Concordia Seminary magazine | Spring 2021

THE HOPE TO

MEET PRESIDENT

GENERATIONS 20/20

WHICH WE CLING

DR. THOMAS J. EGGER

CAMPAIGN WRAP-UP

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Deaconess Studies student Amanda Berry and her husband, Master of Divinity student Matthew Berry, enjoy the first taste of spring with their son, Jackson, on campus. Photo: Courtney Koll

FIRST LOOK

CONCORDIA SEMINARY, ST. LOUIS

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FROM THE THE HOPE TO

MEET PRESIDENT

GENERATIONS 20/20

WHICH WE CLING

DR. THOMAS J. EGGER

CAMPAIGN WRAP-UP

ON THE THE COVER COVER ON

Concluding seminarian Mason caption Vieth kneels in the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus before one of the new stained glass windows. Photo: Jill Gray

INTERIM PRESIDENT Dr. Daniel Preus

PUBLISHER

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Dale A. Meyer Vicki Biggs

EXECUTIVE EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR Vicki Biggs Melanie Ave

MANAGING EDITOR ART DIRECTOR Melanie Ave Jayna Rollings

ART DIRECTOR DESIGNER Jayna Rollings Courtney Koll DESIGNERS WRITERS Michelle Poneleit Melanie Ave Jayna SarahRollings Maney Abigail Miller Dr. Timothy Saleska WRITERS Dr. Travis Scholl

Sarah Maney Daniel Mattson PHOTOGRAPHERS Lisa Mills Jill Gray Travis Scholl Courtney Koll Sarah Maney

Harold Rau PHOTOGRAPHERS Jill Gray Sid Hastings Courtney Koll Sarah Maney Michelle Poneleit Harold Rau

INTERIM PRESIDENT

When I chose the theme for this academic year in the fall of 2020, I was confident it would be an appropriate one. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Months into the pandemic, the theme seemed quite fitting. Never did Dr. Daniel Preus has served as I imagine that it would become more and more so as interim president since June the academic year went on. The predictions regarding 2020. Photo: Jill Gray the end of the pandemic simply didn’t come true and the coronavirus and its wrath went on and on. Then came a contentious presidential election and more riots. Businesses have gone under, millions of people have lost jobs. Uncertainty reigns. But Jesus remains the same. And He is our hope.

Jesus once said to His disciples, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 ESV). There has been no time during my life that I have been more aware of the tribulation that surrounds us. And it is not only the troubles I just mentioned. These are all happening during a time when animosity against Christianity and against Christians is growing stronger and stronger.

How much we need to know that Jesus has overcome this world! How much we need to know that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever! And because we know this is true, that Jesus never changes and He has overcome all the darkness that threatens to swallow us up, the church returns every year to the celebration of the events in the life of Jesus that offer us hope.

Thus, we have recently celebrated again the festival of Easter. It is not a message of lilies and rabbits and eggs. It is a message about the conquest of death. Our Savior died for our sins and rose for our justification. This is not just a story. It happened. The Apostle Paul declares, “Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20 ESV). In other words, where He has gone we will follow. His resurrection foreshadows and causes our resurrection. His overcoming of the world is one in which He overcomes death for us by raising us to everlasting life in His everlasting kingdom. No wonder Jesus says, “Take heart.” This message is so powerful and so full of comfort that the Spirit leads us indeed to take heart. We rejoice in the knowledge of our salvation and the assurance, in spite of all the tribulation around us, that we are safe in the arms of our heavenly Father. We have a hopeful future.

It is because we believe this message about the resurrection of Jesus and our own resurrection that we continue the work God has given us at Concordia Seminary. We recently held our Call Day service during which calls were extended to those who will be sent out into the church and the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Every day we focus on the task of preparing those who will be servants of Jesus in the church. And our task has great rewards. On Call Day we are able to see the fruits of our labors as one man after another comes forward to learn where God is sending him to serve as a pastor in God’s church. Deaconesses learn where God is sending them to serve. Missionaries also learn in what part of the world they will serve.

Because Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever, our mission also remains the same.

How comforting that is to know as a new president begins his work. Dr. Thomas J. Egger was elected as the 11th president of Concordia Seminary in February and by the time you are reading this, has already begun his work. Egger will bring new talents and insights to his work as president. They will be welcome and of benefit to our Seminary community. But the mission will remain the same.

That never changes. That truth is comforting, encouraging and energizing. The teaching continues, the proclamation goes on and the hope of the church remains firm because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Concordia Seminary magazine magazine is is a a Concordia Seminary member of of the the Associated Associated Church Church Press Press member and the the Evangelical Evangelical Press Press Association.

Association. and

Dr. Daniel Preus

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SPRING 2021 ISSUE FEATURES 6

The hope to which we cling

12 Meet President Dr. Thomas J. Egger

23 Generations 20/20 Campaign wrap-up

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IN EVERY ISSUE 4

From the President

14 Student Spotlight 16 Staff Focus 18 News Worth Noting 23 Support your Sem 26 Alumni and Friends

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OUR MISSION Concordia Seminary serves church and world by providing theological education and leadership centered in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ for the formation of pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars and leaders in the name of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod.

WANT TO JOIN OUR MAILING LIST? To be added to the mailing list, or to receive the magazine electronically, address correspondence to: Concordia Seminary magazine, Concordia Seminary, 801 Seminary Place, St. Louis, MO 63105; call 800-822-5287; or email magazine@csl.edu. Congregations may request copies in bulk for distribution within their churches.

Copyright © April 2021, Concordia Seminary, 801 Seminary Place, St. Louis, MO 63105. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior written permission of Concordia Seminary.

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BY TIMOTHY SALESKA

Andy Dufresne sat down to lunch with his friends after getting out of solitary confinement. They asked him, “Was it worth it? Two weeks in the hole?”

“Easiest time I ever did,” he said. “No such thing as ‘easy’ in the hole,” they replied. Andy tried to explain to them that the music he held in his head and his heart had made it easy. He tried to explain that you need music so that you don’t forget. “Forget?” Red asked skeptically.

“Forget. . . that there are places in the world that aren’t made out of stone — that there’s something inside that they can’t get to, that they can’t touch. It’s yours.” “What are you talking about?” Red persisted. “Hope!” Andy answered.

Red looked hard at Andy, “Hope? Let me tell you something, my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane. It’s got no use on the inside. You better get used to the idea.”

From inside the gray walls of Shawshank State Penitentiary, Red looked around him and had no use for hope. He was not getting out alive, and he had gotten used to that idea.

But of course, at the end of the movie, “The Shawshank Redemption,” something wonderful happened to both Andy and Red. Andy found his redemption, his freedom from Shawshank’s walls. So did Red. Against all odds, the parole board set Red free. And on a beautiful summer day sitting at the end of a stone wall in the middle a of hay field in Buxton, Maine, Red smiles at the words of a letter from Andy Dufresne, “Remember, Red. Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

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“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Jer. 29:11 ESV “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.”

2 Cor. 1:20 ESV “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

Gal. 3:26, 29 ESV “According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.”

1 Peter 1:3b-4 ESV “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. They say continually to those who despise the word of the LORD, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster shall come upon you.’”

Jer. 23:16-17 ESV “The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the LORD has truly sent the prophet.”

Jer. 28:8-9 ESV

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“The Shawshank Redemption” is of course a movie all about hope and redemption, or more specifically, it is about the hope of redemption from the horrible confines of Shawshank Penitentiary. I think that the movie wants to teach us some larger lessons about life. For example, it invites us to believe that our hopes can, somehow, be realized. That in the end, hope truly can yield its reward. Perhaps it wants us even to imagine that our hope can deliver us from the most improbable and impossible of circumstances, and so we should not give up no matter what.

But movies are just movies. And life is . . . well . . . real life. Life has its razor-wired limits that creative filmmakers can fly right over. In real life, “The Shawshank Redemption” may enchant me, but it also leaves me with more questions than it answers. Questions like, “In this messed up world, what does it mean to hope for redemption?”

“What does redemption even look like?” “How does hope become reality?” “Is it just a matter of hard work and persistence or a matter of time?”

“What is a foolish and false hope?” “When things get really, really bad, what can sustain my hope that something better is waiting for me?”

The Preacher of Ecclesiastes is one person plagued by questions like this. According to our usual ways of distinguishing between what gives people hope and what robs people of hope, the Preacher should have been one of the most hopeful people in the world. He had everything he wanted and the freedom to use it. He was a king — the most powerful man in Israel. He could have anyone and anything his heart desired. He was wise enough to know how to use it. He had the freedom for which Andy Dufresne longed. And yet, in spite of sitting pretty, the Preacher was haunted by the meaninglessness of his life. The limited nature of human existence, the injustice of the world. The inevitability of a death that would take every pleasure and possession from him did not allow him to take comfort in what he had accomplished. From his view on the inside, even the Preacher had little use for hope.

Personally, I very much appreciate the pretension crushing truth. Unlike the lessons of “The Shawshank Redemption,” the Preacher delivers a much bleaker discourse on human limitations.

At best, any hope offered by this present age is fleeting and finite. Certainly, our world is full of

things that offer us comfort and hope. We enjoy so many advantages that can ease temporal suffering.

And yet, “temporary” is the key word. We often lose sight of the fact that while God has given us these good things for us to use, they will all fail us in the end.

They do not last. They (and we) will all turn to dust.

This truth weighed heavily on the Preacher. Unless you prefer living the illusion that things of this world have transcendent value, the ironic truth that the Preacher preaches seems to be that the more deeply you are invested in this present age, the more the allures of this age will play with your hopes. More creature comforts do not add up to more comforting hope. This is the counterintuitive equation experienced by the Preacher.

But what other way is there for us to live? Human creatures seem fated to live the lie because, from all visible appearances, there does not seem to be any other way.

Now, as Christians, we of course believe that there is another way to live. We believe that God Himself has given His people a very different kind of hope. What sort of hope is that? How has He raised our hopes? What are we waiting for? So many questions and I must be brief. Think about it like this: God creates hope by making us promises. It is sort of like parents who make promises to their children. When my dad promised that we were going to A&W for root beer and footlong hotdogs, my sibs and I got excited. We couldn’t wait till suppertime.

Dad’s promise created a lot of anticipation and desire.

That was his purpose. He wanted us to trust him and look ahead to what was coming. He wanted us to love him for his kindness to us. This is what promises are designed to do — create hope. Think about our Lord. From Abraham right down to us, unlike any other god, our Lord is a God who makes promises — unhinged from obligation or conditions or provisos — no hedging from God. Promise upon promise to His beloved people.

Jeremiah wrote this promise in a letter to exiles in Babylon, to people uprooted from their homes, to people who had lost everything, to people who had every reason to give up hope. The Lord made them a promise. The promise was that after 70 years, he would free them from Babylonian captivity and bring them back home (Jer. 29:10).

Don’t underestimate the enormous unlikelihood that this promise could be fulfilled — much more unlikely than Andy Dufresne’s redemption from Shawshank.

Israel, the nation, was as good as dead. Jerusalem and the temple were 10 years from being destroyed (i.e., things would get worse before they got better).

Babylon was an evil juggernaut. No one could make this promise and keep it . . . except our God. Quite literally, as He promised, He raised a dead nation, dead Israel, to life (cf., Ezek. 37:1-14). When our God makes a promise, He does not lie. He can and will keep it. He will do what He says.

Israel’s return from the Babylonian captivity is part of a pattern in how God keeps His promises. The pattern is this: Unlike other nations, Israel always got redeemed, usually when all seemed lost (cf., the miraculous birth of Isaac; the remarkable Exodus from Egypt; the redemptions detailed in the book of Judges; the restoring of one’s fortunes described in the Psalms). Again and again, God made Israel’s future hope an experienced reality, and when He did, Israel praised Him.

“God creates hope by makinG us promises.”

I will pick one from the list. It is from the Prophet Jeremiah, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer. 29:11 ESV).

The pattern teaches us something about the sort of future redemption God actually has in mind for His people — what walls He actually plans to break down for them. God comes clean with those plans, of course, in the death and then resurrection of His beloved Son, Jesus.

You should think of Jesus as Israel condensed into one because in Him God fulfilled all the promises He had made to Old Testament Israel (2 Cor. 1:20).

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evil juggernaut. We all know this. Yet, what looks impossible to us is easy for God. Just like Israel of old, the Father redeemed this Son from the grave as well.

God always keeps His promises to Israel.

Jesus’ resurrection matters because by sheer grace, God has chosen to give the promise of the risen Lord to us. In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son (Heb. 1:2). Here is God’s promise, “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ . . . And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Gal. 3:26-29 ESV). There’s the promise. Plain and simple.

Israel’s resurrection is Jesus’ resurrection is our resurrection.

As Israel rose, so Jesus rose, so we will rise.

What are the implications of the living hope that is in us for how we should live our lives now? The prophet Jeremiah gives us some things to think about. First, many other prophets in Jeremiah’s day told the people that disaster would not come upon them and that all would be well with them. They prophesied peace, not judgment. Jeremiah warned that these were false prophets. He accused them of filling people with vain hopes (Jer. 23:16-17).

He reminded them that from ancient times God’s prophets foretold of war, famine and pestilence against many nations and kingdoms.

Then he added, “As for the prophet who prophecies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the LORD has truly sent the prophet” (Jer. 28:9 ESV).

“concordia seminary is privileGed to form students for this role — preachers of a peculiar hope.”

Peter says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4 ESV).

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Here is the still relevant, if disturbing, lesson: In the here and now, we have seemingly unlimited technological know-how. We enjoy unsurpassed advances in medicine. Every day, someone comes up with ways to improve our lives. Our potential seems as high as the sky. From many perspectives, it looks as if civilization is on the right track.

Yet, don’t be foolish enough to believe those who despise the Word of God and say that eventually we will prevail over evil. Don’t believe those who say that we have the means to overcome our human limits. Don’t believe those who say that there is no God to bring down His judgment upon us. Don’t put your hope for redemption in government, leaders, experts or anyone else. Those are foolish hopes. The truth is that things are going to get worse before they get better. Who wants to hear that? (Which is why Jeremiah had such a tough go of it in his ministry. He kept preaching judgment and no one wanted to hear it.)

Second, in connection with this, like ancient Israel, we need to realize that we will not escape the coming judgments of God. In this life, we suffer war, pestilence, famine, hardship, injustice, disease and especially death, along with everyone else. Darkness gets so dark that it is very difficult for us to see too.

But as the story of Israel makes clear and as God demonstrated by raising Jesus from the dead, the difference for God’s people is that the darkness has an end. It is temporary, not eternal. For us, God’s wrath lasts only a moment. His favor, an eternity. He promises to restore our fortunes. He promises that He will lead us through death to eternal life. He will change our mourning to rejoicing and our sighing to praise.

This is the hope to which we cling. But one final question: What sustains this hope when everything

around us seems to proclaim the opposite truth?

What sustains our hope when, like Red, all seems lost and when it seems as if there is no such redemption?

My answer: This is why God sent Israel His prophets, like Jeremiah, a prophet who preaches some of the most powerful sermons on hope that you will find in the Old Testament. Israel always had its preachers bringing God’s hopeful restoring Word of grace.

And God still gives His people preachers. He has not forsaken us. It is the preacher’s job to sustain us with the Word of hope. It is the preacher’s job to preach God’s promises again and again, to proclaim God’s forgiveness over and over, to baptize and teach. It is their job to remind the sick and dying, the bruised reeds among us, the doubting Thomases, of the promise declared in our risen Lord, and thereby nourish our hope of all hopes.

Concordia Seminary is privileged to form students for this role — preachers of a peculiar hope. How precious is this gift God gives — a preacher! How important is his vocation — a hope lifter! May God continue to be with us, and all of you, and bless us in our lives together until He comes again to deliver on His promise!

Dr. Timothy Saleska is professor of Exegetical Theology and dean of Ministerial Formation at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.

A rainbow spans the campus of Concordia Seminary in March. Photo: Courtney Koll

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Meet Concordia Seminary’s 11th president:

Dr. Thomas J. Egger

BY SARAH MANEY

“The Lord has been so kind to me, in calling a poor, miserable sinner to speak in His name, and to serve His bride, His dear church, first as a parish pastor at Zion Lutheran Church in Storm Lake, Iowa. Those were wonderful years that I will never forget. For the last 16 years as an Old Testament professor here, studying the sacred Scriptures with many of you — also wonderful years that I will never forget.

And now, He has called me to serve His dear church as Seminary president, and to lead this renowned Seminary into the heart of the 21st century.”

— President Dr. Thomas J. Egger, upon accepting the divine call Feb. 15, 2021, to become the 11th president of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis

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Aspirations for Concordia Seminary’s future “The heritage of this institution and what’s being placed in my hands is its own beauty and good, and I aspire to further and strengthen the work that’s been going on here for the last 182 years.”

— President Dr. Thomas J. Egger

”

President 2021–Present President Concordia Seminary St. Louis, Mo. Began new role: March 15, 2021 To be installed: Aug. 27, 2021 First thought after learning he had been called as president: “This is a huge task, but the Lord will carry me.”

Sarah Maney is a communications specialist at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.

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Family

Ellen

you might not know?

Stacey Andrew

Tori

Tom

Abram Bonnie Mary

Education

“I played the violin for seven years as a child. And I was terrible. My dad still jokes about the times he went to violin lessons with me and was amazed at how my instructor could put up with me!”

academic interests

Doctor of Philosophy Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (2019) Master of Divinity Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (1997) Bachelor of Arts in English and German Central College, Pella, Iowa (1993)

Hobbies watching sports

birdwatching

running & golf

Professor 2005–present

Pastor 2000–05

Faculty member Concordia Seminary St. Louis, Mo.

Parish pastor Zion Lutheran Church Storm Lake, Iowa

Associate Professor of Exegetical Theology (2005–21)

“When people are going through different joys and sorrow, tragedies, sicknesses – to just be there and walk alongside them during those times … It really helps you to see the beauty and strength of Christ and His love and His Gospel for yourself and for them, and it equips you as a pastor to speak it so much more richly when you’ve seen the power of God’s Word in people’s lives — and pastors get to see that.”

Professor of Exegetical Theology (2021-present) Chairman of the Department of Exegetical Theology (2020-21) Academic Adviser for First Year Students (2010-21) Gustav and Sophie Butterbach Professor of Exegetical Theology (2020-21)

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Title

A GREAT HOPE FOR WHAT IS TO COME CHURCH HISTORY IS PH.D. STUDENT’S PASSION, PURPOSE

BY ABIGAIL MILLER

Rev. Chan-U “Vincent” Kam. Photo: Jill Gray

When most people think of a sacred space for spiritual transformation, McDonald’s is not typically what comes to mind. Yet, for Rev. Chan-U “Vincent” Kam, underneath the Golden Arches is where his mentor Wallace met him and guided him in his newly minted faith through Scripture and prayer.

navigating college life. He also met his future wife, Linda.

After graduation, his heart for service continued to drive him and he found a job working for the Red Cross in Macau as a social worker.

Vincent made the decision to enroll at China Evangelical Seminary (CES) in Taiwan to earn his Master of Divinity. There he Vincent had converted to Christianity became interested in the greater story after a high school friend shared his of the church. He saw the beauty of own newfound faith in Christ. This God at work in and through the faith and life was so different from lives of ordinary people, around what Vincent knew, particularly in the world, throughout time. “The the context of where he lived in the church isn’t just something out of the Macau region of China. blue,” he says. “No, we have a past, we have a history, we have a community.”

His faith in God — whom he found Church history, a subject that often has “surprisingly wonderful” — continued — REV. CHAN-U a dry reputation, became a source of joy to grow and he was baptized at the end “VINCENT” KAM and excitement for Vincent. Sharing the joy of high school. While studying engineering of the church’s history has become his passion in college, Vincent became involved with Cru, and purpose. a global ministry that strives to help college students to know Christ. He credits that time as his “most fruitful days Vincent became a pastor for a medium-sized congregation of spiritual growth.” His first year of college was replete with in Taipei. Throughout his ministry, he began dreaming hardship and loneliness. Through Cru, he found support

“THE CHURCH ISN’T JUST SOMETHING OUT OF THE BLUE. NO, WE HAVE A PAST, WE HAVE A HISTORY, WE HAVE A COMMUNITY.”

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

of continuing his church history studies in America, something he considered impossible. After five years, Vincent forfeited further academic pursuits when it was time for ordination, which came with the expectation he would serve his congregation long-term. As he was ordained, he shifted his focus from academic studies to professional ministry.

Luther, who once said, “If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write,” Vincent is hoping to affect readers half a world away with his personal blog titled, “Then and Now,” through which he communicates the beauty of church history to a primarily Chinese audience.

AS MARTIN LUTHER ONCE SAID, “IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD, PICK UP YOUR PEN AND WRITE.”

A short time later, Vincent was introduced to a pastor in Canada who wanted to return home to Taiwan. The conversation evolved and eventually the pastor came to serve alongside Vincent. There was such excellent chemistry between this pastor and the congregation, Vincent was allowed the freedom to consider leaving. His dream of studying abroad was rekindled.

Vincent met with his adviser in Taiwan, Dr. William Liao, who had spent the summer at Concordia Seminary. With promises of a great library and faculty, Vincent’s interest was piqued. Thanks to a conveniently timed deadline extension, the application process that typically takes a year was completed in months. Looking back, Vincent is amused, but not surprised, at how so many things came together in such a short amount of time to make this hope a reality. As a student of church history, Vincent is familiar with the sometimes humorous and mysterious ways God works.

When he’s not studying, Vincent enjoys family time with Linda and their sons, William and Anthony, who was born after the family arrived in the United States. He soaks in his sons’ childhood.

The family enjoys crazy dancing together, and playing Legos and Frisbee. Just like the story of the church, as Vincent looks back at his own story, he can see where God has been at work, even when the day-to-day feels unclear or limited.

As a student of God’s faithfulness throughout time, Vincent has great hope for what is to come.

Abigail Miller is a St. Louis-based freelance writer.

Vincent and Linda Kam and their children. Photo: Courtesy Kam family

It was in August 2016 when Vincent, along with his wife and his son, William, stepped foot on American soil for the first time. Vincent was officially a Ph.D. student at Concordia Seminary. The family embraced life as members of the Seminary community. Promptly engaged in theological discussions and academic pursuits, Vincent appreciated the necessity of improving his English. New-found friends on campus helped the family settle in, and while the transition came with its challenges, including an entire day spent at a DMV office, Vincent soon found his stride in this new place. From furniture to friendship, God provided for the family’s transition into American life.

This spring, Vincent will complete his fifth year at Concordia Seminary. He has hopes of one day sharing his passion for church history at a seminary or university.

While his next steps are still coming into focus for when he completes his Ph.D., Vincent is finding other means to share his enthusiasm and insights. Inspired by Martin

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FAITH

HEALTH

SERVICE

Dr. Julie Gary. Photo: Courtney Koll

Combining passions

BY TRAVIS SCHOLL

In May 2019, Concordia Seminary was actively seeking a new coordinator to reinvent and manage its health and wellness program, which had previously been minimally focused on overseeing student wellness, athletics and the Seminary’s historic field house.

At the same time, Dr. Julie Gary was looking for something to connect her expertise in public health, her passion for serving others and her faith. But she was not necessarily looking for a new job. She happened to see Concordia Seminary’s opening for a health and wellness coordinator in an announcement at her church and, on a whim, contacted the Seminary. With a master’s degree in public health and a Ph.D. in epidemiology from Saint Louis University, she was beyond qualified.

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And then came 2020. Suddenly, less than a year into her work, having someone with her expertise overseeing the health of the Concordia Seminary campus community was nothing short of a godsend. In a “Word and Work: An Intersection” video interview with Gary on concordiatheology.org, President Emeritus Dr. Dale A. Meyer confesses, “In view of everything that’s happened with coronavirus, I’ve come to believe God sent you here. I have no doubt about that.”

I’ve come to believe God sent you here.

”

-DR. DALE A. MEYER

She was offered the job after one phone interview. “I liked the idea of a clean slate, to build up a health and wellness program basically from scratch,” Gary says. And because 16

the position was part-time, she would be able to maintain the other aspects of her career, including teaching public health courses at Washington University in St. Louis.

By March 2020, Gary was closely monitoring everything that was happening with COVID-19 and the emerging pandemic, and she became the Seminary’s point person for the task force that was formed to address all the complex health issues that were arising, which included making

STAFF FOCUS

decisions about in-person versus distance learning and developing whole systems for monitoring any outbreaks of illness. Decisions needed to be made minute by minute, day by day, and it brought together everything Gary has learned in her accomplished and varied life and career.

She was born in Hannibal, Mo., and raised on a farm there until she was 12 years old. She then moved with her family to Pontiac, Ill., where she graduated as the valedictorian of her high school class and as an all-state athlete in volleyball and basketball. Those achievements led her to the University of Notre Dame where she was a pre-med major and enrolled in the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). Raised Catholic, Notre Dame was a special place for Gary and her family.

After graduating from Notre Dame, she served active duty in air defense artillery for 13 years. She was deployed for two years to eight different countries in the Middle East, serving as a battery commander. In that work, she found herself taking on tasks frequently related to public health and medicine, which fed her passion for health and wellness.

After her active-duty commitment, she then pursued graduate work in public health and epidemiology. As a result, she finished her military service by working at a Veterans Affairs hospital studying liver disease, in particular following Vietnam veterans who suffered from hepatitis.

Faith has always been Gary’s touchstone. About 15 years ago, she began attending Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Collinsville, Ill. It started when her neighbors encouraged her to consider Good Shepherd’s elementary school for her three children, all of whom eventually graduated from Good Shepherd. Her oldest, Isaiah, is an adult; Elijah is now in college; and her daughter, Jordan, is in high school, looking ahead to a collegiate career in soccer. About six years ago, things came full circle when she began to coach basketball at Good Shepherd, mentoring girls in both faith and life. She also coaches basketball at Collinsville High School.

“During my time at the Seminary, I lost my husband, Dr. Louis A. Gary, to a sudden heart attack. And my kids and I wouldn’t be doing as well as we are these days without the community of faith I’ve found here,” she says. “God sent me to help with the coronavirus, but God has helped me through Concordia Seminary. My faith has strengthened through this experience.” Even months later, she still receives handwritten notes and emails from students, faculty and staff, filled with Scripture and encouragement.

These days, her work is still filled with daily reactions and decisions related to the pandemic: monitoring the health of the campus community; offering up-to-date public health guidance; looking ahead to protocols for future events; and managing the constant flow of texts, calls and emails with questions, concerns and test results. She estimates that 90% of her work now is related to the coronavirus. In the future, she is looking forward to actually doing what she first came to Concordia Seminary to do, to build up a substantive health and wellness program, making the campus a healthier place to live, work and study, and planning ahead for whatever comes next.

To watch the full interview between Dr. Julie Gary and Dr. Dale A. Meyer, visit concordiatheology.org/2020/04/ responding-to-covid-19/.

Dr. Travis Scholl is managing editor of Seminary Publications at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.

Dr. Julie Gary checks temperatures before the Opening Service in August 2020. Photo: Jill Gray

Not long after she began working at Concordia Seminary, life took another twist that tested her faith.

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The service was live streamed from chapel Feb. 12. caption goes here_____

SMP, online deaconess program students recognized Forty-one students representing the Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) Program and the new Online Deaconess Studies Program (ODS) at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis were recognized Feb. 12 in the Chapel of St. Timothy and Titus for receiving vicarages, internships, program completions and calls.

Seven students became deaconess interns through the Seminary’s new ODS Program, an online program for women that leads to certification to serve as deaconesses.

“It’s an honor to recognize this inaugural group of women who will serve as deaconess interns as they continue their deaconess studies through our new ODS Program,” said Dr. Gillian Bond, director of Deaconess Studies.

Thirty-four students were recognized for achieving three distinct milestones of the SMP Program – eight vicarages, nine calls and 17 program completions.

“The Holy Spirit calls men to be pastors in Christ’s church,” said Dr. W. Mart Thompson, director of the SMP Program.

“We join in celebration with their families and the specific ministries in which they serve across the country in giving the glory to God!” The Seminary recognizes and celebrates calls throughout the year although the campus’ primary Call Day celebration typically is held in April. During call celebrations, students receive their first calls to ministry as well as assignments for vicarages and deaconess internships. This year’s primary Call Day was held April 28.

Find the list of students recognized at csl.edu.

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A new Lenten sermon series that sets out to trace the enormous dimensions of God’s merciful love for sinners in Christ was made available from Concordia Seminary Press, the publishing arm of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, this winter. The downloadable series, “O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High” was designed to aid pastors in their preparations for Lenten midweek services.

Dr. Thomas J. Egger, Concordia Seminary’s new president, authored the materials. He previewed the worship resources during the annual Pre-Lenten Workshop, which was held online Jan. 22. “Our culture has turned God’s love and mercy into a vague cliché,” he said. “But this sermon series takes the occasion of the Lenten season to reflect on God’s mercy in rich, concrete, biblical terms, in its Christ-centered depths and heights and breadths.”

Virtual visitation events Three online visitation events were held in February and March; one for high school young men and two others for college-age and second-career prospective students planning to study to become pastors and deaconesses. Taste of the Sem was held Feb. 13-15, Green & Gold Day was held Feb. 20 and Contemplate was held March 12. “During our time together, our goal was to give each participant essential information coupled with deeper insight into life at the Seminary,” said Director of Ministerial Admissions Rev. Bill Wrede.

NEWS WORTH NOTING NEWS WORTH NOTING

Upcoming Title Admissions events JUNE

19–24 JULY

9–10

VOCATIO

For high school men Learn more and register: csl.edu/vocatio

NEXT STEPS

For families Learn more and register: csl.edu/nextsteps

Our annual visitation events give participants valuable information about formation for pastoral and diaconal ministry. There’s something for everyone, including events for prospective students who are in high school or college or who are considering ministry as a second career, as well as events for prospective students who are married and have children. Individual in-person visits also can be scheduled.

Learn more about our visitation events at csl.edu/visit.

Questions? Contact Admissions at 800-822-9545 or admit@csl.edu.

Thanks to 245 generous donors, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis raised a record $66,320 on Giving Tuesday, Dec. 1, surpassing its goal by $6,320. The Seminary set a goal of raising $60,000, which included a matching gift from a generous donor. Donations were matched dollar for dollar up to the first $30,000 raised. Giving Tuesday gifts will be used where needed most in support of the Seminary’s mission.

“We praise God for the awesome friends and supporters He has put in our path, and we offer heartfelt thanks to each and every person who contributed to our Giving Tuesday campaign,” said Vicki Biggs, senior vice president for Seminary Advancement. “I offer these thanks on behalf of our students, who are the direct beneficiaries of your generosity. Thank you for making a difference for each one of our future pastors and deaconesses.”

Save the date! The next Giving Tuesday is set for Nov. 30, 2021.

Diane and Dr. Dale A. Meyer flank the new portrait of Meyer that will be installed in the Presidents Room. Photo: Harold Rau

President Emeritus Dr. Dale A. Meyer honored with portrait President Emeritus Dr. Dale A. Meyer’s much-anticipated portrait was unveiled Feb. 4 in the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus. Commissioned in honor of Meyer’s service as Concordia Seminary’s president, the oil portrait was painted by artist Joseph Q. Daily, and will be added to the wall of Seminary presidents currently on display in the Presidents Room in Pritzlaff Hall. Faculty, staff and students who were in attendance at the unveiling gave Meyer a standing ovation after a black drape was removed from the portrait.

“Go in the Presidents Room today and you’ll see portraits of [former Seminary presidents],” said Rev. Todd Peperkorn, chairman of the Seminary’s Board of Regents. “Today, we continue that tradition. It’s a great privilege and honor to unveil this portrait today.”

Meyer retired June 30, 2020. He was first named interim president by the Seminary’s Board of Regents in November 2004 before being elected president in May 2005. He is only the 10th president since the Seminary’s founding in 1839.

Featured in the portrait is Luther Tower, the beautiful campus grounds and the Meyers’ beloved golden retriever Ferdie, who died in 2019. “When you look at this portrait and see the wry smile, you’ll know that he’s ready to tell you something: ‘It is a great time to be the church, and it is a great time to be at Concordia Seminary!’” Meyer said.

Also during the service, Director of Music Arts Dr. James F. Marriott led a number of instrumentalists in playing a hymn he wrote in honor of Meyer called “For Such A Time.”

Video of the chapel service and unveiling of Meyer’s portrait is available on csl.edu/live.

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Title MAY 4–5 Multiethnic Symposium

The Rest and the West: What the West Can Learn From Global South Christianity (online) laptop csl.edu/multiethnic-symposium

MAY– AUG. Prof Insights: Faculty-Led Workshop Series (online and in-person nationwide; see schedule for details) Registration: $100 Deadline: 14 days before each workshop laptop csl.edu/workshop-series

AUG.

7 Lay Bible Institute When Things Fall Apart: Job’s Frightening Journey Professor Emeritus Dr. Henry Rowold (in-person on campus) Registration: $20 Deadline: July 23 laptop csl.edu/lbi

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Heather Choate Davis, top left, leads a discussion of the short film “Ten Meter Tower” during the Faith and Film Festival in January.

Pictured from left: Dr. Timothy Dost, Dr. Thomas J. Egger, Dr. Benjamin Haupt, Dr. Philip Penhallegon and Dr. David Schmitt. Photo: Sarah Maney

Second Faith and Film Festival held online

Ordination, commissioning anniversaries celebrated

About 100 people participated in the second annual Faith and Film Festival presented by Concordia Seminary online Jan. 28-29. Throughout the festival, attendees pondered and explored Christian themes in contemporary cinema and were encouraged to develop eyes to see film in new ways.

The Concordia Seminary campus celebrated significant ordination and commissioning anniversaries of nine faculty, five emeriti faculty and five staff members in the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus Dec. 2. In total, the men have served the church a combined 730 years. Each man was recognized individually, followed by a time of prayer and thanksgiving.

The 2021 event included 13 feature length films, four short films and six documentaries. Participants viewed all films on their own before the festival except for those scheduled for the short film sessions. The festival featured enriching discussions with theologians, pastors, filmmakers and critics.

Dean of Chapel Dr. Kent Burreson delivered a sermon written

by Interim Seminary President Dr. Daniel Preus that reminded those serving in ordained ministry to “comfort God’s people, and to remind them that their warfare is ended; that their iniquities are forgiven. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”

Some festival highlights included a “Backstage Interview” with Paul Walter Hauser, who appeared in the Oscarwinning films “I, Tonya” and “BlacKkKlansman” and as the title character in Clint Eastwood’s “Richard Jewell”; “Viewing Film through the Lens of Faith” with Rev. Bill Cwirla and Rev. Ted Giese, hosts of the podcast “Bill and Ted Watch Movies”; a Best Movie Memory/Experience Contest; and a short film viewing of “Change for a Dollar” with award-winning director Sharon Wright.

Organizers also announced a short film contest, which will be featured as part of the 2022 Faith and Film Festival set for Jan. 27-29. More details will be announced this summer.

Faculty recognized for their ordination anniversaries were: Dr. David Adams, Dr. Timothy Dost, Dr. Thomas J. Egger, Dr. Benjamin Haupt, Dr. Philip Penhallegon, Dr. David Schmitt, Dr. Bruce Schuchard, Dr. William Schumacher and Dr. James W. Voelz.

Emeriti faculty recognized for their ordination anniversaries were: Dr. James Brauer, Dr. Arthur Graudin, Rev. Harley Kopitske, Dr. Victor Raj and Dr. Henry Rowold.

Staff recognized for their ordination and commissioning anniversaries were: Michael Flynn, Mark Kempff, Dr. Daniel Preus, Rev. Jeffrey Thormodson and Rev. William “Bill” Wrede.

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Dr. Thomas J. and Victoria Egger with three of their six children, from left, Mary, Ellen and Stacey. Photo: Jill Gray

Egger accepts call as 11th Seminary president Dr. Thomas J. Egger, the Gustav and Sophie Butterbach Professor of Exegetical Theology and chairman of the Department of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary, accepted the call to serve as the 11th president of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis Feb. 15. Egger announced his formal acceptance of the call after chapel service. He began his duties March 15 and will be formally installed during Opening Service for the 2021-22 academic year Aug. 27.

“It is with a lot of joy and anticipation, and also with some trembling and prayers to God for grace and wisdom, that I announce today the acceptance of this call,” he said. “The Lord has been so kind to me, in calling a poor, miserable sinner to speak in His name, and to serve His bride, His dear church, first as a parish pastor at Zion Lutheran Church in Storm Lake, Iowa. Those were wonderful years that I will never forget. For the last 16 years as an Old Testament professor here, studying the sacred Scriptures with many of you — also wonderful years that I will never forget. And now, He has called me to serve His dear church as Seminary president, and to lead this renowned Seminary into the heart of the 21st century.”

Electors extended the call to Egger after a unanimous vote on the first ballot Feb. 6.

Egger succeeds President Emeritus Dr. Dale A. Meyer, who retired June 30, 2020, after serving 15 years as president.

Dr. Daniel Preus served as interim Seminary president from July 1, 2020, until March 15.

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“What a joyful day for Concordia Seminary,” said Board of Regents Chairman Rev. Todd A. Peperkorn. “God is good and gracious, and continues to provide for His church, and for Concordia Seminary. The Board of Regents is thrilled to begin this new chapter of Concordia Seminary with Dr. Egger. He brings academic rigor, biblical and confessional fidelity, and a pastoral heart together in a way that reflects who we are as a community. Christ our Lord will bless both him and us in the years to come.”

Egger, an associate professor of Exegetical Theology and the academic adviser for first-year students at the Seminary, has been a faculty member since 2005, having been installed at the same service at which Meyer was installed as president.

Egger earned his Master of Divinity (M.Div.) at Concordia Seminary (1997), and received his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in English and German from Central College in Pella, Iowa (1993). He completed his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) at Concordia Seminary in 2019. His dissertation focused on the phrase “visiting iniquity of fathers upon sons” from the book of Exodus.

Before being called to Concordia Seminary, Egger served as pastor at Zion Lutheran Church in Storm Lake, Iowa (2000–05).

Egger and his wife, Victoria, have been blessed with six children.

SUPPORT YOUR SEM

Generations campaigns (2012–20) position Seminary for sound future The largest fundraising effort in Concordia Seminary’s history concluded Dec. 31, 2020 — and it made history! Together, Generations: The Campaign for Concordia Seminary and it extension Generations 20/20 Campaign raised $285 million, exceeding the original goals for the campaigns. The purpose of these campaigns? To ensure that future generations will be served by faithful, relevant and relational pastors, missionaries, deaconesses and teachers.

COMPREHENSIVE CAMPAIGN TOTAL Endowment: $159 million

Annual Support: $117 million

Total: $285 million

Library and Learning Technology: $9 million

GENERATIONS CAMPAIGN GOAL ACTUAL

BY THE NUMBERS

Number of donors throughout the campaigns

Number of gifts throughout the campaigns

Number of new endowment funds established

Value of the Seminary’s endowment

Generations

Generations

Generations

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January 2012

$70M

Generations 20/20

Generations 20/20

Generations 20/20

December 2020

52,355 25,519 GENERATIONS 20/20 CAMPAIGN GOAL ACTUAL

213,562 105,453

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$150M

With all glory to God, we extend heartfelt gratitude for your gifts to Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. You have made this remarkable success possible. We pray too that you will continue to walk alongside us, as we cannot rest on these accomplishments. Amid our changing culture and challenges aplenty, much work remains to continue the Seminary mission forward for our Lord. Your support is essential for the Seminary to continue to recruit and prepare Gospelcentered, caring Lutheran pastors, deaconesses and missionaries for our families, congregations and communities, today and into the future.

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:20-21 ESV).

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Phyllis and Ron Chewning Photo: Courtesy Chewning family

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Gratitude through giving SUPPORTING THE FORMATION OF FUTURE PASTORS

BY SARAH MANEY

Ron and Phyllis Chewning have been married for nearly 47 years. They have raised three children and have six grandchildren and another is on the way. They aren’t slowing down anytime soon — evidenced by their active involvement in their congregation, Our Shepherd Lutheran Church in Birmingham, Mich.

Phyllis sings in the choir, serves on the Altar Guild and leads a LifeLight™ Bible study. “We have a very strong group of women who just love to study God’s Word together,” she says.

busy and this relieves the need for them to have to come up with these resources.”

Ron’s extensive background as a stock broker and gift planning counselor along with his involvement in stewardship ministry has given him plenty of insight into making Bible-based financial “IT’S BEEN and spending decisions. Stewardship is IMPORTANT FOR not only the reason for Ron’s ministry; it’s an important theme in the couple’s US TO GIVE FIRST life as they know first and foremost TO THE LORD – that everything belongs to the Lord.

TO SHOW OUR GRATITUDE IN OUR GIVING.”

Ron serves as a calling elder at Our “We started giving beyond our tithe at Shepherd. He describes himself as least 30 years ago,” Ron says. “It’s been “semi-retired,” overseeing a “little” important for us to give first to the Lord – RON CHEWNING ministry called Stewardship Advisors that to show our gratitude in our giving.” provides monthly stewardship materials for pastors to give to their congregations, Ron says.

Ron and Phyllis have much gratitude for God’s blessings in their lives and are often reminded of Jesus’ “He says it’s a ‘little’ ministry,” Phyllis says with a smile, words in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. “but pastors keep asking him for the stewardship materials Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears so they can use them in their congregations. Pastors are so much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

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SUPPORT YOUR SEM

“He is our source for everything,” Phyllis says.

Both longtime donors of Concordia Seminary, these prayerful stewards are passionate about supporting Christian education beginning with their congregation’s day school, the Lutheran High School Association in Detroit, as well as Concordia University, Ann Arbor, Mich., and the Seminary.

“We’re eager to help more young people go into church ministries, especially pastors,” Phyllis says. “We can help them financially and we also pray for them. I have some young men targeted who I pray will feel the call to ministry.”

Ron and Phyllis have enjoyed the tax advantages and convenience of gifting their Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) — the minimum amount required by law to be withdrawn from an Independent Retirement Account (IRA) — to the Seminary.

“THESE MEN CONTINUE TO GIVE, AND GIVE AND GIVE. THEY ARE GREAT SERVANTS OF THE LORD. THEIR PREACHING IS EXCELLENT, THEIR TEACHING IS EXCELLENT, AND THEY HAVE AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF COMPASSION FOR PEOPLE.” – PHYLLIS CHEWNING

You’ve saved and saved, and now you can use your savings to create a legacy!

Direct up to $100,000.

Gifts are not subject to deduction limits.

At their congregation, Ron and Phyllis feel blessed to have four pastors, including two who are Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) pastors and another who technically is retired but who “just can’t retire.”

Reduce taxable income, even without itemized deductions.

Make payments on an existing pledge to Concordia Seminary.

“These men continue to give, and give and give,” Phyllis says. “They are great servants of the Lord. Their preaching is excellent, their teaching is excellent, and they have an incredible amount of compassion for people. There are congregations without pastors and there are pastors serving more than one congregation at a time. We need more pastors so that the Gospel can be shared and more people can be saved and go to heaven.”

If you are 70½ or older, you can use your individual retirement account (IRA) to support Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.

Contact us to learn how you can create your legacy by making an IRA charitable rollover gift this year.

“It’s my honor and joy to work with Seminary donors like Phyllis and Ron,” said Roger Dow, a senior gift officer at the Seminary. “They have made gifts to the Seminary using the RMD from their IRA, which is a straightforward, simple way to make a gift. The IRA Charitable Rollover Provision allows donors to make tax-free transfers of charitable gifts from IRAs without tax or penalty.”

Sarah Maney is a communications specialist at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.

phone 800-822-5287 laptop csl.edu/support envelope plannedgiving@csl.edu CONCORDIA SEMINARY, ST. LOUIS

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BY MELANIE AVE

Oh the stories Rev. Byron Williams Sr. can tell, from hurricanes to explosions to … the interview for this article.

Williams chatted with Concordia Seminary magazine over Zoom one afternoon in February from the home of one of his parishioners at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Dallas, where he serves as senior pastor. At the time he and his wife, Joyce, had been displaced for a few days during the bitter cold snap that caused widespread power outages throughout Texas including to his Dallas home. “It’s been a mess down here,” he says.

Despite the troubles of the day, he wasn’t overly concerned.

His faith, you see, has gotten him through much deeper valleys throughout his life.

“I think the secret for us as pastors is we have to get with God and see what God wants to do through us on any given day,” Williams says. “The Bible says there will be times like these.

There are going to be difficult days. But Jesus said, ‘Be of good courage. I’ve overcome the world.’”

Williams is a Houston native, the second oldest of seven siblings. He was raised as a Baptist but became a Lutheran after marrying his wife, a Lutheran pastor’s daughter. They have two grown children and four grandchildren.

This year, he is celebrating 25 years as a pastor. Even though a woman in his church told him at age 14 that she believed 26

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he would be a pastor someday, ministry was not Williams’ first vocation.

After graduating high school, he joined the U.S. Army and served at Fort Sill in Lawton, Okla., and in Germany.

After completing his military service, Williams took a job with Phillips Petroleum where he worked for 15 years as a machinist. At the time, he also served as a lay minister at Holy Cross and Calvary Lutheran churches in the Houston area, and as the head elder at his home congregation, Mt. Calvary where Dr. Roosevelt Gray was the pastor. “Byron was a man after my own heart. He loved the Holy Scriptures, serving others and leading people,” says Gray, director of Black Ministry for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. “I could always depend on Byron as a thoughtful and reflective leader on the issues in the church and community.”

It was during his time at Phillips Petroleum that Williams was propelled full force into the pastoral ministry.

The pivotal day was Oct. 23, 1989. That’s when a series of explosions erupted at the company’s Houston Chemical Complex where Williams worked in Pasadena, Texas. The initial blast registered 3.5 on the Richter scale, killing 23 people and injuring more than 300. It took 10 hours for firefighters to bring the conflagration under control. “I was

ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

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Rev. Byron Williams and his wife, Joyce. Photos: Courtesy Rev. Byron Williams

singing a song at the time, ‘It’s me, it’s me, it’s me, oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer,’” he recalls. “The Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, you might want to go check this out. And I had to walk, I don’t know, maybe half the length of a football field to get out of the building. When I got out, people were running for their lives and I’m glad I got out. My life was spared.”

Williams continued to work for Phillips Petroleum for another four years but the deadly explosion was a turning point: He felt God was calling him into the ministry and he eventually enrolled at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis in a program for second-career pastors. In 1996, he was certified for ministry and was called to serve full-time at Trinity Lutheran Church in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.

Soon thereafter, he was contacted by St. Paul in Dallas, where several of his members from Trinity had been worshiping after relocating from hurricane-ravaged New Orleans. It was the change Williams needed. He was called to be the church’s pastor, where he’s now been serving the congregation of 300 for 15 years. “We’re family,” he says. Under his leadership in 2019, St. Paul opened the St. Paul Christian Academy, a child care center and before- and after-school program. The church is now raising money to build a Family Life Impact Center that will provide space for activities to encourage and strengthen families of faith.

“You may not be able to trace Him but you can trust Him.”

“We were doing some amazing things there,” he recalls. “I think we had 72 people in our five choirs.

We were the choir that everybody wanted to be like.” He was in his 10th year of ministry in 2005. He had yet to make the first payment on — REV. BYRON his new home when Hurricane Katrina hit, devastating the Ninth Ward and Trinity Lutheran. Many of Trinity’s members scattered, their homes destroyed. Williams and his wife took temporary refuge in Houston until they were finally able to return to New Orleans two months after the hurricane. Their new home had been spared but Trinity was not so lucky. “The organ was down the street,” he says. “The church had 17 feet, 6 inches of water inside.” The destruction to property and lives was overwhelming. Williams, after much prayer, made the difficult decision to step away from the congregation and the arduous task of rebuilding. He didn’t have the energy to start over.

Hurricane Katrina “rocked my world,” he says.

WILLIAMS SR.

Throughout the pandemic in the last year, St. Paul has had a mix of online, in-person and outdoor services.

Williams keeps the Gospel at the center of his messages to his congregation. “I tell them that in the midst of whatever may be going on in our lives, we always have an advocate,” he says.

“I always try to keep the focus on Jesus and try to get them to understand that our Lord is not upset when we come to Him. He loves it.”

The pandemic has been difficult, Williams says. But he says his faith in Jesus has helped him keep looking forward to better days. “You may not be able to trace Him but you can trust Him,” he says. “That’s a phrase I use a lot. You should plan and you should put back but at the end of the day, God is sovereign and He’s really the One calling the shots. If you can wrap your mind around that, it’ll do you a world of good.”

Melanie Ave is communications manager at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.

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