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International LCMS Disaster Response Conference

Dr. Douglas Rutt, international director of Lutheran Hour Ministries, shares his presentation on LHM resources that bring spiritual comfort after tragedy.

As recovery for the devastation caused by earthquakes and hurricanes continues in some places and begins in others, we thank God for the opportunity to come together to learn from those who have firsthand experience of disasters around the world. CTSFW welcomes the 2017 International LCMS Disaster Response Conference, which began yesterday morning in Sihler Auditorium and goes until Thursday.

Rev. Nicolas Ranara, pastor in Tacloban City, Leyte Island, Philippines, speaks on “Looking Back at Typhoon Haiyan – 4 Years Later.”

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home:

Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.

A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone,
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.

Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Soon bears us all away;
We fly forgotten as a dream
Dies at the op’ning day.

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while life shall last
And our eternal home!

O God, Our Help in Ages Past

Mireya Johnson, a deaconess who received her M.A. in Religious Studies from CTSFW in 2002, translates for the Spanish-speaking members in the audience. Mireya is married to Dr. Ross Johnson, director of LCMS Disaster Response and another CTSFW grad (M.Div. 2006; D. Min. 2017).
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LFL Regional Conference

“All discussions of Life issues begin and end with ‘Jesus is Lord.’” So goes an underlying and driving theme of the Lutherans for Life regional conference, which took place in Sihler Auditorium on the CTSFW campus this past Saturday. “A strictly apologetic approach will only take things so far,” Dr. Peter Scaer, associate professor of Exegetical Theology at CTSFW and one of the speakers at the event, said. “You must preach repentance and thereby forgiveness.”

Rev. Michael Salemink, Executive Director of Lutherans for Life, opens the conference with a welcome to the attendees.
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St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

Before Jesus called Matthew as one of His twelve disciples, he was a tax collector, in his time seen as the worst of sinners. But through God’s great love and mercy, this sinner also became a saint, the author of the first book of the New Testament, and a gift from the Lord to His Church.

St. Matthew’s shield can be viewed on the upper level of Wyneken Hall. The three bags remind us of the apostle’s former occupation.

“As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he rose and followed him.

“And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ But when he heard it, he said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.” For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.'” Matthew 9:9-13

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Fieldwork Assignments

Yesterday, first-year pastoral ministry students and deaconess students received their fieldwork assignments. Afterwards they met over lunch with the pastors they will train under for the next two years.

What a joy to see God’s hand at work as they begin their pastoral and diakonal training! Our gratitude goes out to the congregations and pastors that partner with us to make this happen, year after year.

To view fieldwork assignments, CLICK HERE.

L-R: Josef Muench (first-year seminarian), Pastor Peter Brock (St. John, Bingen), and Mika Patron (first-year deaconess student)
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Holy Cross Day

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

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Hurricane Irma Update

Rev. Jim Kress, CTSFW 2003, has his waterproof communion kit ready to go to care for his flock in the wake of Irma. He and his wife, Lisa, have prepared their home, church, and early childcare center as best they can to withstand the hurricane. Jim serves at Redeemer in Englewood, FL (lives in Port Charlotte). They have provisions stored at the church ready to share with others afterwards.

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Orientation Day 2017

Dr. Rast speaks with new students at orientation in Kramer Chapel.

Orientation for new students began this morning with a Matins service in Kramer Chapel and welcome from CTSFW President Rast and CTSFW Student Body President Amadeus Gandy. They’re off to Loehe Hall to learn more about the ins-and-outs of seminary life with Dean of Students Dr. Gary Zieroth. Opening Service is Tuesday, September 5, at 10:00 a.m.

Student Body President Amadeus Gandy greets new students.