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Luther Memorial Church

Vacancy ends with the Installation of Pr. Chad Elfe

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With the installation of Pr. Chad Elfe on Saturday 29 June 2024 my service to Luther Memorial Church as vacancy pastor has come to an end. We have been praying that God would soon provide a new lead pastor, and God has done so.

I am most thankful to the people at LMC for the opportunity to serve in their midst. They are a mission-minded, deeply committed and loving congregation. Typical metrics of congregational life show no decline during the vacancy. They are ready to move forward in their mission to the community, the UWRF campus, and beyond.

I pray that God will bless them and their new pastor.

They hold a special place in my heart!

Luther Memorial Church

A new direction…

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The Hamas Israel war that broke out in early October is not only a terrible tragedy for both peoples, it also disrupted my plans to return to the Albright in Jerusalem for two more months of research.

In early November, my retirement took on a new direction as I was approached about serving a pastoral vacancy at Luther Memorial in River Falls, Wisconsin.

I did supply preaching there beginning 19 November and on 27 November began a 6 month contract as vacancy pastor while the church seek to call a new lead pastor.  My prime duties are preaching, teaching and encouragement.

LMC is a very active congregation with a strong outreach to their community and the campus of the University of Wisconsin, River Falls.  They are also involved in supporting a mission in Costa Rica.

They are a warm community blessed with very competent leadership and staff. It is an honor for me to serve there and to be involved again in regular preaching.

My archaeological research has slowed down, but I am hopeful to get back to the Albright in 2024.

Luther Memorial in River Falls

Luther Memorial in River Falls

GSTJ

Journal Project

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Sam Deressa and I are pleased to announce the publication of Vol. 1, No. 1 of the new Global South Theological Journal at https://gstjournal.org. 

Five articles make up the first issue:

  1. Ibrahim Bitrus, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, A “Living Dead” In Africa
  2. Gerd Decke, Gudina Tumsa and Dietrich Bonhoeffer
  3. Ezekiel Gebissa, The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) Between Indigeneity and Globalism: Re-Measuring Growth,
  4. Re-Visioning Mission, Recasting Leadership
  5. Darrell Jodock, Gudina Tumsa’s Contributions to Theology
  6. Gemechu Olana, An Empowering and Reconciling Presence: Public Ministry in The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus: A Brief Historical Perspective Review with Some Prospective Remarks

All articles are in English, but we have built in capability to use Google Translate for reading the articles in other languages.

Editorial and Publication

  • Samuel Deressa, PhD, Concordia University, Saint Paul, MN, USA, editor
  • Mark Schuler, ThD (emeritus), Concordia University, Saint Paul, MN USA, managing editor

Reviewers

  • Bruk Ayele, PhD, Mekane Yesus Seminary, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
  • Ibrahim Bitrus, PhD, Federal College of Education, Yola, Nigeria
  • Suzanne Hequet, PhD (emerita), Concordia University, Saint Paul, MN, USA
  • Julius Kiambi Kithinji, PhD, St. Paul University, Limuru, Kenya
  • Pum Za Mang, PhD, Myanmar Institute of Theology, Yangon, Myanmar
  • Misgana Mathewos, PhD, Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
  • Detlev Schulz, PhD , Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN, USA

This open-source digital journal is published by the Department of Theology and Ministry at Concordia University, Saint Paul, with assistance of a grant from the Hoffmann Initiatives. It is distributed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International  licensing (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

Matthew and Martin

Celebrating St. Matthew and the 500th anniversary of the “September Testament” with friends at the Lutheran Diaconal Association, Valparaiso, IN.

Am I really hip?

Tech at church

For the last year, both when I was vacancy pastor, and subsequently, I have devoted substantive time each week to help my struggling church navigate the pandemic with the use of technology. In fact, first on my list today is producing Sunday’s online service. And we have hung together as a congregation. I could not have done this without the help of many others, especially Rhoda.

The church always adapts to the challenges and needs of the times.

Read more about such efforts in Wired.