KnightWatch - Fall 2012

knightwatch M a r t in Lu t h e r Coll e ge

MLC

• Welcome, First-Years!

• Call Day: Wherever God Leads • MLC Travel Guide

1995 Luther Court New Ulm, MN 56073 Address Service Requested

NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID OWATONNA, MN 55060 PERMIT #110

FALL 2012

Fall 2012

KnightWatch Staff WRITER/EDITOR

Laurie Gauger ’86 GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Lime Valley Advertising, Inc. PHOTOGRAPHERS

William Pekrul ’80, PR Director Catherine St. John Rebecca Wilkens PROOFREADER

Phil Biedenbender

Office of Admissions DIRECTOR

Mark Stein DMLC ’92 COUNSELORS

Ross Stelljes WLS ’89 Lori Unke DMLC ’83 Daniel Gawrisch MLC ’08 Mike Koepke WLS ’12

College Administration PRESIDENT

Mark Zarling WLS ’80 VP for ACADEMICS

David Wendler DMLC ’70 VP for ADMINISTRATION

Steven Thiesfeldt DMLC ’74 VP for MISSION ADVANCEMENT

Jon Scharlemann VP for STUDENT LIFE

Jeffrey Schone WLS ’87 KnightWatch is published by Martin Luther College and is intended to inform, inspire, and motivate young people who are considering enrolling at MLC to prepare for public ministry in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.

Comments are welcomed and should be directed to gaugerlf@mlc-wels.edu or Martin Luther College KnightWatch 1995 Luther Court New Ulm MN 56073.

New Guy!

Meet the

Admissions Counselor Mike Koepke MLC ’08 We welcome Pastor Michael Koepke to our admissions staff. You’ll see him around campus when you come to visit, and if you attend one of the following high schools, he’ll come to see you: ALA, HVLHS, Illinois LHS, Lakeside LHS, LPS, Manitowoc LHS, Michigan LHS, MLS, West LHS, and WISCO. So where are you from, Mike? I’ve been wondering myself. I lived in four different cities in Michigan growing up: Lansing, Midland, Petoskey, and Berrien Springs. My grade school years, a crazy concoction of home school and a private Pentecostal school, were spent in Petoskey. Then when we moved to Berrien Springs, I attended Michigan LHS. After I came to MLC, my family moved again to Saginaw. I’m hoping that when I go home for Christmas and knock on the door, it will be they who will open it and not some other family they sold it to on their way to their next city. That could be awkward.

When you were in high school, who encouraged you to come to MLC? My parents were always supportive but never pushy. It was actually my high school teachers and pastors whose encouragements had the greatest influence on me—not to mention a couple visits from MLC’s outstanding admissions department.

What are your best memories of being an MLC student? Just hanging out with all the great friends I met—playing ultimate Frisbee, basketball, volleyball, swimming at Flandrau, and staying up until 3 am playing cards and games and watching movies. The most heartwarming memories would have to be weekend nights spent in a certain Centennial dorm room (within open dorm hours and always with a shoe in the door, of course) trying to get a certain beautiful girl who lived there to fall for me—which somehow, in spite of me, eventually happened! Then I married her: Sarah Crabtree from Phoenix AZ. Tell us about your family. Besides my beautiful wife, Sarah, I have one younger brother, Matthew, who is starting college this year. When I found out I was going to be an admissions counselor here, I immediately began hounding him about MLC—jokingly, because he had already enrolled at Saginaw Valley State University. He’s planning on becoming an engineer.

My mom was a teacher before I came along; she specialized in reading and taught the deaf for eight years. My dad has worked as an engineer in power plants, some coal, some gas, and some nuclear. After many failed attempts at trying to understand his complex explanations of what he actually did, I decided to go into something less technical. Then I got to my first class at MLC: Greek. So much for that!

Be in the Know!

On our cover: The dorm staff welcomes first-years to campus—and helps them move in too!

Read KnightWatch Weekly and MLC SportsPage, two weekly e-newsletters written specifically for high schoolers like you! You’ll learn who led the team in scoring and who got the lead in the play, what the Student Senate and the Green Club are up to, and why everyone is hitting the cafeteria after 10pm. Just ask your guidance counselor which bulletin board they’re hiding on—or grab them yourself at mlc-wels.edu.

S he L

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September 23, 2011 o

Student Editor: Samuel Jeske Not o ves Me: M n can “a ly can MLC eet the PWISCO – Milwaukee, WI u them, dition” for students tr roducers y fr A Minute with Homecoming’s Hosts She L om manag production out for the oves M staff. atrica emen This year’s Homecoming will be hosted by none other than Augustine saysMatt Direc e at rehea t to choreo The staff h l productio rs toand g a n (Manitowoc LHS) and Chuqee Fletcher (WISCO). “It’snoan I’m excited,” a r ls A t khonor, , ndrew produ raphy. “I sp s plenty of s, but they eep th c also work e G ti end on says Matt. “It’s a much larger stage than what I’m usedcato,” sen as his emain reer.he“ continues, rlach fro (WISC staff meeti 20+ hours cut out fo Being iorlocally oppshow “stage” is host of The Average Joe Sports Show, a radio n beNew on the m lain O g ortunbroadcast s, ). ling th But th and se a week on r it p y ro is (W a e d t n experi Ulm. “I’m glad to be working with someone like Chuqee,” ucjust d a Chuqee buildin ISChe goes on. time c tion as bless is en ). “I’ o st this ca Oteam.” pumped, saying, “I think Matt and I will make an interesting for m aff has be ce as the b mmitment g,” so psy inag football st ex m Fletcher, chestage Unacourage rcis d to siine,” says M en such an est of his c could pro for the MLC Knights, feels he does not need much set foot e th sch, G eto u eir on t ollege e si n b c ri a e G a c rl c P l od-giv k perf h ach, C Homecoming. farr the front of his peers. Needless to say, this duo will be quite (SLcombo orman Director N ing en ec HS, p this a ce we roduc ilia Diaz (C gifts.” TAugustine ekend omi Unasc Fletcher er). olomb he produand h a nd cti ia, Ch Jesus To Ecuador and Back Again . . . oreog on staff as watch raphe p Thirte Cares - S r), an ictured: Last summer, MLC students went to Ecuador to dive into another o Do en M d LC st Jesus Jarro Stud ud C culture for five weeks. “Seeing and living in another culture is such d Emi ares, an o ents rece ents

Octob

er 13

, 2011 Studen t Ed WISC itor: Sam uel Je O–M sk ilwau kee, W e I

MLC Happenings

While at MLC and Seminary, Mike Koepke ’08 took Spanish immersion trips to Peru and Ecuador, a study tour to Germany, a humanitarian aid trip to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, a mission trip to Montana, and—pictured here—a trip to Glacier National Park with his new wife, Sarah Crabtree Koepke ’09.

Music

What do you like to do? I love the outdoors—hiking, biking, jogging, swimming, fishing. I also enjoy playing basketball, baseball, tennis, and racquetball, and singing.

Choir Concerts Nov 11, Feb 20, Mar 24, Apr 13

Christmas Concert Dec 8- 9

What’s something we might never guess about you? I was almost mauled by a charging grizzly bear at Glacier National Park a couple months ago, along with my wife and my parents and brother.

Wind Symphony Concerts Nov 18, Feb 10

Commencement Concert May 17

As an admissions counselor, what do you want to tell high school students? First, I hope to impress upon them how great and awesome a God they have—one who loves them so much that he became their brother and went through hell so they wouldn’t have to. Then I hope to help them see how that fact completely changes the way they look at the future. It isn’t about acquiring things, because Jesus has given them everything already. It isn’t about proving themselves, because Jesus has already counted them valuable enough to die for. Since they have nothing more to earn or to prove, they are free to dedicate their lives in thankful service to their King, using their unique gifts and talents to glorify him and serve others, no matter what profession they choose.

Drama

“Major” Decisions What majors do we have, you ask? Here you go! Notice all the secondary ed majors!

Bachelor of Arts (Preseminary Studies) Bachelor of Science in Education Early Childhood Education Elementary Education Secondary Education Communication Arts & Literature Mathematics Music: Instrumental, Vocal Physical Education Science: Chemistry, Life Science, Physics Social Studies Spanish Bachelor of Science Staff Ministry Parish Music Master of Science in Education

Fall Musical Singin’ in the Rain Nov 2-4

Winter Play A Witness for the Prosecution Feb 15-17

Readers’ Theater A Tale of Two Cities Dec 7-8

Children’s Theater Who Can Fix the Dragon’s Wagon?

Apr 26-27

Other Fun Stuff Focus on Ministry Oct 11-13, Nov 1-3, Feb 7-9 Homecoming Oct 13

MLC Tip-Off Tourney Nov 30-Dec 2 Winter Carnival Feb 4-9 WELS National Band Festival Mar 15-17

ATHLETICS SCHEDULE: mlc-wels.edu/home/athletics

Dance

Speed Dating

4

Moving In

Mixer

Aug. 23-24

For hundreds more photos, go to mlc-wels.edu and click on “Photo Gallery.�

Fall 2012 On-Campus Enrollment 15

Mandarin!

Other

102

Public School Grads

Zhang Tingting (pictured) joins our faculty this year, teaching Mandarin and Chinese Language & Culture. Tingting is a sister in our fellowship who previously taught Chinese to international students at the International College of Zhejiang University of Technology.

Dozens of MLC graduates teach English in China, and it seems that number is going nowhere but up. A little bit of Mandarin can make it much easier to make friends—or find a restroom!

200

Preparatory School Grads

394

Area Lutheran High School Grads

711 Students TOTAL 2012-2013 ENROLLMENT: 1200+ undergrad, grad, and continuing ed students

We’ve Got Locked Up!

Coolness

Next time you’re here, check out our new locker rooms, which now rival those of much larger colleges. "I think it's a pretty cool facility for a Division III school,” says Athletic Director Jim Unke.

“It looks like a Division I school. I think our kids are going to be impressed. It's nice to be able to show them that they're not in high school anymore."

Student Winners Named at Senior-Faculty Banquet Leading Scholar (Education): Rachel Rupnow (MVL) Leading Scholar (Preseminary): Nathan Schulte (LPS) Fine Arts Award: Caleb Schmiege (Lakeside) Service Award: Jacki Adams (MLS) Via Veritas Vita Award: Kurtis Wetzel (Kewaskum WI) Student Senate Award: Matthew Stuebs (FVL)

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Brooks Scholarship: Julius Buelow (MLS), Andrew Gerlach (WISCO)

President Robert J. Voss Grant for Student Government: Matthew Stuebs (FVL)

MLC Knights Award: Emily Boldt (LPS), Joseph Lindloff (MLS), Jacob Unke (MVL)

President Robert J. Voss Grant for Student Life: Mark Voss (MLS)

UMAC Scholar-Athlete Award: Hannah Janke (LPS), Julius Buelow (MLS)

President Carleton Toppe Grant for GPA and Religion: Erik Janke (LPS)

President John A. Braun Grant for Leadership: Benjamin Schone (MVL)

President E.E. Kowalke Grant for Biblical Languages: Ross Chartrand (LPS)

President John A. Braun Grant for English: Joshua Gebert (Hyde Park Baptist-TX)

President August F. Ernst Grant for Confessional Languages (German): Paul Koester (LPS) President August F. Ernst Grant for Confessional Languages (German & Latin): Joshua Jensen (LPS) President Lewis O. Thompson Grant for Worship and Music: Lucas Proeber (MLS) President Adam Martin Grant for Living Languages (Spanish): Eric Fricke (LPS)

MLC’s Strategic Plan

What’s in It for You? We make our plans with the kingdom of God—and you!—in mind. Take a look at some of our five-year goals.

• Mandarin Instruction – This one’s already up and going. See the article on page 6.

Sam’s

Famous Travel Guide

Step aside, Lonely Planet. To navigate MLC, you need Sam’s Famous Travel Guide prepared by Sam Jeske (WISCO). Here are a few excerpts. The full guide is found at mlc-wels.edu/StudentTravelGuide.

Luther Hollow – The official bonfire spot located behind the softball diamond. Occasionally, acoustic musicians will bring guitars. Tips are welcomed. School won’t pay for itself, you know.

• New Early Childhood Learning Center – We’ll have infant and toddler care too.

• Special Education Major – We’re just exploring the option, but wouldn’t it be great?

• More Master’s Degrees – Teach for a while, then come back to get your master’s. How convenient is that?

• More Urban Ministry Opportunities – Minneapolis, Miami, Milwaukee: take your pick.

• More Service Opportunities – How about following in the steps of Rachel Wendland ’11 (pictured), who was recruited by WELS Kingdom Workers to spend three months in Africa instructing women in English, teaching preschool, and leading inservice training for community teachers? More and more ministry doors are opening! The world is waiting, and MLC will take you there!

Marty – Although most students would say the statue is a symbolic marker of appreciation, many believe the statue wards off naughty boys from the girls’ dorm behind it.

Pit – Located in the Luther Student Center, the Pit is where you hang out, play board games, or watch your favorite football team win. Also tends to be the undesignated area couples migrate to, so watch out.

Proper Dining Etiquette – In the MLC Caf, it’s proper to applaud the student who accidentally breaks a dish. Cheating by intentionally dropping dishes will not be tolerated or applauded.

Suicide Hill – A pleasantly frightful sledding experience, a hill pasted with rocks, trees, and roots. Old cafeteria serving trays serve as excellent sleds (not speaking from personal experience, of course).

Vogel – But a hop, skip, and jump away, this recreation center lets you get your racquetball on or show off your toned abs to the ladies at the pool.

Wal-Mart – Other than solidifying the existence of New Ulm, Wal-Mart provides all the college dorm essentials, from hygienic supplies to posters of Justin Bieber.

Zimbelstern – Look! Up in the Chapel! It’s a Bird! It’s a Star! NO! It’s a Zimbelstern! From its position above the organ, this little gizmo spins at the pull of a switch, sounding off bell-like chimes.

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F i r s t

Im p r e s s i o n s

First-Year Students on the First Week of School

Straight from the First-Years First impressions • I felt like I was at home. Jeff Rick LPS • Alive and active and very friendly.

Zach Unke Manitowoc • Wow, this place is beautiful.

Maria Prange MLS • People were very helpful.

Caleb Solofra Luther • Welcoming. Ashley Sonntag Lakeside • Locker rooms are awesome.

Jake Zietlow LPS • The campus is just the right size. It’s big but not too big. Carl Manske FVL Surprises • I was surprised how much stuff you can fit into a dorm.

Lindsay Hughes KML • The RAs had my car completely unloaded by the time I got the keys to my dorm room.

Nicole Jensen Nebraska • Even the PRESIDENT was helping move freshmen in! Aaron Selly LPS • The food is really good.

Paul Habermann Manitowoc LHS

Urban Ministry in

• Random people said hello and asked me how I was doing. You won't find that anywhere else! Thomas Nicholson Portage HS-Wisconsin • Everybody has a beard. I can't grow a beard. Mark Steinbrenner LPS and Centennial HS-Idaho • There is more to do than what meets the eye. Bethany Arndt St. Croix • I was surprised at how many people there were. I was expecting something a bit smaller. Cassandra Schwark LPS • I was surprised by how big my room was. I was so worried that I wouldn't have enough room for all of my stuff.

Emilee Plocher MVL Messages to friends back home • Even though I miss WISCO, I'm so excited for the future God has planned out for me here at MLC! Gina Radue WISCO • Seniors, defend that state title!

Seth Zoellner St. Croix • I miss you and I hope you have a good year! Stephanie Johnson West

Miami

How would you like to teach children from other countries? How about 42 different countries? How about teaching children from 42 different countries in one school?

That’s what Tim Babler (see page 13) is doing right now! At Divine Savior Academy (DSA)-Doral FL, a large urban school

outside Miami, 33 of 39 teachers are from MLC, DMLC, or NWC. Their enrollment is almost 500.

And Principal Ben Troge MLC ’02 wants more MLC grads. “At DSA,” he says, “our parents are looking for a product: extremely professional, high-quality

• There is always something to do.

Don't be fooled by the small size of New Ulm and the campus.

Sarah Koelpin FVL • MLC is such a unique place because even if you don't know anyone, you still have an automatic bond of faith with them. Rachel Nitz MLS • It's really great and I would encourage any student even with the slightest thoughts about the ministry to come.

Ashley VanCalster FVL • I'm going to miss everyone back there at Evergreen, but so far I've met many new friends.

Selah Elmquist Evergreen • It's only been two days, but I already feel like I have a family! My roommate and I clicked right away.

Even though it’s far away, it is worth it!

Melissa Wolff WLA • If you don't know what you want to do with your life or where you want to go to college; come and see MLC on the Focus trip.

Hannah Ellingboe FVL

Christian education. In order to produce that product, we need quality people doing the work, and that quality comes from MLC. The MLC grads assigned to us have been outstanding. I can’t say that enough.”

Jaime Eternick MLC ’12 (right) student taught these 22 kindergartners at Divine Savior Academy (DSA)-Doral FL, a large urban school outside Miami. Working with teacher Abby Hosbach MLC ’09 (left), Jaime taught children from Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Japan, Puerto Rico, France, and Argentina, among other countries. Students from 42 countries are enrolled at DSA.

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Wherever

God Leads

Graduation and Call Day, May 19, 2012, was the kick-off of “call season,” the time of year when MLC graduates receive their first assignments. Many grads hear the news of where they’re going to serve on Call Day itself, and others hear later in the summer.

We like to say that God has the perfect timeline for everyone!

in Indonesia • serving as athletic director in Wisconsin • coordinating church music in Michigan • teaching grades 1-3 in Salt Lake City • starting a new preschool in Alaska • teaching music in Houston • being a technology director in Wisconsin • teaching English in Peru • being a tutor at Luther Preparatory School.

This year, some of the incredible adventures God gave our new teachers included . . .

Our graduates are prepared to go wherever they are assigned, but, let’s be honest, not every incoming first-year student is ready for that! That kind of trust and eagerness is a gift of God, attitudes of heart and mind that develop as you progress through your

studies here at MLC.

• teaching K4 and K5 in Virginia • being a principal apprentice in Michigan • teaching art in Milwaukee • coaching and teaching Spanish at California LHS • teaching English

And even with that readiness, a graduate may still feel a million different things when he hears his assignment on Call Day! Take a look at Tim Babler ’12 (Evergreen) who has just heard that he is assigned to teach 6th grade religion, science, and math at Divine Savior-Doral FL.

2012 Graduation by the Numbers

149 Graduates 36 Preseminary 100 Education 52 Elementary 10 Early Childhood 5 Elementary & Early Childhood 3 Secondary 20 Elementary & Secondary 4 K-12 1 Elementary & Parish Music 1 Staff Ministry 4 Educational Studies 13 Master of Science in Education

2012 Call Day by the Numbers

19 98%

candidates opted for international service of available candidates were assigned

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Sixth Annual

Thalassa Prize 2012 Grand Prize Winner Pausing briefly, the laborer looked out longingly from the construction site where he worked. Below, his tired eyes could see shops cascading with fresh produce, colorful clothing, and sparkling crystal.

Up wafted the smells of pork, sauerkraut, and dumplings from a nearby restaurant.

Shoppers' footsteps clicked across the cobblestones.

He had come here from the East to work for higher pay. The money would make him wealthy back in his homeland. Perhaps he would use it to buy a place for himself when he went back – if he ever went back.

Days later, I returned to share this photo with him, but he had moved. New workers had already filled his place. As the new workers and I spoke in a mix of broken languages, I invited them to come and visit our mission.

All around us are people desperately searching for a better life.

Teaching in a foreign mission field immersed me in an ocean of lost souls in search of a better life. Ordinary daily encounters like meeting the workers, greeting my neighbors, or even asking for help at a store, often started a conversation.

Quizzically I was asked, “Why did you come to the Czech Republic?” My reply always included an invitation to visit our church, Bible class, or conversation club.

Many times the Lord led those invited guests to visit our mission unaware that hearing God's Word brought them closer to their goal of finding a better life.

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What joy it brings when someone comes to faith in Jesus! I thank God for the opportunities he gives me and all his people to have conversations which

“Searching for a Better Life”

By Paul Kelm DMLC ’86 — Czech Republic

lead to sharing his Word. Through God's Word, the Spirit gives the gift of a “better life” to searching souls. To them he gives it eternally.

then he taught at Skola Martina Luthera, a K-9 school in the Czech Republic, from 1994 to 2006. He also led English Conversation club and English Bible classes in the Czech Republic, which is where he took his photo.

Paul taught the children of two missionary families in Japan from 1987 to 1989, and M a r t i n L u t h e r C o ll e g e

Think there’s only one way to be a missionary? Think again. Through MLC’s Daylight International program, you can teach all over the globe! Nineteen 2012 grads chose international service last May, joining dozens of others who are already making their mark on the world—and on people’s hearts with the gospel.

The 2012 Thalassa winners, give us a glimpse into this kind of service. Consider: A few years from now, we might be awarding the Thalassa Prize to you for your submission from Colombia, Southeast Asia, Mexico, Thailand, Dominican Republic, or—like Paul Kelm's entry, below left—the Czech Republic.

2012 RUNNER UP A parade is a sign of celebration in Mexico. But confetti and music are the roses whose sweet aroma hardly stifles the stench of bloodshed.

Narco traffickers control the streets of Mexico. They own the highways and the byways. They pay off cops and mayors, children and businessmen to move and sell their illegal product.

Recently, the Mexican government has tried to clamp down on the corruption and drug trafficking that have run loose in the country for years. This zealous attempt at reform has ended in grenades decimating shopping malls and machine guns riddling innocent bystanders. The country has erupted into a state of civil war.

“Confetti and Guns”

By Ryan Kolander MLC ’10 — Mexico

Such violence has shut citizens inside their homes. Such devastation has limited the outreach done by our missionaries. Such lawlessness has threatened the safety of our national pastors and driven our missionaries out of Torreon, the Lutheran “headquarters” of Mexico.

church in Torreon continues to thrive, and has even seen new member gains since the departure of our missionaries.

Because they had to leave Torreon, those missionaries settled in a new place. Leon, a city in Mexico’s most Catholic state, has witnessed a new Lutheran mission flower into a growing congregation.

Yet despite the apparent hopelessness of the political situation, the Good Shepherd takes care of his sheep. The

The situation gives us a faint reminder of the early church. When persecution pressed down upon believers, the faith

spread to places they never imagined.

This is how God extends his gospel to those who have never heard it—through unexpected ways.

Ryan taught English in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico, from June 2010 to July 2011 as a way of building bridges between the church and the community to share the gospel.

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vi si t m lc !

Focus on Ministry

(for juniors and seniors)

Experience campus and dorm life from Thursday to Saturday.

how great “ A Focus on Ministry trip showed me dly all a place MLC was and how fun and frien the people are.” el Lindwurm

Meet MLC students who faced the same questions and choices you face today.

Rach (Great Plains LHS)

Talk to athletic coaches, music directors, and professors.

Discuss your future with admissions counselors.

October 11-13, 2012 November 1-3, 2012

February 7-9, 2013

Personal Visit

(for juniors and seniors)

Choose a day that works for you.

Experience campus and dorm life with your personal MLC student host.

Visit classes and enjoy co-curriculars.

For the best possible experience, please contact us several weeks ahead of time to schedule your personal visit.

www.mlc-wels.edu

“ Come visit MLC for a day or two!

The atmosphere of MLC is not like any other college.”

MLC: The WELS College of Ministry

Tyler Dorn (Shoreland LHS)

You WHO’s Coming to Visy .it . . You!

?

Let’s talk about . . . College . . . Ministr

Our admissions counselors want to hear your story and talk about your future.

Mark Stein Director

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Mike Koepke

Ross Stelljes

Lori Unke

Dan Gawrisch

ALA Huron Valley Illinois Lakeside Luther Prep Manitowoc Michigan MLS West WISCO

Fox Valley Kettle Moraine Luther High Luther Prep Minnesota Valley Nebraska Rocky Mountain St. Croix WLA

ALA California Divine Savior Academy Fox Valley Lakeside Luther Prep MLS Minnesota Valley WLA WISCO

Evergreen Great Plains Kettle Moraine Lakeside Luther Prep Northland St. Croix Shoreland WISCO

For more information, call 877.MLC.1995 or visit mlc-wels.edu.