutheran Church
in Towner, New Hope
Lutheran in Upham, and
First Lutheran in Willow
City.
Krista Zimmerman (M.Div.)
was ordained on October
31 at Immanuel Lutheran
Church, Dixon, Ill. She has
been called as pastor of
United Lutheran Church,
Rockford, Ill.
IN MEMORIAM
Arthur Holmer
Augustana Lutheran
Seminary
Class of 1949
The Rev. Arthur M.
Holmer died on
September 1, 2010.
Pastor Holmer graduated from Augustana
College in Rock Island,
Ill. in 1942 and from
Augustana Seminary
in 1949. He was
ordained in 1949 and
he served First Lutheran
Church in Harvey, Ill.,
Gethesmane Lutheran
Church in St. Louis,
Mo., and from 1962
until his retirement
in 1985, Bethlehem
Lutheran Church in St.
Charles, Ill.
Visitation was held
September 6 in St.
Charles, Ill. The funeral
service was held at
Bethlehem Lutheran
Church on September
7, 2010. Pastor Mark
Larson officiated. Pastor
Holmer was preceded in
death by his wife, Alice,
in February 2010, and
is survived by his children, Rev. Peter Holmer,
Rev. Richard Holmer
and Dr. Mary Essley.
best known hymns
are “Listen, God Is
Calling,” “Gracious
Spirit, Heed Our
Pleading,” and “Christ
Has Arisen, Alleluia.” Olson also served as
a visiting professor at
LSTC, Pacific Lutheran
Theological Seminary,
and Wartburg Seminary.
He is survived by his
wife, Louise, and their
four children, Howard,
Sharon, Timothy and
Linda.
Howard S. Olson
1922 - 2010
Augustana Lutheran
Seminary
Class of 1946
Pastor, missionary,
author, music ethnologist, and hymnologist,
Howard S. Olson,
died on July 1, 2010,
in Sun City Center,
Fla. Memorial services
were held at Redeemer
Lutheran Church in
Sun City Center on
July 12.
After graduating from Gustavus
Adolphus College,
St. Peter, Minn. and
Augustana Seminary,
Olson was ordained
in 1946, and served as
missionary pastor and
professor in Tanzania
from 1946 until 1988.
Olson earned a
Ph.D. from Hartford
Seminary in 1965
and was presented an
honorary doctorate
by Gustavus Adolphus
and the Distinguished
Alumni Award by
LSTC. He is the author
of six editions of a
Swahili hymnal, a text
for teaching Greek in
Swahili, and hymns
included in This Far
By Faith, With One
Voice, and Evangelical
Lutheran Worship. His
Raymond Olson
1937 - 2010
Lutheran School of
Theology at Chicago
Class of 1966
Pastor Olson died on
August 13, 2010, at
home in El Paso, Tex.
Born in Stamford, Tex.
on July 10, 1937, he
earned degrees from
Bethany Lutheran
College in Lindsborg,
Kan., and Central
Lutheran Theological
Seminary in Fremont,
Neb., before earning
a master of divinity
degree from LSTC.
Pastor Olson served
two Texas congregations, Good Shepherd
Lutheran Church in
Marshall, from 1966
to 1970, and St. John
23
Lutheran Church in
El Paso, from 1970 to
1998, when he retired.
He is survived by
his wife of 52 years,
Sue, their two daughters
and their families.
A funeral service
was held August 19 at
New Hope Lutheran
Church in El Paso. A
graveside service was
held at Bethel Lutheran
Church in Ericksdahl,
Texas, on August 21.
Erhardt Paul “EP” Weber
Chicago Lutheran
Theological Seminary
(Maywood, Ill.)
Class of 1962 (Ph.D.)
The Rev. Dr. Erhardt
Paul “EP" Weber, who
served as the third
president of Concordia
University (LCMS),
Portland, Ore., from
1958 to 1983, died June
20, 2010. Under his
leadership, Concordia
went from a two-year
junior college to a fouryear university. A celebration of his life and
ministry took place at
St. Michael’s Lutheran
Church, Portland, Ore.,
on June 27.
TRANSITIONS (AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS)
Staff Publications
Jeff Fitzkappes, assistant
teaching and learning
technologist, published
an article entitled “Prolific
Consumption of Tech
Goods Harms People and
the Environment” in
Journal of Lutheran Ethics
(September, 2010).
Godspeed
Anthony Elia, associate
librarian for reference
and instruction at the
JKM Library has taken a
position as the new head
of public services at the
Burke Library of Union
Theological Seminary/
Columbia University in
New York City.
Anthony came to JKM
Library in March 2006
as librarian for academic
technology. He became
associate librarian for reference and instruction in late
2008. He is an active scholar and appeared on panels
at the American Theological
Library Association
annual conferences. He
also had a reputation, as
Library Director Christine
Wendroth affectionately
noted in her farewell, to
“suss out a free food event
faster than a bloodhound.”
We are grateful for
Anthony’s fine work at
istrar and assistant to the
advanced studies program.
Dr. Philip has worked as
the registrar at Garrett
JKM Library and wish him
every blessing in his new
position.
Kwame Pitts, who served as
assistant to the advanced
studies program and assistant to the registrar since
August 2009, has resigned
her position to take on a
new role at LSTC. Kwame
is now a student in the
master of divinity program. We are grateful for
her work in two important
areas of LSTC’s ministry
and are delighted to be
able to welcome her to
LSTC in a new way.
“Taste and See: Morsels
of Life at LSTC” was initiated by the Admissions
Office with the aid of Web
Manager Roger Bottorff.
Seven seminarians contribute regularly. You will
find yourself returning to
this blog, grateful for the
insights and inspiration
shared by these students.
http://tasteandseelstc.
blogspot.com/
New home
Mary (Joy) Philip
Evangelical Theological
Seminary. She holds
degrees from Marthoma
College, Tiruvalla, India,
and St. Thomas College,
Kozhencherry, India. We
are grateful that she will
continue to share her gifts
with the LSTC community
and students.
Joy Philip may be
reached in the advanced
studies office until noon,
Monday through Friday,
Office 343, 773-256-0762;
and in the registrar’s office
in the afternoons, Office
317, 773-256-0689. Her
email is [email protected].
Ashley Spell, assistant
to the vice president for
advancement since August
2009 has left LSTC to
pursue a career in interior
design. The LSTC community wished her godspeed
in her new vocation at a
reception on September
28. We are grateful for her
work with the campaign
steering committee, the
campus planning task
force, and the web redesign
task force.
Welcome
Mary (Joy) Philip (2004,
M.A.; 2006, Th.M.; 2009,
Ph.D.) has joined the LSTC
staff as assistant to the reg-
Lined up and ready to go on to a new life in other Chicago Lutheran schools
New LSTC Blog
You remember those
student desks that you
squeezed in and out of
in classrooms – the one
with the palette desktop
attached to the chair? You
may be relieved to learn
that many of those desks
have found new homes
in Chicago area Lutheran
grade schools and high
schools. Bob Berridge
and a crew that included
his daughter, Hannah,
helped deliver those desks
to Lutheran High School
North, St. John Walther
Academy, New Hope
Lutheran School, and
the New Lutheran High
School.
Paul Lindblad helps unload student desks for St. John Walther Academy in Forest
Park, Ill.
24
Clockwise from top left: The Rev. Dr. Kadi Billman blesses Sasha, Cantor Dan Schwandt’s
dog; the LSTC community enjoys an ice cream social during Orientation Week; Meredith
Harber, her dog, Steve, and Emily Ewing in chapel following worship on the Feast Day of
St. Francis of Assisi; the Rev. Dr. Ralph Klein gives instructions to his grandsons during the
inaugural celebration of the Klein Chair of Old Testament; Dean and Vice President for
Academic Affairs Michael Shelley, Acting President Philip Hougen, McCormick Seminary
Academic Dean Luis Rivera-Rodriguez, and JKM Library Director Christine Wenderoth cut
the ribbon leading to the new public space for the JKM Library.
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Calendar of Events
All events are at LSTC unless otherwise noted. Check www.lstc.edu/
events for details.
December
5 7:00 p.m. Chapel Music Series—
Advent Lessons and Carols
January
9 4:00 p.m. Bach for the Sem at
St. Luke Church, Chicago. For tickets
call 773-256-0712
17 Noon Communion Service commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. Day, Augustana Chapel at LSTC
31 6:30 p.m. Advanced Seminar in
Religion and Science—weekly series
until May 2. See www.zygoncenter.org
for details.
February
February is African Descent Heritage
Month at LSTC. Watch www.lstc.edu
for event details.
1 6:30 p.m. The Future of
Creation: Foundations for a Just and
Sustainable World—weekly lecture
series until May 3. Free and open to
the public. See www.zygoncenter.
org for details.
13 International Hymn Festival and
Advanced Studies Benefit at Faith
Lutheran Church, Glen Ellyn, Ill.
17 11:30 a.m. “Men in power and
in trouble: Masculinity in the Hebrew
Bible, Abraham as a case study” presented by Dr. Klaus-Peter Adam
18 1:00 p.m. Interfaith skill training
session led by Interfaith Youth Core.
Contact Sara Trumm, strumm@lstc.
edu, at A Center of Christian-Muslim
Engagement for Peace and Justice
for details.
27 4:00 p.m. Chapel Music Series –
The Salaam-Shalom Project.
27-March 1 Seminary Sampler
Write [email protected] or phone
773-256-0726 for more information.
March
3 “Hearing the Word: The Global
Christian Community Reads the Bible
Together” annual Hein-Fry Lecture
presented by Dr. Dora Arce. Contact
Cheryl Hoth for more information
[email protected]
13 1:00 p.m. Sacred Texts
Conference at Grace Lutheran
Church in La Grange, Ill.
27 4:00 p.m. Chapel Music Series
featuring the Muraski Duo
30 Music that Makes Community,
workshop with All Saints Company
April
4-5 Experiencing God through
Preaching and Worship—2011 LSTC
Leadership Conference. For details
watch www.lstc.edu/events/
conferences/.