Epistle magazine, Fall 2013 by Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago

EPISTLE LSTC

FALL 2013

Magazine of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago

Attentiveness, adaptability, calm Michael Shelley completes tenure as dean

PRESIDENT’S LETTER Dear friends in Christ: If you’ve worshiped at Augustana Chapel, you know that the view out the windows in either direction can be distracting. To the one side is the verdant serenity of our courtyard with its trees, shrubs, and lush lawn. To the other side is the vibrant activity of East 55th Street where passing pedestrians mix it up with bicycles, cars, busses, and fire engines. It’s in this direction that we’ve lately been transfixed. Directly across from LSTC on this busy thoroughfare, they’re tearing down Pierce Hall. Built six years before our main building even existed, Pierce Hall is a nine-story dormitory on the edge of the University of Chicago campus, as unremarkable a piece of architecture as you’d ever imagine, a triumph of function over form. In the end, though, even functionality wasn’t enough. Tired and outmoded, it no longer met the expectations of students, so the entire facility is being razed. During the next two years, it will be replaced by three brand new, aesthetically stunning, LEED gold certified residence halls for over eight hundred students, with a price tag of a cool $148 million. When we heard we had front row seats to the demolition, I wanted something dramatic. I had hoped for an in-place implosion of the building, like when the Sands Casino in Las Vegas was destroyed, its weight crumpling inward upon itself. No such luck, though. In a decidedly retro move, the university chose a technology over a century old: the ordinary crane and wrecking ball. Ho-hum, you might say. But while the action is far less explosive, there’s nothing like construction work to turn us back into gawking children. It turns out that a wrecking ball doesn’t do its work from the top of a building downward. Instead, it punches holes one after another into the sides of a structure so the walls eventually collapse. Pierce Hall is being sliced apart like a Christmas ham. During chapel, we fervently try to focus on the hymns or prayers, but inevitably cannot ignore this gradual demise across the street that drives out our every pious intention. It involves an agonizing slow process, repeating the same four-part cycle. First is the dull thud of steel striking cinder block, followed by an ominously deep shudder shaking the air, then a great poof of dust thrown upward, and last of all the rattle of debris sliding to the ground—all of it sup-

ported by the basso profundo of machinery as it grinds away. All day long, the melody repeats: THUD!— shudder—poof— rattle. THUD!—shudder—poof—rattle. Repeat until finished. Buildings and their ruin easily become analogies, meaning-soaked images of everything James Nieman from the impermanence of institutions to their inevitable need for change. I’m not immune to a good analogy, but mine have tended in another direction. Maybe because I’ve been watching Pierce Hall’s slow-motion downfall during worship, it’s mainly caused me to think about prayer. For nearly half a century, LSTC has been at the same corner on the south side of Chicago, but with only glimpses of what it could mean to be of our neighborhood let alone for it. What’s that about? Why is it so hard for us to draw closer to that world? That’s what I’ve been asking God, knowing I’m neither the first nor the only so to pray. Every petition begins as a small thud against the huge mass of what bars the way. Next, I listen for what it means to love our neighbors more amply, and the implications make me shudder. I then beg for some poof of wisdom from others to chart the way forward. Finally, I wait for an opening to rattle loose, free from our cultivated privilege and purity. Maybe this isn’t your prayer for our school, but it’s been on my heart and the process is agonizingly slow. What I trust is that what once seemed secure has already been dislodged by a God whose persistence overwhelms us with lasting life. If that’s true, then I long that you pray with and for us, to enter this four-step cycle again and again, the rhythm of humility to welcome a new world.

James Nieman President

FEATURES LSTC

EPISTLE FALL 2013 • Volume 43 • 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 James Nieman Jean Nye Cheryl Pero Jim Schaal Mark Van Scharrel Rachel Wind LSTC Board of Directors Michael Aguirre Clarence Atwood, Secretary Gordon Braatz Michael Burk Gregory Davis Melody Beckman Eastman Kimberlee Eighmy James Fowler Jay Fulkerson Trina Glusenkamp Gould, Vice Chairperson Tom Gooding J. Arthur Gustafson Greg Kaufmann John Kiltinen Mark Klever Dale Landgren Scott Leisinger Jane Mar Harry Mueller, Treasurer Melinda Pupillo Twila Schock Gerald Schultz Sarah Stegemoeller, Chairperson Harvard Stephens Jr. Ray Tiemann Keith Wiens Jean Ziettlow The LSTC Epistle is published three times a year by the Communications and Marketing Office. Printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks Change of address? Please email the Advancement Office at advancement@lstc.edu. Please give the address as it currently appears followed by your new address. Cover: Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs Michael Shelley listens to instructions from Faculty Marshall Kurt Hendel prior at the 2013 opening convocation. Photo credits: Jan Boden, Ashley Hochhalter, Lisa Homann, Tricia Koning, Barnabas Pusnur.

Hope Scholar Toby Chow

3 News from LSTC Twelve students receive fulltuition scholarships Satterlee elected bishop of North/West Michigan Synod

4 Class gifts lead to large grants for energy retrofit

Terry Baeder gets stuck to the wall to send the football team to Luther Bowl

13 Love the people The task of LSTC’s Cantor to the Seminary

15 Meet scholarship recipients 20 LSTC by the numbers

by Jim Schaal

6 What does a wise pastor look like? A conversation with Cheryl Stewart Pero

7 International families refreshed by trip to LOMC by Jean Nye

8 Attentiveness, adaptability, calm Michael Shelley completes tenure as dean

10 Dual degree delivers best of both worlds by Jan Boden

Departments President’s letter inside cover Opportunities at LSTC

Faculty News

Class Notes

Transitions & accomplishments 28

Opportunities at LSTC Don’t miss this Bach for the Sem Concert

The 2014 Bach for the Sem concert will be hosted at Grace Lutheran Church, 7300 West Division Street, River Forest, Ill. The program includes Part 6 of the Christmas Oratorio by J.S. Bach, and favorites from the last six Bach for the Sem concerts. Tickets are $20 in advance and $22 at the door ($10/$12 for students and seniors). Call 773-256-0710 or e-mail Emily Abrahamson at ebrahamson@lstc.edu. More information is also available at www.lstc.edu

Whether you’ve regularly attended the Bach for the Sem concert or have always wanted to do so, this year’s event will be an especially important time to attend. Long-time director, Dr. Mark Bangert, has announced that the 2014 Bach for the Sem concert on January 12 will also be the last one he will lead.

Youth in Mission hosts The CONFERENCE Saturday, January 11, 2014, Youth in Mission will host The CONFERENCE for youth ministry professionals. “Demographics and Diversity” starts at 9 a.m. and will end at 5 p.m. Lunch is provided. The CONFERENCE is free with registration. Please email youthinmission@lstc.edu with the names and email addresses of those attending along with the name of the congregation.

4th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Join the LSTC community on Monday, January 20, 2014, for the 4th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration hosted by the Albert “Pete” Pero Jr. Multicultural Center. The Rev. Dr. José David Rodríguez will preside and the Rev. Liz Muñoz will preach. A special meal in the Refectory follows the service. Please RSVP to Dr. Cheryl Pero at cpero@lstc.edu. At 1:30 p.m., the Pero Center offers a workshop on multicultural worship. All the day’s events are free and open to the public.

Bach for the Sem

“I have accomplished the goals for this project as I conceived them over 20 years ago,” Bangert said. “I want to move on to other things and to open up the opportunity for new things to develop – ventures similar to this one – that others may wish to do.” He added, “Personally, Bach for the Sem has been a great blessing to me, thanks to all of the talented and generous musicians who have been part of these performances for the last 20 years.” “Our school has been blessed over the years by Mark’s deep commitment and strong musicianship with Bach for the Sem, a legacy that will resound long after he steps down from this role,” said President James Nieman. “I am grateful for how this program and Mark’s place in establishing it have been gifts not just to LSTC but the wider community as well. At this time of transition, I hope we can all join in thanking him by attending this coming January.”

Leadership Conference combined with Seminex 40th Reunion June 17-19 Did you ever wonder why a seminary in Chicago would hold its annual conference in the middle of winter? We have, too. This year, we’re going to try something different. As part of the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Christ Seminary-Seminex, we’re going to “marry” this particular anniversary and the Annual Leadership Conference on June 17-19. We’ll focus on courageous decision making as we live out our calling in church and community. All friends and alumi of LSTC are invited. Save these dates, and expect details about speakers, housing, registration, worship, soon after the first of the year.

News from LSTC Twelve new LSTC students receive fulltuition scholarships

enrich another part of the church. He is a vibrant example of how seminary and synod can be close partners in bearing witness to Jesus Christ.” Dr. Satterlee also served as dean of the Association of Chicago Theological Schools (ACTS) Doctor of Ministry in Preaching Program. During his tenure at LSTC, Professor Satterlee published eight books, including the “When God Speaks” series for The Alban Institute. His book, Preaching and Stewardship: Proclaiming God’s Invitation to Grow, was named a best resource for congregations by The Congregational Resource Guide. He has published scores of articles in print and online journals and edited the “Preaching Helps” section of Currents in Theology and Mission for over 10 years. While at LSTC, Satterlee was an active preacher and workshop presenter throughout the ELCA. He served as president of the North American Academy of Liturgy during 2012. “It has been my incredible privilege to accompany LSTC’s gifted students as they claim their voices as preachers, proclaiming Christ as good news for the world,” Satterlee said. “At LSTC we teach students to be open to the Spirit calling through the church. Sometimes that openness can be life-changing and gracefully surprising even for the teacher.” Satterlee has served as interim and sabbatical pastor to several congregations in the Chicago area. Before he joined LSTC’s faculty, he served congregations in Michigan and New York state. Satterlee holds degrees from the University of Michigan, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, and the University of Notre Dame. He is married to Cathy A. Satterlee and they are the parents of one daughter.

Twelve new master of divinity students have received scholarships that will cover the cost of tuition. “We are thrilled to be able to offer so many fulltuition scholarships this year,” said Scott Chalmers, LSTC Director of Admissions. “They are made possible by generous donors who want to help seminarians complete their studies without taking out huge student loans.” Seven of the awards are part of the Visionary Leaders Scholarship program that LSTC’s Advancement Office began three years ago. “We wanted to be able to provide scholarships that were not solely need-based to match the kinds of scholarship offers prospective students were getting from divinity schools and other seminaries,” said Mark Van Scharrel, Vice President for Advancement. Donors agree to provide full-, half-, or one-quarter-tuition scholarships for a student’s three years of coursework. The other five scholarships awarded this year come from the ELCA’s Fund for Leaders in Mission. This year LSTC was able to increase partial scholarships to make them full-tuition awards. LSTC has awarded 27 Visionary Leaders Scholarships to students in the master of divinity program over the last three years.

Professor Craig A. Satterlee now bishop of North/West Lower Michigan Synod Craig A. Satterlee, who served as the Alex Jacob and Gerda Maria (Swanson) Carlson Professor of Homiletics at LSTC, was elected bishop of the North/ West Lower Michigan Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on May 21. His installation was on September 22. Dr. Satterlee joined the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago faculty in August 2000 and occupied the Carlson Chair in Homiletics since late 2001. “LSTC has a long, rich history of preparing fine preachers of the gospel, and Dr. Satterlee has been instrumental in setting the tone for all of that,” said James Nieman, president. “I have had the privilege of knowing Craig for many years and admire his abilities as a scholar, teacher, and leader in our church. It saddens me personally that he leaves our company now, but I am grateful that his gifts will

President Nieman and the LSTC community say farewell to Bishop Satterlee on Oct. 30.

Class gifts lead to large grants for energy efficiency improvements by Jim Schaal, Green Zone Staff Advisor Gifts for environmental sustainability from the classes of 2008, 2010, and 2013 have catalyzed grants of over $185,000 for energy efficiency improvements at LSTC. The classes raised and donated nearly $10,000 toward the enhancements, which were completed in September. Members of the Green Zone, LSTC’s creation care team, re-envisioned the original proposal for a small solar water heating system on a single building into a comprehensive approach to energy conservation throughout the campus. “As we researched options for generating our own energy, from solar thermal to photovoltaic panels, it became clear that we would make the greatest impact by making better use of the energy we already buy,” said student Chris Anderson, who did the solar feasibility study as a Green Zone internship. Anderson worked closely with Jim Schaal, Green Zone Staff Advisor, and Bob Berridge, Vice President of Operations, on the study. “Shifting our focus allowed us to plug into

resources available through CNT Energy and local utility providers ComEd and People’s Gas,” Schaal noted. The Chicago-based nonprofit CNT Energy provided energy audits, filed grant applications, and coordinated contractors at no cost to LSTC through its Energy Savers program, supported in part by federal funding for energy conservation and efficiency. CNT Energy’s mission is to help people and organizations conserve energy and save money while protecting the environment. “I am proud of and grateful for the fine leadership of our staff and students in seeking these grants,” said James Nieman, president. “This dedicated effort and innovative partnership shows not only that we’re committed to the ongoing improvement of our residential buildings, but especially that these become more environmentally responsible and sustainable. That’s not easy to do with older facilities, but this project shows a creative way to make that happen.”

Jim Schaal, CNT Energy Analyst Jessica Chepp, and Bob Berridge insulate a hot water pipe in LSTC housing.

Reduced carbon footprint equivalent to planting 6,065 trees

nary and the wider community about energy and the environment. Master of divinity student Janice Heidlberger, who graduated with an emphasis in environmental ministry, worked with Schaal to present a Green Zone film series on the topic. Student Amy Westphal worked with faculty member Dr. Klaus-Peter Adam to organize a Green Zone workshop in April on energy stewardship for students, pastors, and parish leaders. “We’ve learned so much this year about faithful stewardship of energy and care for God’s creation,” said Anderson, who is pursuing a master of arts in theological studies with an environmental ministry emphasis. “I hope that the churches we serve can benefit from what we’ve learned here in seminary.”

An energy audit of eight student housing buildings resulted in a $155,000 grant for roof cavity insulation and a $28,000 grant for pipe insulation and lowflow water fixtures. The funding comes from Energy Impact Illinois, an alliance of government, non-profits and utilities supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to support energy efficiency in multi-family housing owned by nonprofits. The housing retrofits will conserve about 40,145 therms of natural gas per year for steam heating and domestic hot water, or more than $4,000 per year in utility costs at current rates. The savings comes in carbon as well as cash: according to the Environmental Protection Agency, the reduction in LSTC’s carbon footprint is equivalent to taking 44 cars off the road or planting 5,462 trees. The roof insulation will also lower cooling needs in summer and the low-flow fixtures will conserve cold water as well as hot water. With the help of CNT Energy, the senior class gifts have leveraged an additional $2,250 in utility incentives to retrofit lighting in LSTC’s main academic building, replacing obsolete incandescent bulbs and outdated fluorescent fixtures with stateof-the-art LED lamps and high-efficiency fluorescent fixtures. The lighting improvements alone will save 55,433 kilowatt-hours per year. “At current electricity rates, these retrofits will pay for themselves in less than two years—and the new LED lights will last much longer and require less maintenance,” Berridge said. According to the EPA, the reduction in LSTC’s carbon footprint from the lighting retrofits is equivalent to taking eight cars off the road or planting 1,003 trees. CNT Energy is a Chicago nonprofit organization that combines research with effective solutions to help consumers and communities control energy costs and become more energy efficient. Their Energy Savers program helps building owners tame high utility costs through a practical approach to energy efficiency and water conservation. They have programs to assist houses of worship as well as multi-family buildings save on energy costs. See http://www.cntenergy.org/buildings/energysavers/nonprofits/.

LSTC Faculty in their Natural Environment

Walk through the year with your favorite LSTC faculty in their natural habitat. In cahoots with the faculty, the class of 2014 has created a calendar featuring original photos of the faculty letting their passions and interests shine. Cost is $15 plus $3 shipping within the continental U.S. Place your order with Christie Webb at canderson@lstc.edu. All proceeds support the 2014 Senior Class gift to LSTC.

Green Zone completes year of education on energy and environment Anderson’s internship was just one aspect of a yearlong effort by the Green Zone to educate the semi-

What does a wise pastor (rostered leader) look like? The first person I think of, when I think of a wise pastor, is Eiiche Matsuchita. We served together in the Division for Mission in North America for the Lutheran Church in America after I earned my M.Div. I was ready to go on internship and he asked me, “Do you own a rocking chair?” I told him that I did. And he said, “For the first year of your ministry, just rock.” That was pastoral and cultural wisdom, informed by his experience, his elder status, and his culture. I’ve also gleaned wisdom from old black women in the congregations I’ve served. Alva Bullock [who received LSTC’s Distinguished Service Award in 2006] was one of those women. On the day I was ordained I wore large hoop earrings. They were plain silver earrings, but they were rather large. After the service, Alva came up to me and said, “Pastor, please don’t wear those earrings for worship again.” I realized that she was of the school that says “anything that takes my attention away from worship should be eliminated.” The pastor needs to be the least distracting factor in worship. That’s why we wear an alb. Old black women have lots of wisdom. Culture does play a part in wisdom. Of course, I have been most impacted by African-Descent culture. Another wise person is George “Tink” Tinker, [who teaches] at the Iliff School of Theology. He came to LSTC for the first American Indian/Alaska Native Symposium several years ago. We went out to lunch and I asked Tink if he would bless the food. He said, “Cheryl, God has already blessed the food. We are the ones who need the blessing.” His cultural perspective gave him that wisdom. Pastors who are wise are steeped in their culture. A sense of timing is key (to wisdom). I’ve come to realize that you can’t share everything you know in one sermon or one Bible study. There’s just too much to share. So you need to choose one point and focus in on it and let the Holy Spirit guide you. Timing is recognizing the one point that needs to be made. Wisdom also has to do with your pedagogical approach: do we all come as learners? [If you do] then you can acknowledge that there’s wisdom throughout the room. There are a lot of people who are wise “in the rough.” Their wisdom will grow as they age, as they experience, as they let God lead and guide them. My advice would be, when adversity comes—and

Cheryl Pero

it will come—reflect on what lesson it is that God is teaching because God is teaching a lesson and the only way to learn the lesson is to reflect, to do some serious introversion. As an older black woman now, my practical advice to younger pastors is: Get a hobby that has immediate gratification because so much of what we do, we will not see come to fulfillment. Wise leaders have listened to their cultural heritage voices and (they have) a willingness to interact with others. They could be male or female. I’ve named men because I came up when there weren’t a lot of women pastors. But it was the older women in my congregations who taught me how they expected me to carry myself as a black female pastor. Part of wisdom is that we have to bring openness to conversations. Often we hear things from certain people and not others—and when we do that, we block God’s blessings. We need an openness to others to receive wisdom. Cheryl Pero (1981, Th.M.; 2003, Th.M.; 2010, Ph.D.) is director of the Albert “Pete” Pero Jr. Multicultural Center at LSTC. She is the first African American Lutheran woman to have earned a doctorate in biblical studies. After growing up in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, she became the second African American woman to be ordained in the Lutheran Church in America. She served as LSTC’s Pastor to the Community during the 2009-10 academic year.

International families refreshed by trip to LOMC by Jean Nye, president, LSTC Guild Yoonshee Kwan and their two children, Yukyum Song and Uikyum Song, were also at LOMC for a vacation. From start to finish, both families were given the royal treatment and, in Padma’s words, were made to feel “right at home.” Because the camp was between sessions, Russ and Outdoor Education Manager Monica Gummow guided the families through a whirlwind of activities and new experiences. They swam, boated, fished, visited a working farm, learned about bee hives, and rode through the woods on a golf cart. According to Padma both the food and lodging were great. They finished each day sitting around a campfire, roasting marshmallows and singing songs with a guitar. In the words of LOMC’s motto, they were able to “connect the word of God with the world of God.” Padma and her family returned to Chicago renewed and grateful for all they had seen and done. Khushi’s dreams will be filled with horses, cows, boats, bees, and golf carts for some time to come!

Taking a family vacation was not something Padmaragan Vundi thought about doing. Padma and her husband, Barnabas Pusnur, are from India and both are in graduate school. Padma is in LSTC’s M.A. program and Barnabas is a Ph.D. student at the University of Chicago Divinity School. They have a young daughter, Khushi. But last July, Chakravarthy Zadda, coordinator of LSTC’s International Student Programs, known to

LSTC student Padma Vundi, with her daughter and in-laws, and Yoseob Song with his son, hear about LOMC from Outdoor Education Manager Monica Gummow.

everyone as Chaks, told Padma that her family could spend three days at the Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Center in Oregon, Illinois, funded by the LSTC Guild. Padma was reluctant at first; she had never heard of LOMC or of the Guild. Plus, Barnabas’s parents had traveled from India for a visit. Could they go, too? Chaks was persistent. Soon Padma found herself, Barnabas, Khushi, and her in-laws on a train heading west. The train ride itself was an adventure, but when they got off at the Elburn Metra Station, the real fun began. Russ Senti, LOMC’s Executive Director met Padma’s family at the station. Another LSTC family, Yoseob Song, a doctoral student from Korea, his wife

Padma Vundi learns about beekeeping at LOMC.

Attentiveness, adaptability and calm

Michael Shelley completes tenure as dean sor of church history at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo, the official seminary of the Evangelical Synod of the Nile, the Presbyterian Church of Egypt. When they returned to the U.S., Shelley knew that he wanted to spend some time at a seminary. Because he did a lot of teaching and administrative work and not much publishing while he was in Egypt, he really didn’t expect that he would be able to find a job in academe. Shelley had received letters of invitation from LSTC and Luther Seminary to be a visiting scholar. He and Joanne chose to come to LSTC because, Shelley says, “Chicago seemed like an intriguing place for interfaith work.” Their five-month visit began in September 2003. Shelley taught one course at LSTC and visited some of the churches that had sponsored him and Joanne while they were in Egypt. And he searched for a job, including a possible pastoral call in Northwestern Ohio.

If you happen to run into Michael Shelley in the hallway, there’s a good chance he’s on his way to a meeting. It’s a large part of the job for LSTC’s Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Dr. Shelley never appears to be rushed. He walks deliberately toward his destination. His good manners never fail him. If you say hello, he will stop and will ask how you are. What’s even more impressive is that he will listen to your answer. If you ask how he is, he often responds with a gently self-deprecating remark. Attentiveness and humor are two of the strengths colleague Kadi Billman cites when she talks about Michael Shelley. She knows what it takes to be Dean at LSTC—she held that position from 1999-2009. “Equanimity and grace have been hallmarks of Mike Shelley’s leadership,” says Dr. Kadi Billman, John H. Tietjen Professor of Pastoral Ministry: Pastoral Theology. “The British slogan, ‘Keep calm and carry on,’ might be one slogan of Mike’s deanship—not because he has espoused the slogan but because he has embodied it for others to see.” On January 1, Shelley begins a semester-long sabbatical which will conclude his five-year term as dean.

Adaptability and steadfastness In January 2004, a few weeks before the Shelleys were to return to their home in Ohio, things shifted at LSTC. Harold Vogelaar, LSTC professor of world religions, asked Shelley to stay on for a few more months to work with him on a project. During that time, the seminary suddenly found itself in need of a director for the Doctor of Ministry programs. Aware of Shelley’s administrative experience, LSTC’s president and dean asked if he would take the position for a year. At the end of that year, they asked him to stay on for a couple more years. Meanwhile, Shelley developed and taught LSTC’s online Introduction to Islam course. When Vogelaar, the first director of LSTC’s A Center of ChristianMuslim Engagement for Peace and Justice (CCME) retired, Shelley was appointed to a five-year term as director. “Mike has consistently manifested a winning combination of adaptability and steadfastness,” says Billman. “His working life at LSTC has been replete with changes in position. . . Each change has called on his capacity to adapt to new challenges while continuing in steadfast service to this school and to his vocation as minister of the gospel. He has often been teased about his ‘meteoric rise’ from visiting

An intriguing place for interfaith work Shelley was no stranger to academic life, especially academic administration, when he came to LSTC as a visiting scholar in 2003. He and his wife, Joanne, had just returned to the United States after serving as missionaries in Cairo, Egypt, for 24 years. In addition to serving as pastor of St. Andrew’s United Church of Cairo, Shelley taught at Dar Comboni Center for Arabic and Islamic Studies, an institute established by the Comboni Order to train Catholic religious for work in the Muslim world. From 1998 – 2003, he was director of graduate studies and profes-

too quickly, to look past the behavior to find the issue beneath the surface. The worst way to respond is sharply—it’s crucial to take a moment and try to hear the issue,” he says. Shelley helped lead LSTC as it went through a presidential search, new assessment and accreditation requirements, and the financial challenges brought on by the world economic downturn. “My faculty colleagues have been very supportive and appreciative of my work and I’m very grateful for that,” Shelley says. “I’ve tried to be a calm, stabilizing presence in the midst of a lot of change at LSTC over the last five years. My missionary experience taught me to be adaptable.”

Dean Michael Shelley preaching in chapel

professor to Dean and Vice President. But those who tease him the most know that these changes have been motivated, above all, by his willingness to serve Christ and by his commitment to LSTC.”

Focusing on interfaith work During his years at LSTC, Shelley has been on term appointments at the seminary. He is not sure what the next chapter in his career will be following his sabbatical. What he does know is that he enjoys and is energized by the work of CCME. “That connects very well with my life’s vocation and deepest passion,” he says. “I’d like to take CCME workshops and presentations out to more congregations and to do a little more teaching at LSTC. For instance, I envision a course that would take students out to meet with members of Chicago’s Muslim community—to take advantage of this intriguing place to do interfaith work.”

Stabilizing presence In 2009, when Dean Kadi Billman completed her second five-year term, President James Kenneth Echols asked Shelley if he would serve as interim dean for a year. Shelley agreed, and then was elected to a full five-year term, with the understanding that the interim year would count as the first year of his term. Shelley has found that his experience as a missionary served him well as dean at LSTC. “Working in that cross-cultural setting, I learned not to react

The LSTC Guild: Serving international students and scholars The LSTC Guild is passionate about the important role LSTC plays in preparing leaders for the world church. This fall, LSTC has 41 international students, 29 men and 12 women, from 15 countries around the world. These students represent 10 faith communities, including Lutheran and many of our ecumenical partners. Twenty of the students are in the Ph.D. program. Many of them come to LSTC because they have been chosen by their churches for advanced studies. When they return to their home countries they serve as seminary professors, bishops, or leaders in regional or global church organizations such as Lutheran World Relief and the World Council of Churches. Six Muslim students are currently studying at LSTC adding to the rich ChristianMuslim dialogue on campus.

The Guild serves the international student community by supplying some of the extras that normally can’t be provided through the budget of the seminary. Funding for international students has decreased dramatically in recent years. Visa restrictions prohibit students from holding jobs while they are in the U.S. except for part-time work at LSTC itself. Spouses are not permitted to work. To support the Guild, send your contribution to Mark Van Scharrel, Office for Advancement, LSTC, 1100 East 55th Street, Chicago, IL 60615. Write “LSTC Guild” on the memo line of your check. To learn more about the Guild, contact Jean Nye, Guild president, at jeannye@hotmail.com.

Dual degree delivers best of both worlds by Jan Boden Dual degree = Navy Chaplaincy

When Dan Sorensen (2007, M.Div.) answers the phone for our conversation at 7:30 a.m. Seattle time, he’s a little out of breath. He has just finished his morning run using a phone app called “Couch to 21k.” He is in week three of the program and enjoying the challenge. “Running is one way I take care of myself,” Sorensen says. “In the work I do, there’s a lot of paying attention -- to the client’s body language, the words they use, what they’re saying and how they’re saying it or if there’s something they’re not saying. Mentally and emotionally it’s like doing gymnastics for an hour. And then you’re carrying all their stuff: addictions, conflicts, abuse, emotions. Running is how I deal with it. I put on music and just let my mind float free. It’s the exact opposite of what I do with a client.”

When he began his studies at LSTC, Sorensen never imagined this type of call. He and his wife, Deb, had served in the Navy and he wanted to be a Navy Chaplain. Sorensen came to LSTC because of its dual degree program which would allow him to earn an M.Div. from the seminary and a master’s in social work from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. “I knew that Navy Chaplains do a lot of counseling. The one required seminary course in pastoral care was not going to be enough, so I wanted to do the dual degree.” The year Sorensen started seminary the U.S. invaded Afghanistan and then Iraq. He knew that there would be a long-term need for people who could counsel returning soldiers suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. The dual degree has prepared him for that work.

Speaking both languages While earning a dual degree reduces the time it takes to do two separate degrees, it adds at least a year to the typical M.Div. or M.A.M. program. Students graduate in between the ELCA’s regional assignment processes, which happen in October and February. This means graduates need to wait for the next round and do something else while they wait. Sorensen spent that time working for Hospice of Northeastern Illinois as a social worker. It was there that he got a sense of how unusual and valuable his training was. “The manager of the social service department, who supervised chaplains, social workers, art therapists and other staff, told me, ‘I wish there were more people with dual degrees that we could train and move through the ranks. That’s the type of person who would make a good director.’ He was impressed that I could ‘speak both languages’—of a social worker and a chaplain—which allows me to bridge some of the gaps that exist in social service agencies. Sometimes those gaps are between the administrative and clinical sides and sometimes they’re between the clinical and spiritual.” During the year following graduation, Sorensen also did a CPE residency. He found out later that it

Dan Sorensen (second from left) meets with colleagues at the Lutheran Counseling Network.

Sorensen is a counselor with the Lutheran Counseling Network (LCN), a ministry of the Northwest Washington Synod. Called by the synod, he is also active in congregations making visits on behalf of LCN and doing pulpit supply. “This is the best of both worlds. I get to do the fun parts of both jobs. Counseling lets me provide direct service with people and I get to preach and teach out in the church without having to worry about the church roof leaking!”

support to counseling individuals who had been through combat trauma.” When he came back to Washington, Bishop Boerger had something else in mind for Sorensen. The synod office was receiving about a dozen calls a week from veterans asking if the Lutheran Church had any kind of services for them. The bishop told Sorensen that his gifts as a therapist would be wellsuited to the Lutheran Counseling Network. The agency was thrilled that Sorensen had both an M.Div. and a master’s in social work. “Most people doing this job have had only half of the training I have,” Sorensen says. “They’re either pastors who would like to get a clinical degree or counselors who are thinking of going to seminary.”

fulfilled the final requirement he needed to join the American Association of Pastoral Counselors: a theological degree, a mental health degree, and one year of CPE.

Trust the process As a student eager to be ordained and to serve as a chaplain, Sorensen chafed at the ELCA’s requirement that he serve three years in a first call. Since then he’s realized that many states require a similar period of practice to qualify for a counseling or other type of professional license. “It’s not just a Lutheran thing. My wife, who is a

Counseling ministry on behalf of the church Monday through Friday, Sorensen does social work. On Sundays and Wednesday evenings he’s in congregations doing “pastor things”—preaching and teaching. He thrives on the diversity of these activities. When he’s in congregations, Sorensen educates people about what the synod is doing and thanks them for their support. “People watch the news and see things they want to do something about. I tell them, ‘You belong to a church that reaches out to people.’ Lutheran Counseling Network provides affordable high-quality mental health care to the marginalized. That is possible only because it is a ministry of the synod. What congregations send to the synod or directly to LCN helps support this ministry. We do this ministry on their behalf.” Lutheran Counseling Network clients pay what they can afford, on a sliding scale. Clients who can’t pay the standard rate of $120 an hour are subsidized by the congregational gifts to the synod. Some clients pay as little as $10 a visit. Sorensen talks about a client who has been coming since November 2012. “He’s a young man in his early 20s who struggles with addiction. He’s a big dude, with tattoos and a Mohawk. He looks like someone who would throw you out of a bar. He’s gotten custody of his daughter and he’s trying to figure out how to be a dad. He struggles with employment. Two days ago, he broke down. He said that he’d had a lot of counselors and that he finally felt that we were at a place where he could trust me -- that he could start to talk about his stuff. It took over six months of him coming every week for us to build the relationship to a point where he could

Dan Sorensen

neonatal nurse, needed three years of experience to be certified in her field, too. I’d like to convince people just starting seminary that [a three-year] first call is a good thing. I’d tell them what [the late] Connie Kleingartner [Director of Field Education 1995-2007] used to tell us: ‘trust the process.’ I get it now and I wish I could tell her.” Ironically, Sorensen was caught by surprise when he learned that he had completed the three years of his first call at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Seatac, Wash. One day he met with his bishop, Wm. Chris Boerger, to say he felt called in a different direction than the one his congregation needed to go. “The bishop told me, ‘Dan, you’re done with your first call. You can do whatever you want.’” Sorensen decided to serve for a year as a Navy Chaplain with the Wounded Warrior battalion in North Carolina. He did “heavy-duty counseling—everything from caregiver support and family

trust me. If this were the only client I had, I would feel that I’m doing what God wants me to do. And I do this on behalf of the church.” Some clients never have that kind of “breakthrough” moment, but benefit in other ways from the ministry provided by Sorensen and LCN. Sorensen tells of another client, a Vietnam veteran. “He was very damaged by the war. He’s on 100% disability. He’s convinced ‘Big Brother’ is watching him and so he doesn’t want to go to the VA hospital for benefits—that’s ‘the man.’ He likes the fact that I’m military, but not ‘the man.’ He comes to talk with me once a week and sometimes I’m the only person he talks to all week. We haven’t set any goals for our time together—he just wants someone to talk to. “This wouldn’t happen with a typical health plan or managed care program. This is what the church does: it provides a place for this man to face his paranoia and come out of his apartment to talk with someone,” Sorensen adds. “That’s the work we do—it’s fantastic work. We, as a church, must ask what we’re doing to meet the needs of returning vets. I tell congregations that this is one way they are meeting the need and engaging the issue.”

Sorensen continues to preside at weddings. (photo by Lisa Homann)

gregational pastors. It’s important to see the gifts for ministry—but to what end? We don’t know. Candidacy committees and congregations need to be open to the fact that the people going to seminary might want to do something out of the box, to try different things. As a church, we need to be open to that. What’s the result? Service to those who are struggling.”

Welcome the variety of gifts Sorensen feels strongly that the church needs to be open to a variety of gifts for leadership. “When we talk about raising up leaders, it’s important not to pigeonhole people to only be con-

Learn more about the Lutheran Counseling Network at www.lutherancounseling.net/.

Commitment that sustains

LSTC President’s Circle

The President’s Circle is made up of donors who give $1,000 or more to LSTC on an annual basis. These generous donors have a deep commitment to raising up visionary leaders to bear witness to the good news of Jesus Christ. Their consistent and recurring gifts are the cornerstone for the annual operating budget of the seminary. Because of this commitment, President’s Circle members are invited into a deeper relationship with LSTC, beginning with the President. Members of this circle have direct access to President Nieman through quarterly newsletters and a special email alias which encourages feedback and questions. In addition, members of this circle receive invitations to special events and visits with key staff and faculty. No other giving society has such a far-reaching impact on the day-to-day operations at LSTC. We invite you to draw nearer to LSTC by becoming a member of the President’s Circle with an annual gift of $1,000.

Love the people The task of the Cantor to the Seminary At any LSTC Wednesday worship service you are likely to hear not only some of the best classical organ music in Chicago but also music from Asia, Africa or Latin America. It is all part of Cantor to the Seminary Daniel Schwandt’s plan to make worship cross-cultural and transcultural. In addition to his work at LSTC, Schwandt is cantor at Augustana Lutheran Church, across the street from the seminary. In August he served as the principal keyboardist for the 2013 ELCA churchwide assembly, his third time in that role.

Cantor to the Seminary Daniel Schwandt leads congregational singing during worship in the Augustana Chapel at LSTC.

Transcultural, countercultural, contextual, cross-cultural

include an anthem or chorale from another tradition or style.

At LSTC, worship planning is guided by the Lutheran World Federation Nairobi Statement on Worship and Culture. It states that worship should be transcultural, countercultural, contextual and cross-cultural. “How we embody that is to shy away from designating certain weeks or days as one particular style or culture. Instead, liturgies try to include something from a variety of resources and traditions so that no one approach dominates, while being firmly grounded in catholicity,” Schwandt says. “The diversity of what we do [in worship] at LSTC has allowed me to use my skills for the churchwide assemblies. LSTC is a microcosm of the church and the assembly is the macrocosm. You have thousands of people in the room that represent the entire ELCA,” Schwandt says. He is one of a team of musicians under the leadership of Scott Weidler, program director for worship and music for the ELCA. Schwandt describes worship at the assembly as “mix and match.” It will often have a cultural theme but

Forming community in worship Schwandt is beginning his tenth season as cantor at LSTC, a job he says he got almost by accident. He came to a part-time call at Augustana from a similar position in Minneapolis and expected to “fill out” his work and income with other gigs. In Minneapolis he had played at Luther Seminary, at Catholic school masses, and taught organ and piano. The job opened up at LSTC a few months after Schwandt arrived in Chicago and he was hired. Over the last nine years he’s worked with four different Deans of the Chapel and has served as Chapel Coordinator between deans and when a dean is on sabbatical. “Almost everyone has an opinion or a strong feelings about chapel. For some it’s a highlight of their time at LSTC; for others, it’s a disappointment or a source of struggle,” Schwandt says. “The best response to these struggles is to hear, acknowledge, and provide pastoral guidance in the midst of the

Getting people excited about God

various opinions and responses to worship at LSTC. We try to steward worship that deepens our faith and builds us up as a community. As any church leader knows, that can be very difficult.” One of the things that makes Schwandt’s job interesting is the fact that the LSTC community changes each year. “Everyone comes here formed by their own community and they ‘do church’ differently. As a result, no one is going to feel completely at home here. When people come into the service, they have to check a part of their personal tastes or pieties at the door. You sacrifice that to the assembly in order to become a new thing. That’s part of the hard work of forming a new community each year and not everyone comes to that easily.”

So what is his role as cantor? “To get people excited about singing and ultimately to get them excited about God,” Schwandt says. But it goes deeper than that. When he told one of his professors at St. Olaf, Robert Scholz, that he planned to be a church musician, Prof. Scholz told him, “you have to love the people more than you love music.” “It stunned me, but I think it’s true. You have to love people in order to give them the best—to love them where they’re at and to get them excited about singing and being the church, not simply to be a great musician for music’s sake. I’ve been blessed with the skills to do this and LSTC has been a great place for me to share those skills. I’ve learned a lot from so many people.”

Authenticity attracts young people Ben Stewart, LSTC’s Gordon A. Braatz Assistant Professor of Worship and Dean of the Chapel, invites Schwandt to spend one day of the Introduction to Worship class doing a survey of church music and singing hymns. “After that session, students come up to me, hungry to know more,” Schwandt says. “Students have a deep hunger to learn about this. We have no meaningful structure in our seminaries for teaching students about music in the church. If you’re choosing music for a local congregation, you are putting words and theology into the mouths of the people. Luther said that music is the handmaid of theology. Assembly singing, then, is one embodiment of the Word and our theological identity. A congregation singing together becomes a sonic incarnation engaged in praise, prayer and proclamation. We are formed into the Body of Christ as we eat and drink and we are formed into the Body of Christ as we sing.” Schwandt refutes the idea that the way to draw younger people to church is to have a hipper worship band. He says that it is not what the students he works with want. “They seek authenticity, above all else, whether that is in bluegrass music or a praise choir or when they hear a pipe organ for the first time and think it is just the coolest thing. There’s a crop of students who seek that kind of authenticity in what they’re doing, but they lack the practical skills. Lots of talented musicians come to LSTC, but they aren’t necessarily informed about church music. I affirm their gifts and invite them to share and learn together in chapel.”

Schwandt shares resources during a Worship class.

From coast to coast and our own backyard Introducing a few of our 2013 scholarship recipients Each year, scores of LSTC students receive scholarships. They range from full- and half-tuition scholarships to awards to several thousand dollars. Others receive support form their home congregations, service organizations, and even their fraternities. Every scholarship dollar helps reduce or eliminate the need for a student to take out loans to fund his or her seminary education. So far this year, students have borrowed $142,810 less than last year. Meet a few of this year’s outstanding first-year students who received scholarships.

work all along,” Ernst says. Ernst read Heidi Neumark’s Breathing Space that year and felt a strong call to work in communities like the one Neumark served. “That’s where I want to be,” Ernst says. “I want to be able to raise awareness of the vast separations within our country and within our church.” Some of her friends from college don’t really know what it means that Ernst is in seminary studying to be a pastor. “I want to try to explain my passion for the theological side of serving others. It’s like the ELCA’s motto: God’s work. Our hands. In worship class, I’m excited to talk about how worship reflects that God is God and wants us to get our hands dirty.” Ernst is thinking about doing a dual degree, either in social work at the University of Chicago or in social justice and community development at Loyola University. She received a full-tuition Presidential Scholarship. “It’s a big honor, just a tremendous honor,” she says.

Presidential Scholarship – Anna Ernst

Fund for Leaders in Mission – Paul Eldred

Anna Ernst

Although she grew up in the ELCA, went to youth gatherings, and was involved in the ecumenical campus ministry at Oberlin College, Anna Ernst didn’t start to think about going to seminary until she was in the Lutheran Volunteer Corps. She served at two inner-city congregations in Omaha, Neb., in the midst of the growing Latino community. “I realized that I liked working at the churches, hanging out with the quilting group and going to text study with the pastors. I also realized that I could do the social justice work I wanted to do within the church—which had been doing this kind of

Paul Eldred

Paul Eldred always had an inkling that he was called to ministry, but resisted it. Prior to the ELCA’s decision in 2009, he couldn’t act on his call. He’s a pastor’s kid who grew up in Washington state and Alaska, and he is a gay man in a lifelong partnership.

“I thought I’d go to law school,” Eldred says. “I clerked in a law office in Seattle,Wash., for a few years and I also worked on a congressional campaign. I realized that neither was the kind of atmosphere I wanted to live in.” After Eldred took some time to reconsider what was most important in his life, he decided it was time to pursue his call to ministry. He and his spouse, Ryan, visited another ELCA seminary and were fairly certain that it was where Paul would go. Then they came to LSTC. “We knew that this is where we needed to be. We liked the community, chapel, and the classes I attended.” Eldred is used to city life, but is still surprised by Chicago’s sprawl. “When I go to churches on the north side, I can’t believe it takes me 45 minutes to get there.” Of seminary, he says, “I’m excited and a little worried about the challenges ahead. People tell me that CPE is really good, but also can be very hard. The same thing for internship.” Eldred received an ELCA Fund for Leaders in Mission scholarship, a Munderloh Scholarship and support from his congregation and fraternity.

to meetings of Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (SOUL). He liked what he experienced. “They have a method to be effective. I was impressed that SOUL and other groups on the southside were trying to get an agreement from Wal-Mart to pay a livable wage and to hire from the community where they planned to build a new store. I’d always heard that Wal-Mart is a tough opponent.” Community organizers pushed Chow to speak at public meetings. “I never would have done that before,” he says. The work also exposed him to disparities that are difficult to see. “As I got involved in organizing I saw disinvestment and social dislocation. I also had to go to City Hall and Springfield and I saw how out of touch people in power are… It’s tough to see that up close. Increasingly, I saw Scripture and worship as a place to fight the despair and cynicism that can well up when you encounter the powerful and malevolent systems of our society.” Chow is in the M.Div. program, but right now, he’s not sure what the future holds. “I’m wondering if there is a confluence of the ELCA’s need for diversity, community organizing, and my call to ministry.” Chow received a Hope Scholarship designed for students who are the first in their family to be an ELCA pastor.

Hope Scholarship – Toby Chow

LSTC Grant – Christine Doidge

Toby Chow

“I got involved in community organizing and Augustana Lutheran church simultaneously,” Toby Chow says. A philosophy Ph.D. candidate at the University of Chicago (all but dissertation), Chow started going

Christine Doidge

“The choose your own adventure” ministry route is how Christine Doidge refers to her call to diaconal

ministry and the master of arts in ministry degree she’s pursuing. Trained as a commercial interior designer, Doidge’s involvement at St. James Lutheran Church in Portland. Ore., changed the way she thought about her lifestyle. “I wanted to live a faith-filled life, a Spirit-filled life,” she says. After searching for a graduate school or global opportunity that joined faith with work, she found the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program. “The language YAGM used really resonated with me. I knew the fact that it was a year-long program would make me get serious about my idea to put together my faith and my work.” Doidge’s year in South Africa transformed her life. “It was a phenomenal experience! I found a new perspective on what the church looks like and truly experienced the diakonia concept and connected that to diaconal ministry.” When she returned to Portland, Doidge, again, sought ways to live out her faith through her work. An anonymous gift was given to St. James to hire Doidge as Outreach Minister for a year. “For years St. James had talked about reaching out to Portland State University, but we had never worked to intentionally define our relationship with the campus ministry there.” That became one of her projects. In March 2012, the campus ministry board hired her to shepherd the process of working with local congregations. Doidge found it a good trial run at diaconal work. Her experiences in South Africa and with St. James led her to LSTC. “I wanted to learn more about my faith and to articulate how the religious side [of what I do] plays into the practical side of things. Diaconal ministry has that.” Doidge says, “We need pastors, but I’m not called to be a pastor. I’m called to diaconal ministry. I’m excited to see where the church is going and how it will use my gifts.” She received a partial-tuition LSTC grant.

Todd Wright

the next three days in classes and working at the Zygon Center. On Wednesday afternoons, the drive home takes about two hours. Wright meets his family at his church in Wauconda, Ill., for the mid-week Family Night meal and then he leads a confirmation group of 8th grade boys, some of whom he’s shepherded since kindergarten Sunday school. Volunteering in his congregation with PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter), working with a high school program, and mentoring confirmands led Wright to think about going to seminary. As a Navy veteran, he’s also discerning a call to chaplaincy with the Veteran’s Administration. Wright left a job as an information technology manager at a large corporation to come to LSTC. He says, “It was a total leap of faith. I had been listening to the lectionary readings all spring and I just kept hearing the word calling to me ‘Now! Now is the time…’” When he talked it over with his family, they were supportive, but had concerns. “I was thinking I would start seminary part-time, but would go fulltime if I could find a job at LSTC. It had to be here to make it work. And then I applied for and got the job with the Zygon Center. I’ve had some small miracles along the way that led me to this path.” Wright received a Servant Scholarship good for all three years of classroom studies. He also received a Munderloh Scholarship, which may be renewable for three years. “The scholarships really do help. We will have to be very mindful of our financial stewardship while I am in seminary.” He’s waiting to hear about support from his congregation.

Servant Scholarship – Todd Wright Todd Wright describes his weekly schedule for his first semester in the M.Div. program as two “miniweeks.” He drives 90 minutes from his home in Round Lake, Ill., each Sunday evening and spends

2013-14 Scholarship recipients Sixty master of divinity and master of arts students have received partial- or full-tuition scholarships for the 2013-14 year. A number of students applied for and received multiple scholarships from various sources. In addition to the scholarships listed below, individuals, churches and synods have provided $165,338 in support for individual students. LSTC grants to students will total $340,000 for the year Student loan borrowing is $142,810 less this year than at this same time last year. Watch for a report on Fellowships to Ph.D. students in the next issue of the Epistle.

Andrew Yoos Matthew Zemanick Synod Scholarships Cesar Abel Arroyo Traverso Benjamin Groth Emily Johnson Debra Kelly Rebekkah Lohrmann Alissa Oleson Rebecca Truland Katherine Tuttle Joseph Yucha

Bridges - Louis Tillman

Veterans Affairs – Adam Cook Fund for Leaders in Mission include full- and partial-tuition awards from the ELCA and from students’ synods ELCA Scholarships Megan Casper Megan Clausen Paul Eldred Meredith Harber Kathryn Jacob William Michaelis Dione Miller Janelle Neubauer Alexander Raabe Marissa Tweed

Servant Stephanie Berkas Nathaniel Klein Christopher Thomas Rebecca Truland (Young Adults in Global Mission) Todd Wright (Lutheran Volunteer Corps) Munderloh Foundation Recipients are asked to accept the “challenge” of recruiting others to seminary Benjamin Adams Stephanie Berkas Steven Bogie Christopher Buresh Megan Casper Elizabeth Christensen

AmeriCorps – Louis Tillman

Creative Teaching Ministry Grant – Amy Westphal, her fourweek curriculum, “Eve’s Garden,” focusing on the importance of women in leadership roles in the church, is available online at www. lstc.edu

Hope Ruby Burwell Lee Toby Chow

Sam Nelson, Nathan Klein, Katie Jacob, Paul Eldred

Visionary Leaders Presidential Elizabeth Christensen Brooke De Jong Anna Ernst Samuel Nelson Marissa Tweed Deans Cesar Abel Arroyo Traverso Jade Gandrud Amy Loehndorf Samantha Pfalzgraf Levi Powers Aaron Shoppa Katherine Tuttle Joseph Yucha

Ben Adams, Zak Wagner, Alex LaChapelle

Megan Clausen Brook DeJong Paul Eldred David Elliot Emily Ewing Stacy Gahlman-Schroeder Alma Gast

Meredith Harber Kathryn Jacob Emily Johnson Vickie Johnson Debra Kelly Christina (Garrett) Klein Nathaniel Klein Alexis LaChapelle Matthew Lawler Amy Loehndorf Rebekkah Lohrmann Dione Miller

Opal Dancy For master of divinity students from states in the Great Lakes Region: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin Benjamin Adams David Elliott Meredith Harber Nathaniel Klein Mauricio Vieira

Siebert Lutheran Foundation For students who are from Wisconsin Steven Bogie Stacy Gahlman-Schroeder Benjamin Groth Alexis LaChapelle Matthew Lawler Amy Loehndorf Levi Powers Lindsay Thomaschefsky Stewards of Abundance Benjamin Adams Meredith Harber Alexis LaChapelle Jenna Pulkowski Mauricio Vieira Christina (Garrett) Klein, Anna Ernst, Alex Raabe, Steve Bogie, Chris Michaelis, Alex LaChapelle

Annual Fund Challenge extended a third year by Mark Van Scharrel, Vice President for Advancement

Samuel Nelson Janelle Neubauer Alissa Oleson Samantha Pfalzgraf Jenna Pulkowski Erin Schmidtke Kyle Swendig Jasmine Tesdahl Louis Tillman Rebecca Truland Katherine Tuttle Marissa Tweed Mauricio Vieira Zachary Wagner Christine Webb (Anderson) Robert Wright Andrew Yoos Joseph Yucha Matthew Zemanick

LSTC students have borrowed $142,810 less in student loans this year compared to last year. That’s due, in large part, to scholarships and grants from many sources, but one of the most important sources is the LSTC Annual Fund. It allowed LSTC to provide additional scholarship assistance to students as well as retain its excellent faculty following the great recession. Now, for a third year, up to $500,000 in new, renewed, or increased gifts will be matched dollar for dollar thanks to the commitment of a couple inspired by Mark and Kathy Helge, who funded the first two years of the challenge. Here’s how it works. If you increased your gifts in the first two years of the challenge and can continue giving at a higher level, your increased giving will be matched again this year. Example: Ms. Donor gave $500 per year before the challenge and increased her giving to $1,000 per year. The additional $500 was matched in years one and two of the challenge and will be matched again this year. If you weren’t able to give last year and can give this year, 100% of you gift will be matched dollar for dollar (renewed donor). If you, your congregation, your friend, have never given to the Annual Fund and can give this year (before June 30, 2014), 100% of your gift will be matched (new donors). To make a gift, you can use the envelope included in this issue of the Epistle, go online to http://www.lstc.edu/alumni-friends/giving/, or call Tyrone Holland at 773-256-0712. Thank you for your prayers and support.

LSTC by the numbers LSTC is developing a new strategic plan for the seminary, consulting board members, faculty, staff, alumni, and students. Several key findings from that process show an interesting portrait of our school.

Student statistics For incoming first degree students, 42% are age 25 or younger; twothirds are age 30 or younger.

2013-2014 Enrollment by Degrees Program HC = 261, FTEs = 196.0 120

112

100

98.5

80 58

53 41

22.25

7 1.75

Master of Divinity

Master of Arts

Special

First Degree Programs

10.5 Master of Theology

Headcount

Doctor of Philosophy

FTEs

Doctor of Ministry

Advanced Studies Degree Programs

Note: demographic data reflects slightly different student counts than overall enrollment data. Overall, 64% are full-time students, 36% are part-time.

Enrollment by Gender First Degree Headcount=160

Advanced Studies Headcount=101

Female 58%

Female 32%

Male 43%

Male 68%

Racial/Ethnic/International by Degree Program (Headcount) Master of Divinity

Master of Arts

Special

Master of Theology

Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of Ministry

% African-American

20%

14%

% Hispanic-Latino American

14%

21%

% International

10%

29%

16%

48%

54%

Alumni

LSTC Alumni by Location (Data for 4,755 Individuals) WA 144 MT 14 OR 67

Nearly 1 in 5 alumni live in IIlinois

ND 28 MN 298

SD 26

ID 15

WI 325

WY 7 IA 154

NE 122

NV 18

UT 7

CA 245

AZ 93

CO 112

KS 91

NM 19

NJ 51 DE-5

VA 68

SC 32 AL 9

MS 3

GA 33

LA 13 FL 154

Other US Territories Puerto Rico = 8 Virgin Islands = 2 AK 7

MD 50

NC 60

TN 25

AR 13

TX 194

HI 6

WV 3 KY 16

MO 132

OK 20

PA 139

OH 162

IN 135

VT 3 NH 4 MA-56 CT-38 RI-5

NY 142

MI 195

IL 855

ME 9

400+ 200-399 100-199

International = 270 Unknown = 47

25-99 1-24

LSTC has 4,814 associated living alumni. Eighteen percent live in Illinois and almost 75% of LSTC alumni reside in 16 states; 270 LSTC alumni live outside the U.S. There were 267 M.A./M.Div. graduates between 2008 and 2013. Two-thirds of these alumni are located in six states, with 37% of these recent graduates residing in Illinois.

Financial position Operating performance for fiscal year 2012-13 was breakeven with an endowment draw of 5.3%. Total revenues for the year were almost $9 million. Of the $7.1 million in educationrelated revenues, over half (54%) were from current year private giving and tuition/fees. LSTC’s current long-term debt is $9.3 million. During Fiscal year 2013-14 this level will be reduced by an estimated $4 million through the sale of underutilized residential property. LSTC alumni are supporting the school. Slightly over half of living alumni (2,547) have contributed to LSTC at some point. During FY2013, 663 alumni contributed to LSTC, accounting for almost 25% of total donations while non-alumni accounted for 75% of total donations.

Private Giving: FY2003 – FY2013

At the end of FY2013, the total endowment was valued at $30.8 million, which was 48% larger than five years earlier. Given the size of its student body, LSTC’s endowment compares favorably with the other ELCA seminaries.

$1.5

$ Million

$1.0 $0.7 $0.4

2003

$0.8

$0.9

$1.8

$1.3

2010

2011

$1.0

$0.5

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2012

2013

FACULTY NOTES/NEWS Promotions Esther Menn was elected Dean and Vice President of Academic affairs at the May 2013 Board of Directors meeting. She begins a fiveyear term January 1, 2014. Richard Perry, has been promoted to Professor of Church and Society and Urban Ministry. Lea Schweitz has been promoted to Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology/ Religion and Science.

Honors Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs Michael Shelley received the Distinguished Alumnus in Christian Service Award from Trinity Lutheran Seminary on Sept. 26, during the school’s Trinity Days alumni event. Shelly, a 1978 graduate of Trinity, and his spouse, Joanne, were honored for their 24 years of missionary service to Cairo, Egypt. Shelley’s scholarship in the fields of Christian-Muslim relations, Islam, Christian mission, and the history of Middle Eastern Christianity were also cited. See page 8 for a profile of Dr. Shelley. New book edited by alumni honors Vítor Westhelle Churrasco: A Theological Feast in Honor of Vítor Westhelle is a collection of essays by a wide range of theologians from around the world on the occasion of Westhelle’s sixtieth birthday. LSTC alumni Dr. Mary (Joy) Philip and Dr. John Arthur Nunes edited the collection along with Dr. Charles M. Collier. It is available from the Pickwick Publications, and imprint

of Wipf and Stock https:// wipfandstock.com/store/ Churrasco_A_Theological_ Feast_in_Honor_of_Vtor_ Westhelle Far from being a Festschrift, which marks an ending, this book is an acknowledgement of the gift of Westhelle’s scholarship and his entering into an exciting second cycle of life. Contributors include current and former LSTC faculty members Antje Jackelén, Philip Hefner, Reinhard Hütter, Kathleen “Kadi” Billman, José David Rodríguez, and Barbara Rossing.

Teaching update Klaus-Peter Adam is on leave of absence during 2013-2014 academic year in order to maintain his relationship with his home church (Wurttemberg/ Germany) and to reengage with teaching the Bible in a broader context. José David Rodríguez returned from a leave of absence serving as chancellor of the Evangelical Institute of Theological Studies (ISEDET) in Argentina. He is teaching

and serving as Director of Advanced Studies with oversight of the D.Min., Th.M., and Ph.D. programs.

New books and other media David Rhoads is co-editor of The Season of Creation: A Preaching Commentary published in July by Fortress Press. It provides commentaries on the alternative lessons and a new “Theology of Liturgy” for the four-week season usually celebrated in September leading up to the Blessing of the Animals. The season focuses on God as Creator and the domains of God’s creation such as rivers, sky, mountains and wilderness. Contributors include Vicky Balananski (Australia), Sr. Diane Bergant , CSA (USA), Jione Havea (South Seas), Monica Jyotsna Menachthon (India), Barbara Rossing (USA), Alice M. Sinott (Scotland), and Gerald West (South Africa). Rhoads’ coeditors are Norman Habel of Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia, and the Rev. Dr. H. Paul Santmire, one of the leading voices of ecological theology for

Editors Mary (Joy) Philip and John Arthur Nunes present Vitor Westhelle with a copy of Churrasco: A Theological Feast in Honor of Vitor Westhelle.

more than 45 years. (ISBN13: 978-0-8006-9657-3, $35.00) Barbara Rossing is host of the new “Living the Questions” DVD on religion and science, “Painting the Stars: Science, Religion and Evolving Faith.” Her commentaries introduce each of the seven 20-minute segments. The DVD is available from www.livingthequestions.com.

Scholarship Richard Perry, Barbara Rossing, and Vitor Westhelle presented lectures and papers at the Reformation conference “Remembering the Past–Living the Future: Lutheran Tradition in Transition” hosted by the Church of Sweden Research Unit and the Department of Theology at Uppsala University in Uppsala, Sweden. Two LSTC Ph.D. students, Jonanthan Wilson and Carl-Eric Gentes presented papers. Alumni Monica Jyotsna Melanchthon, James M. Childs Jr., Malin Pihlgren, Michael Trice, and Cheryl M. Peterson also made presentations at the Oct. 8–10 conference. Adjunct professor Antje Jackelen, Bishop of the Diocese of Lund, Church of Sweden and former director of LSTC’s Zygon Center for Religion and Science, presented a paper and participated in the final plenary session of the conference. Esther Menn, Ralph W. and Marilyn R. Klein Professor of Old Testament/Hebrew Scripture, in September helped launch a new curriculum titled “New Paths: Christians Engaging Israel”

FACULTY NOTES/NEWS taught it on six Sundays at Fourth Presbyterian Church with Bob Cathey of McCormick Theological Seminary. In September she attended, with Michael Shelley, the meeting of the ELCA Deans at the ELCA Churchwide Offices and also participated in the ELCA Consultative Panel on Jewish Christian Relations meeting. At a meeting of the Christian Scholars Group for Jewish Christian Relations at Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y., in October, she led a discussion of her paper, “Christian Views from Pisgah,” about Christian biblical scholarship on the theme of land in the Bible. She presented that paper at the 16th World Congress of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, Israel, in August. Benjamin Stewart, Gordon A. Braatz Assistant Professor of Worship, delivered the opening plenary address, “Matters of Life and Death,” at a joint annual gathering of the North American Association for the Catechumenate and the Associated Parishes for Liturgy and Mission in June in Chicago. In July he delivered the opening plenary address “Newness and Renewal: Digital Media and the Future of Worship in Real Time,” to the Biennial Conference of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians at Valparaiso University. In July and August, taught three week-long courses at Holden Village, Washington: “Eating Our Way through the Gospel of Luke: Jesus and Food,” “Singing Our Way Through the Gospel of Luke: The Canticles,” and “Praying With Earth and Sky:

Ecotheological Dimensions of Christian Seasonal and Daily Prayer.” The last was a guided seven-day “Holden on the Trail” backpacking trip from Holden Village to Stehekin through the Glacier Peak Wilderness pausing for worship and teaching along the way. In September, Stewart presented “There was a Garden in that Place: Planning Worship with the Seasons” at the Wartburg Tri-State Forum Lecture at Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. He also was the speaker for the ninth annual workshop on prayer at Hobart First United Methodist Church, Hobart, Ind., where he presented two lectures and a workshop on “Table Grace: How Holy Communion can invite us into a new heaven & a new earth...within our present world.” In 2013, Mark Swanson, Harold H. Vogelaar Professor of ChristianMuslim Studies and Interfaith Relations, has given presentations, scholarly papers and keynote addresses in Guntur and Hyderabad, India; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Cairo, Egypt; Istanbul, Turkey; and in the U.S. in Chicago, Dearborn, and Los Angeles. This fall, a project he’s been working on for ten years came to a close with the publications of the fifth and final volume of Christian-Muslim Relations: A Bibliographical History, ed. David Thomas, et al. (Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2009 - 2013). Swanson was Christian Arabic section editor for the five volumes and contributed 75 articles of his own to it.

Vítor Westhelle, professor of systematic theology, in June, was a speaker at the IECLB Pastor’s Conference, Rodeo12, in Santa Catarina, Brazil, and at the consultation called by IECLB (the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession of Brazil), of the faculties of the three seminaries of the ICLCB to discuss Lutheran Hermeneutics in Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. In July, Westhelle was a presenter at the Congresso Internacional da Soter PUC Minas, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil: “Deus na Sociedade Plural. Fé – Símbolos – Narrativas” For more information, visit: http://www.soter.org.br/ index.php?pagina=grupo_ noticia&tela=23&vw=7 In October, Westhelle was the main speaker for the Convenção de Ministros e Ministras da IECLB – 2013, Curitaba-PR, Brazil, a national conference of the pastors of the Lutheran Church in Brazil. He delivered the keynote address “The Luther Planet: Challenges and Promises for and from Lutheran Global Identity between Politics and Economy” at “Remembering the Past, Living the Future: Lutheran Tradition in Transition,” an international conference organized by the Church of Sweden Research Unit and Department of Theology, at Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. Westhelle published “O Deus cristão: o fim da dádiva e a dádiva do fim”, Deus na Sociedade Plural: fé, símbolos, narrativas, Pedro Ribeiro de Oliveira, Geraldo de Mori, eds. (São Paulo: Paulinas, 2013). He contributed “Religião e Sociedade: Desafios Contemporâneos” in Religião e Sociedade:

Desafios Contemporânios, Iuri Andréas Reblin and Rudolf von Sinner, eds. (São Leopoldo: Sinodal/Est, 2012). For a complete list of faculty publications and presentations, visit Faculty Sightings at http://www. lstc.edu/about/faculty/sightings/2013-11.php.

Antje Jackelén elected Bishop of Sweden On October 15, Antje Jackelén was elected the first female Archbishop of the Swedish Church on

Antje Jackelén

the first ballot with 55.9% of the vote. Dr. Jackelén taught systematic theology at LSTC from 2001 until her election as bishop of the Diocese of Lund, Sweden, in 2006. She was director of the Zygon Center for Religion and Science from 2003-2006, and has remained an adjunct faculty member at LSTC. She begins her new duties on June 1, 2014.

CLASS NOTES 1952 Martin Marty (Concordia, St. Louis, M.Div.) was one of the guest speakers for the Theological Network fundraiser in Chicago and the launch of a Regional Research Center devoted to indigenous theological scholarship in Asia. 1953 Norman A. Nelson (Augustana Seminary, M.Div.; 1977, D.Min.) was featured in the Rockford Register Star Aug. 25 article,

Norman A. Nelson

“It was electrifying.” Nelson describes his experience listening to Martin Luther King’s speech at the March on Washington in August 1963. He also talks about breaking down racial barriers as a pastor on Chicago’s south side in the 1960s. 1960 Ralph Peterson, (Augustana Seminary, M.Div.) is featured in the article “Breaking Boundaries: Louise Nevelson and the Erol Beker Chapel of the Good Shepherd,” by Amy Weiss that appears in Arts: Arts in Religious and Theological Studies, 23:3 (2012). It chronicles the revival and redesign of

Saint Peter’s Church in the 1970s under Peterson’s leadership, especially a chapel designed by artist Louise Nevelson. Peterson’s approach to the worship space was influenced by Joseph Sittler’s theology, the Augustana tradition and ministry in the arts. Art and Religion in the Heart of the City: Saint Peter’s Church and the Louise Nevelson Chapel, a book of essays funded by the Luce Foundation, will be published in 2015. 1964 Paul Tidemann (Augustana Seminary, M.Div.) co-taught the course “Brambles in the Biblical Thickets: Difficult Conversations Between Jews and Christians” with his Jewish friend and colleague, Dr. Jan Phillips, at Luther Seminary’s Lay School of Theology, in June 2013. Tidemann is an active leader in the Saint Paul Interfaith Network, which is also working on Healing Minnesota Stories with the American Indian community. He is coordinator of the Guyana Mission Network. It provides support for and information about the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Guyana where Tidemann was a pastor and extension seminary developer in the 1970’s (www.guyanamissionnetwork.com). Tidemann also plays French horn and is President of the Northeast Orchestra in the Minneapolis area. 1968 David Mattson (M.Div.) retired after over 45 years serving as a parish pastor. For the last 12 years, he was the pastor at Christ by the Lake congregation in

Bull Shoals, Ark. Mattson and his wife, Anna, plan to reside in Bull Shoals, travel, and visit their family. 1974 Gerald Mansholt (Christ Seminary-Seminex, M.Div.; 1989, D.Min.) was pictured in the October 2013 Lutheran magazine. He got to throw out the first pitch at the Aug. 24 St. Louis Cardinals game as 375 members of St. Louisarea ELCA congregations attended the game as a fundraiser for the Central States Synod. 1975 William Chris Boerger (Christ Seminary-Seminex, M.Div.) was elected and installed as secretary of the ELCA at the 2013 Churchwide Assembly. As secretary he is responsible for rosters, interpretation of governing documents, the archives, and recording keeping systems for the ELCA. Steven Delzer (Christ Seminary-Seminex, M.Div.) was elected on June 8 as bishop of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod. He had served at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Faribault, Minn., for over 11 years. He was installed on Sept. 7. Rick Jaech (Christ Seminary-Seminex, M.Div.) was elected on June 8 as bishop of the Southwest Washington Synod. He served as pastor to Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Vancouver, Wash., for 26 years. He began his term in office on Aug. 1 and was installed on Sept. 14.

1976 The Rev. Dr. James R. Thomas (Seminex, M.Div.) was awarded a sabbatical leave by Lenoir-Rhyne University’s School of Theology, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, S.C. Dr. Thomas will teach and do research during the Fall 2013 semester at Good News College and Seminary, Accra, Ghana. His sabbatical is funded by the ELCA’s Global Sabbatical Awards Program. Dr. Thomas has also contributed an article on the life and work of Dr. Nelson Strobert to the Autumn 2013 edition of the Seminary Ridge Review, published by the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, Pa. 1981 Rick Bliese (Christ Seminary, Seminex, M. Div.; 1992, Th.M.; 1995, Ph.D.) has been named president of the In Trust Center for Theological Schools. He will direct and oversee all programs and activities at In Trust, including In Trust magazine, and the In Trust Governance Mentor service, a program that assists theological school boards. Cheryl Stewart Pero (Th.M.; 2003, Th.M.; 2010, Ph.D.) published “When Did We See You, Lord?” in the October issue of the online Journal of Lutheran Ethics http://www.elca.org/WhatWe-Believe/Social-Issues/ Journal-of-Lutheran-Ethics. aspx

CLASS NOTES 1984 Kathryn Kleinhaus (M.Div.) is the first holder of the McCoy Family Distinguished Chair in Lutheran Heritage and Mission at Wartburg College. 1991 Mario DiCicco (Th.M.; 1993, Ph.D.), published a review of Prophetic Jesus, Prophetic Church: The Challenge of Luke-Acts to Contemporary Christians by Luke Timothy Johnson in the June 2013 issue of Currents in Theology and Mission. 1997 Dave Daubert (D.Min.) published the article “Lutheran trump cards” in the October issue of The Lutheran magazine. Jared Olson (M.Div.) was installed as pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church, Bradenton, Fla., on Sept. 15, 2013. 2000 Mladen Turk (Th.M.; 2009, Ph.D.) was recently promoted to Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Elmhurst College. His book, Being Religious: Cognitive and Evolutionary Theories in Historical Perspective, was published this year (Pickwick, Eugene). 2001 Seth Moland-Kovash (M.Div.; 2012, D.Min.) and Melinda Quivik published “Preaching Helps: Proper 13C – Proper 21C” in the June 2013 issue of Currents in Theology and Mission.

2002 John Collins (M.Div.) is quoted in the November issue of The Lutheran magazine in the article “Recovering from Sandy.” It describes how his congregation, Faith Lutheran Church in Lavallete, N.J., and other congregations have rebuilt after suffering damage from Hurricane Sandy in 2012. David L. Pavesic (M.Div.) has begun a new call as pastor at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Marana, Ariz. Pastor Pavesic most recently served as Senior Pastor of Immanuel Trinity Lutheran Church in Fond du Lac, Wis. 2004 May (Joy) Philip (M.A.; 2006, Th.M.; 2009, Ph.D.) co-edited Churrasco: A Theological Feast in Honor of Vítor Westhelle with Dr. John Arthur Nunes (2006, Th.M.; 2012, Ph.D.) and Dr. Charles M. Collier. The book is a collection of essays published in honor of Dr. Westhelle’s 60th birthday. See details on page 22. Joshua Rice (Th.M.; 2012, Ph.D.) published Paul and Patronage: The Dynamics of Power in 1 Corinthians, (Eugene, Oregon, Wipf & Stock Publications) in July 2013. 2006 Liv Larson Andrews (M.Div) published “Given Away: Eucharistic Thoughts on Wedding Season” in The Cresset: A Review of Literature, the Arts, and Public Affairs Vol. 76, No. 5. John Arthur Nunes (Th.M.; 2012, Ph.D.) delivered the Jochum

Chair Inaugural Lecture, “Finding a Gracious God,” at Valparaiso University on Oct. 31. He and Mary (Joy) Philip (2004, M.A.; 2006, Th.M.; 2009, Ph.D.) co-edited Churrasco: A Theological Feast in Honor of Vítor Westhelle with Dr. Charles M. Collier. Peter S. Perry (Th.M.; 2009, Ph.D.) published a review of The Gospel and Letter of John by Urban C. von Wahlde in the June 2013 issue of Currents in Theology and Mission. His article, “The Problems and Potential of Preaching Hesed” appeared in the Fall 2013 issue of Living Pulpit. Dan Roschke (M.Div.) is quoted in the October 2013 The Lutheran magazine article, “An artful calendar.” His church, Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in La Mesa, Calif., creates and displays art to reflect the liturgical seasons. 2007 Amy Kienzle (M.Div.) is now pastor of two congregations in Brooklyn, N.Y., English Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Messiah and St. John Lutheran Church. Adam (M.Div.) and Jordan Miller-Stubbendick (M.Div.) are now in Durham, N.C., where Jordan is starting her master’s of theology at Duke Divinity, leading to the Ph.D. program. She will be studying narrative theology, looking at theological memoir/spiritual autobiographies and what we can learn about faith from one particular person’s description of their walk with God. Adam has been called

to serve as the assistant chaplain at Elon University. Jordan writes, “We are really enjoying it so far!” 2009 Justin Eller (M.Div.) published the article “Called through the Gospel: The Holy Spirit in Lutheran Liturgy” in the June 2013 issue of Currents in Theology and Mission. He, spouse Kari, and their son, Everette, were on home assignment in May, June and July, visiting churches that support their work in South America. Justin is now the ELCA Regional Representative for South America and Kari is the ELCA Equipping God’s People or Capacitando al Pueblo de Dios (CPD) Project Coordinator. Matthew Idicula (D.Min.) published In the Land of Jesus: A Travelogue (Delhi, India, ISPCK Publishers). He serves as vicar of St. Columba Episcopal Church in Hanover Park, Ill. Meagan Sherman-Sporrong (M.Div.) was featured in the article “Resurrection Lutheran Church in Franklin Park” in the Franklin Park Herald-Journal. She was installed on June 16, 2013, as the new pastor of Resurrection, Franklin Park, Ill. 2010 Dan Hille (M.Div.) and Pastor Yehiel Curry (2012) have developed a new kind of mission trip for their youth groups. In 2013, teenagers from Hille’s Avon, Conn., congregation traveled to Chicago for a week-long visit with the youth of Curry’s Shekinah Chapel. In 2014, Shekinah

CLASS NOTES Chapel youth will spend a week in Connecticut. The two groups will meet in 2015 at the ELCA Youth Gathering in Detroit. View the documentary they created https://vimeo. com/75868357. Sarah Semmler Smith (M.Div.) published the commentary, “A Town without churches?” in the July 2013 Metro Lutheran. Rachel Wind (M.Div.) began her new ministry as director for the Fund for Leaders in Mission of the ELCA on August 19, 2013. 2011 Sheri D. Kling (M.A.T.S.) published the article, “Wisdom Became Flesh: An Analysis of the Prologue to the Gospel of John,” in the June 2013 issue of Currents in Theology and Mission. Rhonda Pruitt (M.Div.) was ordained on September 14, 2013, at Bethel Lutheran Church, Chicago, Ill. She has been called to serve at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Wilmette, Ill. Jeffrey Fitzkappes (Th.M.) and George Murphy published “Talking about Science and God, Creator of Heaven and Earth: A Three-Session Confirmation Module” available on the ELCA web site at http:// www.elca.org/What-WeBelieve/Social-Issues/FaithScience-and-Technology/ Faith-and-Science-YouthCurriculum.aspx. Find their resource at the bottom of the webpage under the heading “Youth Catechism Supplement.”

Monica Villarreal (M.Div.) pastor of Salem Lutheran Church, Flint, Mich., is the ELCA’s representative on the Steering Group for the Lutheran World Federation’s Young Reformers Network. The group met from Sept. 26 – Oct. 1 in Wittenberg, Germany. Over the next four years, the program aims to initiate a series of projects relating to the Reformation involving 10,000 young people in member churches of the LWF. The first virtual conference is planned for 2014. The nine-person Steering Group is made up of representatives from each of the seven world regions of the LWF and two creative advisers. Learn more about the program at http://www. lutheranworld.org/content/ global-young-reformersnetwork. 2012 Charles Featherstone (M.Div.) performed his original musical compositions at the inaugural Lion & Lamb Festival in Fort Wayne, Ind., Aug. 31 – Sept.1. Joy Proper (M.Div.) was ordained July 27, 2013, at Ascension Lutheran Church, Medford, Ore. She has been called to serve as Pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Eugene, Ore. Yahu Vinayaraj (Th.M.) presented the paper “The Emerging Face of Being One. . .Reflections from an Indian Perspective” at the North American Academy of Ecumenists Annual Conference in Chicago on Sept. 28. 2013 Cuttino Alexander (M.Div.) was ordained July 27 at Evangelical Lutheran

Church of the Good Shepherd, Mount Holly, N.C. He has been called to serve as the pastor there. Lynn Bird (M.Div.) was ordained Oct. 12 at Zion Lutheran Church, Tinley Park, Ill. She has been called to serve as pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Woodridge, Ill. Yehiel Curry (M.Div) was honored on Sept. 19 as a distinguished citizen at The ARK of St. Sabina 20th Anniversary event for his contributions to education and youth. Pastor Curry was also featured in the article, “Safe in the circle” in the October 2013 issue of The Lutheran. He and Pastor Dan Hille (2010, M.Div.) have created a new kind of mission trip for their youth groups. See description above at Pastor Hille’s news. Jacob M. Gawlik (M.Div.) was ordained Sept. 7 at Our Redeemers Lutheran Church, Suring, Wis. He has been called to serve as pastor there. Matthew Hacker (M.Div.) was ordained Sept. 15 at Abiding Presence Lutheran Church, San Antonio, Texas. He has been called to serve as pastor at Immanuel and Adullam Lutheran Churches in Bertrand, Neb. Janice Heidlberger (M.Div.) was ordained Sept. 20 at Christ the Servant Lutheran Church, Denton, Texas. She is pastor at two congregations in Dodge County, Neb., St. John Lutheran Church Cuming County Line, Scribner, and St. Paul Lutheran Church, Uehling.

Travis Meier (M.Div.) was ordained July 20 at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Brenham, Texas. He has been called to serve as associate pastor at Bethany Lutheran Church, Fredricksburg, Texas. Kara Propst (M.Div.) was ordained July 27 at Calvary Lutheran Church, Sugar Grove, W.Va. She has been called to serve as pastor at Salem Lutheran Church, Delmont, Pa. Sarah Rohde (M.Div.) was ordained July 27 at the Chapel of Reconciliation, Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.D. She has been called to serve as Associate Pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, St. Charles, Ill. She and Andrew Packman were wed in the Augustana Chapel at LSTC on Sept. 28. Arlen Solem (M.Div.) was ordained Nov. 10 at Ascension Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, Wis. He has been called to serve as associate pastor at Cross Lutheran Church, Milwaukee. Nate Sutton (M.Div.) was featured in the article “Large Grand Forks church welcomes new pastor” in the Grand Forks Herald on July 21. The article describes Sutton’s first sermon as well as the ministry of his first call. Megan Vaughan (M.Div.) was ordained Oct. 27 at a Synod wide Ordination Event for Northern Illinois held at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Rockford IL. She has been called to serve as Associate Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Rockford, IL.

IN MEMORIAM Peter Howard Andersen 1945 – 2013 Class of 1971 Pastor Peter Howard Andersen died unexpectedly, but peacefully on Oct. 20, 2013 in Marquette, Mich. Pastor Andersen was ordained in 1971 and served congregations in Illinois and Michigan. He retired in 2009 after serving as pastor of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Escanaba for 15 years. Pastor Andersen served on the Transition Team and first Synod Council of the Central/Southern Illinois Synod and on the Board of Directors of Augustana College, Rock Island, Ill. He also served on the Northern Great Lakes Synod Council and as chairman of the Board of Directors at Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp. He sang with the Marquette Choral Society, was a member of the Laughing Whitefish Audubon Society and, in addition to bird watching, enjoyed gardening and fishing. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Marilyn, their son, Philip, and extended family. A celebration of life service was held at Messiah Lutheran Church, Marquette, Mich., on Oct. 25. Paul G. Johnson 1931 – 2013 Augustana Class of 1956 After graduating from seminary, Paul G. Johnson earned a doctor of ministry degree from Andover Newton Seminary and served in the Research Department of the Lutheran Church in America in Philadelphia. Nine years later he returned to parish ministry in Stoughton, Mass. During his 55 years of ordained ministry, he served congregations in Massachusetts and Connecticut. In retirement, he was an adjunct professor of World Religions and Sociology at Mass Bay Community College. Pastor Johnson is the author of seven books. His last book, God’s Hybrid Son: The Human Element in Jesus was published in 2010. Pastor Johnson died on April 22, 2013, at age 82, at the Tippett Hospice

Home in Needham, Mass. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Miriam, a daughter and a son. A memorial service was held at First Lutheran Church, Brockton, Mass., on May 4. Thomas C. Knutson 1948 – 2013 Class of 1974 Thomas C. Knutson was ordained on Feb. 24, 1974, and installed as pastor at First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Harvey, Ill., on March 17, 1974. He had a rich and fruitful ministry at First until his death from pancreatic cancer on Sept. 18, 2013. Pastor Knutson was a founding member of the ecumenical Triad Churches of Harvey, a member of the Illinois Synod (ALC) Worship Committee, a member of the Lutheran/Roman Catholic Covenant Commission of Chicago and a coeditor of its covenant documents. He chaired or was president of the Calumet Community Religious Conference, the South Suburban Action Conference, and the Worship Committee for the Metropolitan Chicago Synod Constituting Assembly. He served as a teaching parish supervisor for LSTC students from 1974 to 1990. He was also a founding member of the theological journal, Let’s Talk and chaired its editorial council from 1995 – 2010. In 2003, a street in Harvey was renamed in his honor to recognize his contributions to the spiritual, social and economic well-being of the City of Harvey and its citizens. His name was entered on the City of Harvey’s Achiever’s Wall of Fame in 2008. A funeral service was held at First Lutheran Church, Harvey, on Sept. 28. Pastor Knutson is survived by his wife, the Rev. Karen Knutson, two sons and a daughter, their spouses and three granddaughters. Delpho P. Peterson 1923 – 2013 Augustana Class of 1954 Delpho Peterson served with the 87th Division of the U.S. Army during

World War II. He was a decorated corporal who was stationed in Germany, France, Belgium and Luxembourg. After the war, he graduated from Gustavus Aldolphus College and earned a bachelor of divinity from Augustana Seminary. He was ordained in 1954 and became pastor of two congregations in Nebraska. He went on to serve congregations in Iowa and Florida. In 2001, he published the book Lessons for Life—How You Can Joyfully, Peacefully Live Forever! He and his wife, Phyllis, led several group tours to the Holy Land and were involved in Cursillo, a three-day Christian training and renewal event. Pastor Delpho died from old age and the effects of Parkinson’s disease on April 29, 2013, at the age of 90. He was preceded in death by his wife, and is survived by two brothers, four sisters, four sons, two daughters, 16 grandchildren and extended family. A celebration of life was held at First Lutheran Church, Keokuk, Iowa, on May 4. Eugene A.D. Strinden 1921 – 2012 Augustana Class of 1951 Pastor Strinden was ordained in 1951 and served parishes in Minnesota, Washington and Oregon until his retirement in 1983. He helped develop Luther Square Retirement Village in Klamath Falls, Ore. His ministry included 25 years as volunteer projects coordinator for the Oregon Department of Corrections. He also served as visitation pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church near Keizer, Ore. Pastor Strinden died on November 24, 2012. He was preceded in death by his wife of more than 65 years, Mildred, and two of their daughters. He is survived by a daughter and a son, three grandchildren, and a great-grandchild. A memorial service was held Dec. 1, 2012, at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Keizer, Ore.

TRANSITIONS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS Academic Services Katlin (Katie) Croft is the new Academic Office Assistant, providing support to Director of Advanced Studies Jose David Rodriguez. She will also serve as the designated signing official for the visas and as a primary contact for international students.

Katie Croft

Katlin is a consecrated deaconess who graduated from Valparaiso University in 2012 where she studied theology, youth ministry, and business administration. She has held leadership positions with the Valparaiso University Student Senate, the Lutheran Deaconess Association Board, and the Northwest Ohio Synod Council. She has traveled extensively internationally and studied in Cambridge, England. Her email address is kcroft@lstc.edu.

Finance Office Due to changes in assignments and new positions accepted outside of Quattro FPO Solutions (the company that provides finance office services to LSTC), we have several new colleagues. Angela Cavin is LSTC’s new chief financial officer. She has 17 years of

accounting and finance experience in the Chicago area, with the last seven of those year’s in Quattro’s not-for-profit division. For the last three years she has served as CFO of a local social service agency that is about the same size as LSTC. She began at LSTC in August, taking over for David Weisz, who accepted a new position outside of Quattro. In July, Robert Barnes joined the Finance Office staff as Delores Zaragoza was reassigned to another Quattro client. We welcome Angela and Robert as we wish godspeed to David and Delores.

the JKM Library staff and student workers weeded the collection of nonessential volumes. That weeding left a lot of empty shelves. Emilie Pulver, JKM Library special projects librarian, contacted the Theological Book Network to find someone who could use them. Logos Evangelical Seminary in Chicago, a satellite program of Logos Evangelical Seminary in El Monte, Calif., was setting up a new library. The Rev. Dr. Albert Pua, director of the Chicago campus, said the donation was the answer to a prayer. He

Zygon Center for Religion and Science Todd Wright, a first-year M.Div. student, began his new job as Zygon Center Coordinator in August. Todd brings a wide variety of skills to the position. He has 20 years of experience in project management, communications and technology. He holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from Valparaiso University, a M.Ed. in technology education and served in the U.S. Navy for six years. Learn more about Todd on page 18.

Special Projects Librarian Emilie Pulver,the Rev. Dr. Albert Pua, and Larry Alexander

rented a U-Haul and with the assistance of some of his students and LSTC staff, transported the shelving (in several trips) to their new home. Logos Evangelical Seminary is the only Asian seminary in the U.S. accredited by the Association of Theological Schools. Learn more about the Theological Book Network at http://theologicalbooknetwork.org/.

JKM Library donates books, shelves In mid-August, JKM Library donated over 3,000 books from its collection to the Theological Book Network. The Theological Book Network provides highquality books and journals from the West to theological institutions in the Global South. Over the last three years,

Accomplishments Vance Blackfox, director of Youth in Mission, was a voting member of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod at the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Pittsburgh, Pa., on August 12 – 17. As member of the Strategic Advisory Council of Lutheran Advocacy— Illinois, in September Vance attended a meeting at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Urbana, Ill., that focused on food and hunger justice. Daniel Schwandt, Cantor to the Seminary Community, was the principal keyboardist for worship at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 12-17. His composition “Behold, I am Making All Things New” began the opening liturgy and other musical arrangements of his were used as well. Dan presented a program on the Lunchtime Organ Recital Series in Appleton, Wis., at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in August, featuring music recognizing the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. He joined Ben Stewart in presenting at the Wartburg Tri-State Forum Lecture at Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa on the theme “There was a Garden in that Place: Planning Worship with the Seasons” in September. Dan was the organist and choir director at the installation of ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton on October 5 at Rockefeller Chapel in Chicago.

Life at LSTC

Clockwise from upper left: Pastor Michael Cobb performs at the Pero Multicultural Center benefit “Cacophony!”; LSTC students, faculty and alumni pose with ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton after her installation service; Director of Field Education Terry Baeder blesses the LSTC flag football team before their trip to Luther Bowl; Terry Baeder taped to the Refectory wall—it was a fundraiser for the football team; Senior M.Div. student Jana Howson blesses Junior Megan Casper’s fish on the Feast of St. Francis; Rare Book Collection Curator Ralph Klein with Reformation Jubilee Envoy Margot Kässmann, Klaus-Peter Adam, Anja Stuckenberg; McCormick Seminary President Frank Yamada and LSTC President James Nieman lead a blessing and reopening of the JKM Library.

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Calendar of Events All events are at LSTC unless otherwise noted. For a complete listing and details, visit www.lstc.edu/events December 1 7 p.m. Advent Lessons and Carols – Chapel Music Series 6 Fall Semester ends January 6 J Term classes begin 11 9 a.m. The CONFERENCE: Demographics and Diversity, presented by Youth in Mission 12 4 p.m. Bach for the Sem benefit concert at Grace Lutheran Church, River Forest, Ill. Tickets available by calling 773-256-0710 20 11 a.m. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Worship and Luncheon. For details visit www. lstc.edu/multicultural-center/events/ 20 1:30 p.m. Multicultural Workshop: Worship

February African Descent Heritage Month see www.lstc.edu/multicultural-center/events/ for details 3 Spring Semester begins 3 2 p.m. Screening of Montgomery to Memphis for African Descent Heritage Month 5 11 a.m. Installation of Esther Menn as Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs 19 4 p.m. African Descent Heritage Month Conversation and Meal March European American Heritage Month see www.lstc.edu/ multicultural-center/events/ for details 2-4 Seminary Sampler, visit http://www.lstc.edu/ prospective-students/visit/sampler/ or call 773-256-0726 11 5 p.m. 2014 Distinguished Alumni Awards and Reception 19 4 p.m. European American Heritage Conversation and Meal