Summer 2017 LifeTogether

LifeTogether THE MAGAZINE OF WARTBURG THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Summer 2017

CALL STORY COOK EVERIST CONCLUDING AT WTS COMMENCEMENT LSPS OUTREACH NEW COLLABORATIVE MDIV

LIFE TOGETHER

is a publication of Wartburg Theological Seminary for our alumni and friends. Permission is granted for additional use in congregations.

Founded in 1854 and located in Dubuque, Iowa since 1889, Wartburg Theological Seminary is one of seven seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

PRESIDENT The Rev. Louise N. Johnson

EDITORIAL, PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN Sam Giere Janelle Koepke Lisamarie Odeen Kathy Haueisen Evi Wusk

SUMMER EDITION, 2017 Wartburg Theological Seminary Dubuque, Iowa 52003 Phone: 563-589-0200 Fax: 563-589-0333 www.wartburgseminary.edu

MISSION STATEMENT Wartburg Theological Seminary serves Christ’s church through the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America by being a worship-centered community of critical theological reflection where learning leads to mission and mission informs learning.

The community embodies God’s mission by stewarding resources for engaging, equipping, and sending collaborative leaders who interpret, proclaim and live the gospel of Jesus Christ for a world created for communion with God and in need of personal and social healing.

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From the President At a synod assembly this spring, I had a conversation with a young adult who was the sole member of her congregation’s evangelism committee. Though she was alone, she was committed to the task - searching for ideas and ways to engage others. She could see a future for her congregation that involved new and authentic ways of telling the church’s story. I asked her why her commitment was so strong - about what gave her strength to shoulder committee work by herself, move against the status quo, and seek a future for her congregation. With tears streaming down her face, she told me of her own experience of grace.

She knew first-hand what it meant to be transformed by the love of God. And she was deeply hungry for others to know.

give, beg for the privilege of sharing in the ministry of the saints. How has God’s grace transformed your own life? In what ways are you overflowing with generosity?

In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul writes about the grace of God granted to the churches in Macedonia – about their experience of God in the midst of poverty and affliction. From that experience of God came both joy and a spirit of giving that “overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.” He goes on to say that “they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints…” (2 Corinthians 8:1-4).

I wonder how the grace of God has transformed you?

Are you eager to serve in a new way in your own congregation? As a leader in the church? Is God calling you to give beyond your means? I pray the Spirit will guide your hearts and minds as you consider how you might respond to God’s grace.

God’s love and grace changes lives. It changed the life of the young woman who is leading the charge in her congregation and it changed the lives of those in the Macedonian community. And when you have been claimed by grace in that way, you will find ways to

In this issue of Life Together, you will read about a young woman who is giving her life to serve the ministry of the church. You will have the privilege of reading about one of Wartburg’s faculty, the Rev. Dr. Norma Cook Everist, as she closes her time after nearly 40 years of teaching. And you will hear about our graduates, those who themselves have experienced the extraordinary grace of God and have now been granted the privilege of sharing in the ministry of the saints as leaders in the church.

In Christ,

Rev. Louise N. Johnson PRESIDENT, WARTBURG THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

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Content 06

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A Call Years in the Making

How LSPS is reaching school children in Ethiopia

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Cook Everist Concludes Her Far-Reaching Service at Wartburg

New MDiv Collaborative Program

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2017 Commencement

Faculty / Staff Updates and Alumni Notes

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A Call Years in the Making by: Evi Wusk

“When you’re called to something, somehow it all works and you don’t see it coming.”

-Emily Norris, Master of Divinity - Residential Learner

When Emily Norris applied to Wartburg in 2013, her plan was to start seminary in the fall. After years in youth ministry and years working with the overflow homeless shelter at her church—once for 121 nights consecutively—seminary seemed like a clear path forward, but it didn’t take long for that straight line to curve.

“The pattern I keep seeing is the minute I think I have it all figured out, God is like, ‘That’s cute, you should try again.’ I had a lot to learn. I don’t think that I could have gotten here any sooner. It had to be at this time, in this place in my world,” Norris said.

She had applied to study to be an Associate in Ministry, unaware at that time, of the full scope of diaconal ministry. But she had a sense of her calling firmly in place.

“Through that job (the homeless shelter) I’ve gotten this big sense that the Gospel is really for everyone and the cross is really for everyone. There are people in this world who desperately need to hear that—that is something we need to share.” This sense of call began early for Norris at age fifteen when her pastor in Colorado told her, “You’re going to be a pastor. You’re going to be in ministry.”

to work there the next summer soon after.

When I told my mom, she was like, ‘I thought you were just going to church.’ I said, ‘I did. . . look what happened.’”

As a youth director in Iowa following college, Norris took her students to a Youth Works site in Tennessee, not realizing she was at the start of what would be yet another turning point in her call. “I had the most awful trip in my whole career in ministry. I was constantly putting out fires. I forgot my makeup at home—I like to look somewhat put together to engage my day. Then I had a kid trapped in O’Hare for nine hours by hersef—I got a ticket for having a taillight out—I had a kid in the emergency room with staff infection—one of my adults was having anxiety attacks—I had kids fall out of a raft—our reservations got lost—breaks went out on one of our cars— Everything that could go wrong on this trip went wong.

This same pastor and her youth group from Colorado attended a service camp in South Dakota that would later cause a shift in her story. As a college student in Iowa, Norris wanted to go to church even though none of her friends in college wanted to go.

Another group of students had some adults who were very supportive. In the midst of the mess, these adults were like, ‘We love you.

You should come work for our church.’ I was like, ‘If there’s ever an opening, who knows?’

We said our good byes and two summers later in New Orleans in a sea of 30,000 people, I happened to be standing at the bottom of an escalator at one of the 37 hotels when I ran into these same adults. We were like—Oh my gosh it’s you—Oh my gosh it’s you—What are the odds? We were so excited to see each other, and they were like, ‘You should come work for us,’” Norris said.

“I hauled my butt across campus, went to the Wednesday night service one night and here is this same South Dakota camp on their staff recuiting trip. So here’s me, this Colorado girl at this Iowa school connecting again with this camp from South Dakota. I talked with the program director that night, and was set

And so she did. After two trips to visit this church in North Carolina, Norris’s seminary plans were on hold as she worked to reconcile the sadness she felt leaving the families and the church she loved with her excitement for this new ministry. “I told the church, and two weeks later I was in North Carolina with

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EMILY NORRIS, MASTER OF DIVINITY - DISTRIBUTED LEARNING STUDENT

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all of my worldly posessions signing a lease. A month total. And then I met my husband five weeks or so after I moved, and I wasn’t looking for him there. It’s like connection points. . . realizing what God does with those,” Norris said.

After years of deferring enrollment for a new job, and then planning a wedding, Norris finally found herself in one of her two classes needed to be a deacon with her previous credits. Just when Norris thought her call story would finally take a straight-line trajectory, it was about to turn one more time.

“I took one class, Lutheran Confessions. I’m telling you, the stupid Book of Concord,” she said laughing. “I ate that up. I was telling my husband, you have to hear this—running around the house—this is incredible! I started to see the connection to our identity as Lutherans and how that makes a difference in the world, and I loved it,” Norris said.

Even though she only needed one other class to complete her requirements, Norris enrolled full time toward an MA in January of 2017. “I went on campus for intensive week, and I felt this sense of clarity and peace on

campus,” Norris said. After internal and external affirmations all week, Norris walked into Nate Frambach’s class to find him sitting on a stool not saying much to anyone as they walked in. Then he started reading the poem, No Going Back by Wendel Berry: “No, no, there is no going back./Less and less you are/that possibility you were. . . Every day you have less reason/not to give yourself away.”

Norris sensed these words were meant just for her. She was not only called to Word and Service, a key part in her formation, but also to Word and Sacrament.

“I made it through class and Amy Current, the Dean of Vocation was waiting outside the door right in the hallway,” Norris said. “She asked if I wanted to talk, how it was going, and what I was thinking. I said, ‘I think I’m supposed to be a pastor,’ and she said, ‘I had a feeling that was coming.’ Then she asked, ‘So, what’s your hang up? What’s your reservation?’”

“I’ve had a lot of great pastors in my life, ones that I’ve seen do this well, but I’ve never been able to see myself in the way they’ve done it. I don’t do things the way everyone else does it.

If that’s what being a pastor looks like, I don’t know if I can slot into that. Not that it’s bad, but I don’t know that I can be a pastor and do it that way,” Norris said.

“The church and the world need you to do it differently. Great, do it differently,” Current said.

“And I’m like great, I will. And that was it,” Norris said.

Norris’ move across states and movements within her call might have created challenges if she were studying residentially, but Wartburg’s distance format has allowed her to be nimble as she responds to her call.

ZOOM CLASSROOM, SPRING INTENSIVES. FEBRUARY, 2017

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“The way the classes are set up—it’s so personal. I’m 900 miles away, but I’m able to be with my professors. No one could convince me otherwise that Wartburg doesn’t have the best distance learning. They are not afraid to fail. They realize that things have to change.

Even though we don’t have the answers this minute, we’re going to take a step and figure it out as we go. With the technology, we’ve

had a couple of classes where we couldn’t hear someone, but by the end of class we’re in business. We’re all learning as we go and there is value in it. They get feedback and adjust and adapt and next year we’ll all be better. They’re being brave for the sake of the Gospel and the Church,” Norris said.

In all of the turns, Norris is clear about one lesson that runs straight through all of it.

“I had all kinds of reasons not to. I was anxious about the financial side—I have crazy amounts of student loans from my undergrad. And then I was chosen for a Funds for Leaders—I have a full tuition scholarship.

God’s like yep, taking it off the table. When you’re called to something, somehow it all works and you don’t see it coming. If God’s calling you to this, you can’t just not do it. You can pretend. It’s not gonna change. If you feel that in you. God’s not gonna let up on it. You’re gonna have to sit. And God does something huge with that.” Norris said.

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Cook Everist Concludes Her Far-Reaching Service at Wartburg by: Evi Wusk “Norma’s service to Wartburg Theological Seminary has been marked by deep faithfullness, wisdom, and care for those around her. She is a gifted leader, scholar, and teacher, whose contributions are written in the pages of books and threaded through the hearts of so many of us who have had the privilege to call her teacher.”

-President Louise N. Johnson

She’s quick to note that she’s not retiring.

Norma Cook Everist, Distinguished Professor of Church Ministry, emerita, will conclude her 38 years of service at Wartburg Seminary this summer. Her work as a teaching theologian, prolific author, a pioneer in women’s leadership, and a woman of global impact have made immeasurable contributions to church leadership and the mission of Christ.

“I think the reason I don’t want to use the word ‘retire’ is because I’ve been retired before at the age of 25 when a church body said you can no longer be a deaconess as you have become a mother,” Cook Everist said.

Throughout her tenure, issues of gender, power and social justice have played a part in how she has lived out her call. When she was the first deaconess to be ordained as a pastor, many thought it was a vertical rather than a horizontal move. “It was not to go up to higher things, but it was an important breakthrough that ministry could be based on gifts and not gender.”

Cook Everist, was also the first woman to be elected to a tenure eligible position at a seminary of the American Lutheran Church, and subsequently the first woman tenured.

“Contrary to what people think about me, I don’t feel like a pioneer,” Cook Everist said.

“I know I’ve broken barriers and together with many others we’ve been change agents within the church, within theological education. But in public school in Iowa, girls were encouraged to succeed and the church welcomed me and encouraged me. As a young adult, I started to meet barriers. I was attending an LCMS seminary: 800 men and two women. I remember I could write a sermon and receive an A, but I had to call it an inspirational address.

Through my 57 years of public ministry I have Page 10 | LifeTogether

been ignored, trivialized, ridiculed and, yes, dismissed. I have many stories about that, but there also have been courageous people who have invited me to serve, such as to teach at Yale Divinity School after receiving my degree there.”

As a “first” she was also then asked to serve on many task forces and committees, usually as the token woman. “I could have said no, but realized I needed to say “yes” and do the job well, often because people felt I was representing all women,” Cook Everist said.

“If a door was opened just a crack, I walked through and opened it wider for others to walk through, too.”

In addition to her service nationally and internationally, she also made a large contribution through her work as editor of Wartburg’s The Persistent Voice, a networking newsletter that began in 1990 that has since become a history of the women’s movement, which now holds a globally-minded mission statement.

“By staying here in Dubuque, Iowa, my ministry has reached well beyond, to speaking opportunities, diaconal leadership, committee work and seminary teaching all over the world.”

Her prolific writing has made an impact in the larger ecumenical church. As a writer and an editor, she has had 14 books published and written chapters in 17. She’s written for the church and also for the public world, totaling over 150 articles, not counting 13 years of writing a column with her husband Burton for The Lutheran Magazine and her blog, “Conversations on the Church’s Vocation in the Public World.” She’s also created educational resources and multimedia online resources. Her most recent book titles include Transforming Leadership, co-authored with

NORMA COOK EVERIST’S FINAL COURSE AT WARTBURG THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. TEEM AND CERTIFICATE INTENSIVES, JUNE, 2017.

Craig Nessan (Fortress) and Seventy Images of Grace in the Epistles that Make all the Difference in Daily Life (Cascade).

“She’s a great collaborator,” said Nessan. “She knows how to attend to people in such a way that makes them work together better. She has a sense of the whole and trying to, on the fly, do asset building among the people with whom she works. She really tries to pull out the assets each person has that contribute to the whole. The number of people that have looked to her for guidance and solace and direction will never see the light of day because it’s a personal relationship. With Norma each one feels like they get her undivided attention.”

“I’m tired continuously because I live with chronic illness, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

But the work energizes me. Wartburg has been an amazing place. I have lived with this disability for over 35 years. I have to rest

“Norma Cook Everist is and has been an inspiration to women and men of the ELCA, but especially to women discerning their call to ministry whether it was a call to Word and Service or to Word and Sacrament.”

Deacon Terese TouVelle ‘15

After all this writing, teaching and serving it might seem that Norma is concluding her service simply because she’s tired, but she’s done all this while being physically tired herself.

about four hours a day, and therefore plan my work well ahead. I have to sit to preach and sit on a stool to teach. However, the Wartburg community is very caring. When worshipping in chapel, whoever happens to LifeTogether I Page 11

I have no doubt that Norma will continue to answer God’s call to servant leadership after her time at Wartburg is concluded, but I am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from her, to hear her story, and experience the many ways in which she has been a pioneer and a champion of doing God’s work in the church and in the world.

-Deacon Shannon Johnson, Class of 2015

be beside me when people stand up simply remains sitting with me. It’s become a silent tradition, passed along through the years, the person just sits with me. As a professor with a disability, people give me respect and support. That says a lot about Wartburg. I also am so very thankful for the support of my husband, Burton, and of our three sons and their families.”

Wartburg has grown through Cook Everist’s work and service, but also through simply having her as a part of the community, being the exemplary woman she is.

of Christ and to be body of Christ together with different needs that members bring to the whole,” colleague Craig Nessan said.

But to picture Norma Cook Everist as a tired woman would not do justice her service or her spirit.

“Through her wit and wisdom taught and encouraged us to be who God created us to be, to serve the world as Jesus Christ has called us to serve, and go empowered by the Holy Spirit.”

“I get new life when I walk with students or I see our graduates. To see the kind of ministry they are doing and how the spirit is breaking through in their ministry. I just rejoice and give thanks. It invigorates me and then I’m not tired at all. It just gives life.”

-Deacon Anna Dykeman ‘14

“The way she’s dealt with it (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) has been extraor- dinary. It’s been an occasion for others to be more aware of the needs of particular persons within the body

NORMA COOK EVERIST WAS NAMED DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR OF CHURCH AND MINISTRY, EMERITA

BY THE WARTBURG THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY BOARD OF DIRECTORS AT THEIR JUNE 2017 MEETING.

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2017 Commencement The Wartburg Theological Seminary Class of 2017 has been sent out for God’s work in the world!

“We celebrate the gifts for ministry and the academic achievements of the Wartburg Theological Seminary class of 2017. In this year of celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, we can have confidence that these graduates, now to serve as leaders in ministry and mission, will be agents for the renewal and revitalization of the church as we enter the next era of serving Jesus Christ for the life of the world”, says Academic Dean, Dr. Craig Nessan.

Wartburg Theological Seminary (WTS) honored 44 degree and certificate candidates at commencement exercises on Sunday, May 14, at St. Joseph the Worker Church, Dubuque, Iowa.

Graduates of Wartburg Theological Seminary will serve the church and world providing leadership to congregations and other ministry settings as pastors, teachers, youth leaders, diaconal ministers, chaplains, associates in ministry, and a variety of other positions.

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The Living Loehe Award, which was established by Wartburg Seminary in 1973 as a way of honoring individuals who have given distinguished service to and through the church and exemplify Christ’s call to be disciples in the context of their own daily lives and professional commitments, was given at commencement to both Linda Hartke, CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, and Sister Corine Murray, a life-long member of the Sisters of Presentation (Blessed Virgin Mary) in Dubuque.

The Honorary Degree of Doctor of Divinity was be presented to both The Rev. Dr. Maxwell E. Johnson, Professor of Theology (Liturgical Studies) in the Department of Theology at Notre Dame, and The Rev. Dr. Timothy J. Wengert, who is the Ministerium of Pennsylvania Emeritus Professor of Church History at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia.

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How Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest is Reaching School Children in Ethiopia by: Kathryn Haueisen

Mark Twain’s popular quote about travel pretty much sums up the mission of the Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest and the experience of LSPS 2005 graduate Pastor Brad Otto. Twain said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”

When Brad was deciding which seminary to attend, Dr. August Wenzel was the Director at LSPS. Brad explains, “He showed me that the church really needs to prepare itself for ministry in a multi-cultural context, with special emphasis in Spanish. That really appealed to me more than anything else.”

By the time Brad started seminary he’d already done some international travelling and befriended people from other cultures. As a theatre major at Texas Lutheran University he spent time in London. Through the campus ministry at TLU he was introduced to Pastor Michael Birnbaum who took college students on mission trips to Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

During his summers on staff at Lutherhill in LaGrange, he made friends with international summer staff. He reports he still has weekly conversations with one of them.

A combination of factors led him to add a major in theology to his theatre major. Walter Hildebrand, pastor at his home congregation of United Evangelical-Swiss Alp in Schulenburg, Texas encouraged him to consider ministry. He was further encouraged to do so by Campus Pastor Greg Ronnig, at TLU. Like many rostered people, he was also influenced to consider the ministry through seven summers spent working at camp, starting in high school. He said, “Some of the best years of my life were spent at camp, where Page 16 | LifeTogether

people find themselves, and for me it was ministry. I still have deep friendships with some of the international staff I met there.”

One of the biggest influences on Brad was the mission work he and others did in partnership with an ELCA congregation outside San Jose in Costa Rica. They poured a slab for an orphanage to aid refuges fleeing from violence in neighboring Nicaragua. All this prepared him for his seminary experience at LSPS. “My studies at LSPS gave me the foresight to try to create a culture within the church that is welcoming to all people regardless of culture – to make our churches look more like our school cafeterias. It has helped me bridge the gap. I use my Spanish every single day. I use it all the time. It helps me in who I am personally to be able to appreciate diversity and be able to reach across different cultures.

Brad’s cross-cultural circle of parishioners, friends, and colleagues stretches from Houston to New Zealand to Ethiopia to London.

At Messiah, where has served as pastor since 2009, he says his LSPS education “has helped me bring focus and make sure we are a diversified congregation. We are starting to see results now with about 14% of our congregation being people of color. That has opened the door for us to make our late service bi-lingual. We do simple things like alternate languages for the apostolic greeting, the creed, and sharing of the peace. I do the words of institution in both Spanish and English.

A few years ago Brad led his congregation to participate in a well building project through Water to Thrive in Ethiopia. Brad said that while there, “I saw school buildings sitting empty. I learned it was because the women and children had to spend hours every day walking to fetch water, which wasn’t even

PASTOR BRAD OTTO MESSIAH LUTHERAN CHURCH, CYPRESS, TX

really safe to drink. So the children weren’t going to school. They were missing school either because they had to fetch water or because they were sick from drinking it.

“I saw schools that were empty shells. Other organizations would come and build a school, but they didn’t provide any supplies for them so they weren’t of much use.”

While in Ethiopia Brad felt God nudging him to focus on the educational part of the Poverty-Growth-Inequality Triangle that alleviates poverty. Poverty is reduced as health, education, and easy access to safe drinking water increase. “I just felt this whisper from God saying, “You can do this.’”

In 2014 Brad launched the non-profit Acts of Wisdom which focuses on getting school books to communities that already have wells. Having a well frees up time for children to attend school and helps improve health.

Then they can focus on studying.

“LSPS helped me know how to approach another culture and create a sensitivity to build cross-cultural working relationships.

Education has been a huge part of my family. My mom has been in the educational system for thirty years now. So I started putting numbers to it and saw this idea was doable. For $15 to $25 we could sup-

ply one child with schoolbooks for a year.

“I asked a few folks to join the board and only one person turned me down. It’s been amazing. In two years we’ve distributed 3,000 schoolbooks for Kindergarten through fifth grade. The drop out rate has fallen from 35% to zero. The crime rate in the village has dropped, and more kids are inspired to go to college, which will change the lifestyle of the family.

“We focus where there are already water wells, so we’re taking care of two of the three factors that reduce poverty. And when those two are in place, the health improves too. Because of the huge strides we’ve made in the areas where we’ve been working, those communities now qualify for government funding they can use to beautify their schools and expand their facilities.

“When I was at LSPS I knew the education and training I was getting was relevant, but I didn’t know how relevant until I actually got into ministry. If we want to be the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the training at LSPS can help us get there. Especially when America is so diverse already. We have a long way to go, but I believe LSPS is asking the right questions and training leaders in the right way.

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Wartburg Launches New MDiv Collaborative Program by: Janelle Koepke

Last September Wartburg Seminary launched a new pathway for the Master of Divinity degree called the Collaborative Learning Program. This new program aims to provide an opportunity for students to learn by accessing the classroom via online learning and simultaneously serving in a congregation while also removing some of the barriers that are common obstacles for future church leaders.

And, it is helping to meet the both the current and future leadership needs of the church.

Sound interesting?

Meet Kelly Ylitalo, one

of the first students in the MDiv Collaborative Pilot Program.

Kelly had been discerning a call to ministry and visited campus in the Spring of 2016. She was working at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Hancock, Michigan but was having a difficult time figuring out how she would financially afford to give up current employment, relocate, find affordable housing and gainful employment in any seminary community, while also paying tuition.

Kelly describes how participating in the Collaborative Learning Program became a reality and the best pathway for her situation, “During the summer of 2016, I was contacted

by Wartburg and learned of an amazing opportunity. Wartburg was in the trial stages of a new program and they thought I would be a perfect candidate. Would I consider participating? After hearing all that the program entails, I found it to be the very answer to prayer I needed in order to pursue a calling to ordained ministry. The opportunity became all the more exciting when the congregation I was already serving and my home synod agreed to partner with Wartburg and me in

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this endeavor, making the opportunity a reality. Now I could go to seminary, remain in my current community, continue to serve in a congregation, and receive financial assistance to obtain my degree. What a blessing!”

Learn. Lead. Serve.

The MDiv Collaborative Learning Program places students in a congregation where they will work part-time throughout the 4-year degree program and access their courses taught by Wartburg Seminary’s faculty through a real-time virtual classroom.

This unique learning platform gives students an opportunity for simultaneous learning and serving.

Academic Dean, Rev. Dr. Craig Nessan shared, “Collaborative students located in a congregational setting bring particular gifts for the mutual enrichment of the whole seminary community, specifically perspectives based on their daily involvement in pastoral ministry in the congregations where they are serving. Moreover, collaborative students receive the mentoring of experienced pastors in an ongoing way throughout their formation process.”

Not only do faculty readily see this benefit but students in the program are quick to note that this learning experience is beneficial. Kelly describes the impact of the learning/serving model in her first year, “Having the opportunity to serve in a congregation while taking courses has given me multiple opportunities to utilize my learning immediately in a congregational context. I don’t have to wait to apply what I’m learning until an internship year or waiting until I’m ordained. It’s already happening. I’m preaching, presiding, and assisting with worship, teaching Sunday School, playing with children and adults, visiting our shut-ins, participating in weekly text studies, and having fun being immersed in ministry right now!”

As for accessing coursework through a virtual classroom, Wartburg Seminary has invested

LEARN. LEAD. SERVE. Unlike most theological education, students serve in a congregation or other ministry ALL four years while also taking courses online to complete the Master of Divinity degree.

Serving in ministry from the first day of seminary focuses learning which is integrated with course curriculum and content. This creates a dynamic action-reflection based learning experience. It is recommended that students in this program serve part-time in ministry and engage in fulltime coursework.

REDUCES THE NEED FOR EDUCATIONAL STUDENT LOAN BORROWING. In addition to being compensated for part-time ministry service, sponsoring synods, congregations or other ministries, and the seminary work together to support the student and reduce the need for students to take on significant educational debt. Students often accumulate debt due to living costs rather than tuition. By providing employment and health insurance this relieves a significant financial burden on the student.

REAL-TIME CLASSROOM PARTICIPATION. Using new classroom technology, students will participate in courses from their computer, as if they are sitting in the classroom, - engaging in conversation, asking questions, and sharing insights gained from the work they are simultaneously performing in a congregation or other organization.

VISIT CAMPUS TWO TIMES PER YEAR. No need to move to Wartburg Seminary’s campus in Dubuque, Iowa. Instead students will participate in one-week intensives at the beginning of each semester with classmates and faculty to build community, which is a core element of Wartburg Seminary’s formation process.

LEARNING SITES PROVIDE PASTORAL LEADERSHIP IN CONGREGATIONS. Sites may include congregations where there is currently no pastoral leadership and students will serve as a synodically authorized minister or larger multi-staff congregations where the student will serve alongside other pastoral staff.

KELLY ASSISTING WITH WORSHIP. (PHOTO CREDIT: LUANNE SKRENES) GLORIA DEI LUTHERAN CHURCH IN HANCOCK, MICHIGAN IS SERVING AS A COLLABORATIVE LEARNING PROGRAM TEACHING CONGREGATION.

in upgrading classrooms with technology that streamlines the access for the student, the faculty, and the residential students who are live in the classroom. The Zoom Classrooms (Zoom is our classroom learning platform) create the opportunity for all to interact and learn together.

“Zoom has been an extremely useful tool both in and outside of the classroom environment. I love that I am able to not only learn at a distance, but I am able to do so through live interactions. I’m not just emailing and posting to a forum somewhere out there in cyberspace. I am listening, dialoging, and building relationships with my instructors and classmates in real time. It’s almost as good as being there in person,” said Ylitalo of

her experience.

Interested in Learning More?

If you or someone you know would be a good candidate for the Collaborative Learning Program please contact the Wartburg Seminary Admissions Office at (563)589-0203.

Would your congregation be interested in learning more about serving as a teaching congregation for the Collaborative Learning Program? Visit www.wartburgseminary.edu/ collaborative to learn more or contact Project Director, Janelle Koepke, at (563)589-0718.

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Faculty and Staff Updates Streng Professor for the Education and Renewal of the Church, is author of the book, Radicalizing Reformation: North American Perspectives. Zűrich: Lit Verlag, 2016. Edited with Karen L. Bloomquist and Hans Ulrich. Includes his chapter, “Beyond Luther to Ethical Reformation: Peasants, Anabaptists, Jews.”

Presentations in the last year include: “Being Body of Christ,” Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries, Preachers Conference, February 2017, “Luther’s Two Strategies,” “Wittenberg Declaration 2017,” and “ Luther Against the Jews,” Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church and Lutheran Campus Ministry/University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, February 2017, “Luther and the Reformation,” Faith Lutheran Church, Marion, Iowa, February 2017, “Who Is Jesus Christ for Us Today?

The Significance of Bonhoeffer for the Witness of the Church,” Ascension Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, March 2017, “Spirituality, Evangelizing, and Shalom Church,” Grace Institute, Dubuque, Iowa, May 2017, “Lutherans Always Reforming,”

Keynote address and workshop leader, North/West Lower Michigan Synod, East Lansing, Michigan, June 17, 2017, “Luther and the Jews: The Trajectory of Tragic Writings,” Luther Congress, Wittenberg, Germany, August 2017, “Luther and the Reformation: Living Legacy,” Central Southern Illinois, Carbondale, Illinois, September 23, 2017, “Lutheran-Roman Catholic Relations at the Reformation Anniversary,” Maryville, Missouri, October 7, 2017, “Lutherans and Social Advocacy,” Lutheran Advocacy Ministry, Albuquerque, New Mexico, October 14, 2017, “Luther and the Reformation,” Lutheran Church of the Reformation, Roseville, Minnesota, October 28, 2017, “Luther and the Reformation,” Theologian in Residence Program, St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, Mahtomedi, Minnesota, October 29-November 1, 2017.

Erik Preston, Database Director presented at JAM 2017 (Jenzabar Annual Meeting.

His presentation, Harnessing the Combined

Power of Simple Query and FormFlow explored what Wartburg Theological Seminary has done to improve usage of our JICS site (database) by combining the abilities of FormFlow and Simple Query to create ‘custom’ portlets.

Rev. Dr. Gwen Sayler, Professor of Bible, Holder of William A. & John E. Wagner Professor of Biblical Theology, and Director of Lifelong Learning, will lead the Bible Study for the International Diakonia Assembly meeting in Chicago June 28July 5.

Tim Snyder, Instructor of Practical Theology and Director of Educational Technology, concluded a two-year competive fellowship in the Louisville Institute’s Vocation of a Theological Educator program. In January of 2016 he taught a course on “Evangelism and Public Witness.”

PROFESSOR TROY TROFTGRUBEN, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF NEW TESTAMENT

Ms. Susan Ebertz, Director of the Reu Memorial Library and Associate Professor of Bibliography & Academic Research, was a member of two Association of Theological Schools accreditation evaluation teams. She presented at a session on collaboration of small libraries at the American Theological Library Association (ATLA) annual meeting in June 2016 in Long Beach, CA. and will be presenting at 2 sessions for the annual meeting of ATLA; “Creating Information Literacy Videos” and “Serving Distance Students.” Author of Listening to Immigrant Voices; Japanese American Internment in Currents in Theology and Mission, 2017.

Rev. Dr. Nate Frambach will serve as the guest speaker and Bible study leader at Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp, Crystal Falls, MI, Northern Great Lakes Synod, for the week of July 30--August 4, 2017. He will also serve, along with Professor Troy Troftgruben, as guest

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presenter at the Discipleship Academy Retreat of the Western Iowa Synod, Lutheran Lakeside Camp, Spirit Lake, IA, on August 25 & 26, 2017. In the Fall of 2017 Nate will be leading a series of adult education forums on Sunday mornings at First Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids, IA. Nate continues to serve on the editorial board of the Connect Journal as well as the candidacy committee of the Arkansas/ Oklahoma Synod.

Rev. Dr. Sam Giere presented a portion of an on-going project on reclaiming faith as the heartbeat of salvation at the 2017 Assembly of the Western North Dakota Synod and at Luther Academy of the Rockies, Meeker Park Lodge, Colorado. He has recently published a variety of ditties in the Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (de Gruyter), Preaching: Sundays and Seasons - Year B 2018 (Augsburg Fortress), and with WorkingPreacher.org. He published an article, “The Eighth Commandment for an Age of Rhetorical Corrosion,” in Lutheran Forum 50/3 (Fall 2016). In addition to improving

his proficiency with the great highland bagpipes, he has been working with “I’m a Dubuquer,” a public art project intended to foster inclusivity within the city of Dubuque. Check out the project at: www.imadubuquer.com.

Rev. Dr. Martin Lohrmann, Assistant Professor of Lutheran Confessions & Heritage was the keynote speaker at the 2017 East-Central Synod of Wisconsin assembly. He has also given presentations on Reformation heritage with church groups in Florida, Iowa, North Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin. He wrote a chapter for

By Heart: Conversations with Martin Luther’s Small Catechism (Fortress, 2017) and continues to publish essays in Reformation history in a variety of scholarly and popular sources, including Living Lutheran and Christian History Magazine.

Rev. Dr. Craig Nessan, Academic Dean and Professor of Contextual Theology and Ethics, Holder of William D.

CONSIDERING YOUR CALL VISIT WARTBURG THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

WARTBURG SEMINARY offers several on-line and on-campus visit opportunities throughout the year. We look forward to welcoming you at one or more of the following: • September 21, 2017 - Online Open House • October 14, 2017 - Fall Open House in Dubuque, Iowa • • November 14, 2017 - Online Open House • March 9-11, 2018 - Considering Your Call Discernment Weekend in Dubuque, Iowa www.wartburgseminary.edu | 563-589-0203 admissions@wartburgseminary.edu LifeTogether I Page 21

and in the spring of 2017 he offered a travel seminar on “Transforming Congregations for Mission” – both were taught at the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary. Publications include a chapter titled, “The Possibility of Conflict” in Crossing Boundaries, Dr. Kristine Stache, Associate Professor of Missional Leadership and holder of the The Wilhelm Loehe Chair in Mission, returned from sabbatical in 2016 and presented a post-sabbatical lecture titled, “Formation & Vocation: A Spiritual Journey In and Out of the Depths.” Stache also serves on the steering committee for the International Research Consortium, a global group of scholars, practitioners, and researchers that gather annually to learn from one another and from congregations in the context in which they meet.

She presented on “Christian Vocation and the Common Good” at the 2017 gathering, God in the Neighborhood:

Toward a Missiological Vision of Place, held at Pittsburg Theological Seminary.

As a part of the Seminary’s commitment to innovative forms of theological education, this academic year, President Louise N. Johnson appointed her Director of Innovative Initiates. In this new role, Stache assists President Johnson in building new partnerships and developing new initiatives.

Rev. Dr. Troy Troftgruben, Assistant Professor of New Testament, is one of the Bible study leaders for the ELCA’s first Rostered Leaders’ Gathering in Atlanta (August 7-10), the teaching resource person for a week of family camp at Outlaw Ranch (July 1721), a resource person for staff training at EWALU camp in Strawberry Point (Iowa), and the summer online Greek instructor for Wartburg Seminary.

This fall Troy will be teaching on the Reformation and Scripture at various congregations in Anamosa (Iowa),

Madison (Wisconsin), and Dubuque. He also continues to teach for the Western Iowa synod Discipleship Academy and TEEM courses online for Wartburg Seminary.

Troy is publishing an article in Journal of Biblical Literature (“Slow Sailing in Acts: Suspense in the Final Sea Voyage,” expected 2017) and the Facilitator’s Guide for By Heart: Conversations with Martin Luther’s Small Catechism (Augsburg Fortress, 2017), along with several book reviews for Review of Biblical Literature, Lutheran Quarterly, and Currents in Theology and Mission.

He has also contributed textual commentaries for both Working Preacher (Sept-Oct 2017) and Sundays and Seasons: Preaching, Year B, 2018 (2017), as well as preaching helps for Currents in Theology and Mission (Jan 2017). Troy is currently now working on a book project with Fortress Press designed to engage ministry leaders and congregations with early church communities (Church Roots: An Introduction to the Earliest Christian Communities).

BOLD GOD CALLS US TO BE

Alumni Notes Wartburg Theological Seminary ‘42 Ms. Shirley Hansen, wife of alum Edward Hansen, died March 27, 2017.

2016. He served Hope, Everly, IA; St. John, Bloomer, WI and First Trinity, Marinette, WI.

Mrs. Faythe Kalkwarf, wife of Rev. Carl Kalkwarf, died July 5, 2016.

‘54 Rev. Luther Cronrath died October 15, 2016. He served conregations in Washington and California.

‘45 Mrs. Ruth Hughes, wife of deceased alum James Hughes, died September 28, 2016.

Mrs. Elizabeth (Lib) Wolff Mohr, wife of late Rev. Vernon Mohr, died October 2, 2016.

Mrs. LaVonne Stief died June 25, 2016.

She is the spouse of the late Dr. Harry Stief.

Rev. Alfred Walck, Jr died April 27, 2017. He served as Missionary in Papua New Guinea for 26 years. After returning to the states he served Our Savior’s, Rochester, MN; Trinity, Linn Grove, IA, St. Peter and St. Paul, Brunnsville/Merrill, IA. ‘51 Mrs. Helen Trapp, wife of Rev. Richard Trapp, died September 23, 2016.

‘52 Rev. Nolan Sagebiel died December 23, 2015. He served Lutheran churches across South and Central Texas during his 50 years in the ministry.

Engage God’s People.

Make your gift today using the enclosed envelope or online at www.wartburgseminary.edu Page 22 | LifeTogether Through

your gifts and partnership Wartburg Seminary is preparing the next generation of leaders for God’s work in the world.

Rev. Emil Carl Frederick Stubenvoll died October 16,

’55 Ms. Loretta Dohmeier, wife of Rev. Ervin Dohmeier, died June 11, 2016.

Rev. Leroy Miller died September 24, 2016. He served Faith, West Anaheim, CA. Rev. Richard Warber died June 14, 2016. He served 44 years in the ministry of which 36 were at St. Lukes, Greendale, WI. ’56 Mrs. Sylvia Krueger, wife of Franklin Krueger, died November 21, 2015. ’57 Mrs. Elaine Guetzlaff, wife of Rev. Conrad Guetzlaff, died April 12, 2016.

Rev. Dr. Russel Mueller died January 9, 2017. He served Zion, Mt. Olive, IL; Immanuel; Flatville, IL; Faith, Castro Valley, CA; St. Andrew, San Diego, CA; St. Timothy, Lakewood, CA; Emmanuel, Bakersfield, CA and San Pablo, King City, Templeton and Porterville, all in CA.

’58 Rev. Dr. Frank Benz died July 25, 2016.

During his years of study for ministry at WTS he was asked by the faculty to forego his year of internship to teach Beginning Greek and Hebrew for two years while completing his senior year courses. In 1958 he enrolled for graduate studies in the Department for Near Eastern Studies of The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. Frank was called back to Wartburg Seminary in 1960, but given leave to complete his degree studies. His doctoral dissertation, Personal Names in the Phoenician and Punic Inscriptions, was published by the Pontifical Biblical Institute Press in Rome. It continues to be a valuable resource for scholars in the Semitic field of study. At Wartburg Seminary, Frank taught biblical languages, Hebrew scriptures/Old Testament theology and a variety of courses in the curriculum. During his 33 years of ministry here, he also served as dean of students, interim dean of the faculty and director of the January course of studies that took some students off campus for engagement in parishes as well as overseas for international immersions. In his teaching years he led three archaeological excavations in Israel and the West Bank (Gezer and Tel-Hesi).

Frank served as President of the Lutheran Retired

Rev. David Hoh died November 19, 2016.

He served Mount Calvary, Eagan, MN; chaplain in the U.S. Army, both in the U.S. and overseas, particularly in South Korea; First, Galveston, TX.

Pastors Association of Northern Colorado and Dean of the Luther Academy of the Rockies. Frank’s beloved wife Joyce passed away in 2010.

Mrs. Gertrude (Trudy) Freidinger, wife of the late Rev. George Freidinger, died October 22, 2016.

‘59 Rev. Eric Schulze died August 8, 2016. He served Atonement, San Antonio, TX; Calvary, Richland Hills, TX. Rev. Donald Wahlgren died September 10, 2016.

He served many different parishes in Iowa for 26 years.

Rev. Richard Kelling died July 14, 2016.

He served as an Instituion Chaplain and was pastor at several congregations in Wisconsin, including Our Savior’s, Whitehall, WI. ‘61 Mrs. LaVonne Albrecht, wife of Rev John Albrecht died March 1, 2017.

‘60 Rev. Dr. Robert Hildebrant died May 22, 2017. He served as chaplain for the National Guard while serving churches in Waterloo, IA. He moved to New Orleans wher ehe earned his Master’s in Social Work and PhD in Social Work from Tulane University. He transferred to the Louisiana National Guard and served in the 204th Transportation Group, The Washington Artillery, the 159th MASH and State Headquarter as the State Chaplain.

After serving 28 years during the Vietnam, Cold War and Desert Storm eras, he retired as a full Colonel with the Legion of Merit.

He taught at Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA, Charity Hospital School of Nursing and Our Lady of Holy Cross College in Algiers as chairman of the Social Counseling Program.

‘62 Rev. Allen Elmer Hermeier died April 4, 2017. He served in Burr Oak and Hesper, St. Paul’s in Atlantic; First; Northwood and St. Olaf in Fort Dodge, IA. ‘63 Rev. Herbert Hafermann died April 2, 2017.

Mrs. Lavon Lutz, wife of Rev. Lyle Lutz died May 11, 2017.

Rev. David Seifert died April 10, 2017. He served congregations in Litchfield, ND; Elizabeth, IL; St. Luke’s, Michigan City, IN and as chaplain with Saint Anthony’s Hospital, Michigan City, IN. ‘64 Rev. Donald J. Flachmeier died September 24, 2016. He served St. John’s, Gatesville, TX; Hope, Houston, TX; Gethsemane, Omaha, NE; Hope, Miami, FL; Advent, Miami

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Shores, FL; and Sunrise, Cocoa, FL. He also served as Director with Lutheran Ministries of Florida and their programs to the Cuban/Haitian community in the South Florida area, and as Director of Development at Fai Havens Center in Miami Springs.

‘66 Rev. Russell Dudero died December 24, 2014. He served churches in Lynwood, CA and Lowry, MN. Ms. Janice Goetz, wife of Rev. Delmar Goetz, died April 28, 2016.

‘67 Rev. Dr. Arthur Meether died July 15, 2016. He served Buffalo/Tower City, Gackle, ND. ‘68 Rev. Clayton Nietfeld died January 7, 2017.

He served parishes in Dodge City, KS; Englewood, CO and Pickrell, CO. He also served as Director for Commitment to Mission in the Central District of the ALC, interim pastor to the five mission churches of the Seward Peninsula of Alaska and in retirment, conducted weekly services at Kenton Manor in Greeley, CO. Mrs. Kaye Whisler Olsen, wife of Rev. Robert Olsen, died May 22, 2017.

‘70 Rev. Terry S. Johnson died July 19, 2016.

He served St. Sebald, Strawberry Point, IA; Fulton, Roelyn, IA; Our Savior’s, Lansing, IA; Waterville, Waterville, IA and Hope,

Midland, TX. He also served for many years as a hospice chaplain in the Chicago (Illinois) area and at Hospice of Midland, TX. Rev. Brian Jones died June 30, 2016. He served in churches in Tennessee, Indiana, and Kentucky.

‘71 Rev. Gary Lee Olson died February 4, 2017.

He served for the financial services IDS and Ameriprise. He also donated time through the State Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA).

‘72 Rev. Vernon Graham died January 20, 2017. He served as the Executive Pastor of the Associated Churches in Fort Wayne and Allen County, Grace, Fort Wayne, IN; Lutheran Church of the Master, Perrysburg, OH; Grace, Vassar, MI; interin pastor at St. John, Fort Waye, IN; Zion, Manchester, IN and Holy Trinity, Munice, IN. ‘75 Mr. Kenneth Helmke died October 17, 2016. He served on the Wartburg Seminary Staff from 1987 to 2001.

‘77 Gary Nesdahl, husband of Rev. Dr. Andrea DeGrootNesdahl died July 5, 2016.

Nancy Boettcher McClurg, died October 7, 2016.

He served St. Mark, Marion, IA and Seeds of Faith, Lisbon, IA.

‘82 Rev. Susan Wolfe Devol died December 16, 2016. She served at St. John’s, Los Banos, CA; St. Peter, Santa Ana, CA; Angelica, PicoUnion District of Los Angeles, CA and St. Matthew’s, North Hollywood, CA.

‘04 Rev. Lynnae Sorensen has accepted a call at Hope, Sioux Falls, SD. She previously served Abiding, Austin, TX.

‘84 Rev. David JarvisSchroeder died March 11, 2017. He served Springfield Regional Medical Center in Ohio as Chaplain; Brandt Lutheran Church, OH. ‘88 Rev. Diane Lundgren died March 13, 2017.

She served West Moe and East Moe both in MN; Christ, Struthers, OH. ‘95 Rev. Elias Nasari has taken a call as Bishop of the Diocese of Meru. He previously served Galilee, Pewaukee, WI. ‘96 Rev. Thomas Opoien received a call at Trinity, Tea SD. He previously served Custer Lutheran Fellowship, Custer, SD. ‘98 Rev. Jennifer Henry has accepted a call at Bethany, Spencer, IA. She previously served Zion, Clinton, IA.

‘78 Rev. Jack Kahle died December 27, 2016. He served congregations in the midwest for 30 years.

‘01 Rev. Paul Zwarich has accepted a call at Calvary, San Angelo, TX. He previously served Emanuel, Seguin, TX.

‘81 Rev. James McClurg, husband of Rev.

‘03 Rev. John Rosenberg died May 16, 2017.

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‘05 Rev. Erick Swanson has accepted a call at Fjeldberg, Huxley, IA. He previously served First, Maquoketa, IA. ‘07 Rev. Shane Koepke has accepted a call at Grace, Albert Lea, MN. He previously served St. John, St. Donatus and St. Paul’s, Lamotte, both in IA. Rev. Cheryl Lamaak as accepted a call at Lakeside, League City, TX. She previously served Christ, Georgetown, TX. ‘09 Rev. Joshua Martyn has accepted a call at Holy Trinity, Dubuque, IA. He previously served Zion, Clinton, IA. Rev. Dale Topp died February 28, 2017. He served Winside School Board as President; St. Peter’s on the council, member of the choir; Men’s Club and Young Couple’s Club, he also taught Sunday School; Christ, Wisner, NE. ‘09 Rev. Brenda Crossfield has accepted a call at Decorah, Decorah, IA, she previously served First, Chariton, IA. ‘11 Rev. Wendy Kalan has accepted a call at Shepherd of the Valley, LaSalle, CO. She previously served

Peace, Sterling, CO.

Minong, WI.

Rev. Kristen Corr Rod has accepted a call at American, Jesup, IA. She previously served Calvary, Buffalo, IA.

Rev. Christa Fisher was ordained on April 9, 2017. She will be installed at Chaplain of the Dane County Jail.

‘12 Rev. Cole Bentley has accepted a call at Metigoshe, Bottineau, ND. He previously served Holy Cross, Powers Lake, ND. Rev. Stephen Bovendam has accepted a call at Trinity/West Lake Johanna, Brooten, MN.He previously served Baudette, Baudette, MN. Rev. Lynn Noel has accepted a call at St. Paul, Postville, IA. He previously served New Vision Ministry, Thompson, IA. Rev. Mamy Ranaivoson has accepted a call at Journey, Onalaska, WI. He previously served Trinity, Topeka, KS. Mr. Roderick Wiese has accepted a call at Our Savior’s, Austin, MN as the Youth and Music Minister. He previously served Lord of Life, Dubuque, IA. ‘14 Mike Kanzaki, husband of Rev. Michelle Kanzaki died March 28, 2017.

Deacon Terese TouVelle was consecrated on September 16, 2016.

She has accepted a call through AmeriCorps at an inner city high school.

Rev. Robert Wilkinson was ordained on July 16, 2016. He has accepted a call at St. Mark’s, Neenah, WI. ‘16 Rev. Jon Brudvig was ordained July 15, 2016.

He has accepted a call at Trinity, Great Bend, KS. Rev. Joseph Daiker II was ordained on August 21, 2016. He has accepted a call at Bethel, Cedarville, MI and Zion, Allenville, MI. Rev. Megan Graves was ordained on

August 25, 2016.

She has accepted a call at Our Savior’s, Waterloo, IA. Rev. Eric Hanson was ordained on November 19, 2016.

He has accepted a call at Faith, Andover, IA. Rev. Carter Hill was ordained May 21, 2017. He has accepted a call at Prairie Lutheran Parish made up of American, Bethlehem, Faith and Knife River in Stanley, Ross and Palermo, ND. Rev. Barbara Jones was ordained on July 15, 2016. She has accepted a call at Trinity, Great Bend, KS. Rev. Steven Lindley was ordained August 6, 2016. He has accepted a call at American, Ashland, NE. Rev. Robin Luckey was ordained on July 13, 2016. She has accepted a call at Bethany, Dutton, MT.

Rev. David Raemisch was ordained on April 1, 2017. He has accepted a call at St. Matthew, Monticello, IA Rev. Carina Schiltz was ordained on November 12, 2016.

She has accepted a call at St. John’s Evangelical, Preston, IA. Rev. Paul Waterman was ordained July 9, 2016. He has accepted a call at Epiphany, Carbondale, IL. ‘17 Rev. Kyle Barton was ordained on June 3, 2017. He has accepted a call at St. James, Allison, IA. Rev. Marlow Carrels was ordained on May 15, 2017. He has accepted a call at Westby Lutheran Parish (Immanuel and St. John’s), Westby, MT. Rev. Elan Hacker was ordained on January 14, 2017. She has

accepted a call at LMN Parish in MN. Rev. Michael HarriSon was ordained on May 15, 2017. He has accepted a call at Prairie Hope Ministries in Maxbass, Newburg and Westhope, ND. Rev. Sara Kayser was ordained on May 30, 2017. She has accepted a call at Our Savior, Highmore, SD. Rev. William Layton was ordained on June 9, 2017. He has accepted a call at St. John’s, St. Donatus, IA and St. Paul’s, La Motte, IA. Rev. Jennifer Michael was ordained on June 24, 2017. She has accepted a call at St. Peter, Battle Creek, MI. Rev. Brian Middleswarth was ordained on June 3, 2017. He has accepted a call at St. John, Ely, IA.

Rev. Anita Nuetzman was ordained on June 24, 2017. She has accepted a call at Calmar, Calmar, IA and Springfield, Decorah, IA. Rev. Patricia Schutz was ordained on June 19, 2017. She has accepted a call at Our Saviour’s, Merrill, WI. Rev. Christopher Sesvold was ordained on June 27, 2017. He has accepted a call at Partners in Faith Parish; Trinity, Rice Lake; Our Savior’s, Campia and Grace, Brill, WI. Rev. Lucile Sesvold was ordained on June 27, 2017. She has accepted a call at Bethany, Rice Lake, WI. Rev. Dale Vlastnik was ordained on June 18, 2017. He has accepted a call at St. John’s Evangelical, Johnson Creek, WI.

REFORMATION & RENEWAL

A MIGHTY FORTRESS FOR WHOM: REFORMATION, REFUGEES AND MISSION TODAY

Rev. Katherine Woolf was ordained on September 17, 2016. She has accepted a call at Friedens Evangelical, Lincoln, NE. ‘15 Rev. Douglas Dill has accepted a call at First, South Sioux City, NE. He previously served Calvary,

LEARN RENEW WORSHIP S A V E T HE DA T E

OC T OB E R 15-17, 2 0 1 7 LifeTogether I Page 25

THE SEMINARY RHYTHM OF FORMATION IS ONE OF GATHERING AND SENDING. INTO THE WORLD GO YOU! BLESSINGS IN CHRIST! THE TOWER VIEW OF A PORTION OF THE MAY 11TH SENDING LITURGY AT WARTBURG THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. This photo and caption were posted on Facebook by Professor Sam Giere.

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Non-Profit US Postage PAID Permit #477 Dubuque, IA

333 WARTBURG PLACE DUBUQUE, IA 52003

Upcoming Events: September 4, 2017 Opening Worship at WTS September 21, 2017 Admissions Online Open House October 14, 2017 Fall Admissions Visit Day October 15-17, 2017 Reformation and Renewal - A Mighty Fortress for Whom: Reformation, Refugees and Mission Today October 27, 2017 Oktoberfest November 3, 2017 Come to the Castle November 14, 2017 Admissions Online Open House March 9-11, 2018 Considering Your Call Discernment Weekend For more information on these events visit www.wartburgseminary.edu