Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne
κήρυξον τὸν λόγον. Preach the Word.
The day before Easter, four of our seminarians and their families got together in the Student Commons to assemble Easter baskets for the men and women at one of the assisted living centers here in Fort Wayne.
You can see their children working on the cards that went into each basket, making each gift more personal. They delivered sixteen in all, staying for awhile to visit with the folks at Coventry Meadows.
Last week, two of our students defended their Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.) theses. The S.T.M. is an academic degree (versus the Master of Divinity awarded to our pastoral students, which is a professional degree that focuses on theological and practical skills for the ministry), which provides an opportunity to dig deeper into the Scriptures and opens the door for future academic programs and study. Approval of the thesis, which typically run 100 to 150 pages long, is the final step before students in the S.T.M. program are awarded with their masters.
The two students were Jacob Eichers, defending his thesis “Return of the King” (a study of Isaiah 59), and Rev. Anthony Oliphant, defending “In Your Light Do We See Light” (on the clarity of Scripture). Eichers immediately went onto the S.T.M. degree after receiving his M.Div. in 2017, and is currently a graduate assistant in Pastoral Ministry and Missions. Rev. Oliphant has been with us in varying programs since his sophomore year of high school as an attendee of Christ Academy, earned his M.Div. in 2010 and currently serves as pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Elmhurst, Illinois.
Pictured here is Rev. Oliphant, answering questions from the director of the S.T.M. program, Dr. Masaki, and other faculty members. In defense of his thesis, he discussed the challenges of postmodern hermeneutics, the idea that the Bible should be interpreted by taking the biases of the human author into account rather than standing on the infallibility of Divine authorship, and how Lutherans can and should respond.
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.
A central goal of Concordia Theological Seminary (CTSFW), Fort Wayne’s strategic plan has been 100% tuition coverage for our students. The Seminary is privileged to announce that years of targeted work have borne fruit: beginning with the 2018-19 academic year, tuition for all incoming, residential pastoral ministry and deaconess students will be paid in full.
“In 2013, with the help of a grant from the Lilly Foundation, we did an exhaustive study of student debt that drove us to establish 100% tuition support as one of the goals of our strategic plan,” said the Rev. Dr. Lawrence R. Rast, Jr., president of CTSFW. “Where there is a plan, God provides. On October 31, 2017, the Board of Regents of CTSFW approved full tuition support for the class entering the Seminary in 2018. I was delighted to share this publicly at the North Dakota District convention in late January.”
By partnering with districts, congregations and individuals in the Church, CTSFW is able to offer a grant that will provide 100% tuition cost for first-year, incoming students. The Seminary acts as both first and third payer in this relationship, first providing aid that covers 77.5% of tuition, after which outside aid is applied. Once LCMS District aid and all outside scholarships have been added, the Seminary then covers any remaining tuition cost through this new grant.
“Make no mistake: this isn’t free tuition,” Rast explained. “This is God’s people, the Church, providing for the tuition of our future pastors and deaconesses through their bountiful gifts to CTSFW. We are thankful to our faculty and staff who have developed this plan, our Board of Regents for approving it, and the people of God who have been so generous with CTSFW for their financial support in making this a reality. Most of all we are thankful to our gracious God who provides us with the gifts necessary to provide pastors, deaconesses and lay leaders in His church. To Him alone be the glory!”
If you would like to join in the effort to support future faithful servants of Christ, visit www.ctsfw.edu/support, email Advancement@ctsfw.edu or call 877.287.4338.
The following is a thank you from one of our seminarians, written in response to the gifts he and his family receive through the Food & Clothing Co-ops. The ladies there like to share these letters with donors (generally through the mail), and thought that our Facebook followers might enjoy it as well.
Dear Saints in Christ,
Greetings from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne. My name is Bill and I am a fourth-year student in the Master of Divinity program. I look forward to receiving a call to serve saints like you in Christ’s church at the end of this year. My wife, Erin, is here with me in Fort Wayne and she enjoys working a full-time job as a computer programmer. My daughter, Jill, is also working full time and going to college here in Fort Wayne. She joined us our second year here at seminary and even stayed in Fort Wayne while Erin and I went on vicarage (internship) our third year of seminary in Palo Alto, California.
We are from Casper, Wyoming. Erin and I grew up in different places but Wyoming is our married home, so we consider it home! We also became Lutheran in Wyoming. Erin and I grew up in different denominations and knew nothing about Lutheranism before we were looking for a church that handled the Word of God seriously. What a joy for us to discover the treasures of the Lutheran confessions! Attending seminary has only strengthened my conviction of what a treasure we have in the Lutheran Confessions because they faithfully confess Christ and the work He has done for all of us in His life, death, resurrection! I look forward to being a pastor where it is my full-time job to share the depths and riches of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ!
One of the biggest things I have learned during my time at seminary is the love saints like you have for your pastors and pastors to be. The four years of seminary are a huge commitment and can only be accomplished with the help of others. I am humbled by how many people, especially people we don’t even know, support us as I complete my training to become qualified to serve God and His people. In Galatians, Paul exhorts us, “as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” The generosity of you, and other saints in Christ like you, is amazing. I see that generosity first hand and am very grateful. I know my gratitude is shared by my classmates and the whole seminary community. It really wouldn’t be possible to train future pastors without your support.
A big way we see that support is with the generous gifts given to the Food Co-op and the Clothing Co-op. We receive points to “shop” in the Food Co-op for food and medicine like aspirin. We receive clothing and other household goods at the Clothing Co-op. Both are necessary to care for ourselves and our families. There are so many times our Co-ops had just what we needed!
Thank you for your generosity and support. Your support of the seminary and seminarians helps the church equip the next generation of pastors and deaconesses to serve the next generation of saints. Thank you for your service to God and His church.
Blessings,
Seminarian Bill Maggard
Dr. Rast led a “Collegial Conversation” for all pastoral formation and deaconess students today after chapel. The topic was focused around visitation, which is central to both the pastoral ministry and diakonal service. Pastors and deaconesses need to visit and thereby come to know the people they shepherd or serve. In the words of Jesus, as recorded in John 10:2-5:
“But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
Being a new pastor or deaconess can be a struggle. “Though a congregation knows you by your confession,” Dr. Rast said, “you need to visit people so they come to recognize your voice.” He added, “Visitation will teach you what you need to preach and teach about.”
In the dining hall afterwards, students met in groups with their faculty mentors to discuss the topic further.
As we move deeper into the Advent season, our focus turns evermore to the baby in the manger and the promise of salvation for all people. We receive mercy though we are merciless; forgiveness for the unforgivable. In this present day we have much to drive us to repentance.
Rev. Dr. Scott Murray, current member of our Board of Regents and a 1983 CTSFW grad (as well as pastor at Memorial Lutheran Church in Houston), wrote this piece about abortion over two years ago, in November of 2015. You can click on the link or go to https://blogs.lcms.org/2015/great-sinners to read it. The message is as timely as ever. Not only because we are still sinners but because we are still saints, forgiven in Christ and called to serve our neighbor.
If you are looking for pro-life opportunities, our Seminary Life Team is planning on attending both the March for Life in Washington, D.C. (January 19) and the Allen County March for Life here in Fort Wayne (January 27). Led by Jacob Benson, a fourth-year seminarian, and Hanna Hoffbeck, a deaconess student, this is our Life Team’s second year in existence.
All are welcome to join the seminary community for either one or both marches. The Sem Life Team is offering travel stipends to students who want to attend the march in Washington, D.C. For the Fort Wayne rally, the plans are to meet beforehand, then march together behind our banner.
For more information, contact Jacob Benson. He can be reached at Jacob.Benson@ctsfw.edu or (307) 431-6544.
Today at the end of chapel Dr. Bushur, director of Deaconess Formation, announced the following deaconess placements:
Anne Bakker (not pictured)
Zion Lutheran Church
Mt. Pleasant, Michigan
Michigan District
Alejandra Rojas de Robles (pictured with her family; her husband, Rev. Santi Keinbaum, graduated from CTSFW last year)
Christ Lutheran Church
Lincoln, Nebraska
Nebraska District
Nayva Mulder
Lutheran Special Education Ministries
Farmington Hills, Michigan
Service Site: Zion Lutheran Church,
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Indiana District
“These days are a source of great joy for us,” Dr. Bushur said. “They represent the fulfillment of that most fundamental mission of the Seminary. Namely: form servants of Jesus Christ and, well — you can finish the statement.”
The statement in question refers to CTSFW’s Mission: “Concordia Theological Seminary exists to form servants in Jesus Christ who teach the faithful, reach the lost, and care for all.” God’s richest blessings to these faithful women.
The Christmas Marketplace is an annual tradition at CTSFW, run by the Food and Clothing Co-op and made possible by the gifts from the many congregations and individuals who enjoy supporting our students, especially during the holidays. Because of your generosity, this year each student was given $330 in gift cards — nearly $40,000 in all.
They each received a quilt as well. Though there wasn’t time to do a complete count, Katherine Rittner, director of the program, guessed that the Co-op had about 200 quilts for the students to choose from.These came to us from around the country, though the photo here doesn’t do justice to the incredible sight of all those stacks of beautifully sewn quilts.
It was just as hard to capture the bustle and joy of the Marketplace with a few photographs. The ladies who run the Co-op provided a Christmas spread, prepared door prizes to be given out every fifteen minutes, and put together twenty big gift giveaways for the drawing at the end of the day. In the background of this picture, you can spot Katherine opening a window, trying to cool the packed space while a young man sits with his father, entranced by a toy train as it circles the Christmas tree.
To learn more about the Food and Clothing Co-op, visit www.ctsfw.edu/Co-op.
Savior of the nations, come,
Virgin’s Son, make here Your home!
Marvel now, O heav’n and earth,
That the Lord chose such a birth.
Not by human flesh and blood,
By the Spirit of our God,
Was the Word of God made flesh—
Woman’s offspring, pure and fresh.
#332 in the LSB was written by Ambrose of Milan, born in Germany in 337 AD and died on Good Friday, April 4, 397 in Milan, Italy. We commemorate Aurelius Ambrosius as a pastor and hymnwriter, one of the four great Latin Doctors of the Church alongside Augustine, Jerome and Gregory the Great.
Ambrose was chosen as pastor of Milan while still serving as a civil governor. History says that the Christians of Milan were divided into factions at the time, and when the 34-year-old catechumen addressed the crowd gathered to elect a new bishop (trying to seek peace between them), someone yelled, “Ambrose, bishop!” The entire crowd agreed, so after Ambrose was baptized on December 7, he was consecrated bishop of Milan. He was bold in his defense of the faith, and pivotal in the theological fight against Arianism (the heresy that inspired Santa Claus to supposedly slap Arius, as mentioned in yesterday’s post).
During this Advent, as at all times, we look to Scripture and Christ crucified as the defense against every false doctrine, and thank God for the servants He has given us across time and space to preserve His Church. If you are looking for materials that focus on Jesus during this holy season, check out the Advent devotional put out by Christ Academy. You can make it a part of your daily devotions by downloading it HERE or by clicking this picture of the cover:
Authors of the devotional include pastors and seminarians, many of them either former attendees or proctors at Christ Academy.