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Final Week of the 172nd Academic Year

It’s Monday in the final week of the 172nd academic year at CTSFW. Commencement is Friday, and this year’s graduating class will soon be ringing the Springfield Bell to celebrate the end of their last class at the Seminary. Today’s chapel sermon, preached by the Rev. Bill Johnson (ordained staff member at CTSFW), was definitely thinking particularly of our pastor-elects as they prepare to go into the ministry this morning. In his words:

“It may be that all of your baptisms happen young and your funerals happen at the end of a long life…it could also be that your baptisms will come at the end of a long, hard road, it may be that your funerals will come way too many years too early… If I had it in my power I would tell you and I would warn you and I would take away the pain that comes from suffering alongside God’s people, but that is not given to me or anyone here; the future lies in the hands of God.

“Finish the papers, take the exams, ring the bell. Go out from here to the very ends of the earth, and know that our thoughts and prayers go with you as you serve God’s people. God is before you, God is with you, God is working in you. You are not done, by any means. But you are ready.”

Chapel will be at the normal time this week through Thursday, which marks the end of Spring Quarter. Baccalaureate will replace chapel at 10 a.m. on Friday, followed by the Commencement Organ Recital (which will not be livestreamed) at 3 p.m. and Graduation Exercises (which will) at 6 p.m. We’ll take the following week off, then begin summer chapel on Tuesday, May 29, at 9:30 a.m. every weekday while summer classes are in session.

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Field Education Conference

Last Thursday, May 3rd, CTSFW hosted the Field Education Supervising Pastors conference, funded by a grant from the Association of Theological Schools. Thirty-five of our fieldwork supervisors attended the conference, where they heard presentations from CTSFW faculty as well as several supervising pastors who have demonstrated expertise in mentoring students.

By learning and practicing in a congregational setting alongside academic study, seminarians immerse themselves in the life of the Church and by it gain practical experience in such things as public Scripture reading, leading appropriate portions of the Divine Service, and preaching Christ-centered sermons in which Law and Gospel are rightly distinguished. They also care for the sick and aged, and many learn to reach out to inactive members or the unchurched in the community, and to teach at a variety of age levels (from Sunday school to youth catechesis to adult Bible Class).

For, after all: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing” (1 Cor. 13:1-3).

Presentations included such topics as preaching (Rev. Peter Brock; St. John, Bingen), leadership/administration (Rev. Patrick Kuhlman; Immanuel, Avila), and pastoral visitation (Rev. James Voorman; Zion, Decatur). Rev. Roy Olsen (Emmaus, Fort Wayne) also presented, as did Dr. Zieroth (director of vicarage and internship), Prof. Roethemeyer (associate professor of Pastoral Ministry & Missions), Dr. Grime (dean of Spiritual Formation), and Prof. Pless (director of Field Education).

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2018 Academic Awards

Student Association President Amadeus Gandy introduces the awards.

Though the Seminary primarily focuses on the vocational training of pastors and deaconesses for service in the Church, CTSFW takes a moment near the end of each school year to recognize the academic accomplishments achieved by her students in the course of this preparation. Following chapel this morning, thirteen students were recognized individually, followed by the announcement of the graduate assistants and two students who will be involved in an archaeological dig in Israel. Per tradition, the Student Association sponsored the certificates and the monetary awards.

TOP (L-R): Erik Sorenson, James Pierce, Jacob Benson, Zachary Oedewaldt; MIDDLE (L-R): Jonathan Jennings, Blake Martzowka, Bill Maggard, Aaron Zimmerman; BOTTOM (L-R): Evan Scamman, Daniel Broaddus, Marshal Frisque, Dr. Gieschen

One of the most entertaining moments of the Academic Awards Convocation arose between the Scaers, during the presentation of the research and writing awards:

Dr. Peter Scaer, associate professor of Exegetical Theology: “Each year the Student Association of CTSFW honors student research and writing through four outstanding paper awards selected by each of the four theology departments. The Department of Exegetical Theology, of course, is the most important of the departments.”

Dr. David Scaer, chairman of Systematic Theology (coming up to the podium immediately after his son): “Do we have to endorse everything that was said by the last speaker?”

You can watch the Awards Convocation at the end of today’s chapel service, which is available on our Facebook page.  You can also view a slightly larger version of the list of academic awards by clicking the picture below:

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Friends of the Fort Visit

The visitors here with us this week at CTSFW are calling themselves, quite appropriately, “Friends of the Fort.” Made up of LCMS pastors and congregations from around the country (Florida, Texas and Nebraska are among their home states), this group serves the church by supporting her seminaries. If you’ve been watching our chapel services this past week, then you’ve heard two of their number, guest preaching yesterday and today.

So far they have provided coffee, fruit and pastries for coffee hour following chapel yesterday (as pictured here), hosted a meal for the faculty last night, and are hosting a barbecue this evening for the Seminary community. They have also spent the last two days stopping by every office on campus to pass out gifts that show their appreciation for everyone who works here, from the maintenance staff to the office workers to the CTSFW Facebook page manager sitting at her desk on the third floor of Dorm B, writing the posts for the day.

The best part of these gifts are the words that come with them: a thank you card illustrated and written by children in their congregations and schools, the encouraging, “You are building the Kingdom of God,” and “Your work gives us Sundays,” and a note that says, simply: “1 Cor. 15:58.”*

Thank you, Friends of the Fort!

*Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58

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Laborers Sent to the Harvest: Call and Assignment Services Conclude

“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest’” (Matt. 9:35-38).

Thanks be to God for His great goodness and mercy; on April 24 and April 25, students at Concordia Theological Seminary (CTSFW), Fort Wayne, learned where they would serve in their near futures, as vicars, deaconess interns and pastors. The Assignment and Call Services culminated in the announcement of each student’s placement, in cities and churches across the United States. To see where the Lord of the harvest is sending His laborers, go to callday.ctsfw.edu/map.

“Placement is a process where we see the entire Church come together,” said the Rev. Dr. Jeffrey H. Pulse, director of Certification and Placement, addressing the candidates during last night’s Call Service. “Placement directors and seminaries, congregations and call committees, circuit visitors and pastors, district presidents and their staff, the Synod and the Council of Presidents—they all come together as Church to accomplish this very important task for the kingdom of God. Because of the work of the Holy Spirit and our desire to preserve the sanctity of the call, the outcome truly is for the benefit of God’s Church.”

For students headed out on vicarage or diakonal internship, this assignment marks another year of learning, bringing them ever closer to their future vocation. For those about to become pastors, these congregations are where they will be installed and ordained into the Office of the Holy Ministry. To watch either service, print off the lists of assignments and placements, or see who’s coming to your district, go to callday.ctsfw.edu.

Remember, as well, the many congregations that still cry out for a shepherd, whose calls go unfilled this year. Though together CTSFW and her sister seminary, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, are placing 98 men (79 through the Master of Divinity Program and the rest through other routes), the laborers are ever few; that number is still 29 short of the 127 applications for candidates sent in by congregations this year. Pray earnestly for the men and women considering a future in church work, and encourage those who may not have yet recognized their own gifts for ministry and service. For more information about the path towards becoming a pastor or deaconess, go to www.ctsfw.edu/Admission or call 800.481.2155.

And finally, following on the heels of the Assignment and Call Services this week, the faculty of CTSFW and the Council of Presidents (COP) held a joint meeting this morning in Luther Hall. Made up of the President, vice-presidents and district presidents of the Synod, the 42-member COP meets four times a year to discuss doctrine, the administration of the Synod, and to edify and support one another. It is always encouraging to see the Body of Christ come together as her members, in their different roles, work to support one another in their particular tasks.

This meeting covered such topics as recruitment, parish administration and leadership, and the knowledge, skills and attitudes that a competent candidate develops in the classroom and through fieldwork, and that he then carries to his calling congregation. Here members of the council and faculty share the insights they have gained through their different perspectives.

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Candidate Call Service 2018

Four hours until Candidate Call Service! We have thirty men receiving calls this evening at 7:00 p.m. Kramer Chapel will likely fill quickly, but per usual you can watch the service either on our Facebook page or over at callday.ctsfw.edu/Home/Calls.

Afterwards, you can head back to callday.ctsfw.edu to check out our interactive map (showing where each candidate, vicar, and intern is headed), see who’s coming to your district, and to access printable lists of calls, vicarages, and internships. In fact, the site is constantly updated, so you can already view the vicarage and internship information. Call information will be added both during and immediately following the Candidate Call Service.

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Assignment Service 2018

The Vicarage and Deaconess Internship Assignment Service begins in three and a half hours. The service will be held here on campus in Kramer Chapel, and will also be livestreamed at http://callday.ctsfw.edu/Home/Vicars. This page also includes a link to the service bulletin.

You can also view our list of Vicars-Elect and Deaconess Intern Candidates, where they’re from, and, as soon as they’re announced, where they’re going. After the service is over, head back to http://callday.ctsfw.edu to view the full list.

Praise and thanks be to God! Keep these men and women in your prayers as they anxiously count down these last few hours. God’s richest blessings to our 42 vicars-elect and 3 deaconess intern candidates, about to discover where they’re headed for this next year of service and learning.

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Seminary Guild Meetings

As the ladies of the Seminary Guild sign in for their monthly meeting, by the colors of their coats you can tell that we’re approaching both spring and St. Patrick’s Day. Today their meeting focus is on international students, with Dr. Quill, the director of International Studies, guest speaking.

The Seminary Guild will meet one last time for this academic year, on April 10. Meetings will resume next fall, though the work itself doesn’t ever truly take a break. They are a source of encouragement and care to our students, hosting receptions, providing food and coffee during finals week, remembering birthdays and welcoming new babies with homemade clothing, not to mention their ongoing student projects. These are the Tabithas of our community “full of good works and acts of charity” (Acts 9:36).

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Prayerfully Consider Visit

It’s been a quiet two weeks on campus, but spring quarter is nearly upon us and we’ll be busy again very soon. Chapel will resume this coming Monday when all the students have returned, and two days later we’ll have a new set of visitors here on campus for the Prayerfully Consider Visit.

We host this event twice a year, as a chance for those interested in becoming a pastor or deaconess to take the time to seriously contemplate these vocations. Attendees go to class, worship in Kramer Chapel and otherwise follow the same schedule as our current students, to receive a taste of what life is like as a part of the CTSFW community.

The visit lasts only a couple days (March 14 -17), and there are no costs, save for what it takes to get here. Prospective students live on campus, eat in the dining hall and are encouraged to bring their spouses (also at no cost), as they’re an integral part of the decision making process for anyone considering returning to school and pursuing a future in church work.

For more information, visit www.ctsfw.edu/PCV. Registration is available on this site as well.

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MDiv Conferred to Rev. Adjei

President Rast conferred the degree of Master of Divinity on Rev. Matthew Adjei, as he will complete his studies at the end of Winter Quarter, coming up next Friday.

“Today is an important occasion in the life of this seminary, in the life of our sister church, the Lutheran Church in Ghana, and especially in the life of our dear brother in Christ, the Rev. Matthew Adjei,” Dr. Gieschen, academic dean, announced at the end of chapel this morning. “On behalf of this seminary, I extend our sincere and profound thanks to the individuals and congregations who have supported Rev. Adjei during his studies here, including Bishop Paul Fynn of the Lutheran Church of Ghana.”

What a joyful event to witness! We thank God for Rev. Adjei and all who support him. If you would like to watch the degree conferral, you can view it at the end of today’s chapel service.