The ordination and installation of Rev. Robert Winston as assistant pastor through the SMP-Español/English program, standing in the middle of this group shot. Dr. Wiley is second to the right.
Dr. Don Wiley is another of our faculty members busy over the quarter break. We most recently spoke of him on our Facebook page in relation to his presentation to the women of the Seminary Guild regarding his work with the SMP–Español/English program. And thanks be to God, on Sunday, February 24, the Rev. Robert Winston was ordained and installed as assistant pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church/Iglesia Luterana Nueva Vida in Springfield, VA, the very first man in the SMP-Español/English program here at CTSFW to reach this point. “The Lord of the harvest has added another laborer in the Gospel ministry of Word and Sacrament,” Dr. Wiley wrote on his Facebook page.
The Lutheran Mission Society Compassion Place. From left to right: Rev. Dr. David Maack (Executive Director), Rev. Elliott M. Robertson (pastor at Martini Lutheran Church), Vicar Bob Etheridge, seminarian Chase Lefort, seminarian Daniel Wunderlich, seminarian Austin Meier, seminarian Tim Steele II, and Dr. Don Wiley.
Dr. Don Wiley was near enough to the area to attend the ordination and installation because he and four seminarians were in Baltimore for a nine-day Urban Immersion Experience in the city. Hosted by the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer and Martini Lutheran Church, in conjunction with the Wyneken Project, they have immersed themselves in both the work and the city. From Dr. Wiley’s Facebook page:
“Today we learned about the mercy work of Lutheran congregations in Baltimore through the Lutheran Mission Society Compassion Place. It’s one more way that the congregations reach out to their communities with Christ’s love and Gospel. We had the pleasure of meeting the Executive Director, Rev. Dr. David Maack and ran into one of our Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne-CTSFW students currently on vicarage, Bob Etheridge.”
The seminarians also had the opportunity to plan, purchase food, prepare, and finally serve a meal to the needy. In Dr. Wiley’s words: “[They] served it up in style and with great compassion at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer…Great job, men!”
Left to right: Dr. Don Wiley, Chase Lefort, Tim Steele, Daniel Wunderlich, Austim Meier, purchasing food for the meal to the needy. Then serving the need, l-r: Tim Steele II, Daniel Wunderlich, Austin Meier.
Dr. Masaki is currently overseas in Europe, teaching classes on the theology of the Lutheran Confessions at the Old Latin School in Wittenberg. He is there as a part of the International Lutheran Council’s Lutheran Leadership Development Program, with students ranging from pastors to presidents to bishops and general secretaries, from the Lutheran Churches in Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Madagascar.
While there, Dr. Masaki also had the chance to attend the first graduation exercises of the STM-Gothenburg program, a joint labor of the Lutheran School of Theology in Gothenburg (FFG, which comes from the Swedish name “Församlingsfakulteten”) and CTSFW. The program takes four years to complete on a part-time basis, allowing the students to both pursue advanced study and continue serving the Church and their congregations as pastors.
“Very proud of our first fruits, Rev. Janne Koskela of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland (ELMDF), Romans Kurpnieks of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia (ELCL), and Rev. Hannu Mikkonen of ELMDF,” Dr. Masaki wrote on his Facebook page. “It was a great celebration! A wonderful day! Again, congratulation, Janne, Romans, and Hannu!!”
Top row, left to right: Dr. Masaki and Rev. Romans Kurpnieks Bottom row, left to right: Rev. Janne Koskela and Rev. Hannu Mikkonen (Photo courtesy Rev. Konstantin Subbotin.)
Christopher C. Barnekov, PhD, of the Scandinavian House Fort Wayne (which helps graduate students from Scandinavia study at CTSFW by providing low cost room and board), followed up with an article on the history of the program and the great need–and incredible remnant of confessional Lutherans–in the Nordic and Baltic regions, as well as in Eastern Europe. A slightly shortened version was uploaded to the main CTSFW page, but you can read his full, original article here:
The graduates, LSTG faculty and board, and CTSFW faculty on the steps in front of the LSTG house. In no particular order: Rune Imberg, Jakob Appell, Timo Laato, Torbjörn Johansson, Roland Gustafsson, Frederik Brosche, Daniel Johansson, Patrik Toräng, Romans Kurpnieks, Bengt Birgersson, and Janne Koskela. Three of our own are among them: Drs. Masaki, Nordling, and Ziegler. (Photo and description originally shared by Dr. Masaki on Facebook.)
The first three graduates of CTSFW’s STM Extension Program in Gothenburg, Sweden, received their degrees in a special ceremony in Gothenburg on Sunday, February 24. Two pastors from Finland and one from Latvia were the first to complete all the requirements, with several more expected to finish over the next year. The program began in 2014 as a joint effort of CTSFW and the Lutheran School of Theology in Gothenburg (LSTG).
The STM Extension was organized at the request of LSTG to meet an urgent need in the Nordic and Baltic regions for advanced theological training on a confessional Lutheran foundation. The former state churches in the Nordic region have succumbed to liberal theology and reaped empty pews, with average attendance below two percent and the percentage of babies baptized dropping steadily. The STM program largely serves confessional movements, several of which joined the International Lutheran Council last fall. In the Baltic region, the STM Extension serves the Lutheran churches recovering from the devastation wreaked during decades of Soviet occupation.
What was totally unexpected, however, is that many students are also coming from Eastern Europe, from as far as Russia, Ukraine, and Romania. The LCMS Office of International Mission has found this program extremely helpful for their efforts supporting confessional Lutheran churches in this region. So have sister churches such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia. As a result, this extension that originally hoped to attract seven or eight students now has about 24 from nine different countries.
Dr. Ziegler (middle) with Rev. Appell (left), who serves both local congregation Immanuel Lutheran as well as LSTG, at a restaurant celebrating the graduates’ achievements. (Photo courtesy Rev. Janne Koskela.)
The program is offered through three one week “Intensives” per year, normally taught in Gothenburg. Each year CTSFW faculty teach two courses and LSTG faculty teach one. The CTSFW faculty who have taught in Gothenburg thus far include Dr. Naomichi Masaki, the STM Program Director in both Fort Wayne and in Gothenburg, and Professors Rast, Gieschen, Ziegler, and Pless. Dr. Roland Ziegler is teaching a course on Justification this week.
The Gothenburg Extension came about because it was becoming increasingly expensive and increasingly difficult for young pastors to leave their families and their parishes to spend five quarters in Fort Wayne. Yet the need for advanced study was so great that LSTG asked CTSFW to consider an extension. The format of the program, with three one-week sessions per year (and much work before and after the classes), makes it possible for these pastors to attend. With solid support from the CTSFW Administration and Regents, CTSFW has been able to say, “Yes!”
The program is funded by several LCMS congregations and individuals through the “Bo Giertz Fund,” named after the late bishop of Gothenburg best known in America for his novel, The Hammer of God. This fund has so far been able to cover operating costs for both schools, as well as tuition and fees for students from the Nordic and Baltic regions. The LCMS Office of International Mission supports the Eastern European students, and several Nordic foundations help Nordic and Baltic students with travel expenses. A local congregation of the Swedish Mission Province, Immanuel, provides lodging for the students. It is noteworthy that the Pastor of this congregation is The Rev. Jakob Appell and its President is The Rev. Dr. Daniel Johansson … both of whom earned their STM degrees at CTSFW, as have several other leaders of the confessional movement in the Nordic lands.
For information about donating to the Bo Giertz Fund, contact the Advancement Office at Advancement@ctsfw.edu or by calling (877) 287-4338.
Back in December, our student Thrivent Action Team replaced and rewired the old fluorescent lights at Camp Lutherhaven with new LED lights, to help save the camp money on their energy bills. Seven seminarians (Mark Peters, Cory Kroonblawd, Paul Marks, Norlyn Bartens, Keith Kettner, Paul Gaschler, and Andrew Mundinger) came to help, alongside their smaller helpers.
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. 1 John 3:16-24
Today in chapel, the Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Pulse, placement director here at CTSFW, announced the placement of candidate Roger M. Mullet. He has been called to Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church in Churubusco, IN (Indiana District), as associate pastor. “Providing pastors and deaconesses for our churches is what we do here at Concordia Theological Seminary,” Dr. Pulse said. “It is first and foremost every aspect of consideration of your Seminary. And so it should be.”
Dr. Gieschen concluded with the charge, facing the candidate who stood to hear him. “Hear the charge: go then, take heed unto thyself and to all the flock overwhich the Holy Ghost hath made thee an overseer. To feed the Church of God which He has purchased with His own blood.”
Patricia Anderson has been placed at Redeemer Lutheran Church and School in Huntington Beach, CA, Pacific Southwest District.
Pamela Buhler has been placed at Messiah Lutheran Church in Keller, TX, Texas District.
Juliane Kirk has been placed at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Fairhope, AL, Southern District.
Alla Shvetsova (of Berdsk, Siberia, Russia) has been placed at Immanuel Lutheran Church and School, Rocky Mountain District.
All four ladies received their placements in absentia. However, their sisters-in-training were all in attendance, including both residential and distance-learning students. The distance-learning deaconess students are here for two-week intensives, which come to an end tomorrow. These women get to know each through their discussions online, but it is still a particular joy when they get the chance to meet face-to-face. With everyone in the same room together, we took advantage of the opportunity and took photos of these 26 women.
This year’s class of deaconess students in the residential program.The women training to become deaconesses through our distance learning program.
Over the weekend, CTSFW hosted a two-day training seminar for respite care certification as a part of the deaconess intensive course “Ministry to the Sick and Dying.” Thirty-nine women attended, among them local deaconesses, three prospective students, and our deaconess students in the residential program and those in the distance learning programs. Our distance learning students come to campus for two-week intensive courses in January and July of each year.
The training and materials were sponsored by the Deaconess Elle Konetzki Memorial Fund, and led by Deaconess Kris Blackwell and Deaconess Sarah Gaffney of Voice of Care, an LCMS RSO. Voice of Care provides these REST (Respite Education & Support Tools) to congregations and groups.
REST is designed to equip our deaconesses with the ability to provide reliable volunteer temporary care to children and adults with special needs. This temporary care gives short-term relief to primary caregivers. Deaconess students learned how to access family needs, and provide quality care with enriching activities in a safe and healthy environment. The course prepares students to identify, understand, and respect the needs of both caregivers and care receivers, and to recognize coping strategies, practice good health and safety practices in respite situations, demonstrate proper assistance techniques, and learn effective verbal and nonverbal communication skills. Ultimately, a REST Companion creates a positive environment that allows them to handle both ordinary and challenging respite situations.
REST certification recognizes that participants have completed the REST Companion Training and makes a number of REST’s respite care resources and materials available to the certified individual. These resources include educational materials and important forms to use with families receiving respite care.
The CTSFW processional cross rises above the crowd at the march.Seminarians, deaconess students, faculty, and others with the seminary community (from spouses to families to staff) march with the crowd.
On Saturday, the CTSFW Life Team marched alongside many in our community into downtown Fort Wayne for the 45th annual March for Life. According to local news coverage, about 2,000 attended the Allen County March for Life, despite the bitterly cold temperature, marching from the University of Saint Francis Performing Arts Center (where a rally was held ahead of time) to the Federal Office.
Dr. Peter Scaer, President of the Board for Allen County Right to Life, prayed at the rally. His prayers are always long at these, meant to be instructive as he tends to teach about Christ as he prays (not knowing who is in the crowd or what they believe).
Dr. Peter Scaer, who serves as the Board of Directors President of the Allen County Right to Life, opened the rally with a prayer, using the opportunity to speak of the hope we have in Christ. Our seminarians, deaconess students, and anyone else who knew the words by heart (or had planned ahead and brought their hymnal with them) sang hymns as we marched behind the processional cross, including “A Mighty Fortress is our God,” “Salvation unto Us Has Come,” and LSB 666: “O Little Flock, Fear Not the Foe.”
It was difficult to capture a shot of all the Lutherans in attendance at the march, as there were a heartening number from many of our Fort Wayne churches and schools, including CTSFW. Click on the large photo (the panorama of all the Lutherans in attendance) to get a closer look at both participants and their signs, letting you know where these Lutherans hail from.
Katherine Rittner (far left), Director of the Food & Clothing Co-op, opens the door to let the students in for the Christmas Marketplace. The line out the door went all the way to the road this year. On the right, seminary families wait inside where it’s warm.
Held the last Thursday before Christmas break, the Christmas Marketplace is an annual tradition at CTSFW, put on by the Food & Clothing Co-op and so generously supported by all of you. This year, $48,240 went to 136 students, each single student or family receiving $340 in gift cards. More was still coming in, including a significant check just that morning; Katherine Rittner, Director of the Co-ops, guessed that, including all of the last-minute giving, the total would end up being right around $58,000 in gift cards and cash. The extra $10,000 will either be distributed later as more gift cards, or saved as emergency funds for our students and their families in the case of unexpected need.
Another major part of the the Christmas Marketplace are the quilts gifted to our students from LWMLs, congregations, sewing circles, and other groups and individuals from across the LCMS. Each family receives one of these quilts each year while they are with us. One student explained how he had been here long enough for each of his children to pick out their own (this year’s was a pink one for one of his daughters). The quilts are displayed in two rooms during the Marketplace so that the students can choose their favorite to take home.
One of the quilt rooms, as students and spouses pick out the perfect quilt for their family.
The Co-op also provided food, door prizes (names drawn out of a bowl by Dr. Gieschen, our Academic Dean), and large gift bags. The students put themselves into the drawing for these 16 gift bags, choosing which ones appealed to them. The bags tend to be themed along certain lines, like kitchen supplies (I overhead one student explaining the Marketplace to his wife by reminding her that this was where he’d gotten her crock pot), baking, home items, toys for children, games, and the like.
The kids always know exactly where to go. The long table full of Christmas treats and goodies took up the center of the room.
God’s richest blessings to all of you as Advent quickly rushes toward Christmas! Our students are headed off for Christmas break, and Winter Quarter will resume on January 7. We’ll be taking a break from daily chapel during the next couple of weeks, though we’ll keep the morning devotions going along with the Scripture readings while they’re gone. Thank you again for your generous support and care for our future church workers!
Last week, CTSFW had three representatives at the LCMS Rural & Small Town Mission Conference: Dr. Don Wiley (Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions), Sem I Chase Lefort, and Sem II Dan Golden (who you may recognize as one of our recent student interviewees). One of our guest professors, Dr. Robert H. Bennett, also served as a plenary speaker.
From left to right: Dr. Wiley, Mr. Nathanael Poppe (principal of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and School in Concordia, MO), Dan Golden, and Chase Lefort.
The conference began with a four-day series of lectures and sessions before the three men (Dr. Wiley, Chase, and Dan) spent the next couple of days on a “Rural Immersion,” touring country churches, schools, farms, and rural life. The tour gave them a feel for the wide and unique variety of the people and communities that make up rural and small-town settings, helping them to understand the perspective of family farmers and ranchers, and teaching practical strategies and resources for ministry in these locations.
One of the many churches they visited. Their rural immersion tour took them to churches, schools, farms, and dairies.
James A. Neuendorf received his call today during chapel. He has been placed with the Board of International Mission (St. Louis, MO, Missouri District) as a missionary to Puerto Rico.
James’ path through the Seminary looks quite a bit different than that of his fellow seminarians. He and his wife, Christel, were serving as career missionaries in the Dominican Republic when he began his studies to earn an MDiv. However, the mission did not want to lose him in the field, so his degree was scheduled to take six years to complete: distance education (and the occasional intensives in Fort Wayne) and vicarage for four years while in the Dominican Republic, then two years on campus to complete his MDiv.
I did it in a year and change,” he said, referring to his on-campus time. “So I guess I was at the Seminary both longer than usual, but shorter than planned. It was pretty intense.” He did it so that he and his wife could return to the mission field full-time as soon as possible. Christel remained a career missionary to the Dominican Republic while he focused on studying (she split her time between the two countries), though she was also recently transferred to Puerto Rico in anticipation of James’ call.
In the final words of the “Charge to the Candidate,” spoken today by Dr. Gieschen:
“The Lord bless thee from on high, and make thee a blessing to many, that thou mayest bring forth fruit, and thy fruit may remain unto eternal life. Amen.”
James Neuendorf receives his call papers from Dr. Gieschen as Dr. Pulse (who announced his placement) looks on from the pulpit.
Back in December, our student Thrivent Action Team replaced and rewired the old fluorescent lights at Camp Lutherhaven with new LED lights, to help save the camp money on their energy bills. Seven seminarians (Mark Peters, Cory Kroonblawd, Paul Marks, Norlyn Bartens, Keith Kettner, Paul Gaschler, and Andrew Mundinger) came to help, alongside their smaller helpers.
Today in chapel, the Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Pulse, placement director here at CTSFW, announced the placement of candidate Roger M. Mullet. He has been called to Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church in Churubusco, IN (Indiana District), as associate pastor. “Providing pastors and deaconesses for our churches is what we do here at Concordia Theological Seminary,” Dr. Pulse said. “It is first and foremost every aspect of consideration of your Seminary. And so it should be.”
James’ path through the Seminary looks quite a bit different than that of his fellow seminarians. He and his wife, Christel, were serving as career missionaries in the Dominican Republic when he began his studies to earn an MDiv. However, the mission did not want to lose him in the fi