Concordia Seminary magazine | Spring 2020 by Concordia Seminary

A LASTING legacy

STEADY, INSPIRING LEADERSHIP

THE MEYER YEARS

HARDWORKING AND WELCOMING

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FIRST LOOK LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION! Concordia Seminaryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first Faith and Film Festival, held Jan. 23-25, attracted more than 75 attendees from 16 states to ponder Christian themes in film. Photo: Sid Hastings

CONCORDIA SEMINARY, ST. LOUIS

A LASTING legacy

STEADY, INSPIRING LEADERSHIP

THE MEYER YEARS

HARDWORKING AND WELCOMING

ON THE THE COVER COVER ON

Dr. Dale A. Meyer Photo: Michael captionThomas

PUBLISHER Dale A. Meyer

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Vicki Biggs

FROM THE

PRESIDENT

MANAGING EDITOR

PUBLISHER Melanie Ave Dale A. Meyer

ART DIRECTOR

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Jayna Rollings Vicki Biggs DESIGNER CourtneyEDITOR Koll MANAGING Melanie Ave

WRITERS

Melanie Ave ART DIRECTOR Kim Plummer Krull Jayna Rollings Sarah Maney Erica Tape

DESIGNERS Michelle Poneleit PHOTOGRAPHERS Jayna Rollings Kim Braddy Jarod Fenske Anthony Fields WRITERS Jill Gray Sarah Maney Sid Hastings Daniel Mattson Sarah Maney Lisa Mills Mia Mauss TravisMayfield Scholl Donell Nancy Olson PHOTOGRAPHERS Emily (Boedecker) Perino Harold Rau Jill Gray Bridgette Sharp Sid Hastings Erica Tape Courtney Koll Michael Thomas Sarah Maney Kendra Whittle Michelle Poneleit Jessica Wrasman

Harold Rau

Dr. Dale A. Meyer watches from the balcony as newly called students process from the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus on Call Day 2019, held May 1. Photo: Jill Gray

One of my favorite Bible stories, probably yours too, is the story of the Emmaus disciples in Luke 24. We all walk home, or at least get out of our car and walk into the house. Some days we go home feeling down, maybe about what happened at work, maybe about relationships. It could be about anything, but at all times there lurks a question about the relevancy of faith. “We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21 ESV). How Easter changes our walk! Jesus chides us, lovingly to be sure, but still takes us to task for not believing the Scriptures about Him. “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (verse 26). As His Spirit works in our hearts on our own pilgrim paths, we know again His presence and our hearts burn within us to live and share faith. As Diane and I come to the conclusion of 15 years serving Concordia Seminary as president and first lady, we see our lives as a journey. One of my treasured experiences is watching candidates process into the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus to receive their first calls into ministry, and an hour later I watch them walk out with calls in hand, heading toward their future. Many a time it brings tears to my eyes. My Seminary classmates and I set out on the same journey 47 years ago, and today we’re nearing home. We’ve had our down times but the Spirit of Jesus walked with us and all these years later our hearts burn more passionately for Him than ever. Diane and I retire with confidence that the Lord of the church will keep walking with all our graduates until the day when He brings us all to our eternal home. The comedian Bob Newhart starred in two television series. In the first, he played a psychologist in Chicago. In the second, he played an innkeeper in Vermont. When the time came for the last series to end, there was great popular interest about the last episode. In what clever way will it end? The last scene of the last episode ended with Bob Newhart waking up in the morning in Chicago, the site of his first series, and saying, “Emily, I had a strange dream last night that I was running a hotel in Vermont.” As Diane and I return to our home in Collinsville, Ill., we’ll look back at these 15 years like a dream. We thank you for letting us serve with you in this mission for our Lord Jesus Christ. Look to the church’s future with hope. It’s a great time to be the church!

Concordia Seminary magazine magazine is is a a Concordia Seminary member of of the the Associated Associated Church Church Press Press member and the the Evangelical Evangelical Press Press Association. Association. and

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SPRING 2020 ISSUE FEATURES 6 Steady, inspiring leadership

12 The Meyer years 18 First lady focus

IN EVERY ISSUE

4 From the President 20 Student Spotlight 22 News Worth Noting 28 Alumni and Friends 30 Support your Sem

OUR MISSION Concordia Seminary serves church and world by providing theological education and leadership centered in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ for the formation of pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars and leaders in the name of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

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CONCORDIA SEMINARY, ST. LOUIS

“Concordia Seminary is in a better place because of his service and leadership.” — Rev. Todd Peperkorn

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Dr. Dale A. Meyer sits on the edge of his desk in his Seminary office. Photo: Michael Thomas

Steady, inspiring leadership Meyer leaves tremendous legacy as the Seminary’s 10th president BY KIM PLUMMER KRULL AND MELANIE AVE

Inside his panel-lined office in Pieper Hall, Dr. Dale A. Meyer eyes a miniature wood and metal corpus of Jesus that shows the Savior coming off the cross, a gift when he stepped down as The Lutheran Hour Speaker. He runs his hands over his heavy wooden desk. But it is a small red book, lying front and center on the spacious desk, that draws his attention. He picks it up and thumbs through the pages. He keeps the well-worn devotional booklet from his 1961 confirmation at St. Paul’s Evangelical

Lutheran Church in Chicago Heights, Ill., handy as a reminder of the blessings that have guided his entire life. Holding his “little red book,” Meyer tells seminarians in chapel and campus visitors who come to his office that “the basic, most important things I learned, I learned as a kid from my parents and my church.” It is those long-ago lessons that have guided his steady and inspiring leadership of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. On June 30, Meyer will retire as the Seminary’s 10th president after 15 years at CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 >

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the helm. Under his leadership, the Seminary has surmounted financial and cultural challenges, eliminated its debt, quadrupled its endowment, improved its educational programs, expanded its prominence in the Lutheran world, strengthened its funding strategies and improved many of its facilities. As his presidency comes to a close, he is leading the Seminary through a global pandemic, which has meant the transition to online classes for all students, a campus that remains operational but has been closed to visitors and most staff, and virtual-only Call Day and Commencement celebrations. And it has all been toward the Seminary’s ultimate mission of providing shepherds for generations to come. “Our mission is Jesus’ mission, the Great Commission,” Meyer says. “We do that by the formation of pastors, deaconesses, missionaries and scholars, and sending them into the world. We fulfill Jesus’ mission by providing graduate education and continuing education. People need to know about Jesus. We are providing experts in the field to help lead them to Jesus.” His legacy on campus and in The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod (LCMS) will not be forgotten.

‘Didn’t have a clue’

The son of a milkman from Chicago Heights, Meyer always wanted to be a pastor, and as such, had Concordia Seminary in his sights from an early age. He earned a Master of Divinity from the Seminary in 1973, the same year he married Diane. He pastored three Illinois congregations in the 1970s and 1980s including St. Salvator in Venedy, St. Peter in New Memphis and Holy Cross in Collinsville. Meyer earned a master’s degree in 1974 and a doctorate in 1986 in classical languages from Washington University in St. Louis. He also is the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind. “To me,” he says, “theology is a joyous thing to study.” From 1979 to 1981, Meyer served as a guest instructor at the Seminary and later as an assistant professor and director of Resident Field Education before becoming The Lutheran Hour Speaker in 1989, a position in which he served through 2001. That same year he was named the Seminary’s Gregg H. Benidt Memorial Chair in Homiletics and Literature. In

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Dr. Dale A. and Diane Meyer, center, with their daughters, Elizabeth, center left, and Catharine, and their husbands, Darren Pittman, left, and Charlie Bailey, right, after Meyer’s installation as Seminary president in 2005. Photo: Courtesy Diane Meyer

2004, when Seminary President Dr. John F. Johnson accepted a call to serve as president of Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, Ill., Meyer was named interim president. The following spring, he was elected the Seminary’s 10th president. “I didn’t have a clue what I was doing,” he says today. “It was really, really tough. I was learning on the job. The Seminary was in transition but it turned out OK.” Ask anyone else in the Seminary community about Meyer’s 15-year tenure as president — the fourth longest in its 181-year history — and his “OK” sounds like a vast understatement. Dr. Ralph Blomenberg, former chairman of the Seminary’s Board of Regents, applauds Meyer for keeping a steady hand during the financial crisis of 2008-09 that resulted in a budget reduction of 23% and painful employee layoffs. “He worked to keep the mission the main thing, to advance the Gospel for Jesus,” he says. “He worked collegially for the cause of Christ.” Michael Louis, the Seminary’s executive vice president and COO, is equally impressed by Meyer’s leadership through tough decisions like the sale of the former Christian Brothers College High School property to Washington University in 2007 and the realignment of Seminary operations after the recession. “I always think of him as a man who has put his pastor’s heart in check to be a good administrator,”

Louis says. “As you look back over the history of his tenure, nothing about his pastor’s heart has diminished. He is more beloved in the church today than he ever has been.”

Preparing church leaders for changing times Meyer, 73, has been preaching and teaching some 46 years. He’s gained global respect along the way as a leader, scholar, author and pastor. He often says that he wants his children and grandchildren and future great-grandchildren to have the same rich congregational life he had growing up. He is thankful for devoted parents — mother, Norma, and father, Arthur, who died in 1985 — who raised him in church, Sunday school and Lutheran grade school. From his early days as president, he recognized the need to prepare church leaders to serve in the changing 21st century and in a country dramatically different from the Christian America of his youth. It became one of the main goals of his presidency, to prepare students for ministry in a post-Christian America where church attendance and a Christian background are no longer a given. Under Meyer’s leadership in 2017, the Seminary debuted its revamped Master of Divinity curriculum — the first major revision since 1958 — to ensure pastoral students develop practical, caring ministry skills that are in touch with today’s times. “It was a huge effort and process,” says former Seminary Provost Dr. Jeff Kloha, who helped steer development of the new curriculum. Kloha credits Meyer with “ensuring input from multiple pastors and congregational leaders for a solid understanding of the needs of the church.”

‘Incredibly personable, pastoral’

the people in their congregation personally, as individuals … to visit people and participate in everyday life.” At chapel, students are always talking with “Opa,” the German name for grandpa, used by Meyer’s grandchildren, seminarians and, at times, the president in reference to himself as he offers sage wisdom to students at the end of Call Day services. Concluding seminarian Sam Reinhard said Meyer has been one of the most influential people to his faith and his formation as a pastor. “His passion for the church is found in his dedication to the future generation of pastors,” Reinhard says. “He is so selfless that he realizes that the kingdom extends beyond just him. President Meyer is someone who loves deeply and everyone knows it.” “I honestly can’t think of any other higher education president who hops into a van and rides to Iowa with students,” says Board of Regents Chairman Rev. Todd Peperkorn. But that is exactly what Meyer often does in the winter when he takes a group of future pastors to Mission Central, the LCMS missionary support headquarters in Mapleton, Iowa. “He’s incredibly personable, pastoral and easy to talk to,” Peperkorn says. Seminary Provost Dr. Douglas L. Rutt points to Meyer’s “big heart for everyone who wants to improve their theological knowledge and skills for ministry. He feels a burden of responsibility to take all the wonderful gifts this Seminary receives from God and make them accessible to the church-at-large and around the world.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 > Meyer is well-known for his friendliness and often takes time to visit with faculty, staff, students and campus visitors.

Along with providing seminarians a solid theological foundation that is faithful to unchanging Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, Meyer emphasizes how important it is for seminarians to have strong relational skills or people skills, something he says he learned from his milkman father. “He’s always inviting students to his house, engaging with them on the campus grounds,” Kloha says. “He wants students to become pastors who know

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The Seminary sends its professors all over the globe in answer to requests from church bodies seeking solid confessional Lutheran theology and training. Under Meyer’s watch, confessional Lutheranism has advanced through enhanced partnerships with Lutheran church bodies and seminaries worldwide. The president calls this “getting out the Lutheran leaven,” or raising awareness of and accessibility to Lutheran theology and the Gospel. “We want our own congregations to grow, but the Great Commission doesn’t simply apply to our church body,” Meyer says. “People may not join our church, but they are joining the Kingdom.”

Friendly, welcoming ambiance

Concordia Seminary has changed a lot since Meyer became president. The president has taken what once was “an ivory tower place,” Kloha says, “to a place intimately connected with congregations and their work in communities around the world.” Just as professors lead congregation-hosted workshops across the country, pastors and laypeople come to campus for conferences and continuing education opportunities. Meyer tells people the Seminary is about more than just preparing pastors. A friendly, welcoming ambiance flows throughout the 72-acre campus, now a parklike setting with benches for people to sit and talk — students,

Meyer offers encouragement to faculty and staff celebrating ordination and commissioning anniversaries Dec. 5, 2018. Photo: Mia Mauss

faculty and staff as well as people from the local Clayton, Mo., community. Meyer encourages the entire campus to greet everyone they meet on campus with a hello.

“

Our mission is Jesus’ mission. — Dr. Dale A. Meyer

”

Soon after Meyer became president, the campus was outfitted with benches and tables and chairs, “symbols that the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ means being a servant involved with the people,” Meyer says. Meyer spotlights Diane for sparking the beautifully landscaped transformation. She, too, is a familiar face on campus. Diane has earned “a lot of respect for all the work she’s done, especially for the campus appearance,” Meyer says of his fellow Seminary ambassador.

‘Great time to be at Concordia Seminary!’ Along with championing the formation of pastors and church leaders, the president has raised awareness of the role every member of the body of Christ can play in recruiting seminarians to reverse a troubling shortage of pastors.

Dean of Ministerial Formation Dr. Timothy Saleska says he admires Meyer’s “unfailing optimism,” his awareness of his own sinfulness and his full participation in campus life, such as attending daily chapel services, cheering on the Preachers basketball team and shaving his head as part of the Seminary’s annual St. Baldrick’s Foundation fundraiser for childhood cancer research. “He’s always ready to listen and amazes me with his humble approach to his ministry of leadership,” he says. “His optimism for the Seminary and the church for the spread of the Gospel is very uplifting.” A popular guest preacher in pulpits nationwide, Meyer talks about ministry holes created by years of unanswered calls and a dwindling

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Throughout his presidency, Meyer, also professor of Practical Theology, often taught.

supply of future pastors. “Will our church body have enough pastors and ministry leaders to share the hope of Jesus Christ with our children and grandchildren with the ever-growing number of people who say they have no faith?” he asks. Through a major Seminary recruitment initiative, that answer is beginning to look more hopeful. There is a significant increase this year in student applications. While no guarantee of enrollment, Meyer calls that increase an indication of prospective student interest. While others bemoan today’s dwindling biblical knowledge and declining worship attendance, the president talks of ample opportunities to share the Gospel. “It’s a great time to be the church!” he says often. “It’s a great time to be at Concordia Seminary!” Seminarians echo the president’s conviction and say they appreciate the improved affordability of a Seminary education, the result of the school’s stronger financial foundation and what Peperkorn calls Meyer’s management with “holy persistence.” For the past two years, Master of Divinity and Deaconess Studies students have paid zero tuition thanks to faithful donor support. Rather than turn the spotlight his way, Meyer talks about how “people love this church and its Seminary and they love the Gospel message. They’re the reason the Seminary is financially strong and turning a corner on recruitment.” Meyer is known for his great sense of humor and memory. He knows students, faculty and staff by name. He likes to tease and often has running jokes with students. When new staff are hired, he often stops by to offer a personal welcome and a Bible. “He is a great communicator and excellent storyteller,” says Vicki Biggs, senior vice president of Seminary Advancement and chief communications officer. “He recognizes the importance of sharing the Seminary story so more people have the opportunity to understand and support the Seminary’s mission.”

‘Hard and humbling’ Meyer is leaving the Seminary well-positioned to move forward at a time when many other higher

education institutions struggle, Peperkorn says. “Concordia Seminary is in a better place because of his service and leadership,” he says. As for Meyer, he sums up these past 15 years as “extremely hard and humbling but also an honor and rich spiritual experience.” In October 2019 when he announced plans to retire, he cited Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom,” and told those in chapel that day that the Seminary is in “excellent shape.” Meyer has no shortage of post-presidency plans. He expects to continue teaching and mentoring seminarians and writing, including a 1 Peter commentary for the Concordia Publishing House scholarly series of books of the Bible. He wants to spend more time with Diane and the couple’s two daughters and their families, especially their five grandsons. Even though he and Diane are admittedly conflicted about leaving the Seminary they love so dearly, “It’s time for a new generation to take up leadership of this fine institution,” he says. “It’ll be fine because this is not our institution, not our Seminary. This is an institution of the Lord Jesus Christ and it’s His mission.” At worship on Call Day, set for April 28, his last as Seminary president, Meyer says he may read a bit from the little red book on his desk. He notes that his own personal faith has grown during his presidency as he has realized “you can’t do it all on your own. You need the help of people, the help of God.” The title of his treasured confirmation booklet is aptly titled: Remember. Kim Plummer Krull is a St. Louis-based freelance writer. Melanie Ave is communications manager at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. CONCORDIA SEMINARY, ST. LOUIS

The Meyer years

Diane and Dr. Dale A. Meyer. Photo: Jill Gray

2005-20

When Dr. Dale A. Meyer accepted the call to serve as the 10th president of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis during Commencement May 20, 2005, he cited Psalm 115:1: “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for Thy truth’s sake.” His announcement was met with a standing ovation from the graduates and hundreds of guests who filled the Seminary’s Main Quadrangle. He will retire June 30 after 15 years of distinguished service. Here are a few highlights of the Meyer years at the Seminary. 12

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2005

2007

2010

President of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Dr. Gerald Kieschnick, left, installs Meyer as Seminary president during the Opening Service in 2005. Meyer became the Seminary’s 10th president since its founding in 1839.

Sept. 18, 2007, Concordia Seminary dedicated a newly renovated space on its campus, the commons in Wartburg Hall. More than 250 students, faculty, staff and guests gathered to participate in the rite of dedication. Meyer offered words of thanks for all who had been involved in the design and construction work. He then cut a large red ribbon at the entrance to Wartburg Hall, and participants streamed into the renovated space.

Oct. 1, 2010 — five years into the Meyer presidency — was a historic day for Concordia Seminary when the campus became debtfree for the first time since 1987. Here, Dean of Chapel Dr. Kent Burreson, center, presides over a special celebratory service held on Chapel Plaza during which the mortgage document was burned.

Photo: FOCUS magazine

Photo: Emily (Boedecker) Perino

Photo: FOCUS magazine

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2012

2013

2014

Renovation of the Seminary’s dining hall complex, the Johann Hinrich Benidt Seminary Center, was completed in 2012 as part of the How Will They Hear? campaign (2005-10) that raised more than $80 million. The center includes Wartburg and Koburg halls, the Food Bank, Re-Sell It Shop, meeting rooms and a community room and kitchen. The renovation benefited immensely from the generosity of the Charles E. Benidt Foundation. Here, Meyer, center, cuts the ribbon outside the Benidt Center.

Since 2013, a group of six alumni and faculty members, including Dr. Dale A. Meyer, have presented The Gospel of Mark in 28 performances throughout the country. The troupe shares Mark’s vivid depictions of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection orally — the way many believe it was meant to be shared. Here, troupe members gather for a photo, from left, Dr. David Schmitt, Dr. Kent Burreson, Meyer, Dr. Michael Zeigler, Dr. James W. Voelz and Dr. Ron Rall.

In 2014, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) reaffirmed the Seminary’s accreditations with no notations. The organizations praised the Seminary’s exceptional faculty, commitment to quality education, positioning for the future and strong commitment to biblical exegesis. Here, former Provost Dr. Jeff Kloha, left, and Dr. Dale A. Meyer measure the materials submitted in support of the lengthy accreditation process.

Photo: Jill Gray

Photo: Emily (Boedecker) Perino

Photo: Nancy Olson

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2015

2016

2017

Seminary President Dr. Dale A. Meyer raises a toast to the public launch of the largest campaign in the institution’s history, Generations: The Campaign for Concordia Seminary, Sept. 25, 2015, in Koburg Hall. The campaign (2012–17) raised more than $200 million toward endowment, annual support, the library renovation and enhanced learning technology. It was one of three fundraising campaigns during the Meyer years, the third one being the current Generations 20/20 Campaign.

For the first time, a Concordia Seminary, St. Louis student was selected as a recipient of a Fellowship at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (FASPE) in 2016. Second-year student Paul Flo, right, shown here at the 2019 Call Day service, was selected from 175 applicants to receive one of 12 FASPE fellowships. In subsequent years, two other students also were selected for the prestigious fellowship.

During the Meyer presidency, tables and benches were placed throughout campus to remind the students, faculty and staff that “it’s important to sit down and talk with one another,” Meyer says. They are “symbols that the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ means being a servant involved with the people.” Here, students enjoy the benches near the fountain in March 2017. Photo: Kendra Whittle

Photo: Jill Gray

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2018

“Word and Work: An Intersection,” an informative program on ministry and the Gospel, debuted on KFUO in 2018 with Meyer as program host. The program also is featured on the faculty blog, concordiatheology. org. “Word and Work” provides a behind-the-scenes look at ministry where everyday life and God’s Word meet. Here, Meyer, right, interviews several alumni for the program in 2019.

Throughout his presidency, Meyer has kept a focus on the need to recruit enough seminarians to serve the needs of the church and has emphasized the important role the entire church has to play in recruitment. Here, Meyer visits with prospective seminarians in chapel attending the Seminary’s visitation event known as Taste of the Sem Feb. 21, 2018.

The ribbon is cut on the renovated Kristine Kay Hasse Memorial Library Aug. 24, 2018. The Generations Campaign resulted in the $6-million transformation of the Seminary’s library in Fuerbringer Hall. The renovated library is named in memory of Glenn and Kay Hasse’s daughter, who died in a car accident at the age of 17. The Hasses provided the lead gift for the library’s yearlong renovation. Here, Meyer, left, is joined by the Hasses to cut the ribbon.

Photo: Sarah Maney

Photo: Sid Hastings

Photo: Jill Gray

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2019

2019-20

Major renovations to the original 12 faculty houses, constructed when the Seminaryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s campus was developed in the 1920s, began in 2019 with a goal of preserving the historic brick houses and making them comfortable by modern standards.

The Meyers have taken the beautification of the campus grounds to a new level, helping install community gardens, hanging flower baskets, fish ponds and flower beds. Here, Meyer drives a skid steer to level the ground for a garden near the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house.

A total of 12 of the current 32 full-time faculty members were called during the Meyer presidency. Above, Meyer, center, is surrounded by many members of the 201920 faculty, who are held in high esteem throughout the LCMS.

Photo: Bridgette Sharp

Photo: Jill Gray

Photo: Courtesy Diane Meyer

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CONCORDIA SEMINARY, ST. LOUIS

Hardworking and welcoming SEMINARY’S FIRST LADY EMBODIES SERVICE TO OTHERS BY ERICA TAPE

In summer, she plants and tends vegetable gardens for students to harvest and flower gardens to beautify the campus. In fall, she chips wood alongside grounds workers. In winter, she climbs atop Luther Tower to help raise the Christmas star. And in spring, she cheers students on as they receive their first calls into ministry. She’s Diane Meyer, first lady of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis — campus beautifier, unofficial welcoming committee and friend of everyone she meets on campus. Though her name doesn’t appear in as many headlines as her husband, President Dr. Dale A. Meyer, her presence at the Seminary permeates the campus. When asked, Diane deflects questions about her legacy at the Seminary. Maybe it’s the Midwesterner in her that makes her so humble. She grew up Diane Ermler in the Chicago suburbs, the daughter of a World War II veteran father and a travel agent mother. Her parents married in 1941 before her dad went overseas. When he returned, he went to work at Cardwell Westinghouse in Chicago. Diane and her sister, Kathy, came along later. After graduating high school, Diane studied physical education at Illinois State University in Normal, Ill. College diploma in hand, she returned to Chicago and began her teaching career. That’s how she met Dale. “I taught physical education, and his sister was on the tennis team I coached,” she recalls. “When we would ride to games, she would talk about her family and where she went to church.” 18

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Raised Lutheran but living in a different suburb from where she grew up, Diane decided she would visit the Meyer family’s church one Sunday. The family introduced her to Dale when he came home from his vicarage. It was a setup that succeeded: The dynamic Meyer duo was born. Diane and Dale married in 1973, the same year Dale graduated from Concordia Seminary. Dale’s first call into ministry the following year was to a dual parish, St. Salvator Lutheran Church in Venedy, Ill., and St. Peter Lutheran Church in New Memphis, Ill., both churches in towns of a few hundred residents about 45 miles southeast of St. Louis. Diane loved it there. “The people were so generous and so interested and helpful,” she remembers. “People would drive up after they had a cow butchered. They’d open their trucks and say, ‘Take all the meat you want.’”

“Diane is the most selfless person I have ever known.” —DR. DALE A. MEYER Diane and Dale lived in Venedy for seven years. They had two children, Elizabeth and Catharine. Since it was hard to find a physical education teaching job in such a small town, Diane busied herself with the kids, church life and hobbies. She played softball, the county sport. She learned photography and even built a dark room in the parsonage.

FIRST LADY FOCUS

In 1981 when Dale received a call to teach at Concordia Seminary, the Meyers made their home across the river in Collinsville, Ill. Diane became active with the city council and the library board, and took care of their daughters, who spent their formative years in Collinsville while Dale dove into his professorial role. The Meyers attended Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Collinsville, where Dale was called as pastor in 1984 when the church’s previous pastor died suddenly. In 1989, he became Speaker of The Lutheran Hour, a radio program of Lutheran Hour Ministries. In 2001, he rejoined the Concordia Seminary faculty to teach practical theology. Not much changed day to day for Diane during these transitions because the family did not have to move. But God had some major surprises in store for Diane and Dale at the Seminary.

Dale is profuse in describing the impact his wife of 47 years has made at the Seminary. “Diane is the most selfless person I have ever known,” he says. “She always goes out of her way for neighbors and friends and, of course, family. She is a true Seminary ambassador — in the stands cheering on the Preachers at soccer and basketball games, mingling with students and their families, taking photos at campus picnics and barbecues, and welcoming visitors, be they church leaders from around the world, a donor from across the country or a neighbor walking her dog across campus.

In September 2004, Seminary President Dr. John F. Johnson announced that he was stepping down to take a post at Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, Ill., and Dale was made interim president. In May 2005, he was named the Seminary’s new president — which meant Diane became its first lady. “I honestly didn’t know what to expect, and the people didn’t know what to expect from me,” Diane says. Because the new position prompted the Meyers to move into the on-campus president’s house, Diane’s life changed dramatically — who she saw, where she went for walks and how she spent her time. Her dog, Speaker, helped ease the transition to this more public role. Walking him around campus acquainted her with the community. Speaker died in 2008, and the following year she and Dale adopted a golden retriever named Ferdie, who accompanied Diane everywhere she went on campus. In time, Diane developed her own unique role at the Seminary. Her favorite pastime became campus beautification. She befriended the Seminary’s grounds coordinator, Gayle Zollmann, and volunteered with the grounds crew, laboring just as hard as any of the workers. “Diane is the first one to volunteer and get out there and help,” Gayle says. “If something needs to be watered over the weekend, she’s the first one to say, ‘I can do that, no problem.’” Diane serves the Seminary with great joy, as does her husband. In 2017, the couple started the Rev. Dr. Dale A. and Diane C. Meyer “Helpers of Joy” Endowment to uphold the teaching that students should serve in their future ministries with joy. The endowment makes not only a lasting financial impact for the benefit of students but also, the Meyers hope, an enduring personal legacy.

Diane Meyer snaps a photo at field day during Orientation in September 2016 while her dog, Ferdie, enjoys the grass. Diane’s keen eye on the camera lens has resulted in thousands of images and blog posts of campus life over the years. Photo: Anthony Fields

“Her spirit of selfless service is evident in the work she’s done to make our campus grounds beautiful, but that’s only a part of all she’s done for Concordia Seminary.” Her legacy also will go on in the friendships she has built. “She makes everything better,” Gayle says. What will Gayle miss most about Diane? Gayle answers, “Everything, everything.” When they retire at the end of June, Diane and Dale plan to return to their old house in Collinsville, and they want to spend more time with their daughters’ families, especially their five grandsons, whom Diane affectionately calls the “Cinco de Meyer.” Diane plans to volunteer at church and become active once again in community service. “This has been an amazingly fast 15 years,” she says. “I’ll miss it terribly.” Erica Tape is a communications specialist at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.

CONCORDIA SEMINARY, ST. LOUIS

PROCLAIMING CHRIST TO THE WORLD ETHIOPIAN STUDENTS STUDY FOR MASTER OF ARTS DEGREES BY SARAH MANEY

Increasingly, Ethiopia is sending missionaries to other countries and cultures to share the Gospel. One such man at the forefront of this recent mission-sending movement is Wondimu Game. He and his wife, Tsigewengel Uddo, are Master of Arts students at Concordia Seminary.

the work of the Holy Spirit,” Wondimu says. “When the church prays, God works.” The EECMY International Mission Society aims to send 500 missionaries in the next decade and Wondimu looks forward to being a part of that effort after he completes his studies in St. Louis.

Wondimu was ordained in 1994 as an evangelist, one of the ministry offices of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY), and served in this role until being asked to direct the church body’s International Mission Society in 2008. Under his leadership, the society sent more than 20 missionaries and church planters beyond Ethiopia’s borders to places such as Eritrea, Somalia, Chad and Pakistan. He stepped down in 2018, temporarily, to pursue advanced theological training at Concordia Seminary.

“Concordia Seminary is serving a significant role in the global Lutheranism movement,” says Concordia Seminary’s Dean of Advanced Studies Dr. Gerhard Bode. “This role has grown under the banner of President Dr. Dale A. Meyer’s leadership.”

With 9.3 million members, the EECMY is the largest Lutheran denomination in the world. “The church in Ethiopia is growing because of God’s favor and grace and

Meyer, who will retire June 30 after serving as president for 15 years, has strengthened Concordia Seminary’s ties to the international church and emphasized the important role the Seminary has in training leaders for worldwide faith-sharing for the sake of the Gospel. This includes leaders like Wondimu.

when the “church prays, God works. ” -WONDIMU GAME

From left, Tsigewengel Uddo, Hadassah Wondimu Mathewos, Naomi Wondimu Mathewos, Wondimu Game and Doxsa Wondimu Mathewos enjoy the campus community. Photo: Jessica Wrasman

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

When Rev. Michael Lange (M.Div., ’88), president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) CaliforniaNevada-Hawaii District, visited Ethiopia, he encouraged Wondimu to come to Concordia Seminary. Dr. Eshetu Koyra Abate (Ph.D., ’88), a former professor of Mekane Yesus Seminary, also was instrumental in Wondimu’s theological training and desire to study at Concordia Seminary. “These testimonies about the Seminary were important to me,” Wondimu says, “but the most important thing was that I was in prayer, and God in His mercy provided my wife and I this opportunity to study at such an esteemed seminary.” “It’s God who opens up doors to equip us for His ministry,” Tsigewengel adds. “It’s not for us; it’s for His ministry.” With the support of their church, the couple and their three young children boarded a plane in 2018, traveling nearly 8,000 miles to St. Louis. Today, they are acclimating to Seminary life and are hard at work in their studies.

“

“For example, in Ethiopia, I was involved in a local mission called ‘Summer Movement.’ During the first phase, 1 million EECMY members were mobilized to reach 1 million people with the Gospel within two weeks. We taught them how to communicate the Gospel not only in their local area, but across Ethiopia,” Wondimu says. “Then, they trained local people in other villages.” They were sent out, knocking on doors, in the villages. God intervened. Many Muslims heard the Gospel and believed. Yet sharing the Gospel in Ethiopia can be life-threatening. Wondimu recalls when the lives of three people were in jeopardy for sharing the Gospel in a predominately Islamic village. The villagers heard about Jesus in a new way. They had known about Jesus from the Quran, the main religious text of Islam. But they had never thought about Him as Savior. When the village Islamic leaders learned of these three evangelists, they threatened the men with large knives. Thankfully, the men were unharmed in this instance. That is not always the case. “Sometimes there are injuries, people die and churches burn,” Wondimu says. “This is life for the church in Ethiopia.”

The whole purpose of Concordia Seminary is to bring the Gospel to the world.

Even so, Wondimu is passionate Wondimu’s training for ministry about telling others about Jesus. began decades ago as the grandson “Romans 10 reminds us that, unless of pioneer Christians. “I grew up in we tell the Good News to others, the faith and in the ministry because how can they hear?” Wondimu says. of their influence. My grandfather -DR. GERHARD BODE “Unless the church sends someone out, on my mother’s side, Lajebo Getcha, how can people hear and how can they was a well-known, respected evangelistic come to faith?” leader,” he says. “My other grandfather also was a pioneer. The church where I grew up, Game The zeal Wondimu and Tsigewengel have for sharing the Church, was named after him.” Gospel, the sacrifice they have made to be at the Seminary and the determination they have to earn master’s degrees As a boy, Wondimu traveled to the regional capital city, are witnesses to the Seminary community. Hawassa, to live with his uncle and to study. There he grew in faith in the Hawassa congregation, serving as a “In many ways, Wondimu personifies Dr. Meyer’s vision Sunday school coordinator, youth leader and assistant to for Concordia Seminary,” Bode says. “The theology the pastor. Later, that same church sent him to the local and doctrine of the LCMS are being shared and taught Bible school, and after he graduated, it ordained and so that leaders like Wondimu can bring back solid, delegated him as a church-planting evangelist for the biblical teaching to their countries. The whole purpose of EECMY Tabor Congregation in Hawassa. “That was, for Concordia Seminary is to bring the Gospel to the world. me, a great opportunity to learn about ministry,” he recalls. We’re equipping people to do just that — proclaim Christ “The Tabor congregation that I planted is one of the largest to the world.” congregations in the EECMY. Today that church has planted 31 other congregations.”

”

Wondimu sees all Christians having a role in the Great Commission. “Everyone is an evangelist, not just the pastor,” he says. “We all have the responsibility to share the Gospel.

Sarah Maney is a communications specialist at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.

CONCORDIA SEMINARY, ST. LOUIS

Ordination, commissioning anniversaries celebrated

With combined service equaling 330 years, the significant ordination and commissioning anniversaries of five faculty, three emeriti faculty and two staff members were recognized Dec. 4. Dr. Francis Rossow, professor emeritus, front left, joined the photo at the request of Seminary President Dr. Dale A. Meyer in recognition of his 71st ordination anniversary. Front row, from left: Rossow; Dr. James Marriott, director of Music Arts, 15 years; Dr. Erik Herrmann, associate professor of Historical Theology and chairman of the Department of Historical Theology, 15 years; Rev. Jerrold Eickmann, professor emeritus, 55 years; Dr. John Loum, director of the Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology, 20 years; and Dr. Thomas Manteufel, professor emeritus, 50 years. Back row, from left: Meyer, 45 years; Dr. Jeffrey Gibbs, professor of Exegetical Theology, 40 years; and Dr. Gerhard Bode, associate professor of Historical Theology and dean of Advanced Studies, 15 years. Not pictured: Dr. Charles Arand, professor of Systematic Theology and dean of Theological Research and Publication, 35 years; and Dr. Paul Raabe, professor emeritus, 40 years. Photo: Sarah Maney

SEMINARY PRESIDENT NOMINEES ANNOUNCED The following 44 individuals have been nominated as candidates for election as the 11th president of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, per Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) Bylaws, and have allowed their names to stand for consideration: Dr. Joel D. Biermann Dr. Ralph Blomenberg Dr. Gerhard H. Bode Jr. Dr. Jon S. Bruss Dr. Kirk M. Clayton Dr. Anthony A. Cook Dr. Burnell F. Eckardt Dr. Joel C. Elowsky Dr. Glenn K. Fluegge Dr. Kevin S. Golden Dr. Paul J. Grime Dr. Gifford A. Grobien Dr. Benjamin D. Haupt Dr. Erik H. Herrmann Dr. Jeffrey J. Kloha 22

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Dr. Robert R. Lessing Dr. David P.E. Maier Dr. Walter A. Maier III Dr. Aaron M. Moldenhauer Dr. Steven P. Mueller Dr. Edward A. Naumann Dr. Martin R. Noland Gerald A. Paul Robert W. Paul (Houston, Texas) Dr. Paul A. Philp Dr. Christian A. Preus Dr. David R. Preus Dr. Jacob A.O. Preus III Dr. Lawrence R. Rast Jr. Dr. Harold Ristau

Dr. Matthew W. Rueger Dr. Douglas L. Rutt Dr. Leopoldo A. Sánchez M. Dr. Peter J. Scaer Dr. Travis J. Scholl Dr. Klaus D. Schulz Dr. William W. Schumacher Dr. Ken R. Schurb Dr. Mark A. Seifrid Dr. Jeffrey E. Skopak Dr. Dien A. Taylor Dr. James W. Voelz Dr. Lucas V. Woodford Dr. Thomas J. Zelt

NEWS WORTH NOTING

Chapel stained glass project underway Thanks to a generous gift from the Eugene E. and Nell S. Fincke Memorial Trust, established by the sainted Finckes, stained glass windows are being installed throughout the entirety of the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus. The new windows will depict the humiliation, crucifixion, resurrection, exaltation and second coming of Christ using the theme Te Deum Laudamus (Latin: Holy God, We Praise Your Name). When the chapel was designed, it was built with the capacity for stained glass throughout the building but the funding was not available at the time. As such, the only stained glass windows in place in the chapel have been in the chancel since the 1992 chapel dedication. The Finckes’ earmarked gift will fulfill the original plans for the chapel. The original stained glass window in the chancel, featuring Sts. Timothy and Titus, will be relocated on campus. Learn more and track the progress of the stained glass project at csl.edu/chapel-stained-glass.

Presidential nominations, per the LCMS Handbook, were submitted by LCMS congregations, the Seminary’s Board of Regents and the Seminary faculty. The Presidential Search Committee has evaluated each of the candidates and a final slate has been determined. On May 16, the electors will select the new president. The four electors include the Board of Regents voting as one, the LCMS district president serving on the board as a voting member, the chairman of the LCMS Board of Directors and the LCMS president. The election of the president requires three of four elector votes. The new president will succeed President Dr. Dale A. Meyer, who will retire June 30. Learn more about the presidential search at  csl.edu/president-search.

The new chancel window, featuring the Resurrection, was installed in March in the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus. Photo: Harold Rau

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NEWS WORTH NOTING

Faith and Film Festival debuts Concordia Seminary’s inaugural Faith and Film Festival, Jan. 23-25, featured 40 hours of enthralling screenings and challenging discussions led by theologians and film experts. Throughout the festival, about 75 attendees from 16 states pondered and explored Christian themes in contemporary cinema and developed eyes to see film in new ways.

Attendees viewed five films out of a total of 11 presented, each with its own discussion moderator. Films viewed included The Rider, Arrival and First Reformed with discussions led by writer Heather Choate Davis, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Professor Dr. Philip Hohle, Rev. Jacob Wampfler and several Seminary faculty members. Save the date! Next year’s festival is set for Jan. 28-30, 2021.

The lobby of Wyneken Hall was transformed with movie theater decor for the Faith and Film Festival. Photo: Sid Hastings

“David and the Psalms” was the focus of the Feb. 8 Lay Bible Institute led by Professor of Exegetical Theology and Dean of Ministerial Formation Dr. Timothy Saleska. Participants reflected on the truths expressed in the psalms and received concrete suggestions to help them in their devotional practice. Save the date for the Lay Bible Institute, Aug. 8, and find details at csl.edu/lbi. Photo: Erica Tape

Pre-Lenten Workshop

Lay Bible Institute

CONTINUING EDUCATION EVENT HIGHLIGHTS How do the Scriptures address issues of race and how do those biblical details point us to Christ? This was the focus of Concordia Seminary’s Pre-Lenten Workshop “Lent for All Nations” for pastors Jan. 31. This year’s workshop was hosted by Dr. Benjamin Haupt, associate provost and assistant professor of Practical Theology, who also authored the Lenten Sermon Series by the same name. Photo: Erica Tape

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SMP, CMC students recognized

The spring 2020 cohort was recognized for their Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) Program vicarage assignments during a Feb. 6 chapel service. Front row, from left: Corey Harman, Matthew Lee, Richard Parron, Jeremy Ashley, David Bangert and Sean Tietze. Middle row, from left: David Rodgers, David Wray, David Santos, John McCombs and Joseph Eisenbacher. Top row, from left: President Dr. Dale A. Meyer, Director of the Specific Ministry Pastor Program Dr. Mart Thompson and Director of Placement Dr. Glenn Nielsen. Photo: Jarod Fenske

Concordia Seminary celebrated two groups of Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) Program students for program completion and call recognition Jan. 10 in the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus. During the service, six students from the spring 2016 cohort were recognized for completing the SMP Program. Fourteen students from the fall 2017 cohort were recognized for receiving calls. Additionally, on Feb. 6, new students in the SMP and Cross-cultural Ministry Center (CMC) Programs received their vicarage assignments. Eleven students from the spring 2020 SMP cohort were recognized, and six students from the CMC Program were recognized. 26

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The 2017 cohort was recognized for their Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) Program calls during a Jan. 10 chapel service. Front row, from left: Director of Placement Dr. Glenn Nielsen, Frank Hart, John Elliott and Provost Dr. Douglas L. Rutt. Back row, from left: Dean of Ministerial Formation Dr. Timothy Saleska, Lawton Thompson, Mark Wiegert, Kenton Abbott, Corey Brooks and Director of the Specific Ministry Pastor Program Dr. Mart Thompson. Photo: Jarod Fenske

NEWS WORTH NOTING

President Emeritus Barth enters rest Rev. Dr. Karl Barth, president emeritus of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, entered eternal rest in Jesus Feb. 16. He was 95 years old. “Karl Barth served Concordia Seminary at a very critical time,” said Seminary President Dr. Dale A. Meyer. “The walkout that led to Seminex shook The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) and cast doubt whether the Seminary could survive. After extraordinary efforts to provide a new faculty and to retain and recruit students, President Barth’s tenure brought the stability and positive prospect for the future that an institution must have. Concordia Seminary thanks our Lord for providing President Barth and we extend our condolences to his family.” In 1982, Barth was called to be the eighth president and professor of Systematic Theology at Concordia Seminary. He oversaw and directed the Seminary through its 150th anniversary, and was instrumental in the planning and fundraising for the construction of the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus. He retired in 1990.

Seminary institutes COVID-19 procedures Beginning March 12, Seminary leadership implemented precautions aimed at helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) on campus and beyond. Additionally, following Reading Week March 23, all residential classes were converted to online only through the end of the spring semester, and the Seminary campus and offices were closed to all visitors and most employees until authorities determine it is safe to resume normal operating procedures. “Your Seminary leadership team has examined the anticipated spread of COVID-19, reached out to medical experts, and closely reviewed recommendations from local, state and federal public health agencies,” said President Dr. Dale A. Meyer, in a March 12 email to Seminary staff, faculty and students. “The health and safety of everyone on our campus and the surrounding community is our priority at all times and especially during times such as now.” Students, faculty and staff were advised to observe the prevention guidelines offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Find more information about the coronavirus, as well as resources, at csl.edu/coronavirus.

Barth graduated from Concordia Seminary in 1945 and was ordained into the pastoral ministry in 1947. He was granted an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Concordia Theological Seminary, Springfield, Ill., in 1975. Before becoming the Seminary’s president, he served as a pastor at three congregations in Louisiana, Illinois and Wisconsin, and was president of the LCMS South Wisconsin District. Barth chaired the LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations, and served on the LCMS Board for Mission Services and the LCMS Board of Directors. He served as director of the Synod’s 150th Anniversary Committee, and in 2004 he was awarded Concordia Historical Institute’s Distinguished Service Award. He often contributed to The Lutheran Witness, among other publications. Barth’s wife, Jean, preceded him in death in 2015. The couple had five children — Linda, Karl, Laurel, Kurt and Lisa — and 12 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren.

Summer Carillon Concerts 7 p.m. every Tuesday in June csl.edu/concertseries Check the website for updates. CONCORDIA SEMINARY, ST. LOUIS

Being content, serving with joy BY MELANIE AVE

When Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Huron, S.D., prepared to call an associate pastor last spring, church leaders knew they and their community needed a certain kind of person in that role. Someone who was kind, patient, flexible. Someone who could show compassion to the sick and elderly. Someone who wasn’t afraid to try new things or to reach beyond cultural boundaries and across language barriers. Mount Calvary sits in one of the most diverse cities in the state as people from all over the world — Puerto Rico, Mexico, Myanmar, Asian Pacific islands — move there to work and to be near other family members. “It’s definitely a unique setting,” said Rev. Christopher Navurskis, the church’s senior pastor. About 300 people worship at Mount Calvary on any given weekend. Its preschool is at capacity. Expectations were high for just the right seminarian to fill the associate pastor role as Call Day 2019 approached.

Concordia Seminary’s Director of Placement Dr. Glenn Nielsen shared the name of a concluding seminarian he thought would serve the church’s needs with Pastor Chris, who remembers one of the comments from the student’s vicarage congregation from a year earlier: “You won’t meet a nicer guy.” And so as the first calls to ministry were announced in the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus on Call Day, Kevin Koester was sent to … Mount Calvary. Now, almost a year since the pairing, the reviews from both sides are glowing. “He’s got a great heart,” Pastor Chris says of his team ministry counterpart, Pastor Kevin. “He’s 6-foot-4 with a heart to match. From day one, he has had a kindness and approachability about him that is so encouraging. He’s been a wonderful blessing to us.” Pastor Kevin is equally enthusiastic about his own time in Huron. He has a special fondness for visiting the homebound and the hospitalized. He thrives in one-on-one ministry

“He’s 6-foot4 with a heart to match.” — REV. CHRISTOPHER NAVURSKIS 28

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Seminary President Dr. Dale A. Meyer congratulates Kevin Koester on his call during Call Day May 1, 2019. Photo: Jill Gray

ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

settings and is not afraid to tackle new challenges. He preached his first funeral when Pastor Chris was out of town. His first Baptism was the father of one of the church’s confirmands. “It’s been really, really great so far,” Pastor Kevin says. “It’s wonderful how the Lord has blessed our ministry.” A Minnesota native, Pastor Kevin attended Lutheran schools from kindergarten through college, eventually enrolling and graduating from the preseminary program at Concordia University, St. Paul, Minn. It was his fourth grade teacher who first noticed in Kevin gifts for the ministry and told him so. From then on, “It was always in the back of my mind,” he says.

“I’ve taken that and hope to incorporate it into my ministry.” When he’s not serving in ministry, Pastor Kevin enjoys rooting for Minnesota in most any sport and learning about history and fishing. He also enjoys playing fantasy baseball — his team is the Piranhas — and is in a league with Nielsen. Pastor Kevin is thankful to his senior pastor, to the Mount Calvary elders, to the entire congregation and to Nielsen for helping bring him to Mount Calvary. “It’s the exact right fit that I needed,” he says. “I may need to do things differently here and there,” Pastor Kevin says. “I don’t see it as anything that holds me back or prevents me from doing what God wants me to do in ministry. Everyone has his own cross to bear, his own issues. God works through all kinds of people. I learned from God’s Word about being content. Being content in all circumstances is my motto.”

As the first minister in his family, Pastor Kevin describes himself as unique in the world of pastors because of a disability. Koester, center, assists At age 2, he was with Communion at Mount diagnosed with CharcotCalvary Lutheran Church. Photo: Donell Mayfield Marie-Tooth (CMT), a hereditary neurological disorder. He wears leg braces to help with foot drop and balance, and walks with a high gait. He struggles with fine motor skills in his hands. Stairs are a challenge and he gets fatigued at times. As a result, he is cautious and reserved. Regardless, Pastor Chris has only praise for his young associate. “He never complains, shows great initiative and works every minute of the day to overcome obstacles that others don’t think twice about,” he says. “His ministry honors God.”

Pastor Chris says Pastor Kevin has helped raise awareness about people with disabilities. One parishioner even told Pastor Chris that he now chooses to come to church when his back hurts because Pastor Kevin has inspired him by how he pushes through each day despite having CMT.

“Being content in all circumstances is my motto.”

Pastor Kevin, the eldest of two children, is thankful for the upbringing that helped propel him to this point. His mother is a retired insurance agent, and his father, who retired from Cargill Corp., has been the head elder of his home congregation for years. “I always had a great example of what it means to be in church, to hear God’s Word and to serve,” he says. “My dad was always very selfless and always willing to give of himself.

Pastor Kevin’s enthusiasm for being — REV. KEVIN KOESTER on the front lines of ministry has even helped reinvigorate his senior pastor, who has been in ministry for 15 years. “Kevin loves people,” Pastor Chris says. “He is one of those guys who hasn’t met too many strangers. They are just friends he hasn’t met yet. He enjoys ministry and has such a high regard for the Office of the Holy Ministry. It’s such a joy to see.” Melanie Ave is communications manager at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.

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Title Remarkable leadership. Servant hearts. Give to the Rev. Dr. Dale A. and Diane C. Meyer “Helpers of Joy” Endowment Honor the service of your Seminary’s beloved president and first lady and join in their legacy of leadership with a gift to the Rev. Dr. Dale A. and Diane C. Meyer “Helpers of Joy” Endowment. Distributions from this endowment are used where needed most in support of the mission of Concordia Seminary.

To make a gift: phone 800-822-5287 envelope advancement@csl.edu laptop csl.edu/give

LOOKING FOR AN EASY WAY TO SUPPORT CONCORDIA SEMINARY? A charitable IRA rollover is a tax-wise way to partner with the Seminary in our mission to prepare the next generation of church workers. If you are 70½ or older, you may roll over up to $100,000 from your IRA to Concordia Seminary without paying any federal income tax on your gift. To make an IRA rollover gift, simply contact your IRA administrator and request that an amount be transferred to us. Your gift to the Seminary could be as much as $100,000. People over 70½ who have contributed to their IRA since Jan. 1 may not qualify and should check with their tax adviser.

Questions? phone 800-822-5287 envelope plannedgiving@csl.edu

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Better together

SEMINARY GUILD 2019-20 PROJECT LIST

SEMINARY GUILD SEEKS MEMBERS, SUPPORT Through a network of individuals, women’s groups and congregations, the Concordia Seminary Guild works to enhance the lives of students on campus. Each year the Guild develops a list of fundraising projects to support students that range from educational helps to improvements that benefit campus life. “It is a joy to support our future pastors, missionaries, deaconesses and their families with our prayers and gifts,” said Sem Guild President Tami Clardy. Want to make a real difference in the lives of seminarians? Please consider joining the Guild or making a gift! For more information, call 314-942-7254 or visit csl.edu/semguild.

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Resident Field Education offcampus events

After chapel coffee time

Center for Hispanic Studies and Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology students

Student educational helps

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Dorm student housing

Guild members Mary Wolfram, left, and Donna Werner enjoy the Sept. 13, 2019, luncheon on campus. Photo: Kim Braddy

Seminarian Ben Ramthun pauses for a photo with Guild member Judi Winker during the Guild’s luncheon May 3, 2019. Photo: Kim Braddy

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