SUMMER 2017

EpistleLSTC

Magazine of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago

Celebrating Accomplishments

Dear friends in Christ:Elsewhere in this issue are stories of our 157th

commencement. Though the graduates change every year, other features stay the same: speech and song, awards and appreciation, joy and relief, with a procession of glad folks in ridiculous regalia. It’s quite a pageant. If you were with us a few weeks before or afterward, though, you would have seen a very di erent pageant. Twice this semester, our school became a ­lm set. Hollywood magic overwhelmed us as episodes from two di erent television series were recorded on campus.

The ­rst was one of those legal dramas proliferating on the networks. For a few days, the ­rst �oor of our library was the backdrop for part of one episode. Svelte actors in swanky suits portrayed attorneys and judges with grim, intense expressions. Swarming around them was a far larger production crew attending to the countless details of ­lming. Again and again the same scenes were shot, which may explain the grimness and intensity. If real attorneys and judges truly feel the way these actors looked, why does anyone practice law?

The other was a futuristic mystery set in the year 2050. For more than a week, nearly every corner of our main facility was transformed into a high school of tomorrow—and yes, we were paid handsomely for the trouble. Best of all, I now know what to expect in the not-so-distant future. Evidently, most teenagers will wear lots of spandex and velour in groovy styles and blinding colors that contrast with their orange, turquoise, or fuchsia hair. Standing in cool, aloof poses appears to be their main duty. By contrast, a smaller group prefers long, saggy apparel in dull, dark hues, accented by knee-high boots and red armbands. These grumpy malcontents are clearly up to no good. It seems that tiny, self-driving Chevy Sparks shrink-wrapped in Day-Glo vinyl are the only vehicles allowed on the road. Against all odds, libraries still exist (JKM plays a leading role!), though rare books consist only of Sports Illustrated issues from the early 1970s. Sadly, murders happen in the stacks, and bloodcurdling screams. All told, then, the future will look much like today but with its most annoying features greatly ampli­ed.

Soon after our brush with stardom, I read an essay by historian Jill Lepore about the rise of dystopian stories, of which that futuristic mystery is a good example. Utopians are optimistic about the future. Dystopians critique this as naïve, realizing that buried within our e orts at perfectibility are the seeds of corruption. So while utopians foresee progress, dystopians o er warnings. Lepore concluded,

though, that recent dystopian tales are far bleaker than ever before, “a ­ction of submission, the ­ction of an untrusting, lonely, and sullen twenty-­rst century, the ­ction of fake news and infowars, the ­ction of helplessness and hopelessness. […] It doesn’t call for courage; it ­nds that cowardice su£ces.” My reason for sharing this is not to analyze such stories, of course, but the deeper fears they reveal. Dystopian futures re�ect our anxious world—the world into which our graduates are now called. To be sure, they already know the harsh words and polarized attitudes that harm us all, let alone feeling overwhelmed by things beyond our control. So what can they do? Surely they should avoid the vinegary rightness that Christians of all kinds are quick to impose, as if we always know better how others should live. Such ­nger-wagging fails as ministry and actually just reinforces dystopian alienation and retreat. When it comes to faithful leadership, something else is needed, something more hopeful. We want to form leaders who can rebuild anxious communities, both ecclesial and social. We want them to tell the good news that life in Christ happens together, a communion of saints serving neighbor more than self. This seminary is well-set to shape this through our residential living, history of welcome, and contextual learning. Even so, community isn’t spontaneous, nor is its leadership. It takes intention, resources, and durability to become a community that forms leaders for community. In the coming year, you’ll hear more about our school’s long-range plans for this, which will likely sound both familiar and fresh. It’s a plan neither dreamy-eyed nor dystopian, but faithful to God’s call—maybe even courageous.

James NiemanPresident

James Nieman

P R E S I D E N T ’ S L E T T E R

News 2 Straw elected to Cornelsen

Chair in Spiritual Formation

3 Hernández-Marcial receives FTE doctoral fellowship

4 Echols awarded LSTC honorary doctorate

Features5 LSTC transformed into sci-

movie set

6 LSTC’s hub of hospitality – the Refectory

by Julie B. Sevig

7 The gift of administration Laura Wilhelm retires after 30

years in theological education by Jan Boden

9 LSTC challenged me in ways I didn’t know I needed

In Nebraska, Megan Clausen ready to go solo

by Julie B. Sevig

10 God prepared the way ThM grad learned the language

and earned her degree by Julie B. Sevig

11 Called to advanced study PhD grad draws distinction

between theology and philosophy by Jan Boden

12 2017 Commencement

16 Tapped on the shoulder – for service

by Julie B. Sevig

17 Luthergarten in Wittenberg and Chicago

DepartmentsPresident’s letter inside cover

We Remember 17

In the Public Sphere 18

Class Notes 21

In Memoriam 22

Transitions 23

Events inside back cover

Summer 2017 Volume 47 • 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.

Visit www.lstc.edu or call 773.256.0700 for more information about LSTC’s programs, conferences and special events.

EditorJan Boden

DesignerBrooke Curran

ContributorsJan BodenMegan ClausenCarl-Eric GentesMontira JunnawattJames NiemanJulie SevigLaura Wilhelm

LSTC Board of DirectorsMichael AguirreClarence AtwoodGordon BraatzMichael BurkEsther D’AgrosaMelody Beckman EastmanKristi FergusonTom GoodingEmmanuel JacksonGreg KaufmannJohn KiltinenDale LandgrenScott LeisingerJessica LilesJane MarHarry Mueller, TreasurerRebecca PallmeyerMelinda PupilloMaryjeanne Scha meyerTwila Schock, ChairpersonJanette SchumRay TiemannPhyllis WiederhoeftLyn Wallin Ziegenbein

The LSTC Epistle is published three times a year by the Communications and Marketing O£ce. Printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks.

Change of address? Please email advancement@lstc.edu. Please give the address as it currently appears followed by your new address.

Cover: Za Thawng Lian celebrates receiving his master of arts (theological studies) degree.

Photo credits: Jan Boden, Tricia Koning, Julie Sevig; and photos courtesy of Laura Wilhelm

ThM grads Shibu Pananchikkal, Mayuko Yasuda and Montira Junnawatt

MATS grad Liesbet Van Gysegem

LSTCC O N T E N T S

Epistle

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The Rev. Gordon J. Straw elected to Cornelsen Chair for Spiritual Formation

On July 1, the Rev. Gordon J. Straw joined the faculty as associate professor. He ­lls the Cornelsen Chair for Spiritual Formation. In addition to teaching courses and working with the entire LSTC community in spiritual formation, Straw will serve as the Coordinator of Candidacy at LSTC.

“We warmly welcome Gordon Straw to the LSTC faculty and eagerly anticipate

the many ways that he will enrich the seminary. Gordon is the right person at the right time for LSTC, as together we live into spiritual formation for a Public Church,” said Esther Menn, dean of academic a airs. “I am thrilled to be elected to the Cornelsen Chair for Spiritual Formation at LSTC. It is a great honor and the ful­llment of my dream to teach and learn alongside those preparing for public ministry in Christ’s Church,” Straw said. “I am grateful for this opportunity to serve the LSTC community. I have been enriched by my own experiences as a student and teacher at LSTC and by the people of the LSTC community for more than 20 years. And I heartily share LSTC’s vision for ministry in a public church and its commitment to sustain the teaching and learning enterprise in community.” Straw brings a wide range of experience from his ministry in the many expressions of the church. He previously taught at LSTC and the Catholic Theological Union, and in the Diakonia Program of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod of the ELCA. Since 1990, Straw has served in ELCA Churchwide positions including as program director for American Indian and Alaska Native Ministries, Coordinating Director for Ethnic Ministries, as committee sta  for the Theological Education Advisory Council, and he currently serves as program director for Lay Schools for Ministry and Candidacy Leadership Manager for ELCA Region Eight. He has led a dozen congregations as pastor or interim pastor, served in outdoor and campus ministry, and served on synodical and ecumenical committees and councils. Straw worked with other Native ELCA leaders to develop both the Native American Ministry Emphasis and the Vine Deloria Jr. Symposium at LSTC. Straw is an enrolled member of the Brothertown Indian Nation, which formed in 1782 as a Christian Indian nation. He has written and lectured on Native American Christian Theology and contemporary issues in Indian Country, as

well as on topics in systematic theology and American Lutheran church history. Straw earned a master of theology degree from LSTC in 1997 and has completed all coursework for a PhD in systematic theology. He holds a master of divinity degree from Luther Seminary and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Minnesota-Morris. He is a certi­ed practitioner of the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator®, Steps I and II.

Nathaniel Ramsey new Director of Financial Aid

Nathaniel (Nate) Ramsey was named Director of Financial Aid at LSTC, starting April 3. He is responsible for the policies and procedures of the Financial Aid O£ce, where he will work closely with students to ­nance their education at LSTC. “I have worked closely with Nate for the last ­ve years. He is a terri­c addition to the Student Services team,” said Scott Chalmers,

dean of student services. “Not only does Nate bring a vast knowledge of the way LSTC works, it is clear that he is open for the new challenges that being Director of Financial Aid will provide.” “It’s very humbling to be chosen for this role at LSTC,” Ramsey said. “I’m excited to be working with students and to help them manage their ­nances. I want to help them keep expenses in line and control their debt. I’m also happy to be back as part of the LSTC community.” Since 2012, Ramsey served as senior sta  accountant in the LSTC Finance O£ce as part of Quattro FPO Solutions and as LSTC’s director of ­nance since 2007. He brings expertise in accounting, student accounts, ­nance and LSTC’s database systems. Before coming to LSTC, he worked as the payroll and accounts payable manager for McCormick Theological Seminary and at First Chicago Bank as a Risk Analyst, Fraud Investigator. He holds a bachelor of science degree in ­nance from Southern Illinois University.

N E W S F R O M L S T C

Nathaniel Ramsey

Rev. Gordon J. Straw

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LSTC student Lydia Hernández-Marcial receives Forum for Theological Exploration doctoral fellowship

The Rev. Lydia Hernández-Marcial, an LSTC doctor of philosophy student, has received a doctoral fellow-ship from the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE). The fellowship is for Latino/a, Asian and First Nations full-time doctoral students who are at the dissertation stage of their studies. Hernández-Marcial is one of only six scholars to receive this award in 2017.

Dean and Vice President for Academic A airs Esther Menn, who is also Hernández-Marcial’s advisor at LSTC, said, “We are thrilled at the good news that Lydia has received an FTE doctoral fellowship. This prestigious award recognizes the innovative quality of her research and highlights her potential as a teacher and scholar. In addition to ­nancial support, the FTE program will o er Lydia an invaluable support network through orientation and mentoring.” Hernández-Marcial’s doctorate will be in biblical studies. She is specializing in Hebrew Bible, particularly Wisdom Literature. Her dissertation will focus on the book of Ecclesiastes. “I feel drawn to parts of the Hebrew Bible that are not studied in a church context,” Hernández-Marcial said. “There are several voices in the Bible that question tradition. It is important to hear those voices, as well. I am interested in opening spaces for the study of the Bible from the perspective of voices that are silent in the dominant culture. I read the Bible as a Puerto Rican and a Latina.” As an FTE Doctoral Fellow, Hernandez-Marcial will have a mentor who is a senior scholar in Hebrew Bible. She will also take part if the Christian Leadership Forum Doctoral Fellowship Cohort, 24 new and former FTE Fellows who are in the early part of their academic careers, for development and support. Even while she is working on her dissertation, Hernández-Marcial is publishing articles and teaching. Two of her essays will appear in a commentary on the lectionary and another will be included in a book honoring Mexican scholar Elsa Tamez. Hernández-Marcial has taught at Seminario Evangelico de Puerto Rico and has been invited to teach as a visiting scholar at Austin Presbyterian Seminary in spring 2018. Hernández-Marcial holds degrees from the University of Puerto Rico, Seminario Evangelico de Puerto Rico, Union Theological Seminary and the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

MDiv student Hans Becklin receives A.R. Wentz Prize in American Lutheran History

Third year master of divinity student Hans Becklin received the 2016 A.R. Wentz Prize in American Lutheran History presented by the Lutheran Historical Society of the Mid-Atlantic. The title of his winning paper is “Herbjørn Gausta’s Good Shepherd (1895) at First Lutheran Church, Decorah, Iowa: Printed American Visual Culture as Painted Norwegian-American

Propaganda.” Becklin said that he is truly honored to receive the prize. Becklin is a lifelong Lutheran who was raised with Norwegian Lutheran traditions in south-central Wisconsin. He developed an interest in history and research at an early age and majored in history at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. There he focused on the history of Lutheranism in America and on the history of art. He was able to do grant-funded research on First Lutheran Church in Decorah, the Norwegian Synod, and Herbjørn Gausta. Throughout seminary he has continued to explore church history. Becklin is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Church Council and is the council’s representative to the Moravian Church in North America. He and his wife, Marissa, live in Chicago and both are preparing for ordained ministry in the ELCA. The A.R. Wentz Prize in American Lutheran History was established by the family of Abdel Ross Wentz, a leading ­gure in 20th century Lutheranism. From 1916-1956 he was a professor of church history and later president of Gettysburg Theological Seminary. He was the ­rst vice president of the Lutheran World Federation and the lead writer of its ­rst constitution. The prize of $2,500 is awarded for the best historical paper on Lutheranism in North America in two categories: for a ­rst degree seminarian and for an MA or PhD graduate students. Full details can be found on the society’s webpage, lutheranhistoricalsociety.com

N E W S F R O M L S T C

Lydia Hernández-Marcial

Hans Becklin

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N E W S F R O M L S T C

James Kenneth Echols awarded LSTC honorary doctorate

At its commencement ceremony on May 21, LSTC presented the doctor of divinity degree, honoris causa, to the Rev. Dr. James Kenneth Echols, who served as the ­fth president of the seminary. He was honored for his more than 37 years of dedicated service in parish ministry, theological education, ecumenical and interfaith work, to communities of color in

the United States and the Caribbean, and his distinctive contributions across the global Lutheran communion. Echols served as president of LSTC from 1997-2011. He was the ­rst African American president of a North American Lutheran seminary. From 2012 until his retirement in 2015, Echols served as director of Theological Education and Networks, O£ce of the Bishop, for the ELCA. His vision for theological education reshaped LSTC. During his time as president LSTC built a new worship space, the Augustana Chapel. He recognized the need for deepening the spiritual lives of students and the church, which led to an endowed position at the seminary, the Cornelsen Director of Spiritual Formation. He also helped create A Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice, an endowed chair in Christian-Muslim studies and interfaith relations, the Albert “Pete” Pero Jr. Multicultural Center, a program of spiritual formation for youth, and he brought the Tithing and Stewardship Foundation to LSTC. Echols’ dedication to collaboration led to a closer partnership and shared campus with McCormick Theological Seminary. He also worked closely with partners within the ELCA, seeking opportunities to make leaders in the church more aware of the central role of theological education. Echols served as dean at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia from 1991-1997. He joined the faculty of that seminary in 1982 as professor of American Church History. He earned three degrees, including a doctor of philosophy, from Yale University.

Logan Square Ecumenical Alliance receives LSTC Community of the Cross Award

LSTC presented its Community of the Cross Award to the Logan Square Ecumenical Alliance (LSEA) at its commencement ceremony on May 21. The LSTC faculty honored LSEA for the many ways it carries out its mission to be a public church. LSEA identi­es itself as a “group of social action-oriented congregations and organizations in the Logan Square, Chicago area.” The pastors of the alliance meet regularly to discern the community’s needs and to support one another. One example of their motivation and innovation is a grant they received to build ecumenical relationships in their neighborhood through storytelling, testimony and community action.

The Logan Square Ecumenical Alliance equips their assemblies to o er testimonies within and beyond liturgies in multiple ways. Member assemblies, separately and together, have regularly been part of social action within or directly following worship, often in conjunction with #OccupyPalmSunday. Participating congregations of LSEA are: First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Humboldt Park United Methodist Church, Kimball Avenue Church, Nuestra Señora de las Americas Iglesia Episcopal, St. Luke’s Lutheran Church of Logan Square, Grace United Methodist Church, and San Lucas United Church of Christ. The Community of the Cross award originated at Christ Seminary-Seminex and transferred to LSTC when Seminex faculty joined the current institution. LSTC presents this award at commencement to “a community, institution, congregation, or any collectively functioning Christian group whose actions manifest the invitation of our Lord to take up the cross and follow him, and whose service is directed to the world around it, both Christian and non-Christian, and whose satisfaction and honor clearly derive from the gospel.” Recipients of the award are nominated and approved by the faculty.

James Kenneth Echols

Erik Christensen and members of the Logan Square Ecumenical Alliance

LSTC transformed to sci-fi movie set

LSTC’s distinctive building is like nothing else in the Hyde Park neighborhood. In early June, it caught the attention of a ­lm crew. Soon a cast of more than 200 people descended on LSTC to ­lm an episode for the online series Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams produced by Ronald D. Moore, Michael Dinner, Bryan Cranston and Sony Pictures. For several days, LSTC became Glenn Runciter High School,

with futuristic furniture in the Refectory and hallways. Several scenes were also shot in the JKM Library. Thanks to LSTC building sta  Fanya Burford-Berry and her assistant Adam Braun, the ­lming went smoothly. LSTC, JKM Library and McCormick Seminary sta  and students were treated to lunch with and courtesy of the ­lm crew on the days the Refectory was closed for ­lming. The episode is about a high school student (in 2050) who unknowingly sacri­ces her anonymity and free will in order to ­t in with other students at her school. The series will be broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom and Amazon Video in the United States.

LSTC was transformed into Glenn Runciter High School

Lighting equipment for an outside scene

High schoolers of the future wait for their cue in LSTC’s Grand HallwayA member of the crew looks out over LSTC’s courtyard as he waits for the next scene

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6

LSTC’s hub of hospitality—the Refectoryby Julie B. Sevig

Certainly the faculty and sta  of LSTC are vital to students who come to Hyde Park to study and to those who gather on campus for conferences or events. But there’s a cadre of folks whose work is particularly crucial and appreciated: the Refectory sta .

Executive Chef Jennifer Powell came onboard in April 2016 to bring the already-respected Refectory to an even higher level. It consistently gets ­ve-star Yelp reviews that call it (and Sola Café, which sells locally roasted Bridgeport co ee and donuts) Hyde Park’s favorite lunch spot or best kept secret. It is committed to using fresh, local ingredients for its made-from-scratch entrees, salads and soups, burgers and sandwiches, and breakfast.

A hub of hospitality, it also attracts students and sta  from nearby University of Chicago and adjacent McCormick Seminary, even local construction workers who know about its delicious and reasonably-priced food.

On a Friday in early June, the line was particularly long after the RedEye, one of Chicago’s free newspapers, included the Refectory in a story about the best food on the South Side. “…these days, all the UC faithful are now heading over [to the LSTC Refectory] for blackened cat­sh, puerco pibil tacos and old school reubens. It’s kind of like an eclectic dorm cafeteria headed by a good cook.”

The Refectory is the seminary’s gathering place—not unlike your grandmother’s kitchen table.

It starts with the sta�Such excellence starts with the sta . Chef Frank Perez has been here for ­ve years, and if you’re a frequent customer he’ll call you by name and remember you prefer blackened chicken on your Harvest salad.

Perez is a Chicago native with 28 years of professional cooking experience, catered for the Lollapalooza festival, and for President Obama’s election celebration in Grant Park. Up-and-coming sous chef Akeem Haywood is also an artist who has led the way in using the Refectory to display justice-

related artwork created by the community. Student employees round out the culinary team. Powell, who grew up in Texas and also worked in the wine and beer industry in both New Orleans and Chicago, wants to grow the Refectory “in a way that makes sense for the seminary and that we can sustain.” She was a sous chef at McCormick Place before answering an ad for LSTC’s executive chef position. It was in the demands and chaos, expectations and logistics of McCormick food service that she learned how to “take care of the food,” as she calls it. That includes a reverence for how food comes to our table: “An awareness that someone grew, cut, processed the components and had expectations for it. We’re the keeper of something someone had a vision for but didn’t know what it might be.” She and Perez are kindred food spirits when collaborating for preparation of the meals. Their playfulness and creativity are evident, and Powell does her “homework.” Preparing for the premiere of travel guru Rick Steve’s Luther ­lm at LSTC, for instance, sent her researching historical food that re�ected the ­lm. “When we write menus we have exciting, lively, fun discussions about what we can produce,” she said, frequently calling the production and serving of a dish “theater.” Foodie photos posted on the Refectory’s Facebook page prove others share their enthusiasm and appreciation. “We have good days and bad days like any restaurant or catering business, but in the end feeding the community is what counts,” Powell said. “We nourish faculty, sta  and students so they can go and do their work.” Although she’s more “spiritually aligned with Buddhism,” she says she uses the word “spirituality” signi­cantly more since coming to LSTC, and knows more about Lutherans than she thought possible.

Food connects usHer approach to cooking re�ects the realization and respect that food is important to every culture, its rituals and ceremonies. She has a special appreciation for the seminary’s global students—their spices and their dishes. “They are a gift to us,” she says. “It begins with the pot or pan. Every culture has its special cookery ware, be it the rice bowl, cast iron skillet or clay pot,” she says. “Our style of cooking is inspired by these ancient methods—timeless techniques with global spices and good ingredients. “U of C students come here, Muslims come here, all are invited and safe, sharing tables and looking at one another. If you’ve shared a table, you’re tied to that person.” She has dreams for the seminary’s food service future— a food truck that feeds those who can, and can’t, a ord to eat—and a rooftop garden that makes the Refectory even more sustainable. But glancing around the Refectory, it’s clear her focus is also, always, on the moment and those for whom that table is set. “Faculty, sta , students, this is your home, the center, the heart, where we eat, our gathering space.”

Refectory sta� Jen Powell, Frank Perez and Akeem Haywood

77

The gift of administrationLaura Wilhelm retires after 30 years of service to theological educationby Jan Boden

Nobody grows up dreaming of becoming an education administrator, especially in theological education. You can quote Laura Wilhelm on that. She knows what she’s talking about since, for more than 30 years, that was her job, ­rst at Auburn Seminary in New York and at LSTC for the last 16 years. On June 30 Wilhelm retired, but it is with “strings attached.” She will continue to assist in a part-time, consulting role on the strategic plan that is underway and on a Lilly grant to minimize student debt.

Varied experience using varied giftsFaith and the church have been a central part of Wilhelm’s life from the time she was in ­fth grade. That’s when the Lutheran church down the street from her home, where her parents were the custodians, called a young pastor. Wilhelm began to babysit for the family and says this new pastor “made her think about a lot of things she had never thought of before.” Church became the center of her activities.

It was a two-point parish that brought together the youth of Laura’s “town” church and those of the “country” church. That’s where she met another high-schooler named Mark Wilhelm. Their ­rst date was to his junior prom.

A couple of years later, Mark went to school at St. Olaf and Laura attended Youngstown State while living at home. In her junior year, she transferred to Ohio State, in Columbus, but couldn’t a ord to study full-time. When Mark graduated from St. Olaf, they decided to get married before he started seminary. Laura didn’t return to school, but worked a number of di erent jobs in churches, schools, health-related organizations, and even one that involved a data-card computer system.

All aspects of how a seminary worksWilhelm says her work as an education administrator is

something she “fell into” when Mark returned to graduate school in 1986 and she needed to help support the family. She applied for a position at Auburn Seminary and recalls how scared she was. “I’d never had a job like that before,” she said. Auburn recognized her ability to learn, adapt and follow through to get things done. They hired her to work with the seminary’s extensive continuing education program, taking care of all the arrangements and registration. “Times were di erent then. Pastors would come to weeklong continuing education programs. We did 20 a year plus two major conferences,” she said. The job at Auburn gave Wilhelm a chance to learn all aspects of how a seminary works. In addition to working with the continuing education program, she served as an aide to Auburn’s president, Barbara Wheeler. After a decade in those roles, Wilhelm became Auburn’s director of ­nance. She worked with her colleague, Tony Ruger, one of the nation’s experts on theological schools revenue and educational indebtedness, to learn the details of the job. At that time, Auburn was keeping its books manually. Wilhelm and Ruger took on the daunting task of computerizing the seminary’s ­nance system. When she decided to move on from Auburn, Wilhelm, with characteristic thoroughness, hired her replacement and then took the position that person had left to work at Auburn. She ended up hiring her replacement for that position, too, before working as an independent consultant for several years.

Chicago and LSTCIn 2000, the Wilhelms moved to Chicago when Mark was o ered a job at the ELCA churchwide o£ce. Laura wrote a letter to LSTC President James Kenneth Echols, whom she had worked with at Auburn, to ask if there were any positions available at the seminary. There were two, and she accepted one in LSTC’s Information Technology O£ce (IT). Within two years she was head of the department. At the time, IT was a shared function of LSTC and its Hyde Park neighbor, McCormick Theological Seminary. Wilhelm led the joint IT O£ce for eight years. When the joint agreement ended, she continued as head of LSTC’s IT O£ce for the next two years. As often happens in administrative positions, Wilhelm picked up “other duties as assigned.” For several years she helped organize LSTC’s annual Leadership Conference with the assistance of alumni Ann and Mark Wiberg. She has worked closely with the ELCA Covenant Cluster seminaries and the Tithing and Stewardship Foundation at LSTC. Troubled by the complexities of LSTC’s ­nancial system and drawing on her experience at Auburn, Wilhelm talked with President Echols about ways she thought she could help. In 2010, Echols appointed Wilhelm as the Executive

Wilhelm with her closest colleague for the last seven years, Assistant to the President Patti DeBias

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F E A T U R E S T O R Y

for Administration, Assessment and Planning. It is a big umbrella of a title that covered her role in strategic planning, LSTC’s relationship with its accrediting agencies, student insurance and student debt, as well as aspects of LSTC ­nances.

Varied forms of serviceEducational administration in theological education is just one way Wilhelm has served the church. She always has been and will continue to be an active member of her congregation. For many years she taught senior high Sunday school at Augustana Lutheran Church in Hyde Park. Many of her students were children of LSTC faculty, administrators and students. She has served on church councils as well as real estate, stewardship and call committees. For her, church is “something that you do. Even if you don’t feel like going, it’s important to be there, to be part of the corporate worship. It’s the Body of Christ, supporting one another in those times when we may not feel strong in our own faith.” Being there has led her to “true Holy Spirit moments.”

The theology of doing a job wellMeasuring the impact Wilhelm has had on LSTC over the last 16 years is impossible. Her work has touched literally every aspect of the seminary: academics, ­nances for the seminary and students, continuing education, strategic planning and as a sounding board for many students, sta  members and faculty. Despite her wide-ranging service to the seminary and to the church, Wilhelm is reluctant to call what she does a vocation, although it does ­t within her theology. “I have a job. It’s a good job. It’s what I fell into because I needed to support our family. The theology of that is you do it well because that’s your job as a member of the Body of Christ. It’s your job to do it well,” she said.

Wilhelm and colleague Kenesa Debela, LSTC’s director of information technology

Laura and Mark Wilhelm with their four grandchildren

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‘LSTC challenged me in ways I didn’t know I needed…’In Nebraska, Megan Clausen ready to go soloby Julie B. Sevig

Megan Clausen didn’t expect this, but she’s bound for her ­rst call—in Nebraska. When the synod to which she was being called was revealed, she was surprised not only to be headed there, but also to be interviewing for a solo position at First Lutheran Church, York, Neb.

“I envisioned myself being an associate,” she said. But since then, she’s gotten used to the idea—even excited. She beams when speaking about her new bishop, Brian Maas, calling him and the synod “the right ­t for me.” There are some LSTC alums there, she said, and since she grew up in Iowa she is not without appreciation for small towns and rural areas.

“The synodical values, the fact that they’re a relational synod, that they’re very collegial…” she said. “And the nature of the smaller town is that people have to rely on each other more than in a larger space.”

After graduating from Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa, she was a youth director for six years in Des Moines. She received multiple nudges toward seminary along the way, but it was eventually questions from youth group kids that steered her into wanting more theological training.

She had also considered whether to expand her part-time photography vocation that she did while in youth ministry into a full-time business. Still putting that skill to use, she used it on internship in Florida for a Lenten series fashioned after the popular “Humans in New York” Facebook page.

Drawn by LSTC’s diversityWhen she started looking at seminaries it was LSTC’s diversity and city setting that drew her here. She found the diversity of other students, their perspectives and life experiences refreshing. “When I came for Seminary Sampler, the relationships students had with the professors seemed so collegial, pastoral even. Students told me about their professors and their love for them. President Nieman had just come onboard and communicated that he didn’t want the seminary to be afraid to try new things for the sake of ministry. I’m not sure if that’s exactly what he said, but that’s what I heard—trying new things as leaders for a changing church.” In her ­rst year of seminary, Clausen purchased a bracelet with the words “you are called and enough” on it. She liked it, but added her own depth when making art/calligraphy graduation gifts for all her classmates: “You are called, and always, always, always enough.” “At times there is pressure to be a certain way in ministry or to always be more,” she said, including the constant struggle to model their ministry after certain pastors. She wanted to create a reminder to her classmates, “You are called to this ministry and you are enough just as God created you.” A J-Term class at Holden Village (Chelan, Wash.) with Ben Stewart was pivotal during her years of seminary, and although she was hesitant to single out any favorite classes or professors, she did say Mark Swanson’s World Religions class was more signi­cant than she would have ever dreamed, and that Linda Thomas’s class, Black Lives Matter, helped her learn how to begin to confront and dismantle her own white privilege in order to be a better leader in the church. “LSTC challenged me in ways I didn’t know I needed to be challenged, which has helped me grow into a better pastoral leader. Because of the community here and the times we’re living in, I’m such a di erent person than what I would have predicted four or ­ve years ago. “Whether it be in conversations in classes, apartments, Jimmy’s (Woodlawn Tap), all have helped me grow as a person and hopefully in faith and as a leader,” she said. “Seminary has a way of de-constructing everything you thought, and I’ve started to put it back together, to change and evolve. This place gave me the tools and relationships to help in the re-construction.”

Megan Clausen

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‘God prepared the way to LSTC’ThM grad learned the language and earned her degreeby Julie B. Sevig

As the semester ended, Montira “Niko” Junnawatt was busy buying gifts for all those relatives who have supported her time at LSTC and were anxious for her return. The list was long, and she was trying to decide what she had room for in her suitcase. As you read, this, she is safely back in Thailand, visiting relatives she hasn’t seen for two years and thanking them for supporting her as she received her master of theology degree. Junnawatt was born and raised in Bangkok, in a bicultural and bi-religious family—her mother is Chinese Christian, her father Thai Buddhist. Thailand is 99 percent Buddhist, but she was drawn to her mother’s Presbyterian church, which she started attending at age four. After her parents divorced she began attending every week. Experiencing a Christian majority in the United States is completely di erent she said. “Everything I learn, I keep thinking how can I apply it at home, to my context there?” She attended university in Thailand to study humanities, for what she thought would be a career in the tourism industry. Then, after a short time doing marketing for a fashion company, she simply didn’t feel ful­lled. Her mother has supported her all along in her education—even as she

announced she wanted to serve the church. She received her ­rst master of divinity degree from a seminary in Thailand.

Enter: the ELCAWhile ­nishing her degree there, she met Pongsak Limthongviratn, who introduced her to the ELCA’s Global Mission unit (where he works) and encouraged her to apply to the International Leadership Program. “If God prepared the way, I decided I will go,” she said. “I am just an ordinary girl, so this was the miracle of my life. Because of God, it became possible.” Limthongviratn is also pastor of St. Paul Thai Lutheran Church in Forest Park, Ill., which has become a second home to Junnawatt during her two years at LSTC. The study thus far has been di£cult, she admitted, mostly because of the language and cultural barrier. She has had to get used to living in the United States, and learn the language while studying for an advanced degree. The loneliness itself might have been enough of an obstacle, but the challenge of learning a language while studying theology brought the stress level even higher. “For me, it is still di£cult to study at this academic level. I am reading, writing and speaking at an academic level while still struggling to learn the language,” she said. She credits learning partners she has had each of the past two years with helping her succeed. One had done an internship in Thailand. The other had served as a Young Adult in Global Mission in Thailand. One day, Junnawatt hopes to return to Thailand to teach church history, because at her home seminary there was no church history teacher. But ­rst, she’ll return to LSTC in the fall to pursue her PhD. While spending the better part of the summer in Thailand, she will meet with a dean’s committee to map out her future plan, share her dissertation topic (4th and 5th Century Church History) and seek endorsement. Then, she’ll be back here to study and work in the mailroom, which she said helped her improve her English and meet people: “I get to see everyone.”

Montira “Niko” Junnawatt

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Called to advanced studyPhD grad draws distinction between theology and philosophyby Jan Boden

Carl-Eric Gentes is “still trying to get his head around” the fact that he has earned a doctor of philosophy degree in systematic theology. Gentes says he was a” guitar-playing, camp counselor kind of guy” when he went to seminary at Vanderbilt Divinity School.

“I never thought I would earn a PhD, although the interest was always there,” he said. He felt called to do academic work after reading LSTC Professor Vitor Westhelle’s book, The Scandalous God.

Gentes’ dissertation, “Real Presence: The Animal, the Non-Christian, and the Nature of Theology,” is a wide-ranging exploration of Luther’s Eucharistic theology and how we de­ne the distinctions between what is animal and what is human. He argues that theology does not draw that distinction. He also examines the way that most Christians talk about non-Christians or people of other races in terms of “below human” or “we are all human,” which is based in philosophy not theology.

“Luther’s basic theological program has a lot of insights into this,” Gentes said. “But Luther can’t seem to follow his own theological approach when it comes to people of other faiths. We also use animal images when we’re trying to talk about anyone who seems too connected to nature—the stereotype of women being too emotional rather than rational—that’s philosophy rather than theology. It’s

seen as too close to being animal.” Gentes notes that the philosophical, not the theological, de­nition of rational is “white, male, European.”

Ideas converge into a dissertation topicIt was a friend from Vanderbilt Divinity School who introduced Gentes to the topic of animals and religion. “He was coming at it from an ethical standpoint and I was somewhat skeptical about the connections,” Gentes said. The idea stayed with him and became part of his dissertation topic when three areas of study converged. The same semester Gentes was enrolled in a Zygon Center class on human/animal distinctions, he was studying Luther’s engagement with other religions and also reading the philosopher Theodor Adorno in a class he was taking with Westhelle. “Everything I read had animals in it. I couldn’t ignore it,” he said. The ideas in Gentes’ dissertation are so wide-ranging that he had a running joke with his committee about why it needed to keep going. “Each chapter something di erent would pop up, but would come around again to reach a conclusion.”

Parish ministry and PhD studyWhile he was researching and writing his dissertation, Gentes also has been serving a term call as associate pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Rochester, Minn. The congregation has been entirely supportive of his three-weeks-on-one-week-o  schedule. To celebrate the completion of his degree, Gentes will make a special presentation about his dissertation at a Sunday School forum. Gentes sees the remaining 18 months of his call to Good Shepherd as a time of discernment. That doesn’t mean it will be any less active for him academically. He will be teaching an introduction to religion course at Augsburg College this fall and Bible and worship leadership courses for the Southeastern Minnesota Synod’s Agora program for immigrant congregations. “I thoroughly enjoy teaching in as many forums as possible, in the congregation with adults and con­rmands or at the college level. I feel called to both congregational ministry and academia. I will be looking for more opportunities and deciding if doing both at once is a good ­t.”

Carl-Eric Gentes

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Commencement 2017On Sunday, May 21, at LSTC’s 157th commencement 48 students received their certi­cate or diploma. The Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director of the ELCA Global Mission program unit was the preacher and Glocal musicians provided music before and during the communion service. LSTC awarded an honorary doctorate to the Rev. Dr. James Kenneth Echols, the school’s ­fth president. The Logan Square Ecumenical Alliance received LSTC’s Community of the Cross Award. Read more about these awards on page 4.

Prizes were awarded to students for excellence in scholarship and preaching. The Lutheran Confessions Prize went to Liesbet van Gysegem for her paper, “A Lutheran Response to Racism, Informed by the Confessions.” The Edgar Krentz Award for Biblical Interpretation was presented to Mayuko Yasuda for her paper, “The Blessed Barren and the Fall of Jerusalem: Eschatological Interpretation.” Anna Ernst and Day Hefner were both awarded the James Kenneth Echols Prize for Excellence in Preaching. They preached on Luke 24:13-35, the Road to Emmaus text. You may hear their sermons by clicking on the cloud icon at the bottom of any of the lstc.edu web pages.

MDiv grads Paul Eldred and Megan Clausen enjoy the moment

Keith “Doc” Hampton led Glocal musicians and LSTC choirs

2 0 1 7 C O M M E N C E M E N T

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2 0 1 7 C O M M E N C E M E N T

Congratulations to LSTC’s newest alumni/ae!

Certicate of StudiesDeogratias John Massawe

Master of Arts in MinistryLeroy Johnson

Deborah Taylor

Master of Arts (Theological Studies)Susan Aarup

Kathleen Anderson

Matthew Jones

Za Thawng Lian

Je rey McGuire

Liesbet Van Gysegem

Master of Divinity Cesar Abel Arroyo Traverso (completed Hispanic/Latinx Emphasis)

Allison Bengfort (completed Interfaith Emphasis)

Tobita Chow

Megan Clausen

Paul Eldred (completed Biblical Studies Emphasis)

Anna Ernst (completed Biblical Studies Emphasis)

Joy Heine

Kathryn Jacob

Nathaniel Klein

Elizabeth Kocher

Samuel Nelson

Janelle Neubauer

Jessica Obrecht

Matthew Petersen (completed Biblical Studies Emphasis)

Samantha Pfalzgraf

Christopher Thomas

Louis Tillman IV (completed African Descent Emphasis)

Rebecca Truland

Robert Todd Wright

Matthew Zemanick

Master of TheologyNamju Bae

Shane Brinegar

Thomas Gaulke

Montira (Niko) Junnawatt

Kisook Kim

Adam Lohrmann

Shibu Pananchikkal

Mayuko Yasuda

Doctor of Ministry - Ecumenical Youngil Kang

Doctor of Ministry in Preaching Hanna Brande

Beverly Collinsworth

Elin Dapo

Sara Nässelqvist

Doctor of PhilosophyAdam Braun

Masresha Chufa

Katie Deaver

Carl-Eric Gentes

Ju Young Kim

Michael Macchia

MDiv grads Chris Thomas and Matthew Petersen and ThM grad Shane Brinegar

PhD student Smitha Das Gunthoi read one of the lessons

Cheryl Pero presided and Rafael Malpica Padilla preached at the commencement service

MDiv grad Katie Jacob

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2 0 1 7 C O M M E N C E M E N T

Sami Pfalzgraf (MDiv) and Professor Ray Pickett MATS grad Susan Aarup

Students, faculty and board members process from LSTC to St. Thomas the Apostle Church.

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Dr. Linda Thomas (second from left) with graduates Louis Tillman IV (MDiv), Deborah Taylor (MAM) and Leroy Johnson (MAM)

2 0 1 7 C O M M E N C E M E N T

Beverly Collinsworth (DMin in Preaching), and PhD grads Adam Braun, Katie Deaver, Carl-Eric Gentes, Ju Young Kim, and Michael Macchia

MDiv grads Sam Nelson, Nathan Klein, Matt Zemanick, Rebecca Truland, Todd Wright and Louis Tillman

Joy Heine (MDiv) celebrates with her familyAllison Bengfort receives her MDiv diploma from President James Nieman

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Tapped on the shoulder—for serviceby Julie B. Sevig

In the summer of 1968, when Harry Mueller was washing his mother’s 1961 Plymouth Valiant, his uncle, the Rev. Harold Hecht, asked 17-year-old Harry whether he’d ever thought of going into the ministry. “No, I really don’t think so. I don’t think that’s me,” he remembers telling his uncle, who served as president of the English District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, which exited the LCMS (Seminex). His uncle assured him, “Well, there are a lot of ways you can serve God other than being a parish pastor.” Mueller has returned to that conversation many times in his life, calling it “the ­rst tap on the shoulder for me.” Along with his wife, Genie, he has found countless ways to serve. Many of those ways were recounted in May when Mueller received LSTC’s Distinguished Service Award. In introducing Mueller for the award, friend and fellow church member Larry Tietjen called Mueller the “consummate churchman”—not only active in his local congregation (Trinity Lutheran, St. Louis, Mo.) and community, but also understanding the connection to the larger church. From church council to synod and national boards related to the ELCA, Mueller, a businessman, has served faithfully on these and others—the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (a predecessor to the ELCA), the ELCA Board of Pensions (Portico), Central States Synod, Lutheran Family and Children’s Services of Missouri, the Mission Investment Fund, Lutheran Senior Services—and LSTC, currently as treasurer of the Board of Directors as well as chair of the Foundation Investment Committee.

Using talents“God has given me certain talents, certain opportunities and I needed to carry out these responsibilities by serving God as best I knew how,” Mueller says. “I’ve been so blessed, I’ve

been given so many things that I need to do something with them. It’s been a continuous tapping on the shoulder.” Mueller attended both Amherst College and Harvard University School of Business, which led to 22 years working in various banks in St. Louis. He is president and CEO of Delta Group Electronics, Inc. About Mueller’s business, Tietjen said, “When I read the company’s values—integrity, excellence, commitment, respect, fairness, cooperation and trust—I can see Harry written all over them.” Mueller concurs, saying his business is based on a value system that re�ects his Christian beliefs. Mueller’s tap on the shoulder for LSTC came in the late 1990s when Sarah Stegemoeller told him the seminary was trying to resurrect the foundation board. Would he be involved? “Always come back to ways to serve,” Mueller said. “God gives you certain talents and opportunities; don’t shy away from those challenges or situations. You’ll be blessed multifold, being around gifted people.” He lists all the people at LSTC he’s able to meet and work with—President Jim Nieman, sta  and professors, students. “I don’t have as much involvement with students, but when I get a chance to talk to them, they’re pretty darn good people.”

Serving the institution“Harry is institutionally minded,” Tietjen said. “He is mindful for the need to document for the sake of institutional history. It’s always Harry who says ‘I think we need a motion.’ He makes sure things are recorded. Harry sets high expectations for himself and other leaders in the church. He deeply respects church leaders and the roles they hold. Having said that, Harry is not afraid to ask the insightful and di£cult questions.” Part of that insight, and those di£cult questions, means helping steer LSTC into the future. “We’ve been entrusted to make sure LSTC is established and growing. We are making a stable foundation that will be critical 20, 30 or 40 years down the road,” Mueller said. Added Tietjen, “Harry is keenly aware how important the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago is to the future leadership of the church.” Tietjen knows it, too. Mueller tapped him into LSTC involvement. “Casual conversation at church, just shooting the breeze,” as Mueller remembers it. “Larry getting involved was signi­cant.” God sure has a sense of humor, Mueller says, considering how all the pieces have fallen into place since that day washing his mother’s car and realizing parish ministry wasn’t the only way to serve God. And now, recognized for a life of service by an institution that prepares parish pastors. “What my uncle said to me… How blessed I am with 41 years of marriage, three kids. I’m so thankful.”

Harry and Genie Mueller

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Luthergarten in Wittenberg and Chicagoby Jan Boden

On June 8, Professor Emeritus Kurt Hendel returned to Wittenberg, Germany, to ful­ll a vision begun during a group tour he led in 2016. Members of that tour to Luther sites proposed that LSTC participate in the Luthergarten e ort to plant 500 trees in Wittenberg, Germany.

This summer, Hendel helped plant that tree from the LSTC community.

A sign of optimismThe 500 trees embody the phrase ascribed to Luther, “Even if I knew that the world would collapse tomorrow, I would still plant my apple tree.”

Churches and other expressions of the church from around the world are part of this project initiated by the Lutheran World Federation in Geneva, with support from the German National Committee of the LWF and the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany in cooperation with Lutherstadt Wittenberg.

Each participating organization plants a corresponding tree in a location signi­cant to them. LSTC planted a linden tree in its courtyard.

The trees, a concrete sign of optimism, are planted in di erent locations around Wittenberg. A map of the locations of each tree and more information is available on the website luthergarten.de.

Kelly Faulstich, Patrick Shebeck, Wendy Heilman, Miles Renaas, Jenny DeVivo and Kurt Hendel planted a tree for LSTC in Wittenberg

W E R E M E M B E R

Walter L. Michel 1932-2016

The Rev. Dr. Walter L. Michel, professor of Old Testament at LSTC from 1972 to 2001, passed away peacefully on October 28, 2016, in Evanston, Ill. He was a passionate teacher whose lectures, sermons, adult forums and presence had a deep impact on many people. Honoring his wishes, no funeral was held. Dr. Michel

is survived by a daughter and son, four grandchildren, his brother, Werner, of Vienna, Austria, and Gundega R. Michel of Riga, Latvia. His family shares his ­nal message to them: “I wish you a great, fantastic life…get as much out of life, love…as you can…it is gone in a moment.”

Jane Gegel 1957-2017

Jane Gegel, nee Wehrheim, served as a part-time receptionist at LSTC during the time her spouse, Brian, was in the master of divinity program. She quickly became a beloved colleague. She and her supervisor, Kim Ferguson, were a magni­cent team and took the ministry of hospitality to a new level for the seminary. Her

gifts of zest and gratitude for life were a great gift to the entire LSTC community. Jane embraced life as a traveler, voracious reader, movie and sports fan, and consummate crafter, especially of homemade greeting cards. The Gegels moved to New Richland, Minn., in 2012 for Brian’s ­rst call at LeSuer River and Vista Lutheran Churches. In 2013, the breast cancer that had been in remission for nearly six years was discovered in her neck, spine and hips. She began chemo treatment at Mayo Clinic and lived life to the fullest for the next four years, traveling in the United States and Europe, being involved in church activities, enjoying family and friends, and chronicling her journey on caringbridge.org. Jane died on May 30 at home, surrounded by her family. A funeral service was held on June 6 at LeSuer River Lutheran Church, New Richland. She is survived by her husband, Brian, children Josh and Jessica, ­ve siblings, in-laws, a large extended family, and many friends.

Planting of the Luther tree at LSTC in April

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Faculty

Javier “Jay” Alanis, associate professor of theology, culture and mission and executive director of the Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest, also serves in the ministry of Word and Sacrament Spanish service, Proyecto Santiago, at St. James Episcopal Church, Austin, Texas.

Mark Bangert, John H. Tietjen Professor Emeritus of Pastoral Theology: Worship and Music, presented “Luther on Gospel and Music,” at the Region 3 convention of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians in July 2016. In October, he gave an introduction to J.S. Bach’s Cantata 180 at Grace Lutheran Church, River Forest, Ill. He returned to Grace, River Forest, in December to teach an adult education class. In January he presented an introduction to Bach’s Cantata 14 performance at Grace. The Association of Lutheran Church Musicians presented Bangert with the Faithful Servant Award at its 2017 convention. In May,

Bangert traveled to Sweden to present Swedish DMin in Preaching student, Elin Dapo, with her diploma.

Thomas Blanton, auxiliary in New Testament studies, published “Theorizing ‘the Ancient Economy’: Three Paradigms” in the April 12 issue of Ancient Jew Review, which may be found online.

Paul Chung, auxiliary in interfaith studies, published “World Council of Churches’ Model of God’s Mission and Diakonia in the Signs of the Times: From a Global South Response” in the April issue of Currents in Theology and Mission, available online.

Andrew Gu�ey, auxiliary in New Testament studies, published a review of Revelation by Peter Williamson in the online Review of Biblical Literature.

Jin Yang Kim, auxiliary in Old Testament, was com-missioned as a missionary e ective July 1. His appoint-ment as a missionary is with the General Board of Global Ministries as Coordinator of Korean Peninsula Dialogue and Peacebuilding with the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland.

Ralph Klein, Christ Seminary-Seminex Professor Emeritus of Old Testament, published two reviews in the April issue of Currents in Theology and Mission: John H. Elliott’s Beware the Evil Eye: The Evil Eye in the Bible and the Ancient World. Volume 1 - Introduction, Mesopotamia, and Egypt and John R. Gugel’s Faith Confronts Nuclear Power: A Theological Critique.

Edgar Krentz, professor emeritus of New Testament, led a six-week series on the Gospel of Matthew in March and April at Montgomery Place in Chicago. Also in March and April, he taught a four-week series, The Religious Context of the New Testament, at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Munster, Ind.

Esther Menn, dean and vice president for academic a airs and Ralph W. and Marilyn R. Klein Chair in Old Testament/Hebrew Scripture, presented the lecture “The Relevance of the Theology of Martin Luther in Protestant Denominations,” at a conference at the Seminario Evangélico de Teologia (SET) while on a J-Term trip to Cuba. In April, she attended a meeting of the Christian Scholars Group on Jewish Christian Relations in Philadelphia, Pa., where she led the group in Earth Day morning prayers.

Richard Perry Jr., professor of church and society and urban ministry, gave the lecture “African Americans and Lutheranism” at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Hinsdale, Ill., in April.

David Rhoads, professor emeritus of New Testament, continues to be active in leading Greening Greater Racine, establishing the Greater Racine Food Council, and with The Greater Racine Water Council, the Racine Sustainable Business Network, SOLARacine Group Buy Program, the Greater Racine Environmental Educators Network, and the annual EcoFest Racine. He

is working with the Racine Green Congregations and continues to edit the Biblical Performance Criticism series (now 14 volumes) for Wipf and Stock Press.

Jan Rippentrop, instructor and Axel Jacob and Gerda Maria (Swanson) Carlson Chair in Homiletics, published “Lenten Preaching among Distressed Lives” in the Lent 2017 issue of Journal for Preachers.

Barbara Rossing, professor of New Testament, gave a lecture in February at the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan’s International Forum, held at Presbyterian Bible College in Hsinchu, Taiwan, where she was part of a panel on climate change with LSTC alumnus George Zechariah. In February she also gave the lecture, “And God Saw that It was Good: How the Astronauts See the Planet,” at the Northern Texas/Northern Louisiana Synod Creation Care event at the Briarwood Retreat Center. In March she gave two lectures at the God’s Green Earth conference at Bethany Seminary, Richmond Ind. In April Rossing presented “Radicalizing Reformation: Re-Reading Paul’s Letters for Local Diversities” and “New Heavens and New Earth: Eco-Reformation and Hope” at the 2017 Gettysburg Spring Academic at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. She also spoke on “Christ the Healer in the Age of Biological Manipulation” at the Ecumenical Roundtable on Faith, Science, and Technology event Being

I N T H E P U B L I C S P H E R E

Mark Bangert and DMin grad Elin Dapo

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the Church in the Age of Biological Manipulation. In May, Rossing was one of the speakers for a 500th Anniversary of the Reformation event sponsored by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Scripture with Scholars: Eco-Reformation: Bringing Grace and Hope to the Care of Our Common Home. In June she spoke at the Institute of Religion in the Age of Science’s conference The Wicked Problem of Climate Change: What Is It Doing For Us and To Us? on Star Island, N.H.

Lea Schweitz, associate professor of systematic theology/religion and science and director of the Zygon Center for Religion and Science, served as a panelist for the session “The Continuing Signi­cance of the Protestant Reformation” at the Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Ind., in March. She spoke on “Reforming our Reformation Visions of Nature.” Schweitz received a Wabash Center fellowship to support the writing of her book on the theology of urban nature. In late June, she participated in the ­rst of three center-sponsored colloquies for fellowship recipients. In July she was one of 12 academics to attend the Collegeville Institute workshop, Writing Beyond the Academy.

Benjamin Stewart, Gordon A. Braatz Associate Professor of Worship and director of Advanced Studies, preached and presided at the ELCA Churchwide O£ces for a February 1 eucharist at

which six ELCA Missionaries were commissioned, including LSTC alumni Alex LaChappelle (2014, MDiv), assigned to South Africa, and Janelle Neubauer (2017, MDiv) assigned to Rwanda. Later in February, Stewart gave the lecture, “Being Who You Are: Contextual Dimensions of Worship,” at the ELCA Worship and Culture Conference in Santa Monica, Calif. He presented a two-part lecture series, “Ecology and Worship,” at Grace Lutheran Church, River Forest, Ill., in March and April. Stewart attended the annual ELCA Global Mission higher education meeting at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, S.C. in April. Stewart was the Earth Day preacher and presider at Wicker Park Lutheran Church, Chicago, and also served as an advisory council member at the 69th annual Institute of Liturgical Studies at Valparaiso University in late April. His article, “Food and Funerals: Why Meals Matter for Christian Mortality and How We Might Respond Gustatorily to Changing Death Practices,” is in the April 3 issue of Liturgy.

Linda Thomas, professor of theology and anthropology, gave a keynote address and follow-up session on the theme “Making a Way Out of No Way” at Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas, in March. Thomas launched an adult education series, “The Beloved Community: Christian Conversations On Race,” at Redeemer Lutheran

I N T H E P U B L I C S P H E R E

Professor Linda E. Thomas inducted into Martin Luther King Jr. Collegium of Scholars at Morehouse CollegeThe Rev. Dr. Linda E. Thomas, professor of theology and anthropology, was inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. Collegium of Scholars at Morehouse College on March 30. The theme of the induction service, “Learning to Live the Moral Cosmopolitan Way,” was partic-ularly meaningful to Dr. Thomas in light of LSTC’s Public Church curriculum. She said, “Our curriculum is decidedly contextual because our students are called to witness to the good news of Jesus Christ in a pluralistic world. LSTC graduates are called to serve in rural Nebraska as well as the suburbs of Lake Geneva, Wis., or cities like Philadelphia and Chicago. Wherever our students are called, they must be prepared to speak at a time when telling the truth is a rebellious act. As a member of the Martin Luther King Jr. Collegium of Scholars, I am called to prepare them for a broad base of ministerial settings for such a time as this.” Esther Menn, dean of academic a airs, said, “Dr. Thomas is celebrated on the LSTC campus for her courage to address some of the most urgent issues of our times. She does this through her courses on the theology of Martin Luther King Jr. and Black Lives Matter, as well as through the popular blog she edits, ‘We Talk. We Listen. Conversations about Diversity.’ It is splendid that she is receiving national recognition through her induction into this distinguished Collegium of Scholars.” Both speakers at the event, the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, president of the North Carolina NAACP and organizer of the Moral Monday movement, and the Rev. Dr. Marvin A. McMickle, activist, pastor, scholar, and president of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, charged the inductees to be ministerial leaders who break the silence about the political violence occurring in our country and to o er deep moral language that represents the ethical principles given to us in the law and the gospel.

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Church, Hinsdale, Ill., with the lecture “Womanist Perspectives on an Ever-Reforming Church.” In April, she presented a lecture for the University of Chicago Divinity School event “State of the Garden: Womanism in the Post-Obama Era.”

Peter Vethanayagamony, associate professor of church history, co-led and taught a McCormick Theological Seminary travel seminar with McCormick professor Dr. Ken Sawyer on the 16th Century Reformations. In January, Vethanayagamony presided and preached at United Lutheran Church in Gardner, Ill., and led two

adult forums on “Living Out Christian Discipleship in a Multi-religious World” at Our Savior’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Naperville, Ill. In February he presided and preached at Trinity Lutheran Church, Park Forest, Ill., and at United Lutheran Church, Gardner. In March he attended the ATS Roundtable Seminar for Midcareer Faculty in Orlando, Fla.

Vítor Westhelle, professor of systematic theology, published “500 Anos da Reforma: Luteranismo e Cultura nas Américas,” in Vida y Pensamiento: Revista Teológica de la Universidad Bíblica Latinoamericana 36/2 (2016), and “Perdão em perspectiva teológica,” in Perdão: Onde Saúde e Espiritualidade se Encontram, edited by Karin H.K. Wondracek, Maria Aparecida da Silveira Brígido, Nilton E. Herbes, and Thomas Heimann (Sinodal/EST/CAPES, 2016).

Gayle Woloschak, auxiliary in religion and science; associate director, Zygon Center for Religion and Science, presented “Re�ections on the Holy

and Great Council” at the Orthodox Theological Society of America annual meeting in Boston, Mass., in October. In November, she participated in a panel discussion, “Fasting Dialogue, Holy and Great Council” at the Orthodox Christian Association of Medicine Psychology and Religion annual meeting in Boston. She was an invited speaker and presented “Technology, Science, and the Orthodox Church” at the Korean Orthodox Church program Technology and Orthodoxy in Seoul, Korea, in November. She presented “Re�ections on the Holy and Great Council: What it means for the Church in America” in February at the Orthodox Christian Laity Conference in Las Vegas, Nev. Also in February, Woloschak was a panelist and moderator for the Advisory Board meeting of Science and Orthodoxy in the World for the Orthodox Church of Greece in Athens. She published “Perspectives from the Academy: Being Orthodox and a Scientist” in Eastern Orthodox Christianity and American Higher Education: Theological, Historical, and

Contemporary Re£ections edited by A.N. Bezzerides and E.H. Prodromou (University of Notre Dame Press, 2017). Her article, “Have We Replaced the Holy Spirit with Ideology?” appeared in The Wheel Issue 4 (2016). With L. Hummel, she published “Chance, Necessity, Love: An Evolutionary Theology of Cancer” in Zygon Journal of Religion and Science, Vol. 51, No. 2 (2016).

GodspeedRay Pickett, professor of New Testament, became the rector of Paci­c Lutheran Theological Seminary on June 1.

Jan Rippentrop, instructor and Axel Jacob and Gerda Maria (Swanson) Carlson Chair in Homiletics, has resigned to begin a new ministry with her husband. They are developing a system of programs in re-health aimed at assisting professionals in a variety of ­elds who are experiencing burnout and other forms of stress.

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Peter Vethanayagamony with ThM grad Tom Gaulke

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New Books from AlumniThe Struggle to Dene God: Dissent in Posexilic JudahRobert Butter­eld (1981, MDiv; 1986, PhD) studies four texts from postexilic Judah and applies them ­rst to Judah and then to modern America. Two of these texts—the books of Jonah and Job—speak out in favor of the theology of grace and against the theology of retribution, as advocated by the Jerusalem hardliners.

Butter­eld points out that this struggle to

de­ne God continues even today. Despite the biblical evidence—especially the example of Jesus—many Americans still believe in the God of retribution. Two other texts—the book of Ruth and the story of Rahab—demonstrate that if people reject xenophobia/nativism and misogyny, the entire community is blessed. The last chapter argues that it is the mission of both synagogues and churches to de­ne God correctly and then to help people overcome their resentment and prejudices and become partners with God, but that many predominantly white churches have failed in their mission, as evidenced by

the fact that so many of their members voted for Donald Trump. The Struggle to De¥ne God is available from Wipf and Stock Publishers or on Amazon.

From Surviving to Thriving: A Practical Guide to Revitalize Your ChurchDrawing on his nearly 50 years of ministry, the Rev. Dr. John H. Krahn (1969, MDiv), o ers practical ways to address the rapid decline that many churches face. He asserts that the power of God behind us is greater than the problems before us.

From Surviving to Thriving is Krahn’s seventh book and is available from CSS Publishing (csspub.com) and Amazon.

Class of 1967 reunites

Commencement weekend, members of the Class of 1967 reunited at LSTC to share stories of their 50 years of ministry. Left to right, back row: Gary Swenson, Arden Krych, William Cowan, Fred Gustafson, Richard Solberg, James Bornzin, Roger Asplund; Front row, left to right: Keith Lingwall, Karl Nelson, Charles Austin, Steven Larson, Erling Lindstrom

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1962

Roy M. Oswald (MDiv) presented the workshop “Managing Polarities in Church Systems” at LSTC for faculty and students on May 2.

1967

Arthur Puotinen (LSTC-Rock Island, MDiv) visited LSTC’s campus in April to meet with students and sta  and to share his book, Lead with Courage: Unleash the Lion in You (Balboa Press, 2015).

1974

David Beckmann (Christ Seminary-Seminex, MDiv) was featured in the “I’m a Lutheran” Voices of Faith article in the May issue of Living Lutheran. Beckmann is president of Bread for the World.

1980

S. John Roth (Christ Seminary-Seminex, MDiv; 1987, ThM) was re-elected on June 3 to serve a second six-year terms as bishop of the Central/Southern Illinois Synod of the ELCA.

1981

Arthur M. Turfa (MDiv) published his second book of poetry, Accents, in May 2017 with Blue Deco Publishing.

1983

Michael Girlinghouse (MDiv) was re-elected on May 5 to serve a second term as bishop of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod of the ELCA.

1986

Marta Poling-Schmitt (MDiv) was married on September 10, 2016, to

Stefan Johann Schmitt at Reformation Lutheran Church in Las Vegas, Nev. The couple met at a church grief group after the losses of both of their spouses. Marta, an active board member of both Nevadans for the Common Good and Lutheran Social Services of Nevada, is chairing donor campaigns for both organizations. The Schmitts reside in Las Vegas.

1989

Christine Helmer (MA) received an honorary doctorate in theology on June 10 from the faculty of theology of the University of Helsinki, Finland. Helmer is professor of religious studies and German at Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.

1990

Monica Melanchthon (ThM; 1997, PhD) gave a keynote address at the Lutheran World Federation assembly in Namibia in May on one of the subthemes of the assembly: Salvation – Not for Sale.”

1992

Donald Kreiss (MDiv; 2007, DMin) was re-elected on May 5 to a second term as bishop of the Southeast Michigan Synod of the ELCA.

1993

Vicki Watkins (MDiv) retired in June as sta  chaplain for Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital in Milwaukee, where she has served for almost 15 years. She has been a chaplain on medical surgical units, ICU, intermediate care, hospice,

neonatal intensive care, pediatrics, nursery, labor and delivery, antepartum, Sacred Heart General Rehab and Brain Injury, and, for a short time, the cancer care unit. She also served on the Ethics Committee and on the committee that brought two hospitals under one roof. Then she served on the Grand Opening Committee for the new hospital. For several years she was part of a large group of clinicians who mentored medical students in ethics at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Watkins remains rostered with the Greater Milwaukee Synod of the ELCA. She is an active member of Village Lutheran Church, where she is part of a ministry called Power Shift, with the Milwaukee Police Department. Twice a month on the Friday overnight shift, they support with prayer and conversation the o£cers who police the bars and clubs in the church’s neighborhood. In “retirement,” Watkins plans to read, continue to volunteer in her church and community, travel, catch up with friends and learn some new skills, like photography.

1997

Caryn Riswold (ThM; 2000, PhD) outlines how she is observing the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation in her March 17 Patheos blog post, “Feminist, Interfaith, Public: My Luther Year.” In June she led a session at the national conference Embodied Freedom held at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. Also

in June, she participated in the 2017 Annual Faculty Seminar, Martin Luther’s Theology and the Jews, at the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. She is publishing three articles in the Encyclopedia of Martin Luther and the Reformation due out in August from Rowman & Little­eld. She will be one of the plenary speakers at the October LSTC Leadership Conference.

1998

Elisa Brandt (MDiv) began a new call as pastor of St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in Monona, Wis. She had been serving as pastor at Luther Memorial Church in Delavan, Wis.

2002

Paul Bischo  (ThM; 2005, PhD) has presented a number of adult forums in the last six months. In December he presented “Manger and Incarnation” from his book The Human Church at the First Presbyterian Church, Glen Ellyn, Ill. In March he presented the three-part forum “The Reformation Wasn’t Protestant” at York­eld Presbyterian Church, Elmhurst, Ill., and a three-part forum, “Bonhoe er: His Life, Ministry and Church” at Windsor Park Center for Lifelong Learning in Carol Stream, Ill. He returned to First Presbyterian in Glen Ellyn in April to present the two-part Lenten forum “Bread, Wine and Cross” and “Tomb and Resurrection.”

Amy Wiegert (MDiv) published “Faith & Family: Celebrating

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C L A S S N O T E S

diversity” in the February issue of Living Lutheran.

2003

William Flippin Jr. (MDiv; 2005, ThM) and his brother, Richard, were inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College in March. They join their father, Pastor William Flippin, inducted in 1994, and their brother, Joseph, inducted in 2013, in receiving this high honor.

2004

Jonathan Black (MDiv) started a new call on March 1 as pastor of First Lutheran Church in Plano, Ill.

2005

Wendy Anderson (MDiv) began a new call in May as pastor of Nativity Lutheran Church in Rockport, Maine. Her previous call was as pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church of Pickerel Lake in Albert Lea, Minn.

2006

Jin Yang Kim (ThM; 2011, PhD), was commissioned as a missionary e ective July 1. His appointment is as a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries as Coordinator of Korean Peninsula Dialogue and Peacebuilding with the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland.

2008

Thomas Gaulke (MDiv; 2017, ThM) was quoted in an April 25 Chicago Tribune article, “How weekly Trump protests in the Loop aimed at more than ­rst 100 days.”

Ingrid Roeder (MA) became the Director of Youth and Family Ministry at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Kalispell, Mont., in October and was recently appointed wellness coordinator for the Montana Synod of the ELCA. From 2005-2010 Roeder was the wellness coordinator at LSTC.

2010

Zachary Parris (MDiv) published the article, “Religious Identity Hiding under the Cloak of White Fragility” in the March issue of Sightings: Religion in Public Life, which is produced by the Martin Marty Center at the University of Chicago Divinity School.

2012

Vance Blackfox (MATS) participated in the Glocal Musician-Educator Training with the ELCA Mission Formation Team in January in Chicago.

Regina Herman (MDiv) published a guest column “Security is a human right” in the February 16 Idaho

Falls Post Register. She is pastor of New Day Lutheran Church serving Idaho Falls and Ammon, Idaho.

2013

Katie Deaver (MATS; 2015, ThM; 2017, PhD) contributed to the christianpost.com April 13 article, “Why Did Jesus Die? 4 Views on the Atonement.” Deaver writes about Ransom theory, also sometimes called the Christus Victor theory.

Joshua Emmanuel Penumaka (ThM) participated in the Glocal Musician-Educator Training with the ELCA Mission Formation Team in January in Chicago.

2014

Emily Johnson (MDiv) was one of the 10 ­nalists in an international preaching contest sponsored by the Lutheran World Federation to preach at the closing worship of LWF’s 12th Assembly in Windhoek, Namibia.

2015

Amanda (Amy) Diller (MDiv) was one of the 10 ­nalists in an international preaching contest sponsored by the Lutheran World Federation to preach at the closing worship of LWF’s 12th Assembly in Windhoek, Namibia.

Lydia Hernández-Marcia (ThM) received a doctoral fellowship from the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE). The fellowship is for Latino/a, Asian and First Nations full-time doctoral students who are at the dissertation stage of their

studies. She is one of only six scholars to receive this award in 2017. Read more on page 3.

Kwame Pitts (MDiv) is featured in the ELCA’s Fund for Leaders Campaign and pictured on the inside back cover of the May 2017 Living Lutheran. She contributed to the “March to Spring­eld: For a People and Planet Budget” devotional.

Christine (Doidge) Yucha (MAM) was appointed director of assessment and planning at LSTC e ective July 1. She has been serving as recruiter in the LSTC Admissions O£ce since 2015. Read more on page 27.

2016

Francisco Herrera (ThM) published the article “Decolonizing the Church” in the February issue of Sojourners magazine. Herrera is one of the founders of the Decolonize Lutheranism movement. He also participated in the Glocal Musician-Educator Training with the ELCA Mission Formation Team in January in Chicago. He contributed to the “March to Spring­eld: For a People and Planet Budget” devotional.

Baiju Markose (ThM) received two awards at the Midwest Regional AAR gathering in March, the Marion McFarland Award for the best research paper in Religion & Science for his paper, “Sacred Grove: Reclaiming a Subaltern Paradigm for Ecological Restoration,” and the Best Graduate Paper for

Barbara Rossing and Wiriya Tipvarakankoon (2009, ThM; 2013, PhD) at a conference in Bangkok, Thailand

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“Celebrating Hybridity and Memory: Subaltern Religious Sensibilities in India.” He continues his PhD studies at LSTC.

Iren Raye (ThM) participated in the Glocal Musician-Educator Training with the ELCA Mission Formation Team in January in Chicago.

Joseph Yucha (MDiv) was ordained on May 14 in the Augustana Chapel at LSTC. He is serving as associate pastor of Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church in Glen Ellyn, Ill.

2017

Jessica Obrecht (MDiv) was ordained on June 24 at First Lutheran Church, Havre, Mont. She is serving as pastor at St. Paul Lutheran and Grace Lutheran Churches in Fair­eld, Mont.

Christopher Thomas (MDiv) was ordained on July 8 at Grace Lutheran Church, Loves Park, Ill. He will serve as pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Littlestown, Pa.

Matthew Zemanick (MDiv) contributed to the “March to Spring­eld: For a People and Planet Budget” devotional.

Future alumni/ae

Samantha Nichols (MDiv, middler) was featured in an April 18 Chicago Sun-Times column by Phil Kadner about the 15-day march from Chicago to Spring­eld, Ill., to draw attention to the state’s two-year budget stalemate and to call for a plan that would add $23 billion to the state’s budget by closing corporate tax loopholes, instituting a graduated income tax and imposing a “LaSalle Street” tax on certain ­nancial contracts. Nichols was one of a handful of people to make the entire 200-mile march. She was also quoted in an April 25 Chicago Tribune article, “How weekly Trump protests in the Loop aimed at more than ­rst 100 days.” Related to the march, Seminarians for Justice, a student organization with members from multiple seminary campuses across

the city of Chicago and part of The People’s Lobby, a Chicago-wide power organization, published a devotional.

Nichols and other LSTC seminarians, Fanya Burford-Berry (MDiv, senior); Jaeymes Childers (Ecumenical MAM); Yoseob Song (PhD); Nash Sha er (Ecumenical MDiv); Eddie A. Rosa-Fuentes (PhD); Erin Coleman Branchaud (MDiv, intern), Cathy Swanson (MDiv, middler); and River Needham (Ecumenical MDiv) contributed to the “March to Spring­eld: For a People and Planet Budget.”

Kyle Symanski (MDiv, intern) presented “Context, Community, and Isaiah: A Craft Bible Study” at the 2017 Hein-Fry Book of Faith Challenge in April

at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Madeline (Maddie) Tallman (MDiv, junior) is quoted in an April 25 Chicago Tribune article, “How weekly Trump protests in the Loop aimed at more than ­rst 100 days.”

Jen DeLeon (MA, 1st year), Erin Coleman Branchaud (MDiv, intern) and Chrisida Anandan (ThM/PhD, 1st year) participated in the Glocal Musician-Educator Training with the ELCA Mission Formation Team in January in Chicago to build their capacity to teach and lead worship that includes global music, liturgy, stories and voices.

Errata

In a previous issue of the LSTC Epistle, Jasmine Tesdahl (2015, MAM) was incorrectly listed as an MDiv grad. She entered LSTC after earning her MDiv from Ili  School of Theology. We regret the error.

C L A S S N O T E S

Samantha Nichols

Jessica Obrecht

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Dean W. Berg1929-2017Augustana Theological Seminary Class of 1955

Pastor Berg’s vocation was as a mission developer. He would start churches by knocking on doors in the places he was sent, shepherd the congregation for ­ve to seven years then begin a new call starting a new congregation. He opened churches in Canada, Iowa, Oregon and Washington. He also served as visitation pastor in Edgewood, Wash.

Pastor Berg died April 25. He was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara. He is survived by their four children, many grandchildren and one great grandchild. A service was held May 13 at Mountain View Lutheran Church in Edgewood.

Robert Hawkinson1920 -2017Augustana Theological Seminary Class of 1947

From 1947 to 1988, Pastor Hawkinson served ­ve congregations in Minnesota. He was instrumental in organizing and building Faith Haven Youth Camp on Eagle Lake, Minn. He remained an active member of Shalom Lutheran Church in Alexandria, Minn.

Pastor Hawkinson died March 18 at the Galeon Nursing Home in Osaki, Minn. He is survived by his wife, Rhoda, their four daughters, 14 grandchildren and 34 great grandchildren. A funeral service was held March 27 at Shalom Lutheran Church.

Jane E. Jenkins1949-2017Class of 1978

Pastor Jenkins was an elementary school teacher in Baltimore, Md., before attending seminary. She was ordained in 1978 and served congregations in Bloomington and Spring­eld, Ill. In 1994, she joined the Central/Southern Illinois Synod sta  as assist to the bishop. In 2000 she joined the Trinity Lutheran Seminary faculty as director of contextual education. She retired in 2014 due to health limitations related to progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Pastor Jenkins died March 30. A memorial service was held April 9 at Epiphany Lutheran Church, Pickerington, Ohio. She is survived by a brother, a niece and nephew and many dear friends.

Ben A. Johnson1937-2017Chicago Lutheran Theological Seminary Class of 1961

The Rev. Dr. Ben A. Johnson was ordained in 1965. He was professor and dean of Hamma School of Theology of Wittenberg University in Ohio. He also served as professor and president of the Lutheran Bible Institute in Irvine, Calif. He was senior pastor of Salem Lutheran Church in St. Cloud, Minn., and served as interim pastor of several other congregations in Minnesota. Dr. Johnson died on June 7 at his home in St. Cloud. A funeral was held on June 17

at Salem Lutheran Church. He is survived by his wife, Suzanna, their four children, seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

P.T. Calvin Johnson1926-2016Augustana Theological Seminary Class of 1952

Pastor Johnson served four congregations in Massachusetts and Michigan during his nearly 40 years of ministry. He served on numerous churchwide and community committees. He retired in 1990 and became an active member of First Lutheran Church, West Barnstable, Mass. He died on August 15, 2016, from injuries sustained in a car accident while visiting family in Michigan, just a few days before his 90th birthday and his 63rd wedding anniversary. A funeral service was held at First Lutheran Church, West Barnstable, on August 31. He is survived by his wife, Audrey, three children, 10 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a daughter and son-in-law.

Peter W. Knoles1935-2017Chicago Lutheran Theological Seminary Class of 1961

Peter Knoles began his ordained ministry as the founding pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Claremont, Calif., where he served for ­ve years. He attended the Monterey Institute of Foreign Language

and in 1970 his family moved to the Santa Ynez Valley where he became the Spanish and German teacher at Dunn School in Los Olivos. He retired from the school in 1998. He sang in several choirs, including the Santa Barbara Choral Society and also volunteered with Meals on Wheels. He died on March 30 after a long struggle with Parkinson’s disease. He is survived by his wife, Rose, two children, two grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. A funeral was held April 5 at St. Mark’s in the Valley Episcopal Church in Los Olivos.

Charles D. Lindholm1940-2017Class of 1968

After his ordination, Pastor Lindholm served parishes in Upstate New York and the Chicago area. He did missionary work with the international community of the American Church in Berlin, Germany, from 1976-79. He received an award for his ecumenical work there. He continued his ecumenical work as pastor of the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Glenville, N.Y., where he served until 2000. He was a leader in Rotary International, volunteered at Proctor’s Theater and sang with Albany Pro Musica. In retirement he became a chaplain at Albany Medical Center, served on the board of the American Foreign Christian Union and the American Churches in Europe. He also earned a

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26

doctor of divinity degree at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia and was working on a comprehensive history of the American Church in Berlin. Pastor Lindholm died

on April 12. A celebration of resurrection was held April 22 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Glenville. He is survived by his wife, Nancy, two children, and four grandchildren.

Kenneth R. Olsen1936-2017Class of 1962

Pastor Kenneth Olsen served two long-term calls at congregations in Chicago’s western suburbs before joining the sta  of

the Illinois Synod (Lutheran Church in America) as a stewardship specialist and assistant to the bishop. He was the assistant director of the ELCA Foundation before being elected bishop of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod in 1995. During his two terms as bishop, he moved the synod o£ce to its own building in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. He also created the Fund for Mission to provide grants to congregations to stimulate creative evangelical outreach or invitational evangelism. He also served as president of the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago. After retiring as bishop, he served as a ­eld

representative for the ELCA Board of Pensions (now Portico Bene­t Services), as interim pastor for several Chicago area parishes and as interim bishop on three di erent occasions in the Southeast Michigan Synod. Pastor Olsen died on April 20. A memorial service was held on May 6 at St. James Lutheran Church, Lake Forest, Ill. He is survived by his wife, Susan Link Olsen, three sons, a daughter, a stepson, and three grandchildren

Curtis E. White1944-2017Class of 1973

Curtis White served as a chaplain at Moline

Lutheran Hospital and Faith Lutheran Church in Moline. He enjoyed learning and throughout his life continued to take classes in foreign studies and medicine. In his later years, he ful­lled a dream to travel to Hawaii, Alaska and the Galapagos Islands. Pastor White died on March 25 at University Hospitals, Iowa City, Iowa. A funeral service was held on April 1 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Clinton, Iowa. He is survived by his wife, Jacqueline, a son and a daughter, and two granddaughters. He was preceded in death by one daughter.

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With ThanksSeveral members of the Board of Directors completed their service in May.

Esther D’Agrosa served a full three-year term as the representative from the Western Iowa Synod where she is a member of Hope Lutheran Church in Sioux Center. She served on the board’s Community Life Committee.

Thomas Gooding was the Central/Southern Illinois representative since 2013. His career in banking was an asset to the board’s Administration and Finance Committee. He is a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Hillsboro, Ill.

Lyn Wallin Ziegenbein served on the Seminary Relations Committee during her three-year term on the board. Her career as an attorney, an executive director of a foundation, and as a private philanthropy consultant provided valuable insights to the board’s work.

GodspeedWe wish godspeed and every blessing to those leaving the LSTC community:

Kathryn (Kathie) Baker (2003, MA), completed her work as project coordinator of the Pathways Grant to examine ways to lower seminarian debt. We are grateful for her work on this important initiative.

William Beermann, cataloger for the JKM Library since August 1988, retired on June 30. It is di£cult to

imagine LSTC and JKM Library without him, so we have decided to pretend he is on a very long vacation. There is so much we will miss about Bill, including his musicianship in worship, his sense of humor and his treats at our sta  birthday celebrations. Plus, this editor could always count on him for a gentle correction of my typos. Thank you, Bill.

Katie Croft Lubeck who has served as Advanced Studies Program Coordinator and International Student Administrator since 2013, has moved to Nashville, Tenn., where her spouse’s company is relocating. We are grateful for the wisdom and many gifts Katie brought to LSTC in her vocation as a deaconess.

Cheryl Stewart Pero, director of the Albert “Pete” Pero Jr. Multicultural Center since 2010 retired on June 30. Dr. Pero has mentored and been a dear friend to students, sta  and faculty. We count on her not to be a stranger to LSTC, even in retirement.

Pedro Rodriguez, senior line cook in the Refectory since 2012, resigned in June. We are grateful for the good food, hospitality and creativity he shared with us.

Harvard Stephens Jr., pastor to the community and dean of the chapel since 2015, accepted a call as pastor of Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Racine, Wis. He began his new call in May. The LSTC community was blessed by Pastor Stephens’ leadership, great preaching, musicianship and collegiality.

Laura Wilhelm, executive for administration, assessment and planning, retired on June 30 after nearly 17 years of service to LSTC and more than 30 years in theological education. Any attempt to summarize Laura’s impact on LSTC would be a gross understatement. See page 7 to read more about Laura.

WelcomePam Johnson Davis joined LSTC on June 12 as Advanced Studies Program Coordinator and International Student Administrator. Pam holds a master’s degree in modern European history from Loyola University Chicago and has worked in higher education, church and nonpro­t administration. She was a mentor to ­rst generation, minority and low-income students at Loyola. While serving as communications coordinator for Saint Paul’s United Church of Christ in Chicago she identi­ed her passion for “­nding spaces where grace and education collide.”

TransitionsWe are delighted that two of our colleagues, Nate Ramsey and Christine Yucha, are now in new positions at LSTC. Nate is the director of ­nancial aid (see page 2).

Deacon Christine Yucha (2015, MAM) is director of assessment and planning after serving as recruiter in the Admissions O£ce since mid-2015.

AccomplishmentsKeith Hampton, cantor to the LSTC community, and Sara Trumm, program coordinator for A Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice, participated in the Glocal Musician training in Chicago in January to build their capacity to teach and lead worship that includes global music, liturgy, stories and voices. 

David Scott, donor relations and stewardship manager, published “Now, Near and Next: Solstice Mobile develops digital products for more than 100 Fortune 1000 companies, ranging from Kraft Foods to First Alert” in the Winter 2017 issue of Illinois (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Alumni Magazine).

Harvard Stephens, pastor to the community and dean of the chapel, participated in an Annual African American Read-In in February at the Kenosha (Wisconsin) Public Museum by reading an excerpt from Joy Unspeakable by Barbara Holmes. That month he also participated in a Racine (Wisconsin) Public Library Black History Month Read-In, reading an excerpt from Defending the Spirit by Randall Robinson and was a guest preacher (for Black History Month) at Second Baptist Church in Kenosha.

William Beermann

T R A N S I T I O N S & A C C O M P L I S H M E N T S

Katie Croft Lubeck helps distribute communion at Commencement

Seniors Megan Clausen, Liz Kocher, Anna Ernst and Paul Eldred splash through the font

Anna Ernst (2017, MDiv) and Day Hefner (MDiv, intern), winners of the 2017 James Kenneth Echols Prize for Excellence in Preaching

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Members of the LSTC Board take a selfie with new board member Emmanuel Jackson

Former and current LSTC presidents: Philip Haugen, James Nieman and James Kenneth Echols

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E V E N T S A T L S T C

Public Church, Public Leaders

Telling Stories: Reforming an Evangelical Mission in Turbulent Times

As a public church rooted in the Reformation how can we reclaim “evangelical” in our current culture? Plan to attend the 2017 Leadership Conference at LSTC October 10-12 to explore this question. The conference focuses on active ministry that includes accompaniment and reforming mission with care for neighbors and creation in intentionally feminist, anti-racist, theological ways.

In addition to keynote speaker Cynthia Moe-Lobeda, this year’s conference features a number of outstanding alumni/ae keynote speakers and worship leaders: Caryn Riswold (1997, ThM; 2000, PhD), Andrea Walker (1999, MDiv; 2007, DMin), Philip Ruge-Jones (1996, ThM; 1999, PhD), Jason Chesnut (201, MDiv), William Flippin Jr. (2003, MDiv; 2005, ThM), and Michelle Townsend de Lopez (2009, MDiv).

LSTC faculty panels will give responses to each of the keynote addresses. Alumni/ae, faculty and sta  will lead workshops that include:

• Reformed for Turbulent Times: Telling the Biblical Story• Evangelical Mission• Generosity in Turbulent Times• Reformed for Mission: Seminary Education• Honest Proclamation: Preaching across the Divide• The Global Context

A reception and dinner will be held on the ­rst night of the conference. Cost per person is $25. On October 11, the 2017 Distinguished Alumni/ae Awards will be presented at 5 p.m. followed by a free reception. Even if you can’t make the conference, come honor this year’s award winners:

• Rev. James Bickel – Faithful Servant Award• Rev. Yehiel Curry – Emerging Voice Award• Rev. James Lapp – Excellence in Parish Ministry Award• Rev. Amy Reumann – Witness to the World Award• Rev. Dr. Andrea Walker – Called to Lead Award• Rev. Dr. George Zachariah – Specialized Ministry Award

A block of rooms has been reserved at the La Quinta Chicago Lakeshore at a special rate of $149 a night plus 16.4% city and state taxes from October 9-13. Make your reservations by calling La Quinta at 773.324.3000 and reference the LSTC Leadership Conference. Reservation deadline is August 24.

For more information contact Jen Thomas jthomas@lstc.edu

OTHER EVENTS AT LSTC

Manz Organ Series RecitalsThis monthly series showcases (mostly) local organists on the Ruth and Paul Manz Organ in the Augustana Chapel at LSTC. The free 30-minute recitals begin at 12:15. Fall dates are September 12, October 3, November 7 and December 5. For more information contact Cantor to the Seminary Keith “Doc” Hampton at keith.hampton@lstc.edu.

The Scherer LectureOn October 4 at 4 p.m., LSTC alumna the Rev. Dr. Patricia Cuyatti Chavez, Lutheran World Federation Area Secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, will speak on “Mission - The Call into Life of Transformational Community.” The lecture is free and open to the public. Discussion and a reception follow the lecture.

Reformation SymposiumMartin Luther on the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation sponsored by the University of Chicago will be held at Oct. 21, 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Professor Emeritus Kurt K. Hendel is the keynote speaker. Cost is $165. Register through the University of Chicago Graham School.

Fall Seminary SamplerEncourage those with gifts for rostered leadership in the church to sample LSTC classes and campus life October 22-24. Contact admissions@lstc.edu or register at lstc.edu.

Andrea WalkerCynthia Moe-LobedaCaryn Riswold William Flippin Jr.

NON-PROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDCHICAGO, IL

PERMIT NO. 95561100 East 55th Street | Chicago, IL 60615 www.lstc.edu

Address Service Requested

SUMMER 2017

Graduates receive hugs from faculty members Christine Wenderoth and Kadi Billman