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 LSTC E.PISTLE
 
December  2009
Monthly News for Alumni and Friends

LSTC, December.

Greetings!
 
Liturgically correct LSTC makes some exceptions in the last days of the fall semester in order to celebrate Christmas as a community. We keep Advent in our daily worship, but there is a Christmas tree in the Grand Hallway and lights in library office windows that push us into the next season of the church year. As someone recovering from liturgical over-correctness, I allow that on a dark afternoon, the lights in these unexpected places are a joyful sign of the "not-quite-yet."
 
On December 3, LSTC's international community hosted its annual Christmas celebration. The evening began with worship led by students in their native tongues of India, Korea, Burma (Myanmar), and Palestine. We sang Christmas carols in English, and prayed the Lord's Prayer in the language most familiar to us.
 
Then we feasted on homemade dishes from around the world, heard stories and enjoyed the musical talents of the adults and children who make LSTC their home for a time.
 
The gift of our feasting and sharing is a glimpse of the way church is and will be, a communion of saints from all the nations, made real and present here at LSTC.
 
"Savior of the nations, come;
Show the glory of the Son!
Ev'ry people stand in awe;
Praise the perfect Son of God."
             -- attributed to St. Ambrose
 
Blessed Advent, blessed Christmas,
 
Jan Boden
Director of Communications and Marketing
Chicago, IL to Custer, SD--LSTC to CLF
 
Kent Narum.by Kent Narum,
M. Div. Class of 2006
 
As I drive through the first stoplight - one of three stoplights in town - the flashing yellow light reminds me it is early.  6:30AM early.  I pull into the parking lot of "The Wrangler."  A life-size sculpture of a buffalo stands over the entrance of this restaurant (if you can call it that) where "men's breakfast" meets every Thursday.
I pour myself a cup of coffee and get a greeting from the usual men's breakfast group: Bud, Rudy, Ken, Gary and Jim.  As we fumble through conversation as diverging as the weather and the Wounded Knee Massacre, I think to myself, "How has four years of seminary at The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) prepared me for this?!"
 
Equipping the Saints for Ministry.
 
Planning for Retirement? Consider a Charitable Gift Annuity
 
Living in a recession teaches some life lessons. Among them is this: while money doesn't buy happiness, it sure does pay the rent. And for many of us, as we look forward into our retirement years, we're now even more acutely aware of the need for prudent financial planning. 
 
A Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) is a financial vehicle that offers three main benefits:  First, it offers a secure, fixed income stream for life-a welcome bit of stability in a volatile market.  Second, a charitable gift brings with it significant tax advantages.  And third, a Charitable Gift Annuity offers you the chance to make your ultimate gift to LSTC. 
 
If you are interested in speaking with a gift planner about your retirement or estate plans, please contact the LSTC Advancement Office at 773-256-0712, or visit our web site, www.lstc.edu/planned_giving/.
 
Read more: Frequently Asked Questions about Charitable Gift Annuites
Opportunities at LSTC
 
Bach for the Sem choir. 
Bach for the Sem at a new venue

Bach for the Sem, will be held at Grace Lutheran Church, 7300 West Division Street, River Forest, Ill., on January 10, 2010. This year's concert features the first part of J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio and his Concerto for Oboe d'amour and Orchestra. The Bach for the Sem Choir and Orchestra will present the world premier of a Paul Weber's "Hodie coelesti." Thomas Wikman and Michael Costello are guest organists for the afternoon of music. Carols of the season round out the program performed as a benefit for the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, by Chicago area Lutheran professional instrumentalists and singers.

Full-price tickets are $18 in advance or $20 at the door; student and senior discount tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door. To purchase tickets call 1-773-256-0712 or 1-800-635-1116 extension 712 by Friday, January 8. Tickets will be held at the door.
 
Youth in Mission Youth Ministry Conference Apr. 12-14
 
 "Sacred Stories: Youth Faith Formation in an Interfaith World," Youth in Mission's second annual youth ministry workers' conference, on April 12-14, 2010, at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, will help youth ministry workers find and develop new approaches to interfaith issues facing our youth. The conference's keynote speaker will be Hannah McConnaughay, Program Associate in the Outreach Education and Training Department of the Interfaith Youth Core. [ Read more ]
 
Care of Creation Resource Available: LSTC, Rhoads featured in new DVD education series on care of creation

Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago Professor of New Testament David Rhoads is the co-host of "Earthbound: Created and Called to Care for Creation," a new six-part DVD series for congregations that explores Christians' complex relationship with God's creation. It examines the origins of misconceptions about Scripture's portrayal of creation and how Christians have become heaven-focused at the expense of Earth. [ Read more ]
 
Register now for "Inch by Inch:  Growing a Green Congregation"   
 
Inch by Inch: Greening Congregations graphic.LSTC's  2010 Leadership Conference

As part of LSTC's Earth Year Observances, the leadership conference on Tuesday, February 9 and Wednesday, February 10, will focus on the ways in which congregations can promote environmental awareness, participate in local and global events, and reflect together on biblical and theological themes related to creation.

Keynote speakers for the conference are David Rhoads and Carleton Waterhouse.  David Rhoads is professor of New Testament at LSTC and a passionate advocate for eco-justice and environmental ministry. He is the editor of Earth and Word: Classic Sermons on Saving the Planet. Carleton Waterhouse is assistant professor of law at the Florida International University who served as an attorney for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and has published articles on environmental racism. [ Read more ]

Register early and receive a $10 discount on the $165 conference fee. Recent grads and retirees may register for $105. [ Register online. ]
 
News you should know...
 
Vitor Westhelle publishes The Church Event: Call and Challenge of a Church Protestant
 
"The living church is to its forms of self-representation what a parasite is to its host. The orchid that blossoms will not have a 'presence' but for the tree that hosts it, yet it does not blossom because of the tree." This is how Vitor Westhelle begins his latest book, The Church Event: Call and Challenge of a Church Protestant, newly released by Fortress Press. [ Read more ]

Youth in Mission program receives fourth Lilly Endowment grant 

Youth in Mission (YIM) at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago has received a $660,000 grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc. to continue its current ministry initiatives and to make the programs self-sustaining. The grant is part of the Lilly Endowment's Theological Programs for High School Youth Initiative to support theological schools' programs that get youth excited about theological education and inspire them to consider vocations in ministry. [ Read more ]

 
Youth in Mission.LSTC's 2010 Youth in Mission programs will energize, inspire youth
 
"I am changed...I am empowered, inspired, energized, and loved," is how Grace Bodey describes her experience with Serving Christ in the World, one of Youth in Mission's (YIM) programs at LSTC.

The three-week exploration of vocation is designed for current high school sophomores and juniors who want to learn about God, themselves, and ways they can use their gifts in service to others. Youth spend two weeks in Chicago, including a three-day immigrant community immersion, and one week in Mexico.  YIM's next Serving Christ in the World program will be held June 13 - July 3, 2010. The application deadline is February 17, 2010. [ Read more ]

Quick Links  
 
2009-2010 Chapel Music Series 
 
LSTC News Releases 
 
 
   
  
Fall 2009 Epistle.
 
  
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 Reunions
 
Classes of 1960 Reunion Groups to Meet in 2010
 
The Classes of 1960 will join at LSTC on May 15 and 16, 2010, during Commencement Weekend.
 
Mark your calendars and watch for more information to come.
 
Classes of 1985, 2000, and 2005
 
You're invited to a special reunion dinner and recognition on Monday, February 8, 2010.
 A reunion dinner for the Classes on 1985, 2000, and 2005 will be held on February 8, 2010, in conjunction with the 2010 LSTC Leadership Conference.
 
Graduates from LSTC and all other predecessor institutions, along with their spouses, are welcome to attend. This will be a great opportunity to reconnect with former classmates! Those interested in attending should complete an RSVP form by December 20, 2009.
 
Please contact the Advancement Project Assistant, Cuttino Alexander, at [email protected] with any questions.
Special rates are available at the Fairfield Inn Midway reunion participants. [ Read more.]
 
Class of 1970
LSTC is pleased to host the Class of 1970 Reunion April 28-30, 2010.
The highlights of the reunion will include a luncheon and banquet on Wednesday, a presentation on the present and future of LSTC, a tour of the LSTC Rare Book Room, and a chance to meet and worship with current students.
 
Graduates from LSTC and all predecessor institutions, along with their spouses, are invited to attend the celebrations. Come and see how LSTC has grown in the last 40 years!
 
Those interested in attending should complete an RSVP form  by February 1, 2010. Please contact the Advancement Project Assistant, Cuttino Alexander, at [email protected] with any questions.
Special rates are available at the Fairfield Inn Midway reunion participants. [ More information

 
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Jan Boden
Director of  Communications & Marketing
773-256-0744
[email protected]