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Concord ia Sem ina r y, St. Lou is
New classes welcomed to Seminary at Opening Service
On Friday, Aug. 31, at 11 a.m., Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, began its 174th academic year with a special worship service in the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus on the seminary campus. Dr. Dale A. Meyer, president of Concordia Seminary, served as preacher.
Front row, from left: Dr. Victor Raj, Rev. Wayne Knolhoff, Dr. Jeffrey Kloha, Dr. Charles Arand; back row: Rev. Jeffrey Thormodson, Mr. Philip Ebeling, Dr. Dale Meyer.
The incoming class is comprised of 122 students, including all those newly enrolled in residential and distance programs: 80 residential M.Div. students; eight residential alternate route students; three deaconess students; seven EIIT (Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology) students; 21 SMP (Specific Ministry Pastor Program) students; and three exchange students. In addition, Concordia Seminary’s Graduate School has 13 new students: three M.A. (Master of Arts) students; three Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) students; and seven S.T.M. (Master of Sacred Theology) students. The 21 new SMP students received vicarage assignments during the Opening Service as well. In addition, two new staff members were installed: Mr. Philip Ebeling as executive director of communications, and Rev. Wayne Knolhoff as director of placement and alumni relations. Three current faculty members and one current staff member were installed in new positions: Dr. Charles Arand as director of the Center for the Care of Creation; Dr. Victor Raj as occupant of the Buehner-Duesenberg Chair in Missions; Dr. Jeffrey Kloha as director of the Center for the Study of Early Christian Texts; and Rev. Jeffrey Thormodson as director of the MissionShift Institute.
Bach at the Sem announces 2012-2013 season Bach at the Sem, presented by Concordia Seminary and the American Kantorei, enters its 20th season with a full schedule of Sunday concerts: Oct. 28, Dec. 2, March 24, and April 28. All concerts are at 3 p.m. in the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus on the campus of Concordia Seminary in Clayton, Mo. A free-will offering is taken at each concert. “Bach at the Sem begins another season in October on the Concordia Seminary campus, continuing a longstanding tradition of performing J.S. Bach’s music in a sacred setting,” Concordia Seminary’s Dean of the Chapel Kent Burreson commented. “The seminary, host for the series, is very excited about bringing this season’s offerings to the St. Louis community. The American Kantorei and top professional instrumentalists will be led by four accomplished guest conductors who specialize in Baroque music. We know that each conductor’s professionalism and conducting style will enrich the concerts and match the high standards Bach at the Sem audiences expect.” Four guest conductors have accepted invitations to conduct a wide variety of works by J.S. Bach, Heinrich Schütz, G.F. Handel, and Charles Pachelbel, including Bach’s “Ein’ feste Burg” on Reformation Sunday and Cantata I of his Christmas Oratorio on Dec. 2. The season begins with guest conductor Dr. Martin Dicke (October), who hails from Peoria, Ill., where he is cantor at Trinity Lutheran Church and director of the Peoria Bach Festival. Dr. Andrew Megill (December) serves on the faculty of Westminster Choir College of Rider University in New Jersey and conducts the
Carmel Bach Festival Choir in California and the Chorus of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Jeffrey Wilson (March), chairman of the music department and director of choral activities at Greenville College, Ill., will make his second appearance at Bach at the Sem. Dr. Scott Hyslop (April) serves as the director of parish music at St. Lorenz Lutheran Church, Frankenmuth, Mich., one of the largest and oldest congregations in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. More detailed information on each concert and guest conductor, as well as on the American Kantorei and its personnel, may be found on the Bach at the Sem website at http://bach.csl.edu. The American Kantorei, the performing group of Bach at the Sem, was founded in 1969 by its first musical director, Rev. Robert Bergt, a member of the Concordia Seminary faculty. Following a hiatus of some 20 years, the Kantorei was resurrected in 1993 at the behest of its major sponsors, Robert and Lori Duesenberg and Richard and Phyllis Duesenberg, and has since presented to the communities of Concordia Seminary and St. Louis at large nearly 100 concerts of the music of premier Lutheran composer, Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as music of Schütz, Buxtehude, Mendelssohn and other Lutheran composers. In this period of guest conductors, following the death of Maestro Bergt in 2011, the chorus is prepared for each concert by the interim music director, Dr. Jeral Becker, director of choral and vocal activities at Saint Louis University. For additional information, please call (314) 505-7009, email brewerm@csl.edu, or visit http://bach.csl.edu.
Upcoming Visitation Events at Concordia Seminary Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, will host two visitation events for prospective students, college-age and older, in October.
Green and Gold Days: Oct. 19, 2012 (January 11, M arch 15, 2013) Throughout the year, Concordia Seminary will host three one-day events for men and women thinking about becoming pastors or deaconesses that will provide a quick opportunity to come and see all the seminary offers. They will interact with Upcoming Seminary current students, attend classes, worship in chapel, and speak with members of the facGuild meetings: ulty. We will end the day with dinner and conversation. Oct. 19
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Contemplate: Oct. 11-13, 2012 (M arch 7-9, 2013) Contemplate … will provide you with an in-depth opportunity to learn more about life at Concordia Seminary and the preparation that leads to service as a pastor, missionary, chaplain, or deaconess in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. The visit is an active, information-packed three days. You will have ample opportunities to chat with current students and faculty, sit in on classes, and listen to presentations on the admissions process should you decide to take the next step to attend Concordia Seminary. Former participants have noted that their attendance at this structured visit provided them with an abundance of information and an overwhelming feeling of support. To find out more or to register online, please visit www.csl.edu.
October/November 2012