A week of amazing blessings at MLC
From the office of President Mark Schroeder
It was an eventful week at Martin Luther College (MLC)—our synod's worker-training school in New Ulm, Minn. Friday, a groundbreaking service was held for a new chapel, and the annual commencement concert demonstrated the wide array of the God-given talents of MLC students. Saturday morning, 137 graduates, including two master's graduates and thirty-seven graduates headed to Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, received their hard-earned diplomas. Then Saturday afternoon—in many ways the highlight of the week—candidates, surrounded by friends and family, received their first calls into the teaching ministry.
Being a part of that week was a special privilege for me. After spending seventeen years serving in our ministerial education system, it's always a joy to see the end result of our synod's commitment to train and prepare well-qualified workers.
We thank God for the number of MLC graduates assigned calls into the teaching ministry. Ninety-one students from this year's class and previous classes available to go anywhere were given either initial assignments or were reassigned to their current calls; graduates who indicated that they could serve only in a specific area (due to marriage, for example) are eligible to receive calls directly from congregations in those areas. A number of graduates also chose to defer assignment temporarily in order to spend a year or two in alternate forms of service, such as teaching English in China.
A total of nine eligible candidates—eight men and one woman—were not able to be assigned at this time. This was not so much due to a lack of calls, but rather because the available calls did not match the specific area of expertise of the graduates. For example, there were a number of unfilled early childhood calls, but none of the nine unassigned students had received training in early childhood education. The assignment process continues throughout the summer as calls become available. Please keep these young people in your prayers, asking that God would give them encouragement, trust, and patience as they wait for the Lord to call him to the places he has planned for them.
This week we will see a similar set of blessings as the Assignment Committee moves to the seminary in Mequon. It appears at this time that all graduates and vicars will be assigned.
Watch the seminary call day service (May 22) and graduation service (May 23) live on Streams: http://streams.wels.net/site/live
You can also view a list of MLC assignments online: http://www.mlc-wels.edu/home/academics/resources/assignments/
Serving in Christ,
Mark Schroeder
Filed Under: BME, call day, graduation, Ministerial Education, MLC, Seminary, WLS
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