LSTC E.pistle March 2011
In This Issue
Season of assignment
News from LSTC
Leadership Conference
Intriguing, insightful, inspired @ LSTC...
Coming soon: Apparel eStore
Upcoming events

 
Quicklinks 


  
  
Mission Statement


The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago forms visionary leaders to bear witness to the good news of Jesus Christ.
 

Stained glass window detail
Chairs in a circle for Lent.Season of assignment
 

With the change of liturgical seasons, we play a round of musical chairs in the Augustana Chapel. From Advent through Epiphany, the chapel chairs are lined up facing each other across a wide divide in the middle of the room. It's great for antiphonal singing but a problem if you come in late to chapel (on the east side of the room) and all the open seats are on the west side. It's impossible to slip over to the other side of the chapel without passing through the middle of worship (or around the back of the leaders or altar).

 

During Lent, the chairs are drawn inward, to form a circle, reflecting the introspective mood of the season. The ambo is near the font and the altar is in its center. The cross is stationed near the stained glass windows at the south of the chapel. We're all drawn in a little closer to one another this season.

 

At LSTC, this is also the season of assignment. Seniors now know the synods to which they've been assigned and will soon begin working with them on first calls. Juniors have been visiting local Ministry in Context sites on Sunday mornings to see where they would like to serve next year. Internship interviews are complete. Now it's up to the Field Education Office to play matchmaker.

 

If you went to seminary, you may recall what this season of assignment felt like: exciting, nerve-wracking, uncertain, disruptive; in retrospect - life-changing, ministry-shaping, a time to share gifts and gain skills.

 

Keep these students and soon-to-be-graduates in your prayers this season as God is making new things happen in their lives and in the life of the church through them.

 

 

Jan Boden

Director of Communications and Marketing
[email protected].


News from LSTC 


100 year-old alumnus among 2011 Distinguished Alumni/ae

To celebrate his 100th birthday in 2010, Pastor William Berg did one of the things he loves to do most - he talked about Jesus and the Holy Spirit in a sermon preached on his favorite church holiday, Pentecost. Pastor Berg is one of LSTC's oldest alumni, having graduated from one of its predecessor schools, Augustana Theological Seminary, in 1937. He is also one of six Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago 2011 Distinguished Alumni who will be honored at an awards ceremony and banquet on April 4 at the school. [Read more] [Download Nominating form for 2012 Awards]

 

LWF President, Bishop Munib A. Younan, to preach at commencement

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Munib A. Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) and president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), will return to LSTC, where he had studied in the late 1980s, to preach at the school's 151st commencement on Sunday, May 15, 2011. The worship service and commencement will take place at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, 5472 South Kimbark Avenue, Chicago, at 2:30 p.m.  

 

2011 Leadership Conference logoDon't miss LSTC's 2011
Leadership Conference
 

 

Register now for "Experiencing God through Preaching and Worship"

Hearing the preached word and responding to it in worship are at the heart of our life together as congregations. At "Experiencing God through Preaching and Worship" you'll learn from experts in both of these areas.  Choose from worship "mini-events" to experience a variety of liturgies, rites, and preaching opportunities.  Text study for the seven Sundays of the Easter season is part of the conference.

 

Keynote speakers will be

  • Maxwell Johnson, professor of Liturgical Studies at Notre Dame University,
  • Craig Satterlee, the Axel Jacob and Gerda Maria (Swanson) Carlson Professor of Homiletics at LSTC and Dean, ACTS D.Min. in Preaching Program, and
  • Frank Thomas, Senior Pastor of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis, Tennessee.

 

Benjamin Stewart, Gordon A. Braatz Assistant Professor of Worship and Dean of the Chapel at LSTC, is coordinating worship during the conference.

 Learn more and register.

 

 

Class of 1991 Reunion and Blog 

 

Gather with your classmates during the LSTC Leadership Conference to listen to and tell your stories of ministry over the last 20 years. Terry Kyllo, class convener, and Kevin Bates, billed as "director of subversive activities" are organizing the reunion and have launched a blog There may even be some subversive activities, but don't let that get around.

 

The Class of 1991 will be getting together over lunch (11:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.) and dinner (6:00 - 9:00 p.m.) on April 4. On April 5, it's dinner at Jimmy's at 7:00 p.m. then back to LSTC to share stories. The reunion continues Wednesday morning, April 6 at 9 a.m., participation in weekly Eucharist in the Augustana Chapel at 11 a.m., and a blessing and farewell at noon.

 

Email [email protected] or post a message on the blog.

 

 

Intriguing, insightful, inspired @ LSTC

 

Student Symposium on Science and Spirituality asks "What is our human future?"

 Students from across the country and from a wide range of disciplines bring science and theology together in the annual Student Symposium on Science and Spirituality hosted at LSTC on Friday, March 25. This free event is hosted by the Religion and Science Student Society of the Zygon Center for Religion and Science. For more information call 773-256-0670 or visit www.zygoncenter.org/studentsymposium/.

 

Murasaki Duo returns to Chapel Music Series March 27
 
Hailed by the New York Concert Review as "brilliant and witty," this Julliard-trained duo returns for their third appearance at the Augustana Chapel at LSTC on Sunday, March 27 at 4 p.m. The concert includes Chopin's "Polonaise Brilliante" and Barber's Sonata for Cello and Piano. Admission is free; freewill donation welcome. 

 

2011 World Mission Institute on March 31 - April 1

The World Mission Centenary Celebration in Edinburgh, Scotland, last year yielded valuable lessons for witnessing to Christ today. This year's World Mission Institute, "The Edinburgh Missionary Conference Celebrations: Lessons Learned, Ways Forward," passes them on to you with panel discussions, workshops, and a keynote address by Dr. Allen Yeh or Biola University. The conference is free. For details, download the conference brochure or contact Dr. Peter Vethanayagamony at [email protected] or 773-256-0749.

 

Gospel Choir Concert: Amazing Grace
 

Free LSTC Gospel Choir Concert, "Amazing Grace" on April 10

Don't miss the 23rd annual LSTC Gospel Choir Concert on Sunday, April 10 at 4 p.m. The free concert features the Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church Choir, the Harper High School Singing Cardinals, choirs from Shekinah Lutheran Church and St. James Industrial Missionary Baptist Church, and special guest Bentley Wall, pipe major for the North Coast Pipe Band in Cleveland, Ohio.  A freewill offering at the concert supports the Grover Wright Scholarship Fund and the Rev. Carole A. Burns Scholarship Fund. For more information about the concert or how to support the scholarship funds contact Patricia Bartley at [email protected] or 773-256-0717, or visit

www.lstc.edu/events/music/gospel-concert.php.

 

 

Stewarding Your Financial Future

The Metropolitan Chicago Synod Stewardship Strategy Team and LSTC's Tithing and Stewardship Foundation are hosting "Stewarding Your Financial Future" at LSTC on Saturday. April 30. Speakers and workshop leaders are Polly Bergerson, a chartered retirement planning counselor, and the Rev. Robert Buschkemper, senior gift planner with the ELCA Foundation. They will lead sessions on financial wellness and stewardship and planned giving and faith - including planned giving programs to benefit congregational ministries. Cost for the conference is $30 per person (lunch included). Register by April 20 to receive a $5 discount.  Go to www.mcselca.org to register online. For more information call Steven Homberg at 773-248-0021 or email [email protected].

 

 

LSTC logoWear your LSTC pride! 

 

Soon you'll be able to stock your wardrobe with LSTC logo apparel and other accessories like duffel bags, backpacks, headgear and more. Like many other institutions of higher learning, LSTC has partnered with an "eStore" provider to make it possible for us to offer high-quality items - including sweatshirts, t-shirts, hoodies, fleece items, and much more.

 

The items featured on the LSTC eStore will be available with embroidered logos at any time, but there will also be occasional sales which will allow us to offer items printed with a silk-screened logo for an even lower price.

 

Watch the LSTC website for the direct link to the LSTC E-apparel store (it will be in the menu at the bottom of each page under  ABOUT LSTC. Look for the LSTC "Spring Sales Event" and show your school spirit!

 

Upcoming Events

 

March 25, 8:00 a.m. -7:00 p.m. Student Symposium on Science and Spirituality asks "What is our human future?"

March 27, 4:00 p.m. Chapel Music Series - Murasaki Duo

March 31 - April 1, 6:00 p.m. - Noon World Mission Institute "The Edinburgh Celebrations: Lessons Learned, Ways Forward" 

April/May Asian American Heritage Month

April 3, 3:30 - 7:00 p.m. Interfaith Community Garden Start-up

April 4 - 5, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. 2011 Leadership Conference, "Experiencing God through Preaching and Worship"

April 5, 12:20 p.m. Manz Organ Series Concert

April 9, 9:30 a.m. LSTC Guild Meeting, "Leaning on God"

April 10, 4:00 p.m. Chapel Music Series - LSTC Gospel Choir Concert

April 30, 8:45 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. Stewardship Conference, "Stewarding Your Financial Future" 

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