Highlights from 2011 Commencement
The Right Reverend Munib Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land preached and received the doctor of divinity degree, honoris causa, from LSTC.
[Read his message.]
Enjoy pictures from the day by photographer Tricia Koning. To purchase pictures and view the entire album, visit www.tkphotopics.com. The password is "lstc2011" (lowercase letters).
Fifty eight students graduated
from LSTC's five degree
programs.
Members of the Classes of 1961 and 1971 were recognized during the commencement ceremony and celebrated their 50th and 40th reunions that weekend at LSTC. |
Mission Statement
The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago forms visionary leaders to bear witness to the good news of Jesus Christ.
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Time of Transition
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James Kenneth Echols |
Summers are normally a time of transition at LSTC. Most of the changes are seasonal: in the rhythm of the school year, students leave after graduation or for internship or CPE; faculty members begin sabbaticals or summer schedules. Some changes are significant: a faculty or staff member leaves LSTC permanently. And some are historic: when the school's leadership changes.
In May, the Rev. Dr. James Kenneth Echols resigned as president of LSTC after leading the seminary for 14 years. This is not an exhaustive list of his accomplishments during his tenure, but only a few of the ways Dr. Echols reshaped LSTC.
When he arrived in 1997, Dr. Echols saw that although LSTC did a good job preparing students to lead worship, it had no place in the building designed for worship. He invited a diverse group of people to work with him to design and build the Augustana Chapel at LSTC, dedicated in 2003.
Dr. Echols also saw a need to provide deeper spiritual formation for students. He worked with a generous benefactor to create the Cornelsen Director of Spiritual Formation at LSTC and with the faculty to develop Growth in Faith curriculum requirements.
Jim Echols' commitment to strategic alliances led to LSTC's decade-long closer collaboration with McCormick Theological Seminary by sharing Information Technology, building, and security services. LSTC and McCormick continue as partners in the JKM Library, the Language Resource and Writing Center and other ways.
One of the greatest challenges of the last 14 years was funding for LSTC. Dr. Echols devoted much time and energy to improving LSTC's finances in the midst of ever-changing circumstances. Like most of the freestanding seminaries in the U.S. and Canada, LSTC continues to face financial challenges, but has grown stronger in its fundraising and budgeting practices under Dr. Echols' leadership.
Personally, Jim Echols was my supervisor and colleague for the last 14 years. I am grateful that he took a chance on hiring me as his assistant and then gave me the opportunity to continue to serve LSTC as the director of communications.
At this time of transition, of historic change, it's important to remember that the mission of LSTC is larger than one person, including its president. That mission continues under the leadership of Acting President Philip Hougen, the Board of Directors, and LSTC's faculty and staff. But, at this time, it is also meet, right and salutary to give thanks for Dr. Echols' leadership and to wish him Godspeed.
Blessings,
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News from LSTC
James Kenneth Echols resigns as LSTC president
With deep gratitude for his 14 years of service, the board of directors of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago accepted the resignation of the Rev. Dr. James Kenneth Echols. Dr. Echols was the first African American to serve as president of a North American Lutheran seminary. A celebration of Dr. Echols' leadership at LSTC is being planned for a later date. [ Read more ]
R. Scott Chalmers appointed Director of Admissions
Dr. R. Scott Chalmers (1999, M.A.; 2004, Ph.D.) has been appointed Director of Admissions at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC), effective June 1, 2011. It is a one-year renewable appointment. [ Read more ]
LSTC student receives Beatitudes Society Summer Fellowship
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) master of divinity student Sarah Rohde has received a paid Summer Fellowship from the Beatitudes Society. She will be serving at The Center for Faith and Community Health Transformation in Park Ridge, Ill., June 6 - July 29, 2011. Rohde recently completed her second year of a four-year program at LSTC. She is a member of Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. [ Read more ] |
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Amanda Bergstrom, M.Div. Class of 2011 |
Class gift makes Grand Hallway more "user friendly"
The Class of 2011 hosted nights of ballroom dance instruction, a chili cook-off, and auctioned specialty items and lunch dates with faculty and staff to raise thousands of dollars for their class gift.
Through a matching gift from Mr. Lawrence Sehy, their gift totaled $10,000. They purchased chairs for LSTC's Grand Hallway and gave the balance, more than $6,000, to the International Students' Emergency Fund. The fund enables students to return to their home country to visit seriously ill family members or to attend a family funeral.
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Raising Our Gardens at LSTC
by Jim Schaal, garden project coordinator
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May May Latt, PhD. student |
Thanks to a generous grant from Greencorps Chicago, there are now 16 new raised garden beds in two LSTC housing courtyards and the Conference Center yard.
They are built of sturdy red cedar and filled with high-quality soil mix. Together with eight existing surface garden beds, the 16 new beds greatly increase the LSTC community's capacity for urban gardening and sustainable community-not to mention the delight of fresh tomatoes on the table!
[ Read more ]
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LSTC in the media
Barbara Rossing, LSTC professor of New Testament, appeared on MSNBC's "The Last Word" on May 19, to offer a reasoned response to the prediction that the world was going to end on May 21. Watch the segment. On May 20, she did an interview on Seattle's public radio station, KUOW. Interviews with Dr. Rossing also appeared in newspapers across the country through Reuters News Service.
Photos from LSTC's Blessing of the Animals appeared in the June 2011 Lutheran magazine article, "Lutherans restoring creation"
The Metro Lutheranpublished the article, "Congregations as the center of an evangelical church," that first appeared in the LSTC Epistle magazine in 2010. The article is about the Mission Leadership course taught at LSTC by ELCA Congregational and Synodical Mission staff. |
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Register now for January tour to the Holy Land
You don't want to miss this study tour! Dr. Esther Menn, Ralph W. and Marilyn R. Klein Professor of Old Testament and the Rev. Dr. Barbara Rossing, professor of New Testament at LSTC will be leading a 14-day study tour to the Holy Land in January 2012.
World of the Bible: Ancient Sites and Current Struggles in the Holy Land Travel Seminar will be January 10-23, 2012. The approximate price per person is $3,500. Includes lodging at church guest houses with private bath (double occupancy; single supplement available), breakfast and dinner daily, transportation and entrance fees, tips for guides, and fees.
Contact Esther Menn at [email protected] or Barbara Rossing at [email protected] to receive more information. Download the brochure.
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Sweatshirts, t-shirts, and totes, oh, my!
LSTC alumni and friends can look good and show their support with apparel and accessories embroidered with the LSTC logo.
LSTC has partnered with e-store, Zome, to offer a wide variety of items on demand. A portion of your purchase also supports LSTC.
Visit the LSTC e-apparel store website.
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