In This Issue
We talk. We listen.
Taking Action
Happening this week
Mecca Tales
News from LSTC
Scherer Lecture
Bach, Bangert & B Minor Mass
Nominate Distinguished Alumni
The Guild celebrates 70 years
You make it happen

 
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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.   
  

    
We talk. We listen.
Dr. Linda E. Thomas
 
On Wednesday morning of Orientation Week LSTC students, faculty and staff gathered for a conversation about diversity.

A few weeks before this, the Rev. Dr. Linda Thomas, professor of theology and anthropology, and the Rev. Dr. Joan R. Harrell, founder of the website  www.racismcontradictschristianity.com, launched a blog for the LSTC community to begin the conversation online.
 
"We talk. We listen. Conversations about Diversity"  is a place for honest and respectful conversation. Now Thomas and Harrell are hoping the blog will spark a conversation in the ELCA and beyond.
 
Given the events in our nation, our church, and even at LSTC over the last year, the conversation must be about racism and white privilege. But it is also about including all who historically have been marginalized because of gender, sexual identity, sexual orientation, economic status, religion, physical abilities, color, age, nationality, ethnicity, neurological abilities, or learning styles.
 
In her introductory post, Dr. Thomas invites everyone into the "messy, chaotic, and difficult, yet creative, inspired and innovative life ways that emerge when people of very different experiences and backgrounds come together."
 
You are invited to join the conversation at wetalkwelisten.wordpress.com/
 
Blessings,
 
Jan Boden, Director of Communications and Marketing
 
Taking Action
Tom Gaulke (2008, MDiv)
 
Tom Gaulke
For months it's been easy to know where Pastor Tom Gaulke will be every other Monday afternoon. With other faith leaders, including LSTC alumni and students, he has been part of the Moral Mondays Illinois protests in Chicago. They are calling for a state budget that will be fair for the most vulnerable in Illinois.
 
Gaulke didn't come to seminary intending to be an activist. When he came to LSTC from Carroll College he was, in his own words, "pretty conservative in my political views. I was a Republican when I was in college."
 
That changed a few years into Gaulke's first call as pastor at First Lutheran Church of the Trinity in Chicago. In 2011, he realized that all of the texts he was preaching on from Matthew were about sharing and economic justice. He put together that message with what was happening in cities across the US. 
 
"I had been invited to some demonstrations before that, but just before the onset of the Occupy Movement, SOUL, (an organization on Chicago's southside) reached out to me to get involved," he says. 
 
Gaulke says he was "equipped with good tools" at LSTC. Getting connected with community organizing gave him the additional tools he needed to more deeply engage the community around him.
 
"Organizers were able to agitate me - to call me out about living out my values, and encourage me to act on them. They asked me to consider what it would cost to do something and what it would cost for me NOT to act."
 
In June, LSTC presented Gaulke with an Emerging Voices Distinguished Alumni Award, for grads who are still in their first decade of ministry.
 
Gaulke continues to serve with First Trinity, where he is supervising LSTC intern Toby Chow this year. He also will continue his PhD studies in systematic theology at LSTC. The shorthand version of what he plans to work on is "existential and liberation theologies: where does the 'courage to be' meet the courage to fight the 'powers that be?'"
 
Happening this week

Paul and Economics Conference
 
Paul and Economics, an international conference organized by New Testament scholars Thomas Blanton and Ray Pickett, is for all who are interested in the study of Paul's letters in their economic contexts. The conference will be held at LSTC Sept. 18 -19. Find the full list of presenters and paper titles and registration details here . The conference fee is $75; $35 for students. Contact Tom Blanton (tblanton@lstc.edu) or Ray Pickett (rpickett@lstc.edu) for more information.
 
The Mecca Tales
art by Susan Moye

Playwright and performer Rohina Malik will present a staged reading of her new play, "Mecca Tales," at LSTC on Sun., Sept. 20 at 3:30 p.m.

The critically acclaimed play is the story of five Muslim women who meet on a pilgrimage in Mecca and must decide whether to reveal their stories and go forward or guard them and remain behind.

The performance is sponsored by A Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice, the Bernardin Center at Catholic Theological Union, Radio Islam and LSTC. Read more about the play and playwright here. Contact Sara Trumm at strumm@lstc.edu for more information about the performance at LSTC.
 
Reimagining Theological Education
LSTC's new public church curriculum is one of two dozen innovative programs in theological education that will be featured at the first national summit of the Reimagining Theological Education (RTE) program Oct. 9-11 in Chicago.

The goal of RTE is to foster new innovative models for training leaders of faith communities. All stakeholders in theological education  are invited to attend the National Summits for the broadest possible discussions, collaborations and partnerships.

Each day, the sessions will be held at a different Hyde Park seminary: McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago Theological Seminary, and LSTC. It is possible to register for Saturday only at a reduced fee. Registration deadline is Sept. 17. 
 
To learn more about Reimagining Theological Education and to register, visit  www.theoedu.org.

News from LSTC

First Year student Samantha Nichols receives IFYC Mike Hammer Leadership Award
Master of divinity student Samantha Nichols is known as a tireless advocate and ambitious organizer. Those qualities, coupled with her passion for interfaith work on social issues, were recognized this summer when Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) presented her with the Mike Hammer Interfaith Leadership Award. The award is given to individuals who, "through their work with IFYC's Better Together campaign sought to build a movement and pursued their vision with passion, joy and creativity." Read more. 
 

Professor Linda Thomas finds signs of hope in Ferguson, Mo.
Last month, Dr. Linda E. Thomas, professor of theology and anthropology at LSTC, traveled to Ferguson, Mo., to participate in a conference of black religious scholars held there on the first anniversary of the death of Michael Brown. On Sunday, August 9, she and her 15-year-old daughter, Dora, participated in the march in Ferguson. It was filled with signs of hope for Dr. Thomas. Read more.

Scherer Lecture by Martín Junge to focus on Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue
 
Martin Junge
In many places around the world, Christians have already begun to observe the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. On Oct. 13 LSTC begins a series of Reformation Anniversary events by welcoming Lutheran World Federation General Secretary Martín Junge to deliver the 2015 Scherer Lecture.

In "From Conflict to Communion - a Prophetic Witness in a Fragmented World," Junge will explore the contents of From Conflict to Communion: Lutheran-Catholic Common Commemoration of the Reformation in 2017, a report of the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Commission on Unity. The Very Rev. Thomas A. Baima, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Seminary and Graduate School at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary, Mundelein, Ill., will respond to the lecture.

This free event is open to the public and will be held in the Augustana Chapel at LSTC campus, 1100 E. 55th St., Chicago. Read more.
 

Bach, Bangert and the B Minor Mass   

 

Dr. Mark P. Bangert
It's not too late to attend a special immersion event being offered in
anticipation of the free performance of Bach's B Minor Mass conducted by Dr. Mark P. Bangert on Sun., Sept. 27, St. Luke Church, 1500 West Belmont, Chicago.

On Sept. 19, Martin Marty moderates "Discovering Catholicity: Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogues at 50 - the Mass as Means and Destination." More here.

 

St. Luke's also is offering Sunday morning education hours and sermons related to the B Minor Mass.

 

Tickets to the Sept. 27 concert are free, but must be reserved in advance. The concert even includes a light supper at intermission. Learn more and read Bangert's blog here.  St. Luke Church is at 1500 W. Belmont in Chicago.

Nominate Distinguished Alumni
LSTC's Alumni Board is seeking nominations for the 2016 Distinguished Alumni Awards. Each year LSTC presents these awards to graduates of LSTC and its legacy institutions who have distinguished themselves in faithful service to the gospel and to the body of Christ.
 
You are invited to nominate an individual that exemplifies ministry excellence in one of the following listed categories:
  • Emerging Voice - excellence in ministry within 10 years of graduation.
  • Witness to the World - alumni in non-traditional settings, not necessarily rostered.
  • Specialized Ministry - alumni involved in church-related ministries, i.e. chaplaincy, campus ministry, social service, education, music ministry, etc.
  • Called to Lead -alumni who have been called to ministry of leadership within the church.
  • Excellence in Parish Ministry - rostered leaders in parish settings.
  • Faithful Servant -alumni who have been steadfast servants of the church.
Nominations are due by Oct. 31.  More details and nominating forms are here.

LSTC Guild Celebrates 70 Years
 
This year marks the LSTC Guild's 70th Anniversary. You are invited to be part of the celebration at their fall meeting at LSTC on Sat., Oct. 3. Dr. Ralph Klein, Christ Seminary-Seminex Professor Emeritus of Old Testament and curator of LSTC's Rare Book Room, will share items from the collection and talk about their significance.

Registration begins at 9:30. A celebratory lunch in the LSTC Refectory follows the program. Cost for lunch is $20. You do not need to be a member of The Guild to attend. Please RSVP to Marilyn Olson at molson@lstc.edu or 773-256-0690. Learn more about The Guild here.  

You make it happen

The number: $1.2 million. That's what you helped raise for LSTC students through your gifts to the Annual Fund.

Your gifts helped get students from their very first day of orientation to the culmination of commencement. Without your gifts, tuition would be more expensive, students would need to take out more loans, they might even need to limit what kind of call they could take because of debt.

Thanks to you, students take out smaller loans -- or no loans at all. Thanks to your faithful support, we can keep costs down and that opens up all kinds of possibilities for students and graduates.

So if you've been wondering if your gift makes a real difference at LSTC and in the lives of students, the answer is Yes!

You can make a gift online right now or watch for your Annual Fund letter in the mail in the next few weeks. Thank you!
 
Also happening at LSTC  
 
Zygon Center Fall Lectures  
Free weekly lectures presented by theologians, scientists, and philosophers consider the history, science and theology of the design argument(s), the idea that God designed the world. Find a full list of lectures and speakers here. The lectures will be held from 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. each Monday, Sept. 14 - Dec. 7.

Manz Organ Series
The first Tuesday of every month during the school year, organists present a free half-hour organ recital on Augustana Chapel's Ruth and Paul Manz pipe organ. Programs begin at 12:15 p.m. Richard Hoskins, director of music, organist, carillonneur at Saint Chrysostom's Episcopal Church and a member of the music faculty of Carthage College, is the organist on Oct. 6.

Fall Seminary Sampler
From Sun., Oct. 25 - Tues., Oct. 27, prospective students have a chance to explore seminary life, talk with students and faculty, and get a good look at Chicago and the Hyde Park neighborhood. This year's Fall Sampler includes an open mic night and poetry slam at the local bar affectionately known as Jimmy's. For more information or to register, contact Scott Chalmers, director of admissions, at schalmers@lstc.edu or 773-256-0726.
 
WFMT Bach Keyboard Festival at LSTC
Hear pianist Lara Downes in recital on Fri., Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Augustana Chapel at LSTC, 1100 E. 55th St., Chicago. This is one of eleven Chicago area concerts presented by fine arts radio station 98.7 WFMT starting Sept. 18. Tickets are available online $25/$15 for students.

Vine Deloria Jr. Symposium  
The Vine Deloria Jr. Symposium, sponsored by the Albert "Pete" Pero Jr Multicultural Center, will be held at LSTC Nov. 11-13. It will include lectures, workshops, and food. In 2013, the Annual American Indian and Alaska Native Symposium at LSTC was renamed and rededicated in honor of Dr. Vine Deloria Jr., one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century and a 1963 graduate of Augustana Theological Seminary. 

See more events and opportunities at LSTC.


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