CSLNEWS Latest: SEMINARY STUDENTS ANTICIPATE CALL DAY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 27, 2011

ST. LOUIS—Concordia Seminary’s fourth-year and second-year students will receive their calls and vicarage assignments, respectively, into the ministry at this year’s Call Day services on Wednesday, May 4. The vicarage assignment service will take place at 3:00 p.m. CDT and the call service will take place at 7:00 p.m. CDT.

“I truly do believe that God is behind this process,” said Benjamin Vogel, pastoral candidate. “My wife and I are looking forward to going wherever the church decides to send us!”

Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) congregations seeking pastors sent more requests this year for the Seminary’s graduates than the number available, “indicating the appreciation the church has for Concordia Seminary graduates,” commented Dr. Robert Hoehner, director of placement and alumni relations at the Seminary. “Join us in thanking God for His goodness and pray for Concordia Seminary as it carries out its important mission of helping to form workers in God’s Kingdom.”

For the second year, Concordia Seminary has created a special Call Day website which has many features that family members, friends, and parishioners all over the world can enjoy. On the site, http://callday.csl.edu/, viewers can watch live streaming video of both the vicarage and call services, read and print the service folders to follow along, and view maps that will pinpoint where each student is called or assigned through the use of interactive mapping technologies. Each pinpoint will include the student’s photo and the church’s information. (The map will not be available until after the services.)

This year, all of the 93 eligible Concordia Seminary pastoral ministry students will receive calls. One student will complete her studies for the deaconess ministry and receive her placement. Eight graduates from the Center for Hispanic Studies (three pastoral candidates and five deaconess candidates) one DELTO student, and six Cross-Cultural Ministry Center students (out of Concordia University Irvine) will receive placements. Additionally, 76 second-year Seminary students will learn of their vicarage assignments.

“I really value the Seminary experience and the brilliance of the instruction that I received here,” commented pastoral candidate Ronald Millard Jr. “I was inspired to view this process as a strengthening of my relationship with God and to view our learning as an adventure that leads to peace that truly is found only in Jesus Christ.”

“Our men and women in our various programs have demonstrated their academic abilities, their commitment to Jesus Christ, and their love for people,” said Dr. Dale A. Meyer, president of Concordia Seminary. “They will serve very well, just as previous graduates have.”

For more information, contact creative services at communications@csl.edu or 314-505-7379.

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Week 5 of Greek

This week started out much like the week before. Linda was gone for a Seminary Wives Association (SWA) retreat.  The kids and I spent some much needed time together. Hannah and Jonathan had soccer practice in the morning so that is where we were bright and early. From there we spent the day in the house either studying or sleeping.  Sunday is review the vocabulary day for me before the quiz on Monday.  We had quite a few number of prepositions that could mean different things based on the case (Nominative, Genitive, Dative, and Accusative). Fun times this week. I wasn’t as tired and I felt I grasped the material better than the week before. However, I’m still a little bit behind due to the lack of energy and comprehension the previous week.  Just means I will continue to put in extra work to catch up.

On a side note as far as I know, I’ve been approved by my peers along with 3 other seminarians to become first year reps.  So, I will 1 of 2 representatives for the 1st yr married students. More to come on this as my first meeting is next week.

Here is the information we covered this week:

Chapter 15: Relative Pronouns and Three-Case Prepositions

Chapter 16: The Infinitive of the Verb, Part 1

Chapter 17: The Infinitive of the Verb, Part 2

Chapter 18: Third Declension Consonantal Stem Nouns

Chapter 19: Third Declension Vowel and Sigma Stem Nouns, and Third Declension Adjectives

Also, on Friday night Linda and I participated in the Contemplate event via the Discussion Panel. Oddly enough, we are this event one year ago and couple of days. It truly was a pleasure to participate and talk with some of the seminarians we will see in a year from now. I remember how we felt at the event and we tried to speak from the heart about preparing yourself for the move and life change itself.

Got a quick conversationw ith Rev. Nunez earlier this week as he was on campus speaking at the Hostel event.  I haven’t actually seen him in person since either 1996 or 1997 on Concordia Ann Arbor campus when he was a guest pastor for one of the chapels.

Field Work Church Assigned

All the first year seminarians finally learned their Resident Field Education assignments.  When we submitted our application for seminary we also filled out a survey/questionnaire asking us about our experience, church history, family dynamic, and desires to exposed to while at a church in St. Louis.  I agonized over this sheet for hours.  Realistically, I want to learn as much as I can from a variety of situations so I can be prepared for most situations. I only say most situations as there really isn’t a way to be prepared for everything we will be exposed to in a parish once we become pastors.

When Rev. Utecht looked at my sheet he must have thought this kid doesn’t know what he wants. Well, that would be a wrong assessment. I actually want every experience humanly possible and a bag a chips. Linda and I talked about putting down the name of church where we’ve attend throughout our visits with the Edens and CSL’s campus. However, I explained to Linda that putting down a church name specifically would feel too much like taking things out of God’s hands.  As such we left it up to God to work through Utecht to provide me the properly experience in a field work church.

Well, oddly enough I was assigned to Faith Lutheran, Oakville. If you’ve been following this blog you know it was the firs church service I reviewed upon our moving to St. Louis.  Faith Lutheran is also the church home to our good friends Joel and Erica Eden along with their children.  I informed Linda after messing with her for a while about it. She didn’t believe me at first, but then she realized I was serious.  Jumping and shrieks followed from Linda and the kids. I’m extremely happy as we have felt at home at Faith Lutheran with its still. The only drawback was there wouldn’t be any experience with traditional services.  I not worried about that really anymore.  As I’m sure I will get the necessary experience from at least four churches when we travel to see family and friends.

Faith Lutheran watch out here we come…

Faith Lutheran

6101 Telegraph Rd.

Oakville, MO 63129

(314) 846-8612

http://www.faithstl.org

Sunday Worship Services

7:45a

9:15a

10:45a

ELCE – New Testament and Content -part 3

Well, first and foremost I want to thank God and all who lifted up prayers for my brain to be a sponge throughout these past couple of weeks.  We took our exams today. The first time I took the ELCE online I couldn’t finish the test due to internet issues. Second time I took it I missed passing by a few questions. That really bummed me out.  However, it provided me the opportunity to spend time with family and our church before we all departed for seminary.

I know you’re thinking, Eric get to it. Well, we got the exam and I flew through the exam. 100 questions on the exam and I finished in 17 minutes or so.  I sat there and reviewed my answers to verify I didn’t miss any pages. Thought about reviewing my answers and realized last time I did that I didn’t pass as I doubted my answers. So,  I got up and turned it in. At which time I immediately became one of those people. You know the folks that are quick test takers and freaks the rest of the class out as to how fast I completed the test. LOL

After turning it in I went to the bathroom while it was being checked.  Wandered in the hallway for a while. Messed around with a piano in a different room. Now you’re reading this thinking, “stop stalling and you’re crazy” and “what are the results”. Okay, I kept you in suspense long enough.

I walked back in the class and Rev. Matt Hoehner was grading another test.  He handed my exam to me so that I could review the ones I had gotten wrong. Now, I’m freaking out since he handed it to me upside down. As I reached the door to walk up and review the wrong answers… I turned over the exam revealing a 92%. Meaning I missed a total of 8 questions. Yes, now onto the next class: Greek.

Someone remind me to kick Matt when I see him next and then thank him for a job well done. His teaching on the New Testament, Overall view of the Big Picture of the Bible, and especially the practical application.  I suspect most of the instructors focus on just the material without giving hints on how this applies to us in the ministry.

I pretty much came home and scared Linda into thinking I hadn’t passed and then informed her how well I had done.  Well, maybe we can celebrate our 11th anniversary now. LOL

I PASSED !!!

I know I know….

I’ve been slacking as of late. Well, not really.  I’ve been taking a two week intensive course on the New Testament: Overview and Content.  Roughly, 3hrs from August 10-21 (Monday through Friday).

New Testament Content and History This course is designed to assist the student in gaining the basic understanding of the content and history of the New Testament which is prerequisite for the study of theology at the Seminary level.

Source: http://www.csl.edu/Img/academics/sscatalog2009_REV032009.pdf

Here is a run down on the material covered.

Aug 10: Overview of the Bible

Aug 11:  Matthew, Mark

Aug 12: Luke, Acts

Aug 13: Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, James

Aug 14: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Practice Test

Aug 17: 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon

Aug 18: Hebrews, 1&2 Peter, Jude

Aug 19: John, Epistles of John (1,2, & 3 John)

Aug 20: Revelation, Review

Aug 21: Exam

Needless to say, I’ve been reading and doing a ton of review.

We’ve been using the ESV translation primarily with some comparisons from the NIV.

I went to church @ Target…

I figured that would catch some of your eyes.  Today we attended church at Christ Memorial Lutheran Church (LCMS).  Funny thing about Christ Memorial, it used to be a Target store.  The congregation purchased (the I assume) vacant building and transformed it into a multi function church location.  Quite possibly one of the more innovative concepts and designs I have seen thus far.  Anyway, back to Target… I mean church.

We were welcomed with smiles and plenty of handshakes.  Always a good thing when visiting a church for the first time. We walked through a small gym and directly into a sanctuary.  The beginning of the service was interesting as I couldn’t really figure out who was the pastor. First person I thought was a pastor was a seminarian. Second person I thought was a pastor was an elder. Finally, the third person (third times the charm evidently) was Rev. Bill Simmons.  He stood up to conduct two baptisms. (If you’re keeping count that is now 3 for 3 in terms of churches we’ve attend doing a baptism on that Sunday).  Interesting tidbit is I don’t think we’ve witness a baptism from the hymnal thus far. Not that it is a bad thing as I enjoy hearing pastors explain baptism to those in attendance, parents, and sponsors.

Next up was a blessing for youth going to college or continuing their education at college.  Smart idea to have people praying for our youth going off to college as they will be tempted like never before. Keeping mind for many of them this will be the first time without the safety net from their parents.  Sadly, this portion really extended the service. I will expound on this later.

No communion evidently this Sunday. Sigh. I’m so used to communion every week, that I feel like I’m cheated attending a church that doesn’t practice Holy Communion every Sunday. Rev. Simmons’s  sermon” A Journey Too Much” was informative and their bulletin provided a sheet to follow along with the main points of the service.  Rev. Simmons was returning from a 3 month sabbatical in Canada with an Indian Tribe. I can’t seem to find my notes from the sermon that had the exact name of tribe.  If you click of the sermon title you can hear what I heard today.

Shortly after Sermon people began to get up leaving. Seems church was running long today due to the Baptism and Prayer for the college students. I found that distracting and rude to those of us who don’t worry about time when it comes to God. Really left a sour taste in my mouth. It is understood that isn’t a every Sunday experience at Christ Memorial.  The service was a contemporary service and the band and vocalists really left it all on the stage for the Lord.

Funny thing is I think Linda scared a few of those still in attendance when she started clapping to the final song. Not to worry, the band and congregation followed suit soon there after. Thats my wife always a leader.  I can see our return to Christ Memorial to worship again. Hopefully, not when so many things are on service schedule.

We toured around to look at the Sunday School/Kids Church rooms. We also saw their workout room with is nice concept. Keep your members fit in mind, spirit, and body. Sorry, they don’t offer Target deals, but will provide you with something more important, The Word of God. If you’re interested in checking out Christ Memorial here is the information.

Christ Memorial Lutheran Church (LCMS)

5252 So Lindbergh Blvd

St Louis, MO 63126

(314) 631-0304

info@christmemorialstl.org

Church: Faith Lutheran

We all attended Faith Lutheran in STL today with Edens with the following families in tow: Held, Hulsman, and Riker.  Awesome service as we witness baptism. I really like the way the pastor went about the performing it. He took the time to explain why it was important and the elements. I really appreciated this portion as he put it everyday terms without sacrificing the importance of baptism. In other words, he didn’t dummy it down to the point where a person in attendance would be turned off.

Moved In

Well, Linda is go-go mode.  They moved up the moving date from Sunday to Saturday. We had some new classmates, friends from STL and DET, and fellow campus dwellers.  Kudos to everyone who came out to help. It took less than 6 hours to unload the truck. Met a ton of new families and of course I hobbled around the entire day.  Linda was a workhorse, her legs look like Mike Tyson (before Don King) used them as a speed bag. 

On a side note my foot is the size of a grapefruit and my leg is still noticeably swollen. We’ll spend the upcoming week becoming acquainted with our surroundings and unpacking. My plan is to be out and about by Wednesday. Office is setup and I need to work tomorrow. Weeks worth of emails…Woohoo

The Journey Begins…

Dad left with the truck around 12pm on Friday. After running some errands in Canton I was on the road. Stopped by the Lighthouse to get my oil changed on the truck. Dropped off the table at CTGS and then it was off to Mary M.’s house to drop off the cleaner. Had a tearful hug and then I was on the road. Just me 7 cruellers from Dunkin Donuts, 2 Gatorades, and the road.  Almost to M14 and I remember I had the task of picking up Hannah’s “pureNRG” cd that was prepaid for about a month ago. Doh, so I had to turn around and pick that up. 45 minutes later I’m back on the road again.

I won’t bore you with the details of the trip. I’ll just say this I suffered hand cramps which hadn’t happen since 05. Made great time. Passed Dad at some point when he stopped to re-fuel, he didn’t call to check to see where I was until I was already 10 miles ahead.  No stopping me at that point.  Never did stop to eat.  I got into St. Louis around 9pm CST. I was about an hour ahead of Dad so I stop by the apartment and drove on campus to take it all in.  Then I headed to the Edens house where we all met up. Linda and Mom were about 45mins to an hour behind dad. We had them pick up McDonald’s for dinner.

The Rikers showed up around 4/5am in the morning on Saturday.  So, we all made it safely down to St. Louis.

Just over two weeks to go

Well, the time is growing close for the big move to Saint Louis.  We are exactly 17 days, 14 hours, 47 minutes, and 10 seconds to departure time.  We are packing still and trying to divert our attention away from shedding tears from the wonderful friends we are leaving to continue on in God’s ministry.  I’m continue to review material for my next class and gearing up meeting all my new classmates. We are pretty lucky.  Not many folks can say they up and move from one life situation to another and already have a support base in place. For that and many other blessings come directly from the Father.  I will continue to post my thoughts and experiences as time goes on.

This blog is supposed to be a way of documenting my path through the ministry as a way to share with those who aren’t aware of the process.  A way of keeping friends and family connected to what’s going on in our lives.

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