LSTC E.pistle, May 2013  
In This Issue
What good does a pastor do?
Commencement
Jubilee Envoy June 5
News
Supporting seminaries
Class of 1971 take note
Opportunities
Connect with us
 
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"E.tcetera ..." 
 
 

World Mission Institute 

2013

 

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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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May blossoms What good does a pastor do? 

 

Last month, my 88-year-old aunt, Gloria, died. She had been deeply involved in her church since childhood and up until about a decade ago. That's when her husband died and my parents persuaded her to move from Chicago to a condo in the Central Illinois town where they had retired.

 

We moved her too quickly after her loss. She moved away from the only home, neighborhood and church she had ever known. I suspect that she never really felt at home in her new location.

 

When she joined the church my parents belonged to, Gloria declined every invitation to get involved in the kinds of things she'd always been part of.  And during our visits, my aunt often expressed her fear that she had not been "good enough" to get to heaven. When she slipped into a coma the days before she died, I prayed that she was at peace and felt God's love for her.

 

As my mother and I met with her pastor to plan Gloria's funeral, we talked about my aunt's life. The pastor told us about a visit she'd had with Gloria a few weeks earlier. "She opened up to me more that day than she ever had. She told me that she had been carrying a burden for many years and was worried that God would not forgive her for it. We prayed about it and I assured her that God loves her and forgives her. We talked for a while longer and I asked her if she had been able to lay that burden down. She said, 'I think so, I want to take it up because I've carried it so long.'"

 

In a few days, 25 M.Div. students will graduate from LSTC. How many burdens will they ease? How many families reassure? How will their witness to the good news of Jesus Christ bring peace and healing to individuals and to the world? Only God knows. Thanks be to God!

 

Jan Boden

Director of Communications and Marketing

 [email protected]

 

 

 

Commencement Sunday, May 19
- James Wind will preach
 

James Wind 

Join the LSTC community on Sunday, May 19 at 2:30 p.m. as 51 students graduate from five degree programs. The Rev. Dr. James Wind, president of the Alban Institute, will preach. The Eucharist service and commencement will be held at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 5472 South Kimbark Ave. A reception follows at LSTC. [ Read more ]

 

 

Reformation Jubilee Envoy Margot K�ssmann  

at LSTC June 5

Dr. Margot Kassmann

 

 

Theologian and leader in the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), Dr. Margot K�ssmann, now serving as Special Envoy for the Reformation Anniversary Celebration 2017, is making the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) one of just a few stops during her trip to the U.S. in June. On Wednesday, June 5 at 2 p.m., she will present "Challenges of the Reformation Jubilee 2017." This free lecture will mark the beginning of LSTC's celebrations of the Reformation Jubilee and highlight the seminary's relationship with global Lutheranism.

 

The Rev. Dr. Anna Case-Winter Winters, professor of theology at McCormick Theological Seminary and co-chair of the International Committee on Lutheran-Reformed Relations; the Rev. Dr. V�tor Westhelle, professor of systematic theology at LSTC; and Bishop Wayne Miller of the ELCA's Metropolitan Chicago Synod will respond to Dr. K�ssmann's lecture. Visitors will have the opportunity to view LSTC's Rare Book Collection, especially the works of Luther and other 16th Century Reformers. [ Read more; /  Download event poster. ]

 

 

News from LSTC 

 

L. Cuttino Alexander L. Cuttino Alexander wins 2013 David H.C. Read Preacher/Scholar Award

 

LSTC master of divinity student L. Cuttino Alexander is the 2013 winner of the $20,000 David H.C. Read Preacher/Scholar Award, presented by Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, New York, N.Y. The award is made annually to a student in the final year of a master of divinity program at a Protestant theological school in the United States or Canada who demonstrates exceptional distinction in both preaching and biblical scholarship and is committed to parish ministry.

 

"I want to express my deep gratitude to the faculty and staff at LSTC as well as my internship and field education supervisors for helping me find my voice in the pulpit and the classroom.  This award has been a thrilling way to end my time in Chicago.  Wherever I end up next, I leave here feeling well equipped to proclaim the Gospel," Alexander said. [Read more]

 

 

Everyone has a role in seminary education 

 

You might be surprised to know that right now, most synods within the ELCA need more graduates from seminary than its seminaries can supply. You play a large role in ensuring that our church will have the leaders it needs now and into the future. You

  • Identify and encourage candidates for ordained ministry
  • Contribute to LSTC's Annual Fund
  • Pray for the students, faculty and staff of our seminaries

Now, and until June 30, your new, renewed, and increased gifts to the will be matched, making an even greater difference for the future of our seminary and our church. Your gifts to the Annual Fund help us keep tuition low, which means fewer loans and less debt for students.

 

Thank you for your partnership in LSTC's mission of forming visionary leaders to bear witness to the good news of Jesus Christ.

 

Learn more or contribute here

 

 

 

Class of 1971 - Classmate seeking news

 

Mark Hoelter (1971, M.Div.), is seeking information about his classmates. He did not seek ordination after graduation, but took another path. He is curious about the paths his classmates followed and where they are no. You may connect with him at [email protected] or on Facebook.

 

 

 

Errata

 

The last E.pistle incorrectly named the Evangelical Church in Germany as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany. Thanks to William Swanson for catching the error. 

 

 

 

Opportunities at LSTC       

 

May 19, 2:30 p.m. - 153rd Commencement at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church 

May 20 - Maymester classes begin

May 30 - Maymester classes end

 

June 5, 2 p.m. - "Challenges of the Reformation Jubilee 2017," Dr. Margot K�ssmann

 

Sept. 3 - Fall Semester begins

Sept. 4 - Opening Convocation

Sept. 24, 4 p.m. - Scherer Lecture

  

For more information about LSTC events see our Events Calendar.

  

 
 

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