EPISTLESUMMER 2011LSTC

Magazine of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago

Witnessing to the gospel around the globe

ChangesWe are in a time of transition at LSTC. The resigna-tion of President Echols marks the end of an impor-tant era for our school. President Echols served as president for 14 of LSTC’s 49 years, almost 30% of our school’s history. Dr. Echols is identified with LSTC and LSTC with him in profound and signifi-cant ways. Envisioning our future without him as our leader is a challenge for many of us.

Effective leaders shape the institutions they lead. A different leader will bring different gifts to the position. LSTC will be different with a different leader.

The board of directors has empowered its execu-tive committee to appoint a task force to establish a process to search for and select a new president. Meanwhile, I have been appointed acting president. I see my call as helping to moderate change in a way that allows LSTC to best fulfill its mission as a semi-nary of the church and a school of theology.

In addition to new presidential leadership, LSTC is embarking on an envisioning process to develop ways to fulfill our mission in financially sustainable ways. Dr. Echols formulated a board-approved pro-cess to help LSTC envision a financially sustainable future. We began the process on Monday, May 16, when the Board of Directors met with faculty, staff, and consultants. We learned more about LSTC’s financial challenges and began a conversation about its future.

In recent years LSTC has balanced its annual bud-get by borrowing on a line of credit from its bank and by drawing large-than-desirable amounts from its unrestricted endowment funds. These practices are not sustainable.

While the envisioning process is somewhat financially driven, it is also an opportunity for us, as the LSTC community, to revisit our mission and the ways we are structured to fulfill that mission. Faculty, administrators, staff, boards, and donors use their resources to fulfill the mission. Can we find a better financial model to support our mission? There may need to be changes in order to do so.

Craig A. Satterlee, Axel Jacob and Gerda Maria (Swanson) Carlson Professor of Homiletics at LSTC, is the author of the book When God Speaks through Change. As the title states, the book asserts that God might speak to us through change. Sometimes we have a hard time accepting that premise. We tend to be emotionally conservative and resistant to change. I reflected that, myself, when I took the time to list my priorities for LSTC. I listed most things as they are now and realized that I love LSTC the way it

is—in its location, with its faculty and students, and with its institutional life unhindered by declining financial resources.

Today LSTC is living in a rapidly changing church and educational world. As church resources are increasingly kept in local congregations and our economy maintains high levels of unemployment and low interest rates, we find ourselves in a differ-ent financial reality. Can God speak through these changes?

I believe that we must enter the envisioning pro-cess with the faith that God is calling us into a new and different future. Can we be faithful in respond-ing to a changed church and a changed world? Might we hear God’s voice speaking to us through changes we encounter?

With a change in presidential leadership and a change in our financial model, LSTC will be differ-ent. But, God’s call can still “form visionary leaders who bear witness to the good news of Jesus Christ.” Let us pray that we, together, will be among those faithful visionary leaders as LSTC responds to chang-es. Let us listen for God’s voice in the midst of it all.

Philip L. Hougen

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Philip L. Hougen

3 News from LSTC James Kenneth Echols resigns

as LSTC president

5 A Week of Daily Bread The Lutheran World Federation

Assembly

by Meghan Johnston Aelabouni

7 Georgia on my mind by Cuttino Alexander

8 Following Jesus…to East Timor

by Inge Lempp

10 Life lessons from the people of Palestine

by Amy Kienzle

12 Fulfilling his call Dr. Kimondo returns to

Tanzania to teach

by Jan Boden

14 Celebrating the Class of 2011

17 When does a student become a donor?

by Rachel Wind

18 LSTC launches Pero Endowment Fund

19 Chilstrom publishes autobiography

DepartmentsPresident’s message inside cover

Opportunities at LSTC 2

Faculty notes 21

Class notes 24

Transitions 28

FEATURES

Summer 2011 • Volume 41 • No. 2

The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, forms visionary leaders to bear witness to the good news of Jesus Christ.

Vision statementLSTC seeks to build up the body of Christ and work for a world of peace and justice that cares for the whole creation.

Visit www. lstc.edu or call 1-800-635-1116 for more information about LSTC’s programs, conferences and special events.

EditorJan Boden

DesignerAnn Rezny

ContributorsMeghan Johnston AelabouniCuttino AlexanderJan BodenPhilip HougenAmy KienzleInge LemppRachel Wind

Communications and Marketing Advisory CommitteeDavid AbrahamsonMark BangertJanette MullerMark Van Scharrel

LSTC Board of DirectorsMichael AguirreClarence Atwood, SecretaryMyrna CulbertsonSusan DavenportGregory DavisMelody Beckman EastmanKimberlee EighmyJames FowlerTrina Glusenkamp Gould, Vice ChairpersonJ. Arthur GustafsonKathryn Hasselblad-PascaleGreg KaufmannJohn KiltinenMark KleverSusan KulkarniMichael LastRoger LewisGerald MansholtSandra MoodyHarry Mueller, TreasurerPeggy Ogden-HoweMelinda PupilloGerald SchultzSarah Stegemoeller, ChairpersonHarvard Stephens Jr.Keith WiensJean Ziettlow

The LSTC Epistle is published three times a year by the Communications and Marketing Office.Printed on FSC certified paper with soy-based inks

Cover: The Rev. Dr. Stephen Kimondo receives con-gratulations from the Rev. Dr. Maxine Washington

Photo credits: Jan Boden, Amy Kienzle, Tricia Koning

EPISTLELSTC

Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs Michael Shelley congratulates Andrew Tyrell (M.Div.).

Ayalew Mengesha (left) and the Rev. Dr. Linda Thomas (right) with the Rev. Dr. Stephen Kimondo.

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Multicultural Center plans Hispanic Heritage Celebration A month-long collaborative celebration with DePaul University and McCormick Seminary starting in mid-September will mark the 40th anniversary of the creation of LSTC’s Hispanic Ministry Program. Lectures with the theme “Prophetic Voices of the Past, Present, and Future: Renewing Covenant in Latino/a Ministries” will be held at each of the schools. Mark your calendar for the September 28 Hispanic/Latino Dinner and October 1 program at LSTC. Contact Kim Ferguson, associate director of LSTC’s Multicultural Center at mc@lstc.edu for details.

CCME presents lecture on Shariah in AmericaOn October 9, learn more about the controversy sur-rounding traditional Islamic code of conduct known as Shariah. American Muslim attorney Janaan Hashim gives the lecture, “Everyday Shariah: Islamic Law and American Life,” on the background of Shariah law and current legislation in the U.S. The free lecture begins at 3:00 p.m. For more informa-tion, contact Sara Trumm, CCME program coordina-tor, at strumm@lstc.edu.

“Sacred Soil, Living Water, Holy Air” theme of October Student SymposiumThe Zygon Center for Religion and Science and its Religion and Science Student Society will present the fourth annual Student Symposium on Science and Spirituality on Friday, October 21, 2011 at LSTC. This one-day conference provides an interdisciplin-ary, ecumenical, and inter-religious forum for gradu-ate students from across the U.S. in any academic discipline to engage in rigorous and collaborative conversations in religion and science. “Sacred Soil, Living Water, Holy Air: Science, Spirituality and the Elements of Earthly Life” is free and open to the public. For a detailed schedule, email Jim Schaal at the Zygon Center for Religion and Science or watch http://www.zygoncenter.org/studentsymposium/

Hymn Festival kicks off LSTC Chapel Music SeriesCantor to the Seminary Daniel Schwandt will lead a Hymn Festival in the Augustana Chapel at LSTC at 4 p.m. on October 16 in the first concert of the Chapel Music Series’ seventh season. On December 4, join the LSTC community for Advent Choral Vespers at 7 p.m. Bach for the Sem, led by Dr. Mark Bangert, will return to Grace Lutheran Church, River Forest, Ill., on January 8 at 4 p.m. Tickets will be available beginning in December for this “don’t miss” con-cert. Call 773-256-0712.

Biblical storyteller to perform Mark 1–7 on October 23LSTC alumnus, Dr. Philip Ruge-Jones (1999), associ-ate professor of theology, Texas Lutheran University, Seguin, and convener of the Network of Biblical Storytellers, will perform Mark 1-7 at 7 p.m. on October 23 in the Augustana Chapel at LSTC. Ruge-Jones’ performance is in honor of Dr. David Rhoads, LSTC professor emeritus of New Testament. It is the culminating event of the 2011 Chicago Society for Biblical Research meeting at LSTC and is free and open to the public.

Get a taste of LSTC at Seminary Sampler October 23–25Do you know someone who should consider going to seminary? They can learn more about LSTC, sit in on classes, talk with faculty and students, tour Hyde Park, and explore their call at Seminary Sampler, Sunday, October 23—Tuesday, October 25. For more information visit http://www.lstc.edu/prospective-students/visit/sampler/ or contact Director of Admissions Scott Chalmers at schalmers@lstc.edu or admissions@lstc.edu or 773-256-0726.

Panel Discussion: Military Chaplaincy LSTC is planning to observe Veterans’ Day on November 7 with a panel discussion on military chaplaincy as a form of ministry. Discussion begins at 11:30 a.m. For more information, please contact Klaus-Peter Adam at kpadam@lstc.edu.

Opportunities at LSTC

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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 celebra-tion of Dr. Echols’ leadership at LSTC is being planned for a later date. “President Echols has provided visionary leadership for LSTC and among the ELCA seminar-ies,” said the Rev. Dr. Philip Hougen, chair of the board of directors. “Under

his leadership, LSTC successfully completed an ambi-tious $56 million comprehensive campaign, built the Augustana Chapel and created the Cornelsen Director of Spiritual Formation position. Dr. Echols also helped create A Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice, making LSTC one of the top 20 seminaries in the U.S. in interfaith studies. Over the last several years he has initiated efforts to get the ELCA seminaries to collaborate more closely to better serve the church.” In a letter to the LSTC community, Dr. Echols stated that during his fall 2010 sabbatical, “I spent significant time in professional reflection, vocational discernment and the need to address certain person-al issue…. I realized that I began my own seminary education focused on serving as a parish pastor but that 29 of my 32 years of ordained ministry have been served in the central and important ministry of theological education as professor, academic dean and president. I continue to give thanks for the privilege of having been able to do so. All of these factors led me to begin to think seriously about res-ignation.” Echols was elected president of LSTC in May

1997. He served as academic dean at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP) from 1991-1997. He joined the LTSP faculty in 1982, teach-ing American Church History. Since 2005 he has team taught, with Dr. Albert “Pete” Pero, The Theology of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. course at LSTC. A native of Philadelphia, Echols received the bachelor of arts degree from Temple University and the master of divinity degree from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. He contin-ued his studies at Yale University, where he received master of arts, master of philosophy, and doctor of philosophy degrees in the history of Christianity. The LSTC board of directors has appointed the Rev. Dr. Philip Hougen to serve as acting president while it prepares for a presidential search. Ms. Sarah Stegemoeller was elected as chairperson of the board at its May 15-17 meeting in Chicago.

R. Scott Chalmers appointed Director of AdmissionsDr. R. Scott Chalmers (1999, M.A.; 2004, Ph.D.) has been appointed director of admissions at LSTC, effective June 1, 2011. It is a one-year renewable appointment. During the 2010-2011 school year, Dr. Chalmers served as teach-ing and learning technologist and adjunct professor of Old Testament at LSTC. He has extensive experi-ence teaching online and in the classroom. During the fall semester, he will continue to teach several online courses. Chalmers also worked in LSTC’s Admissions Office for five years while he was a student. “I am pleased that Scott Chalmers will be serving as LSTC’s admissions director,” said Acting President Philip Hougen. “He will continue to build on the fine work that Pastor Joy McDonald Coltvet has

News from LSTC

continued on page 4

Dr. James Kenneth Echols

Dr. R. Scott Chalmers

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done over the last five years and help LSTC connect with prospective students discerning a call to minis-try and theological studies.” Pastor Joy McDonald Coltvet and her family will be relocating to St. Paul, Minn., where her spouse has accepted a new job. Ms. Dorothy Dominiak will continue as director of financial aid and admissions at LSTC.

José D. Rodríguez to serve as chancellor of University Institute ISEDET in ArgentinaThe Rev. Dr. José David Rodríguez, Augustana Heritage Chair of Global Mission and World Christianity and professor of systematic theology at

LSTC, has been elected to serve as chancellor of the Evangelical Institute of Theological Studies (ISEDET) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The appointment is for three years, beginning July 1, 2011. Dr. Rodríguez will remain a faculty member at LSTC and continue to work with the Ph.D. students he advises. “This is a great honor for our colleague,” said Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Michael Shelley. “LSTC has been blessed for many years by the gifts that Dr. Rodríguez and other fac-ulty members from the global church offer to those who study here. Through this appointment, Dr. Rodríguez will be helping to prepare future leaders for nine denominations in Latin America. This cor-responds so completely with LSTC’s mission, vision, and values that we must rejoice in this opportunity, even though we will miss our friend and colleague.” For approximately 20 years, Rodríguez served as director of the Hispanic/Latino Ministry pro-gram at LSTC. He was director of LSTC’s Th.M./Ph.D. Program for three years. Rodríguez has been a long-standing recruiter, coordinator, and teacher of students for the various ministries of the church. His scholarship in the areas of systematic theology, ethics, world Christianity, mission, and ministry has enriched the resources of interdisciplinary studies in North America, Latin America, and other parts of the world. In 2009, he published La Vocacion, in the Abingdon Press “Ministerio Series.” A list of

Rodríguez’s other publications is at http://www.lstc.edu/about/faculty/jose-david-rodriguez/. The Rev. Dr. Robert Saler (2007, M.Div.; 2009, Th.M.; 2011, Ph.D.) will serve as visiting lecturer of systematic theology for the 2011-2012 school year, teaching Systematic Theology I and Systematic Theology II.

Westhelle and Vethanayagamony receive ATS Lilly Theological Research GrantsThe Rev. Dr. Peter Vethanayagamony, associ-ate professor of modern church history, and the Rev. Dr. Vítor Westhelle, professor of systematic theology, were among 22 scholars who received research grants from the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS). The ATS grants of up to $12,000 for research expenses are funded by the Lilly Endowment. The Rev. Dr. Peter Vethanayagamony will research how the Telugu Bible Women of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church (women evangelists identical to U.S. dea-conesses), reconfigured home-making and career in the late 19th and first half of the 20th centuries. The Rev. Dr. Vítor Westhelle will do research for his latest book project with the working title Eschatology and Space: The Lost Dimension in Theology Past and Present. Using studies on space by Lefebvre, de Certeau, Foucault, and others, in the first part of the book, Westhelle will provide a theoretical frame of the notion of eschaton which connotes simulta-neously the end and the limit, the ultimate and the border. The second part of the book will consider contemporary eschatological proposals. The final part of the book will discuss dimensions of liminal estates that represent the boundaries or ends of our comfort zones. See http://www.lstc.edu/communications/news/?a=article&id=332 for more details about their work.

For the latest news from LSTC visit http://www.lstc.edu/communications/news/.

José David Rodríguez Peter Vethanayagamony

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“Give, give us…give us today; give us today our daily bread;

Live, we live…we live each day; we live each day needing to be fed.”

(Give, Give Us—2010 LWF Assembly theme, text and music by Per Harling)

For one week in July 2010, I sang the above words more times than I could count. I sang it in English, in German, in Spanish, in French, with guitar and drums, a capella, in rounds, until I knew it by heart. I sang until it got tedious, and until it sounded fresh and new again. I wasn’t singing alone. As a North American delegate to the 2010 Lutheran World Federation Assembly, I was one of nearly 1,000 people, repre-senting the more than 70 million individual LWF members from 145 church bodies in 79 coun-tries—including the ELCA. “Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread” was the theme for this assembly. We pondered the many meanings of daily bread: as sustenance and sustainability, the health of human beings and of our world’s climate. And we received daily bread in worship, meals, and encounters with one another.

LWF is a relationshipMany people ask: what is the LWF? Does it make quilts? (No, that’s Lutheran World Relief.) Is it involved in hands-on mission? (Yes, all over the world…but it also engages in theological reflec-tion, ecumenical and inter-faith work, and much more.) Perhaps the more accurate question is: who is the LWF? And if you’re an ELCA mem-ber, the answer is: you. And me. The LWF is called a com-munion, because it is, first and foremost, a relationship.

It’s very like a table, at which the world’s Lutheran churches are invited to gather, pray, and work together.

United in the presence of ChristNext question: what is an LWF assembly? Like most large gatherings of the church, I found it’s one part bureaucracy, one part inspiration. It was a room of tables filled with paper, water glasses and compli-mentary mints—and a holy space for impassioned witness to the world’s crisis and hope. It was people from every continent, united by the cross of Christ as well as by the white “LWF” lanyards and plastic nametags we wore everywhere. It was gathering each morning with my “vil-lage group,” including students from Suriname and Denmark, bishops from Namibia and Sweden, and a farmer from Tanzania, to discuss topics like farm-ing, the welfare of children, and the state of the church in our contexts. Did we solve the problems of the world? Hardly. But on our last day, several of us spoke of our thankfulness for the strength we had gained from our fellowship to return home to our countries and churches.

A Week of Daily BreadThe Lutheran World Federation Assemblyby Meghan Johnston Aelabouni (2006, M.Div.)

Meghan Johnston Aelabouni (second from left) with new friends from around the world at the 2010 LWF Assembly

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It was the opportunity to be a part of an unfor-gettable act: the repentance of a church. Together, the assembly voted—many of us on our knees—to repent and ask forgiveness for centuries of persecu-tion of Anabaptist Christians by Lutheran Christians. In return, our guests from the World Mennonite Conference gave us a gift of reconciliation: a foot-washing tub, made by an Amish community from the same part of Pennsylvania in which these fellow Christians made radical forgiveness front-page news after the 2006 shooting at one of their schools. Most of all, the LWF Assembly was the presence of Christ, meeting us in moments large and small.

Christ was there in hands from around the world that met mine: offering communion or one of the many cups of coffee I consumed, grasped in prayer or greeting, anointing with oil to remind me of my baptism. In the end, for me, daily bread was this: to know and to celebrate the fact that the broken, beloved, beautiful body of Christ was alive and well in Stuttgart—and is alive and well throughout the world.

Meghan Johnston Aelabouni is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Fort Collins, Colo., with her spouse, Pastor Gabi Aelabouni.

Visit Luther sites with Dr. Kurt HendelFollow the footsteps of Martin Luther, guided by Dr. Kurt Hendel, Bernard Fischer, Westberg Distinguished Ministry Professor of Reformation History, on a June 2012 tour to Germany. This 10-day tour begins in Berlin, with stops in Wittenberg, Dresden, Eisleben, Buchenwald, Erfurt, Eisenach, Oberammergau, and Munich. Basic cost of the tour is $1,800 per person, double occupancy. Airfare is not included. This tour is limited to 30 participants. Registrations accepted until the tour bus capacity is reached. Book early to ensure a place on this exciting tour. Contact Kurt Hendel for details: khen-del@lstc.edu or 773-256-0776. The tour out-line will also be posted at www.lstc.edu.

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Whenever I tell people I’m spending my internship year in Georgia, they assume that I’m talking about a church somewhere near Atlanta. However, I’m talking

about the country of Georgia, about 6,000 miles away from the state of the same name. Georgia is a small country on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, sandwiched between Turkey and Russia. For the next year, I’ll be working as an intern with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Georgia, a small but active network of con-gregations.

There are approximately 700 Lutherans in Georgia, the remnant of a once-thriving German diaspora. Like any intern, I’ll be active in the con-gregation—preaching, teaching, participating in worship, and offering pastoral care. The difference, of course, is that all of this work will be done in Russian.

Lutherans in GeorgiaLutherans have been a part of Georgian society since the early nineteenth century. Approximately 40,000 Lutherans from southwestern Germany settled in Georgia at this time. Over the years, they built their own communities and villages in both Georgia and Azerbaijan. German settlers also lived in Tbilisi, the capital, where they built a large church. Beginning in the 1970s, Georgian Lutherans began to gather again. They established ties with several churches and individuals in Germany. In 1995, with the help of donors from Germany, they built a new church in Tbilisi and began to organize house churches in smaller towns. The church serves

ethnic Georgians and Russians, worshiping in both languages. They have active youth programs and social ministry.

Georgian hospitalityIn spite of their hardships, Georgians of all ethnic backgrounds are fiercely proud of their heritage. The Georgian language is considered one of the most difficult languages in the world. It has its own alphabet and a unique vocabulary. Georgian dishes are a delicious blend of Mediterranean, Russian and Central Asian cuisine. Wine is considered sacred in Georgian tradition. Grapes are grown everywhere and almost every household makes their own wine.The country is stunningly beautiful with high, snow-capped mountains, fertile valleys and lush sub-tropical beaches. Medieval churches dot the land-scape. Georgians pride themselves on their hospital-ity, saying every guest is a “gift from God.”

Building relationships in Eastern EuropeI have long had a passion for the cultures of Eastern Europe. I studied Russian language at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and spent a few semesters in St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Siberia. Upon graduation, I joined the U.S. Peace Corps and was assigned to work in Georgia. It was here that I first became aware of this Lutheran community.Wanting to gain more professional and pastoral experience in the region, I requested to spend my internship in Georgia. I collaborated closely with my advisor, Dr. Klaus-Peter Adam, whose home church in Württemberg, Germany, sponsors the Georgian church. Once I received approval from LSTC and my home synod, I worked with LSTC’s Advancement Office to fund this project. As a future rostered leader of the ECLA, I hope to be a leader in relations between our church and those of the former Soviet Union. Whether here in the U.S., or in the mission field, I hope to share my passion for this region with others while serving Christ and the needs of the church.

To follow my experience in Georgia, please visit: http://caucasusepistles.wordpress.com

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Georgia on my mindby Cuttino Alexander (intern, M.Div.)

Cuttino Alexander at the Georgian Church in Tbilisi, the Church of Reconciliation. Notice the Luther Rose with the inscription in the Georgian alphabet.

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Following Jesus…to East Timorby Inge Ruth Lempp (1997, M.Div.)

“What no eye has seen no ear heard, nor the heart of anyone conceived, what God has prepared for those who love God, God has revealed to us through the Spirit. “ 1 Cor. 2:9-10

When I left LSTC in April 1999, I did not know what lay ahead. Following a call I felt in my heart, I resigned as director for international student affairs, work I loved and was passionate about. I left for East Timor. Was this a crazy thing to do? It was scary for sure, and I prayed it was Jesus’ call that I was hear-ing. I came to East Timor as part of an election observer team, the East Timor Action Network (ETAN), part of the International Federation for East Timor (IFET), an associ-ation of solidarity groups from around the world. We were an independent grass roots organization that received United Nations accreditation as election observers. On August 30, 1999, the vast majority (86.7%) of the people of East Timor voted for independence after 24 years of brutal military occupation by Indonesia. Before departing the country, Indonesia destroyed up to 80% of all East Timor infrastructure, making hundreds of thousands refugees or internally displaced persons (IDPs). After being deported (or “evacuated”) to Darwin, Australia, for three weeks, I returned to work for the World Council of Churches’ emergency relief program called Action by Churches Together (ACT). Partnering with the local Protestant Church of East Timor, the Igeja Protestante Timor-Leste (IPTL), we delivered emer-gency relief to remote communities.

Celebrating East Timor’s independenceIn those early years following Indonesia’s depar-ture from East Timor, I continued working with the Timorese umbrella organization for national and international non-governmental organizations, the NGO Forum, trying to deliver and implement emer-gency relief and rehabilitation programs. On May 20, 2002, I had an extraordinary experi-ence of a lifetime. I was present at East Timor’s cel-ebration of independence – the birth of a new nation.

The U.N. flag was replaced by the Timorese flag at midnight, out on a wide open sandy space by the ocean. Over 200,000 people and 91 heads of state from around the world gathered with the people of this emerging little nation. U.N. General Secretary Kofi Anan presided and handed over ruling authority to the first president and prime minister of Timor-Leste. It was an awesome moment I will never forget.

Translating truth-tellingFrom 2002 – 2005, the Timor-Leste Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (Comição Acolhimento, Verdade e Reconciliação – CAVR), an independent statutory authority mandated by the

United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor, was given the task of truth seeking for the period 1974-1999 to facilitate reconciliation for less serious crimes. I had the privilege of working as coordinator of the translation department at CAVR. We translated peoples’ accounts of their traumatic experiences, providing a witness to the immense human suffering and pain of the “mate restu” (“they are what death left over,” as the living Timorese call themselves). We also witnessed their awe-inspiring resilience in facing and rising from the genocide they had expe-rienced. It was a sacred and daunting task. For the first time, people were free to speak out in public hearings on various topics of the CAVR’s research (e.g., massacres, torture, political prisoners, women

Inge Lempp, second from left, with graduates and staff at the Canossian College for rural women in Baucau, East Timor

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and conflict, children and conflict, etc.) telling the nation and the world the truth about what they had experienced.

Building the future of East Timor by empowering womenIt is my great pleasure and joy now to be work-ing at the Canossian Sisters College (Centro Treino Integral e Desenvolvimento – CTID) in Baucau, East Timor, empowering young rural Timorese women. Annually, 60 young women from all 13 Timorese districts attend an 11-month live-in course. With a holistic approach, the women are given space to develop their hearts, hands and minds to grow in self-confidence, as well as become agents of change for their villages and communities. My task from 2004 to 2010 was to develop the “follow-up” program and train a team of colleagues. We emphasize how the graduates can use the skills they have learned during the course to improve their lives and the lives of others when they return to their communities. This includes income-generat-ing activities, small business development, product development, community development and civic participation. Last year, a team took over this work. I am happy to play a small part in building the future of this country by the formation and education of young rural women. I am currently preparing for a new job at the same college. My new focus is on organizational development and networking among colleges nationally. I will also assist with staff development, as CTID faces the beginning of the accreditation pro-cess with the government of Timor-Leste.

Seeing the gifts of the SpiritSo what has been the use of it all? The innumerable set-backs, and crises weathered? The strain of trying to reach across wounds of centuries of colonialism, the scars of decades of military occupation, and the growing gap between the world of the “haves” and

the world of the “have-nots”; the seeming futility and even foolishness of my trying to bridge the gap between western and indigenous cultures? What has been the use of it all? Reflecting on my journey, it is clear that my studies in social work, my master of divinity at LSTC, and the years of working as director in the International Student Affairs Office were a time of preparation for my life and work in East Timor. Understanding deeply who I am in my faith tradition and journey; knowing how to read and interpret scripture in the chromos-es and kairos-es of our lives; letting myself be challenged to the core; drinking deeply from the theological disciplines; dia-

loging with other religious traditions; and the mod-els in faith and life I encountered during my time at LSTC prepared me for the work I do today. It gives me the strength and hope to continue, by seeing the gifts of the Spirit. Clearly, the tapestry of my life was designed and is being woven by the Master Weaver. My husband, Constantino Pinto, and I know that we are rich people. Not in material accumula-tions, but in things that really count: unbelievably vivid moments of the human touch; laughter and dancing in the depth of difficult times; and the trea-sure of the dream of that beloved community and the harmony we long for.

Learn more about community development work in East Timor at www. lafaekdiak.org. Look for a link to a catalog of products made by graduates of CTID. Contact Inge Lempp at ributil@gmx.de

Inge Lempp and spouse, Constantino Pinto, at the Parliament of World Religions in Melbourne, Australia, December 2009

CTID students visit the Truth and Reconciliation permanent exhibit at the former political prison in East Timor.

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In May, I returned from three months in the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel. My placement was in the city of Hebron in the southern West Bank. Our work was to live with and accompany Palestinians and Israelis work-ing for peace and an end to occupation. This includ-ed monitoring checkpoints every day as children went to and from school, being a protective pres-ence in places where there has been tension with Israeli army and settlers, visiting with people in their homes and listening to their stories, and document-ing and reporting human rights violations. This work has profoundly changed me in ways that I can’t articulate or even discern yet. It will be through sharing the stories of the people and my

own experiences that I will begin to understand what it all means for my life and work. I would like to share a few of the things I learned in Hebron and from the Palestinians, who so generously welcomed us into their lives.

Dignity and hospitality are inextricably linkedThe village of Amniyr in the South Hebron Hills was demolished three times while we were there. On March 29 we went to see the damage done that morning, when the Israeli army bulldozed the tents that the Red Cross had given the people to live in the last time their homes were destroyed. We walked from family to family, offering our sympathy for

their loss. At every demolished home site were small fires with kettles atop them. The people offered us tea and invited us to drink with them around the rubble of their homes. Even though they had lost so much, still they gave what little they had. Their dignity remained intact. They didn’t need houses to provide welcome and hospitality to a stranger.

Women can do anythingHebron is a traditional Muslim city, where clearly defined gender roles remain mostly intact. But we met a number of progressive women who chal-lenged the status quo. Two of our closest friends were Nawal and Laila, who run a women’s coopera-tive and have two shops in the Old City. They are the only women with a shop in the old suq. This has made them the target of some disdainful looks. Nawal and Laila are strong, independent and clear in their determination to survive and thrive amid the difficulties of life in the West Bank. When the Israeli army made patrols through the suq, Laila would chase the soldiers away from her shop without fear. Their best-selling item is a purse with the words, “Women Can Do Anything” cross-stitched on the front. After meeting Laila and Nawal and women like them I came to know the truth of these words in a new way.

“Existence Is Resistance” is not just a bum-per sticker phrase In Tel Rumeida the Palestinian families live with set-tlers in trailers looming above their homes. Their settler neighbors routinely came into their back yards and threw stones onto the roofs of their hous-es and at their children as they played outside. Because of the settlement, the people had to use ladders to get to their homes because roads were closed off to them. Children walked home from school through military checkpoints and back alleys. It is a difficult way to live, but the people will not be chased away. They do not give up. Instead they find ways to make life in Tel Rumeida better. When we were there, we helped at a kids’ after-school camp. They were making a freedom forest, complete with a papier-mache elephant and red paper roses. The children’s faces were so bright and filled with joy. In their make-believe garden, hope for freedom was possible and kids could just be kids.

Life lessons from the people of Palestineby Amy Kienzle (2007, M.Div.)

An Israeli soldier checks a Palestinian man's identification papers at the suq.

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Laughter really is healing for the soul “If my friends weren’t here, I would have fire in my heart. But now I can laugh and instead they go with fire in their heart.” Abed spoke these words as two settlers walked away from the car they had parked to block the entrance of his shop. The settlers in Hebron did not appreciate our presence among the Palestinians. We were there drinking tea with Abed and his son, the Christian Peace Maker Team and the International Solidarity Movement. It was a beautiful spring morning that no one could spoil. When the settler parked his car right behind my chair that morning, we all just stopped our conversation and stared for a moment before bursting into fits of raucous laughter. It helped us to relieve the tension of a potentially confrontational situation. Abed’s words told us that our being there did mean something to the people we accompanied.

Never give up hopeWe knew when we began our work that there was little we could do to change the realities of life under occupation. Some days we felt helpless and hopeless as we stood at checkpoints and just watched. Other days we saw the ways our presence was appreciated and needed and people thanked us just for being there. Among all the things I learned from Palestinians, the most important was to never give up hope. It amazed me again and again the vibrancy and determination of people for whom life is rarely easy. Drinking tea with families, blowing bubbles with kids in the South Hebron Hills, laugh-ing with people, when we all could have been cry-ing. It reminds me that peace is possible.

Although my work as an Ecumenical Accompanier is done (at least for now), I now begin the work of being an Ecumenical Advocate. I will speak on behalf of the people I met in Palestine, whose voices are often lost when we talk about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is work to which every-one who cares about justice is called. If you are one of those people, you can help bring peace by telling our Congress that we support real negotiations for peace and we do not want our tax dollars spent on home demolitions and check-points that keep people from having the freedom God promises to all people. It is the work of God’s

kingdom, to bring peace with justice to people everywhere. Wouldn’t it be a sign of God’s promise if this could be a reality in the Holy Land! Insha’allah (God willing).

To learn more about the situation you can check out the links on my blog at http://thingsthatmake4peace.wordpress.com or the Peace not Walls website of the ELCA (http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Justice/Peace-Not-Walls.aspx). There is a new blog there that keeps people informed of the issues and what we can do to help bring peace with justice to the Holy Land.

Israeli soldiers inspect a child's school bag in Hebron.

A family in Amniyr, after their house was demolished by Israeli bulldozers

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Fulfilling his callDr. Stephen Kimondo returns to Tanzania to teach New Testamentby Jan Boden

When the Reverend Doctor Stephen Kimondo told his mother that he was thinking about going to seminary, she was not happy about his decision. In his native Tanzania, children respect the wishes of their parents in life decisions such as career and mar-riage. Kimondo’s mother had concerns about how he would pay for his education and how he would make a living as a pastor. “She expected me to be a teacher,” said Dr. Kimondo, who received his doctor of philosophy degree from LSTC on May 15. As he has fulfilled his call to service in the church, Stephen Kimondo has also fulfilled his mother’s wishes. His study of theol-ogy and the New Testament have led him to a voca-tion of teaching and administration. After serving as a parish pastor, Kimondo became a teacher and administrator at at Tumaini University – Iringa University College, an institution owned by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT). Iringa University College offers degrees in theology; law; business administration; and social sciences, including journalism, tourism and cultural anthropology, and education (mathematics). When

he returns to Tanzania this summer, Kimondo expects to resume his responsi-bilities at Iringa University College teaching New Testament courses. “I realized that we didn’t have many local teachers in Biblical stud-ies, including the New Testament. That is the reason I chose to do stud-ies in New Testament. I am committed to returning to Tanzania and working with my church,” Kimondo said. “I am deeply grateful to the ELCA for offering me a scholarship to study at LSTC. Their support was invaluable to me.”

From left: Neema, Stephen, Mbumi, Nuru, and Bahati Kimondo and the daughter of a family friend

Ph.D. graduates Jin Yang Kim and Stephen Kimondo

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Reading the Gospel of Mark through the events of warDr. Kimondo’s dissertation focuses on the Gospel of Mark. “When I came to LSTC, I thought I would write about leadership in the Gospel of Mark, but my advisor, David Rhoads, guided me to look at how Mark comments on the events of the Roman-Jewish War through the story of Jesus.” His dissertation is Reading Mark’s Gospel in the Light of the Roman-Jewish War of 66-70 C.E.: Jesus’ Story as a Contrast to the Events Related to the War. “After reading Josephus’ account of the Roman-Jewish War of 66-70 C.E., I began to see many par-allels and contrasting parallels in Mark’s Gospel. I present the idea that Mark’s audience may have interpreted the story of Jesus in light of the events of the recent war they had endured.” Working with the understanding that Mark wrote the gospel shortly after the city of Jerusalem and its temple had been destroyed, Kimondo asked, “How would people who had fresh memories of the crisis of the war and its devastating consequences interpret Mark’s story of Jesus? How would they interpret Mark’s reference to the good news of Jesus, Son of God, in a context where the Romans’ good news was Vespasian’s military victory and his rise to the imperial throne and divine status? How would they interpret Jesus’ proclamation of the arrival of God’s empire in the Roman Empire under Vespasian? And how would they understand Jesus’ wilder-ness experience with wild beasts knowing that Jews were forced to fight to the death with wild beasts in games held as entertainment for the Roman generals shortly after the war ended?”

Learning a new way to work with studentsKimondo came to LSTC with a commitment to using the Bible as a means of liberation and not as a tool to dominate others. At LSTC, he learned dif-ferent methods for interpreting the Bible and was introduced to narrative criticism by David Rhoads. “Narrative criticism uses the text itself and is a useful method especially where there is a lack of resourc-es or tools to assist with interpreting scripture,” Kimondo said. One of the most important learnings Kimondo takes with him is how LSTC’s professors treat their students. “They respect the students and were so helpful to me. I would feel embarrassed if I didn’t fulfill what I promised to do for an assignment,” Kimondo said. “But David Rhoads told me that I didn’t need to apologize, but to thank God for the progress I made. He has been a pastor, a friend, and

a colleague as well as my teacher. He has been my inspiration on how to deal with students.”

Envisioning new partnershipsKimondo knows he will miss the friends he and his family have made at LSTC. He and his wife, Mbumi, and their three children, Neema (11), Bahati (17), and Nuru (20), will be making the adjustment to life in Tanzania after seven years in Chicago. They return to a burgeoning Lutheran church in Tanzania.

According to the Lutheran World Federation, 670,000 new members joined Lutheran churches in Tanzania in 2009, making the Tanzania Lutheran Church the second largest, world-wide. “We are not afraid to witness to the good news of Jesus Christ,” Kimondo said about the tremendous growth of the Lutheran Church in Tanzania. “I pray that the leadership of Iringa University College in Tanzania and of LSTC will explore the possibility of initiating an exchange partnership. I would like to see theologians from LSTC and other U.S. seminaries come to teach in Tanzania. Funding is difficult, but this would be beneficial to both the students from Tanzania and the U.S.”

Dr. Richard Perry Jr. (right) and a Kimondo family friend with Stephen Kimondo

Chilly temperatures, wind and rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of the 58 students who graduated from LSTC’s five degree programs on Sunday, May 15. There was no procession from LSTC to St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, but there was plenty of spirit as the assembly sang “We Are Marching in the Light of God.” The Right Reverend Munib Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and president of the Lutheran World Federation preached. The Rev. Dr. Linda Thomas, professor of theology and anthropology at LSTC, presided.

Bishop Younan was presented with the Doctor of Divinity, Honoris Causa. Timothy Weisman received the Edgar Krentz Award for Biblical Interpretation for his paper, “Love Beyond the Table: Romans 13:1 – 10” and also shared the James Kenneth Echols Prize for Excellence in Preaching with Regina Herman (to hear the Echols Preaching Prize sermons, visit http://www.lstc.edu/voices/podcasts/ and follow the link in the paragraph under the photos.) Members of the Classes of 1961 and 1971 were honored during the commencement ceremony for their years of faithful ministry.

Celebrating the Class of 2011

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Katy Harder (M.Div.) shows off her ruby slippers. She will be serving a congre-gation in Kansas.

Tim Weisman and Regina Herman were both awarded the Echols Prize for Excellence in Preaching.

Master of Theology graduates, Matthew Frost, Bridget Illian, Eun Ae Lee, Rebecca Luft, Prince V. Rajamony, and Janet Tuma

Ph.D. graduates Stephen Kimondo, Robert Saler, and Jin Yang Kim

Several graduates in the Master of Arts in Theological Studies and Master of Divinity programs completed emphases, noted after the name below. Thanks to your partnership in ministry, these graduates are going out to bear witness to the good news of Jesus Christ.

Certificate of StudiesLindsay Mack Master of Arts in MinistryAmatullah Mildred Moore

Master of Art in Theological StudiesPaul Friesen-Carper Tamas Gancs Caroline Judd Sheri Kling (emphasis in Religion

& Science) Mary Lynch-Dungy Christopher Murray Johanna Rodrían

Master of DivinityAnna Ballan – postponing assign-

mentLisa Bates-Froiland – Greater

Milwaukee Amanda Bergstrom – Northern

Illinois

Luanne Bettisch – Northern Illinois

Pao-Yu Chi – not in candidacyElizabeth Bakalyar Friedman –

Southeast Michigan Richard Fry – Southern OhioLaura Gerstl – North/West Lower

Michigan (emphasis in Urban Ministry)

Kimberly Gonia – Northern Illinois

Katrina Harder – Central StatesErich Hartenberger – South

Central WisconsinDavid Heim – will be assigned in

Fall 2011Carolyn Hellerich – will be

assigned in Fall 2011Angela Neubauer Jackson – will

be assigned in Fall 2011

Matthew Keadle – Southwest California (emphasis in Urban Ministry)

Daniel Kerr – North/West Lower Michigan

Juanita Krmaschek – Central/Southern Illinois (emphasis in Environmental Ministry)

Adrianne Meier – Northwest Ohio

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M.Div. graduates Kim Gonia and Amanda Bergstrom share their joy after the ceremony.

Doctor of Ministry in Preaching graduates Laura Holck, Randy Willers and Soren Flessen

Master of divinity graduates, from left: Andrew Tyrell, Brian Robison, Monica Villarreal, Carolyn Hellerich, Matthew Keadle, Anna Ballan, Amanda Bergstrom, Luanne Bettisch, Richard Fry, and Laura Gerstl

The Right Reverend Munib Younan delivers the ser-mon at commencement.

Priscilla Paris-Austin – Grand Canyon (emphasis in Urban Ministry)

Rhonda Pruitt – Metropolitan Chicago

Brian Robison – Central/Southern Illinois

Eric Schlichting – Metropolitan Chicago

Dara Schuller-Hanson – South Central Wisconsin

Rebecca Sheridan – NebraskaRichard Sheridan – will be

assigned in Fall 2011Tara Shilts – diaconal – not yet

assignedEmily Tveite – South Central

Wisconsin

Andrew Tyrrell – Northern Illinois

Monica Villarreal – Southeast Michigan (emphasis in Urban Ministry)

Vikki Ward Martin – Metropolitan Chicago

Alyce Yorde – graduate school – Emory

Elisabeth Zant – Northern Great Lakes

Master of TheologyAdam Braun Matthew Frost Nayoung Ha Bridget Illian Juyoung Kim

Eun Ae Lee Seo Young Lee Rebecca Luft Prince Vethamonickam Rajamony Janet Tuma

Doctor of MinistrySoren Flessen Laura Holck Nancy Swope Randy Willers Doctor of PhilosophyJin Yang Kim Stephen Kimondo Robert Saler

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M.Div. graduates Priscilla Paris-Austin, Rhonda Pruitt, and Vikki Ward-Martin Barbara Rossing and Vitor Westhelle hood Master of Arts in Ministry graduate Amatullah Mildred Moore.

Graduates in procession at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church

It’s sometimes difficult to pinpoint the exact moment that the philanthropic “bug” bites an indi-vidual. Sometimes it happens almost instantaneous-ly, an individual just “gets it” and starts giving from a young age and never looks back. For others, it may take a little longer.

For the LSTC class of 2011, the bug bit early, and hard. This class will be the first one in LSTC’s his-tory to enter into a covenant with the school called “Seminary One.” This idea, originally started at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, encourages graduating students to designate one per-cent of their income to be given back to the semi-nary and also making the case in their congregations to have this gift matched. This act of giving one percent may seem small, but the results are huge. This covenant shows that even first call pastors who may have no idea what the future holds for them are factoring the semi-nary’s future into their budgets. LSTC is thankful for the willingness and excite-ment illustrated by the Class of 2011 at being the first to make this commitment. We hope their faith and witness encourages other classes to respond as well. As the class of 2011 receives their degrees and ventures out into their new ministries, we know the future of the church, and this seminary, is bright.

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One percent for LSTCWhen does a student become a donor?by Rachel Wind, regional gift officer (2010, M.Div.)

Amanda Bergstrom, Class of 2011, gets comfortable in one of the chairs her class presented as a gift to LSTC.

Class of 2011 representatives Emily Tveite and Alyce Yorde announce the class gift at commencement.

Class of 2011 makes LSTC a more hospitable placeThey offered the gifts they had and invited others to share their gifts as well. By holding ballroom dance classes, a chili cook-off and silent auction, and having their gift matched by longtime LSTC friend and former gift officer Lawrence Sehy, the class raised $10,000 for its gift to LSTC. The Class of 2011 has purchased chairs for the Grand Hallway to make the space more hospitable and comfortable for the LSTC com-munity and visitors. The balance of the money, $6,000, was placed in the International Students’ Emergency Fund. The fund is used to pay travel expenses for international students called home to visit a gravely ill relative or to attend a family funeral.

Fostering unity and diversity

LSTC launches Albert “Pete” Pero Jr. Endowment Fund to support Multicultural Centerby Jan Boden

At its March meeting, the executive committee of the LSTC board of directors passed resolutions that will “affirm and encourage plans to raise an endow-ment to support the continuing and important work of the Multicultural Center;” and to name the newly endowed center “The Albert ‘Pete’ Pero, Jr. Multicultural Center at LSTC” in recognition of Dr. Pero’s numerous contributions to multicultural min-istry at the seminary and in the church and world. An initial fundraising event was held in Hyde Park on June 11 to announce this new initiative and to invite support for the endowment. When the initial goal of $750,000 is reached, the Albert “Pete” Pero Jr. Multicultural Center at LSTC will be formally established and celebrated.

Water is thicker than bloodDr. Albert “Pete” Pero is a respected leader in mul-ticultural ministry. In 1976, Pero laid the ground-work for multicultural ministries within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America through the Transcultural Conference he helped to create. As the first African Descent Lutheran from the United States to earn a Ph.D. in systematic theology, Pete Pero became the first African Descent member of LSTC’s faculty. He retired in 2004 and continues to teach as an emeritus member of the faculty. Believing that cultures are to be celebrated and transcended, Dr. Pero created and co-taught at LSTC, “Unity and Diversity,” a course that led countless students to a deeper understanding of their identity as creations of God formed by the water of baptism rather than the “blood” of ethnicities and cultures.

Fostering unity and diversity through the Multicultural CenterTo celebrate both our baptismal identity in the one-ness of Christ and our various cultural expressions of that identity, the Albert “Pete” Pero Jr. Multicultural Center will provide programs and resources for LSTC, for the ELCA, and for others who are eager

to be partners in a cov-enantal relationship of unity in diversity.

Programs and resources to nurture the growth of congregations and lead-ers will include• Multicultural institutes• Events to foster col-

laboration around our unity and diversity

• Sharing stories that describe our mutual multicultural heritages

Learn moreTo learn more about the fund or to contribute, con-tact Mark Van Scharrel at mvanscha@lstc.edu or Jessica Houston at jhouston@lstc.edu.

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How you make a difference at LSTCImagine that the school year lasted only five weeks. Students might not even get to the book of Exodus in their Pentateuch course. In Church History I, they’d barely reach discussion about the papacy. And they would never learn how we have come to believe what we do, in a Systematic Theology course. If LSTC needed to support itself on tuition dollars alone, it would need to close its doors after just five weeks of classes. Because of your contributions to LSTC’s Annual Fund, faculty can keep teaching and students are able to complete the semester and the school year. Your gifts make all the difference at LSTC. To support the Annual Fund, use the envelope enclosed with this issue of the LSTC Epistle. You may make a gift online at http://www.lstc.edu/alumni-friends/giving/.

The Rev. Dr. Albert "Pete" Pero

The Rev. Dr. Herbert Chilstrom’s (Augustana, 1958) autobiography, A Journey of Grace – The Formation of a Leader and a Church, will be published August 1 by Lutheran University Press. Dr. Chilstrom has announced that profits from the sale of his autobiog-raphy will support the Herbert W. Chilstrom Chair in New Testament at LSTC. Intertwining the story of his life with the story of the church, from baptism to the present day, Dr. Chilstrom recounts not only his own formation as a leader, but of the ELCA, itself. His story of leadership as a pastor, teacher, synod bishop, and as the first pre-siding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is told in the context of the larger scene of major historical events happening at the time. Martin Marty provides a foreword for A Journey of Grace. Dr. Chilstrom shares his personal story, as well, recounting the role of his wife, Corinne, the trauma

of the death of their son, Andrew, and the impact of his devel-opmentally chal-lenged brother David. To learn more about A Journey of Grace – The Formation of a Leader and a Church, visit http://www.luther-anupress.org/Books/A_Journey_of_Grace. $28.00; $25.00 pre-publication price until August 1.)

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Chilstrom autobiography, A Journey of Grace, to support chair in New Testament

Register now for January tour to the Holy LandIf you have always wanted to visit the places Jesus walked or learn, first-hand, what life is like in Israel and Palestine, join 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, for their exciting 12-day study tour to the Holy Lands 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 price per person is $3,599 and includes round trip airfare from Chicago, lodg-ing 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. The tour is described as “fast-paced and strenu-ous!” The group will:• Tour Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Hebron, Jericho,

Masada, Nazareth, Capernaum and more• Explore important archaeological sites of the Bible;

become immersed in the world of Jesus and bibli-cal Israel

• Converse and experience worship with Christians, Jews and Muslims of the Holy Land

• Walk the Palm Sunday Road and the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem

• Worship with Palestinian Christians; visit Lutheran Institutions

• Visit Yad Vashem, the Israeli Holocaust Museum• Meet with leaders in the peace and reconciliation

movement, and discuss the theological basis for their beliefs

• Visit a Palestinian refugee camp, and talk with a Jewish settler

• Experience kibbutz life at an Israeli kibbutz in the Galilee region

• See replicas of the Dead Sea Scrolls and where they were found at Qumran

Visit http://www.lstc.edu/lifelong-learners/courses-events/study-tours.php or contact Esther Menn at emenn@lstc.edu or Barbara Rossing at brossing@lstc.edu to receive more information.

Three LSTC alumni elected as synodical bishopsAt this spring’s synod assemblies, three LSTC alumni have been elected bishop. Michael Girlinghouse (1987, M.Div.), was elected bishop of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod on May 1. He has been serving as pastor of University Lutheran Church and student center, Norman, Okla. He heads the Oklahoma University Lutheran campus ministry. He took office on July 1. The Rev. Dr. Donald P. Kreiss (1992, M.Div.; 2007, D.Min.), who has served on LSTC’s alumni board and as an internship supervisor to a num-ber of LSTC students at Antioch Lutheran Church, Farmington Hills, Mich., was elected bishop of the Southeast Michigan Synod on May 14. He will take office August 1. The Rev. Dr. S. John Roth was elected bishop of the Central/Southern Illinois Synod on June 4. He is a 1980 graduate of Christ Seminary-Seminex and earned a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University. Pastor Roth has served as pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Jacksonville, Ill., since 1988. He will take office September 1.

Alanis appointed director of Lutheran Seminary Program in the SouthwestThe Rev. Dr. Javier “Jay” Alanis (1998, Th.M.; 2002, Ph.D.) was named director of the Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest (LSPS) on June 24, 2011. The appointment was announced by LSTC Acting President Philip Hougen and Wartburg President Stanley Olson. Alanis has served as interim director of LSPS since 2009. LSPS is a joint program of the two seminaries. Dr. Alanis has been on the LSPS faculty since 2000. As interim director he showed strong leader-ship during a time of transition for LSPS. It prepares candidates for pastoral ministry through the ELCA’s Theological Education for Emerging Ministries (TEEM) program. LSPS is exploring cooperative arrangements with ELCA full communion partners. It is also develop-ing two new initiatives: “Equipping for Hispanic Mission” will be a week-long summer school held in Austin, Texas, for congregational teams to learn how to enhance outreach among Hispanic people. “Equipping for Hispanic Ministry Consultation” will be a service provided to congregations structured around a weekend event led by LSPS faculty. Learn more about LSPS at www.lsps.edu.

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Alumni news

Find out what’s happening. Post a comment. Tell us what’s on your mind.

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Want to wear your LSTC pride?

Remember your alma mater with T-shirts, sweatshirts, bags, caps, and much more available at LSTC’s e-apparel store, www.estoresbyzome.com/LutheranSchoolofTheologyatChicago.php or follow the e-apparel store link in the menu at the bottom of LSTC's web pages.

Show your school spirit!

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Ghulam-Haider Aasi, visiting professor in Islamic Studies, served as a responder to “Journeying into the Faith of the Other Odysseys of a Christian and a Muslim Scholar” at the Tenth Anniversary Catholic-Muslim Studies Conference at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in April.

Carol Albright, visiting professor of religion and science, was featured in Covalence, the monthly ELCA e-newsletter on faith, science and technology. Read the article at http://www.elca.org/What-We-Believe/Social-Issues/Faith-Science-and-Technology/Covalence/Profiles/Carol-Rausch-Albright.aspx

Mark Bangert, John H. Tietjen Professor Emeritus of Pastoral Ministry: Worship and Church Music, presented the lecture “Love Poetry in the Choral Works of Bach” at the University of Chicago on February 3. On February 9 (Ash Wednesday), he was the oboe accompanist for the choir of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Lombard, Ill. Bangert led an adult forum at Grace Lutheran Church in Northbrook, Ill., March 6 and 13. On April 3 he was the oboe accompanist for the choir of Zion Lutheran Church, Tinley Park, Ill.

Iskandar Bcheiry, instruc-tor in Arabic, published Collection of Historical Documents in Relation to the Syriac Orthodox Community in the Late Period of the Ottoman Empire (Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2010).

Kathleen D. “Kadi” Billman, John H. Tietjen Professor of Pastoral Ministry: Pastoral Theology published reviews of Just Hospitality: God’s Welcome in a World of Difference by Letty M. Russell, J. Shannon Clarkson and Kate M. Ott, ed. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009), and Grief: Contemporary Theory and the Practice of Ministry, by Melissa M. Kelley (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2010) in The Journal of Pastoral Theology, (Winter 2010).

Philip Hefner, professor emeritus of systematic the-ology and senior fellow, ZCRS, facilitated discussions of the new ELCA Social Statement on Genetics at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wheaton, Ill., on February 20 and 27, and March 6.Hefner published “The Pilgrim Community and Orthodoxy: Reflecting on Carl Braaten’s Memoir,” in Dialog, Spring 2011. His class lecture, “Epic of Creation: God’s Awesome Natural World/An Awesome Act of Storytelling” was published in the February 2011 issue of the ELCA online magazine, Covalence, http://www.elca.org/What-We-Believe/Social-Issues/Faith-Science-and-Technology/Covalence.aspx.

Edgar Krentz, professor emeritus of New Testament, led an adult forum on April 3 and 10 at Grace Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Northbrook, Ill.

Esther Menn, Ralph W. and

Marilyn R. Klein Professor of Old Testament and direc-tor of Advanced Studies, participated in a meeting of the Christian Scholars Group on Jewish Christian Relations at Boston College in April. That month she also presented the Ruth A. Davis Memorial Lecture “Cultivating a Curious Life: Liberal Arts and Change,” and was be initiated as an alumni member of the Luther College chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Menn gave the keynote lecture, “Shall I Compare Thee: Love’s Metaphors in the Song of Songs,” at the University of Chicago’s Graham School of General Studies for a course on the Song of Songs, April 29 – May 1. She also gave the keynote lecture, “Jews and Christians: Reading Scripture Together” in honor of Darrell Jodock, upon his retirement as the Berhardsson Chair of Lutheran Students at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn., on May 12.

David Rhoads, professor emeritus of New Testament, served as scholar-in-residence at St. Armands Key Lutheran Church in Sarasota, Fla., in March. He performed the Gospel of Mark and gave a series of lectures.

José David Rodríguez, Augustana Heritage Professor of Global Mission and World Christianity and professor of systematic the-ology, has been elected to a three-year term as chan-cellor of the Evangelical Institute of Theological Studies (ISEDET), in Buenos

Aires, Argentina, (see page 4—Rodriguez note of this issue). With David Cortés Fuentes, Rodríguez published Romanos (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress Press, 2011), a new commentary, in Spanish, on the Book of Romans, part of the Conozca su Biblia series.Rodríguez preached and presided at worship on March 27 at Grace Lutheran Church in Santurce, Puerto Rico.

Barbara Rossing, profes-sor of New Testament, appeared on MSNBC’s “The Last Word” on May 19, providing commentary on the prediction that the world would end on May 21, 2011. View the seg-ment at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/43102904#43102904. She also was interviewed on the same topic by KUOW, Seattle Public Radio, on May 20. Rossing was quoted in an April 10 article in the New Jersey Star Ledger and in Reuters news service stories about the May 21 predic-tion. The Rapture Exposed was cited in a February 24 Huffington Post article, “Revelation, Revolutions, and the Tyrannical New World Order,” by Richard T. Hughes. Rossing was part of a panel that honored the work of Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza at The Jesus Seminar/Westar Institute in Salem, Ore., in April. In April she participated in the New Visions lecture series at First United Methodist Church, Eugene, Ore. She also presented a series of three lectures on “Preaching

FACULTY NOTES

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the Kingdom of God as Renewal of Creation” at the Montana Synod clergy conference in Chico Hot Springs, Mont. Rossing presented three keynote lectures at the Rocky Mountain Synod Assembly in Colorado Springs, Colo., with the theme “Give Us Today Our Daily Bread,” in May. That month she also presented two keynote lectures and a sermon, “Caring for Creation: Urgency and Hope,” at the Northwest/Lower Michigan Synod Assembly in Kalamazoo, Mich. In June, Rossing taught at the Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, N.M., on “This Planet as Paradise: Beauty and Ecological Restoration.” The 2011 Byberg Preaching lectures and ser-mon that Rossing gave in January in Oregon are now available at http://byberg-preaching.org/blog/media-archive/byberg-2011/.

Craig A. Satterlee, Axel Jacob and Gerda Maria (Swanson) Carlson Professor of Homiletics, partici-pated in the annual John S. Marten Lectures in Preaching at the University of Notre Dame in March. In April, he led a work-shop, “Spirit Fed, Spirit Led Worship: An Evening with Craig Satterlee,” at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in West Salem, Wis., and at St. Peter Lutheran Church, Prairie du Chien, Wis. That month, he also presented “Worship, Preaching, Change, Mission,” at the Spring Theological Conference of the La Crosse Area Synod of the ELCA at Sugar Creek Bible Camp in

Ferryville, Wis. Satterlee contributed “Reflections for the Sundays in Lent, Year A,” to The Liturgical Conference, http://liturgicalconference.blogspot.com. Satterlee’s latest book, Preaching and Stewardship: Proclaiming God’s Invitation to Grow, was published in June by Alban Institute. To learn more or order a copy, visit http://www.alban.org/bookdetails.aspx?id=9612.

Lea F. Schweitz, assistant professor of systematic theology/religion and sci-ence and director of the Zygon Center for Religion and Science, was an invited speaker at a New York City Workshop in Early Modern Philosophy at Fordham University in February. She presented a peer-reviewed paper entitled, “Changelings, the Species Problem, and God: A Closer Look at the ‘Human’ in Leibniz’s New Essays in Human Understanding.” She was an invited respon-dent at Leibniz’s Theodicy: Context and Content in September 2010 at the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind., http://philreligion.nd.edu/confer-ences/leibniz2010/. Her response was entitled, “Epistemological Optimism and Theology in and around Leibniz’s Theodicy.”

Benjamin Stewart, Gordon A. Braatz Assistant Professor of Worship, presented “Easter in the Early Church: Celebrating Resurrection with the Whole Creation” at the Worship in the New Testament Age Conference at Trinity Christian College

in Palos Heights, Ill., in April. He served as a plenary presenter, workshop leader and worship leader at the Living Liturgy Conference held in May at Pilgrim Lutheran Church, Warwick, R.I. In June, Stewart pre-sented “The Earth We Carry: Our Bodies as God’s Good Earth” for the Serving Christ in the World pro-gram at LSTC. He was a pre-senter and summer semi-nary faculty member for the Congregations Project at the Yale University Institute of Sacred Music.

Mark Swanson, Harold S.Vogelaar Professor of Christian-Muslim Studies and Interfaith Relations and associate director of A Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice, delivered the paper, “The Saint and the Muslim Copts: Episodes from the Life and Miracles of Marqus al-Antuni (1296-1386),” to the Islamic Near East sec-tion at the annual meeting of the American Oriental Society in March. Later that month, he preached and led an adult forum on “Christian Imagination in a Multi-Faith World” at Christ Church (Episcopal) of Whitefish Bay, Wis.Swanson was a responder, with colleague Ghulam-Haider Aasi, to “Journeying into the Faith of the Other Odysseys of a Christian and a Muslim Scholar” at the Tenth Anniversary Catholic-Muslim Studies Conference at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in April. He presented the Yost Lectures at the Alumni Day celebration at the Lutheran Theological Southern

Seminary in May. Swanson’s article, “‘He Often Rejected Sinners and Cast Them into Hell’? On the Image of St. Shenoute in Copto-Arabic Literature: The Relevance of a Sermon in MS Paris B.N. ar. 244,” appeared in Coptica 9 (2010). Mark Swanson and Paul Löffler, published the chapter “Islam and Christianity,” in Islam: A Short Guide to the Faith, ed. Roger Allen and Shawkat M. Toorawa (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2011). Swanson has been appointed to the Advisory Board of The Journal of the Canadian Society for Coptic Studies.

Mark Thomsen, former director of advanced stud-ies, and Harold Vogelaar led a workshop on “Christianity in Dialogue with Islam and Other Faith Traditions” in March at Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center, Carefree, Ariz.

Harold Vogelaar, profes-sor emeritus of Christian-Muslim studies and interfaith relations, and Mark Thomsen, led a work-shop on “Christianity in Dialogue with Islam and Other Faith Traditions” in March at Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center, Carefree, Ariz.

Audrey West, adjunct pro-fessor of New Testament, was visiting associate professor at Yale Divinity School during the spring semester. In February, she served as keynote speaker and workshop leader at the

FACULTY NOTES

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Association of Lutheran Older Adults (ALOA) Florida SeniorFest, a series of five day-long events held at ELCA and LCMS congrega-tions in Leesburg, Sarasota, Ft. Myers, Haines City and Boca Raton. In March, West par-ticipated in the Yale confer-ence, “Gathering Together: A Celebration of Full Communion,” featuring Bishop Mark Hanson and denominational leaders of four full-communion partners of the ELCA. West preached at the Lutheran-

Episcopal Eucharist service held at the YDS Marquand Chapel on March 30.

Vítor Westhelle, profes-sor of systematic theology, led a Lenten discussion/study, “Scripture: Palms and Passion: Deliverance, Liberation, and Uprising,” at Christ the Mediator Lutheran Church in Chicago on April 13. An interview with Westhelle was published in the April 2011 Aarhus University journal, Fig Leaf.

FACULTY NOTES

Two new books by LSTC faculty:Satterlee’s Preaching and Stewardship and Stewart’s A Watered Garden

Craig A. Satterlee, Axel Jacob and Gerda Maria (Swanson) Carlson Chair of Homiletics, recently published Preaching and Stewardship: Proclaiming God’s Invitation to Grow (Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2011. ISBN 978-1-56699-417-0, $17.00). Inspired by his late col-league, the Rev. Dr. Connie Kleingartner, to provide a long overdue resource on preach-

ing and stewardship, Satterlee shares what he learned to help preachers both proclaim the gospel and ask people to give to the church in response to the good news. Each chapter of Preaching and Stewardship focuses on questions preachers ought to ask them-selves as they prepare the stewardship sermon, such as “What do you mean by stewardship?” and “Why should we give to the church?” Satterlee also explores what the Bible says about stewardship and names some of the assumptions both preachers and worshipers bring to the steward-ship sermon. He uses anecdotes from congregational life and several stewardship sermons to illustrate his points. Learn more or order at http://www.alban.org/bookdetails.aspx?id=9612.

Benjamin M. Stewart, Gordon A. Braatz Assistant Professor of Worship and Dean of the Chapel, has published A Watered Garden: Christian Worship and Earth’s Ecology (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 2011. ISBN 978-0-80665-393-8, $9.99). Stewart explores diverse ways in which Christian wor-ship shapes ecological con-sciousness, especially in an age of ecological emergency. Stewart interweaves practices of worship with natural cycles, the human body, and the wider world, providing new perspectives on the relation-ship between God, humanity, and the earth. “With elegance and delightful clarity,” writes Prof. Samuel Torvend of Pacific Lutheran University, “ancient images gently collide with contemporary science, medieval mystics converse with cosmic symbols, the rituals of earthbound death illuminate Christian baptism.” A chapter from A Watered Garden was featured as the cover story of The Christian Century for January 28, 2011. Learn more or order at http://www.augsburgfortress.org/store/.

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Harold V. Meissner1936 – 2011

Class of 1982 (D.Min.)

The Rev. Dr. Harold Meissner received his M.Div. from Concordia Theological Seminary (Ill.) in 1962. Before accepting a call into mis-sion work, he studied linguistics and anthropology at the Kennedy School of Missions, Hartford, Conn. Pastor Meissner served two mis-sion tours in Nigeria, West Africa. Between tours, he studied clinical pastoral education at St. Luke’s Hospital, Houston, Texas. He served several congregations in Texas, including a 33-year min-istry at Trinity Lutheran Church, Dallas. In Dallas, he was involved in the Kiwanis Club, Dallas Area Interfaith, and served 12 years on the Mission Board of the Texas District of the Lutheran Church –Missouri Synod. Pastor Meissner died on February 11, 2011. He is survived by his wife, Shirley, six children, ten grand-children, one great grandson, and many extended family members.

Donald R. Oscarson1929 – 2011

Augustana Class of 1956

Pastor Donald Oscarson, a found-ing faculty member of California Lutheran College, Thousand Oaks, Calif., passed away unexpect-edly on April 23, 2011. In 20 years of ordained ministry, he served congregations in California and Illinois. Following his years in the parish, he became an executive with Continental Bank and several computer software firms. In retirement, Oscarson was an active volunteer with Glenbrook Hospital and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Glenview, Ill. A celebration of his life was held May 21 at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Glenview. Donald Oscarson was preceded in death by his wife, Marilyn. He is survived by a son and nieces and nephews.

Howard Palm1922 – 2011

Augustana Class of 1949

While at seminary, Pastor Howard Palm supported himself by working at the Rock Island Army Arsenal and as a singer. He was ordained in 1949 at Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, Minn., and served churches in Illinois and Indiana through the 1960s. In 1970, he accepted a position as vice president of Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, where he was involved in community develop-ment on Chicago’s north side and church relations with the synod. He retired early, in 1984, as his vision deteriorated from an injury sustained while playing college sports. Palm and his wife, Trudie, relocated to Pleasant Hill, Tenn. While in Tennessee, he served as interim pastor of two congrega-tions and was active in the Rotary Club. Pastor Palm died on April 23, 2011. He was preceded in death by his wife. He is survived by two sons. A funeral service was held April 29, 2011, at Christ Lutheran Church, Fairfield Glade, Tenn.

Armin Weng1929 – 2011

Chicago Lutheran Theological Seminary Class of 1954

Pastor Weng was ordained in 1954 and served congregations in Michigan and Illinois. He also served as interim pastor of 19 congregations in the Southeastern Iowa and Northern Illinois Synods. At the time of his death, he was serving as a pastoral assistant at St. Mark Evangelical Lutheran Church in Davenport, Iowa. A great lover of history, Pastor Weng was a member of several Civil War and Revolutionary War reen-actment groups. He also served on the board of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, the Quad Cities Heritage League, the ILLOWA

Lutheran Coalition and Churches United. Pastor Weng died on April 30, 2011. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Judith Polzin. He is survived by his second wife, K Krewer, a son, daughter, stepson, and their spouses, three grand-children, and a great-grandson. A funeral service was held May 4, 2011, at St. Mark Lutheran Church, Davenport, Iowa.

Paul M. Youngdahl1938 – 2011

Lutheran School of Theology (Augustana), Rock Island, Ill., Class

of 1963

Pastor Paul M. Youngdahl, who had served Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, Minn., since 1968, died June 20, after suffering a thoracic aneurysm. Mt. Olivet is the largest active congregation in the ELCA, with more than 13,000 members, two campuses, a network of care centers, and a church camp. Colleagues in the church recall Pastor Youngdahl’s “heart for the gospel” as well as his remarkable leadership skills. He had a reputa-tion for remembering details about his parishioners and sent each one a signed birthday card every year. Pastor Youngdahl was born in St. Paul, Minn. He graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1959 and the Lutheran School of Theology, Rock Island, Ill., in 1963. He served parishes in New Orleans, La., and St. Paul, Minn., before fol-lowing in his father’s footsteps as pastor of Mt. Olivet. A tall man, the six-foot-seven-inch, Youngdahl played basketball into his 70s. Two memorial services were held on June 24 at Mt. Olivet. Pastor Youngdahl is survived by his wife, Nancy, two sons and a daughter and three grandchildren.

IN MEMORIAM

1961

Robert Walters (M.Div.; 1981, D.Min.) was featured in a June 8 article, “Pastor Bob returns,” in the Lake Orion Review, announc-ing the 50th anniver-sary of Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church, Clarkston, Mich. He served Calvary for 29 years, 1971 – 2000. The article noted that he is organizing the 50th reunion of his class at LSTC.

1965

Arland J. Hultgren (Augustana, M.Div.) is the author of Paul’s Letter to the Romans: A Commentary (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2011), a detailed commentary of over 800 pages based on the Greek text, and containing eight appendices on puzzling and controversial issues. Hultgren is the Asher O. and Carrie Nasby Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.

1966

Floyd Schoenhals (Concordia, M.Div.) retired February 1, 2011, as bishop of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod, a position he had held since 1994. From 1995–2002 he served on LSTC’s board of directors. Read more at http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Releases.aspx?a=4697.

1975

Joseph A. Miller (M.Div.)served as pastor-in-residence in Wittenberg, Germany, June 14 – 28, 2011. He conducted eight

worship services in English in the Wittenberg English Ministry Program. The goal of the program is to estab-lish and English-speaking Lutheran congregation in Wittenberg.

1977

Dan Nagle, (M.Div.), who served as an active duty military chaplain for 26 years, has been called to serve First Lutheran Church, Jamestown, Pa. He was installed on April 17.

1979

Joel Schroeder (M.Div.) is part of Enhancing Rural Ministry Among the Aging (ERMAA) in Hooper, Neb. He has also organized area churches to found Caregivers Support Group, The Logan Creek Cluster Food Pantry, and a walking program for seniors.

1982

Robert Driver-Bishop (M.Div.; 1988, D.Min.) and Terri Driver-Bishop (M.Div.) have accepted calls to a church in Frederick, Md. ELC will be celebrating its 275th anniversary next year. The foundation was laid before the French & Indian War. Henry Melchior Muhlenberg wrote the original construction rec-ommending the church be called blank Evangelical Lutheran Church. They liked the name so much; that they never filled in the blank. In the early 1800’s the congregation was served by the Rev. Dr. David Frederick Schaeffer who authored the first English Lutheran mag-azine in America. He also was a pioneer of Lutheran Sunday Schools in this country (Francis Scott Key taught there). He partnered

with the Rev. Dr. Samuel Simon Schmucker (coinci-dently when he was pastor of Terri’s home church in New Market, Va.) to form Gettysburg Seminary.

1987

Thomas Terrell (Lutheran Year) received a Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal grant for a three-month sabbatical journey to Tanzania. Pastor Terrell serves Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, Chicago. For more about Lilly Clergy Grants visit http://www.clergyrenewal.org/.

1988

David P. Housholder (M.Div.) published his first novel, The Blackberry Bush, released June 1, 2011, by Summerside Press/ Guideposts Books. Read more at http://BlackberryNovel.com.

1989

Carol P. Jeunnette (M.Div.) completed her Ph. D. in religion and psychological studies at the University of Denver and Iliff School of Theology. Her dissertation title is A Pastoral Theology of Congregational Care and Leadership: Nurturing Emergence. Dr. Jeunette lives in Denver, where she is a coach and consultant for pastors, congregations, and other leaders. She is also in private practice as a pastoral counselor.

1992

Maureen Stein (M.Div.) received the Canton, Ohio, YWCA Women of Achievement Award in April. A tribute to her min-istry and service to the community appeared in the April 27, 2011, Canton Daily

Ledger.

1997

Timothy Dearhamer (M.Div.), shared his thoughts about Osama Bin Laden’s death on May 2, 2011, on the Minnesota Public Radio news web-site http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/05/02/dearham-er/.Dearhamer is senior pas-tor at St. Anne’s Lutheran Church in London, England.

Peggy Ogden-Howe (D.Min.) retired in July. She served as pastor of Christ the Servant Lutheran Church in Denton, Texas. Pastor Ogden-Howe, who serves on the LSTC Board of Directors, represented LSTC at the Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest (LSPS) Associates and Benefactor/Donor Appreciation Lunch in Austin, Texas, on April 26.

1999

Darcy Tillman Goetze (M.Div.) married Martin Goetze on February 19, 2011. She is pastor of Nativity Lutheran Church, Alexandria, Va.

Martin and Darcy Tillman Goetze

2001

Michael Trice (Th.M.) has been appointed assistant dean of ecumenical and interreligious dialogue at Seattle University’s School of Theology and Ministry.

25

CLASS NOTES

He will also join the fac-ulty as assistant professor of practical theology. Trice holds a Ph.D. in construc-tive theology from Loyola University, Chicago.

2003

William E. Flippin Jr. (M.Div.; 2005, Th.M.), senior pastor of St. Matthew Evangelical Lutheran Church in Columbus, Ga., was the featured preacher June 12 and 19 on “Day 1,” the nationally syndicated radio program, online at http://Day1.org. Each pro-gram includes a sermon by Flippin along with inter-views conducted by produc-er and host Peter Wallace.

Jennifer Herman (M.Div.) received a diploma in the art of spiritual direc-tion from San Francisco Theological Seminary.

2004

Michael Fick (M.Div.) is serving as pastor of Ebenezer Lutheran Church, Chicago, Ill., effective June 1, 2011.

2006

John Nunes (Th.M.), presi-dent and CEO of Lutheran World Relief, delivered the baccalaureate address and received an honorary doc-tor of divinity degree from Carthage College at the school’s commencement ceremony on May 22.

Clark Olson-Smith (M.Div.) has been installed as pas-tor of All Saints Lutheran Church, Davenport, Iowa.

Sara Olson-Smith (M.Div.) is serving as pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Davenport, Iowa.

Rebecca Proefrock (Th.M.) published the article “Three Had a Passion for Agriculture and No Good was Found in Them: God and Soil in Genesis Rabbah” in Biblische Notizen (Biblical Notes) no. 146 (2010) 3–13.

2007

Joel Morales Cruz (Th.M.; 2009, Ph.D.) published The Mexican Reformation: Catholic Pluralism, Enlightenment Religion, and the Iglesia de Jesus Movement in Benito Juarez’s Mexico (1859-72) (Eugene, Ore.: Wipf and Stock, 2011). For details, visit www.wip-fandstock.com and search “Cruz”.

2008

Paul Bailie (M.Div.) was installed as pastor of Iglesia Luterana San Lucas in Eagle Pass, Texas, on June 12, 2011.

2010

Richard Hogan (M.Div.) was installed as pastor of Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church, Brownstown, Mich., on June 26, 2011.

2011

Lisa Bates-Froiland (M.Div.) was ordained on April 9, 2011, at Bay Shore Lutheran Church, Whitefish Bay, Wis. She was installed as associate pas-tor at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, Wis., and as director of the Zeidler Center for Public Discussion, a mission of Redeemer Lutheran Church on April 10.

Amanda Bergstrom (M.Div.) was ordained on June 17 at the Northern Illinois Synod Assembly held at Augustana

College, Rock Island, Ill. Pastor Bergstrom has been called as associate pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, Woodstock, Ill.

Luanne Bettisch (M.Div.) was ordained on May 1 at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Freeport, Ill. She has been called to be the pastor of Faith Lutheran Church, South Beloit, Ill.

Kim Gonia (M.Div.) was ordained August 7 at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Littleton, Colo. She is called to serve as pastor of Living Waters Lutheran Church, Crystal Lake, Ill.

Katrina (Katy) Harder (M.Div.) was ordained on June 25, 2011 at Christ Lutheran Church, Witchita, Kan. Central States Synod Bishop and LSTC board member Gerald Mansholt officiated. Pastor Harder has been called as associ-ate pastor of First Lutheran Church, Topeka, Kan.

Priscilla Paris-Austin (M.Div.) was ordained on May 11, 2011, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Burbank, Ill. She was installed as pastor of Mount of Olives Lutheran Church, Phoenix, Ariz., on June 5. Pastor Paris-Austin’s Arizona congregation was linked via Skype to the ordination service.

Brian Robison (M.Div.) was ordained on July 23 at the Lutheran Church of the Atonement, Florissant, Mo. He has been called as pas-tor of St. Mark Lutheran Church, Bellville, Ill.

Eric Schlichting (M.Div.) was ordained at Grace Lutheran Church, River Forest, Ill., on July 24, 2011. He is called to serve as pas-tor of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Prospect Heights, Ill.

Monica Villarreal (M.Div.) was ordained June 18 at Our Risen Lord Lutheran Church, Burton, Mich. She has been called to serve as pastor redeveloper at Salem Lutheran Church, Flint, Mich.

Good sportsFour master of divinity grads in the Class of 2011, hammed it up for the cam-era to illustrate the cover story of the July Lutheran magazine, “Great expecta-tions: What are churches, pastors looking for?” Brian Robison is on the cover and contents page. Photos of Rebecca Sheridan, Katy Harder, and Dan Kerr accompany the article and appear on the magazine’s website. Photos are by Chris Ocken, who inspired the four to role play and juggle the many expectations they may find as they begin their new calls. Many thanks to Brian, Katy, Rebecca, and Dan, for being willing to help out on short notice and for enter-ing into the spirit of the photo shoot.

26

27

Seated –front row, from left: Marcia Lofdahl, Marian Olson, Phyllis Wiemers, Marilynn Bergmark, Beverly Dahlin, Ellie Hasley, Ann Donhowe, Marleta Anderson, Connie Walker, Janice Frerichs, Mary Strandlund; Standing – middle row: Cedric Lofdahl, Curtis Olson, Delmar Wiemers, Glenn Bergmark, Roger Mackey, Leon Linquist, Gary Park, Arne Walker, Donald Strandlund, Kay Linquist; Back row: Bob Munneke, Darlene Munneke, Donna Lind, Orville Lind, Kay Nelson, Jerry Nelson, Glenn Leaf, Roger Dahlin, Ron Hasley, Elwood Anderson, Marlene Park, Carl Frerickson, Herman Frerichs

From the 40-year class reunion: Eileen Lund, Carl Lund and Ron Ferrell

LSTC alumni at the Rocky Mountain Synod Assembly, Front row, left to right: Pam Werrell (2000, M.Div.), Lara Forbes (2010, M.Div.), Priscilla Paris-Austin (2011, M.Div.), Sarah Stadler-Ammons (2006, M.Div.), Elaine Watskey (2002, M.Div.); Back row: David Marz (1999, M.Div.), Ben Stadler-Ammons (2006, M.Div.), Crystal Steinberg (2008, M.Div.), Peter Perry (2006, Th.M.; 2009, Ph.D.)

28

Farewell and GodspeedThe Rev. Joy McDonald Coltvet (2001, M.Div.) resigned as LSTC’s direc-tor of admissions effective May 31, 2011. Her hus-band, Ben, has accepted a new position as project manager for web content at Luther Seminary and the family is moving to Minnesota. McDonald Coltvet helped hundreds of LSTC students engage in discern-ment about their voca-tion. She also taught J Term classes and Growth in Faith workshops, was actively engaged in the Serving Christ in the World program, played flute and preached and presided for LSTC worship. During her five years as director of admissions, she has improved admissions pub-lications, helped redesign LSTC’s website, created student blogs, and led an admissions/enrollment/recruitment practices study. We wish Joy and her family every blessing as they continue their minis-tries in a new place.

Ms. Kisha Allen, assistant to the dean of students and assistant to the Cornelsen Director of Spiritual Formation, resigned July 15, 2011, in order to move to Stockbridge, Ga. Allen came to LSTC in 2004 and, for seven years has given invaluable assis-tance to students in the masters level and advanced studies programs. She has spent many hours with international students on their visa requirements and financial needs. Allen has also worked on student handbooks, directories and catalogs, managed

internal communica-tions and served on the Staff Personnel Advisory Committee. We wish Kisha and her family God’s richest bless-ings as they begin life in Georgia.

WelcomeDr. 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. See page 3 for more about Scott.

Julie Boleyn (2010, M.Div.) is LSTC’s new Teaching and Learning Technologist. Julie has worked in both corporate and non-profit institu-tions, including Extensis Corporation, Holden Village, the Leaven Center, and Planned Parenthood. She will work with faculty and students to support learning through the design and use of technol-ogy. This summer and fall, Julie will help imple-ment enhancements to LSTC’s portal, coordinate a Wabash consultation with faculty, train faculty on Adobe Writer, imple-ment font standards, and provide regular support on academic technology.Julie is awaiting a call in the Metropolitan Chicago Synod. We welcome Julie and her many gifts.

Lucy Wynard is the interim assistant to the dean of students and direc-tor of spiritual formation. She is an M.Div. student who began studies at LSTC

in fall 2010. Lucy worked for four years in Belarus as a lecturer at Brest State University and adminis-trator for International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. She planned, hosted, and directed exchange programs, nation-al conferences, and worked as a campus minister. Lucy has also coordinated travel, led program development, and managed teams of leaders for Intervarsity Christian Fellowship in Madison, Wis. As assistant to the dean of students, Lucy will help ensure that international students and their families travel safely and that their visas are in compliance. She will also help coor-dinate the student hand-books and photo directory, and help get community life and spiritual formation programming in place for orientation week.

Employees meet Health Risk Assessment dead-line, save LSTC $13,000With encouragement from Vice President for Operations Bob Berridge, 83.7% of LSTC employ-ees took the ELCA Board of Pensions Health Risk Assessment. ELCA organi-zations with 65% or greater participation qualify for a 2% discount on health pre-mium costs. Online assessments needed to be completed by April 30 for LSTC to quali-fy for the discount. At the end of March, only 36% of LSTC employees had com-pleted the assessment, the lowest percentage of par-ticipation from seminaries. By the end of April, LSTC

had the highest participa-tion rate. This cut LSTC’s health care premium costs by $13,100. Maybe Bob Berridge needs to work with some of Chicago’s sports teams for a come-from-behind finish.

Staff notesDorothy Dominiak, direc-tor of financial aid and admissions,was quoted in the article, “Higher calling: Growing number of baby boomers take a mid-life detour toward ministry” published April 15 by Gannett news service. Read more at http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20110417/APC04/110415100/1004/Candidates-final-debate-pointed-personal/Higher-calling-Growing-number-baby-boomers-take-mid-life-detour-toward-ministry-?odyssey=nav%7Chead.

Daniel Schwandt, cantor to the seminary commu-nity, and his brother, John, presented an evening of organ music and hymn singing at Zion Lutheran Church, Appleton, Wis., in memory of their mentor, Mary Kay Easty. The June event used Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 as its theme. Easty died January 22, 2011, and was known as one of the most prominent church musicians in the Appleton area.

Sara Trumm served as one of the musicians for the ELCA Global Mission Gathering on May 6-7 at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Park Ridge, Ill.

TRANSITIONS (AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS)

Clockwise from top: Jeff Fitzkappes, a Ph.D. student in religion and science, and Zygon Center Executive Coordinator Jim Schaal, lead a presentation and discussion for Serving Christ in the World participants; Prince Vethanmonickam Rajamony, Th.M. graduate; Bishop Munib Younan receives the Doctor of Divinity Honoris Causa from Dean Michael Shelley; graduates wait to process at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church; members of the Class of 1961 stand to be commended for their years of ministry; Richard and Rebecca Sheridan, M.Div. graduates

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All events are at LSTC unless other-wise noted. Check www.lstc.edu/events for details

August

25 Returning students’ retreat begins

28 – Sept. 1 Transition to Seminary/Orientation

September

6 Fall Semester begins

7 11:00 a.m., Opening Convocation

October

1 Hispanic Heritage Celebration

9 3:00 – 5:00 p.m., “Everyday Shariah: Islamic Law and American Life” lecture. Contact Sara Trumm at strumm@lstc.edu or 773-256-0708 for details.

11-14 Reading Week

16 4:00 p.m. Hymn Festival – Chapel Music Series Concert

21 Student Symposium on Science and Spirituality/LSTC Academic Forum. See http://www.zygoncenter.org/studentsymposium/ for details.

23 Performance of Mark 1-7 by Phil Ruge-Jones in honor of David Rhodes

23-25 Seminary Sampler. Contact admissions@lstc.edu or visit http://www.lstc.edu/prospective-students/visit/sampler/ for details.

November

7 Panel Discussion: Military Chaplaincy. Contact Dr. Klaus-Peter Adam at kpadam@lstc.edu for details.

8 Kristallnacht Observance. Contact Dr. Klaus-Peter Adam at kpadam@lstc.edu for details.

10-12 LSTC Board of Directors meeting

Calendar of Events