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APRIL 2023 E.PISTLE

Architects Complete Design for New Seminary Location
Construction to Begin Next Month

The design phase for the new location housing the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago [LSTC] is now complete. Renovations at our new seminary home on the 4^th floor of the Catholic Theological Union (CTU) are scheduled to begin Saturday, April 1. (Read more)

LSTC NEWS

New NC-SARA Partnership Makes it Easier for LSTC to Offer Distance Learning Programs

LSTC recently became an institutional participant in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). Our participation in NC-SARA makes it easier for LSTC to offer its distance learning programs nationally. Through NC-SARA agreements, regulations are streamlined around distance education programs. Therefore, it becomes simpler for states to acknowledge other states’ work and decisions about institutional authorization. NC–SARA also includes important consumer protections to support distance education students. To see other LSTC partnerships and affiliations, visit our website.

Commencement Announcement
We are excited to announce the 2023 commencement exercise and baccalaureate service dates. (Read more)

FOR MORE LSTC NEWS VISIT: LSTC.edu/NEWS

STORIES

MDiv Student Sharei Green on Scholarships and the Promise of the Future

"If it weren't for scholarships," MDiv student Sharei Green says, "I wouldn't be here." Green recalls the tens of thousands of dollars of private debt that she accrued as an undergraduate, her hard-working family background, and her need to be self-sufficient into adulthood all as things she assumed were obstacles to attending seminary. Read more

PhD Student Dax Sunny Mathew on Research, Persistence, and Making a Difference

PhD student Dax Mathew recalls in vivid detail the moment that changed his perspective on learning. He was in an Adivasi community in Palghar, a town in the Konkan division of India's Maharashtra state, home to Indigenous peoples often overlooked and neglected by the government. On this trip, he met a young girl who made the decision, against all odds, to succeed in her academic endeavors. For Mathew, witnessing her determination was a life-changing moment that ultimately led him here, to LSTC. (Read more)

How Scholarships and a Leap of Faith Created New Opportunities for International Student Char Laywa

Laywa knew from the first moment she experienced the message on LSTC's website that this was the place for her. "The first thing that motivated me was when I opened the LSTC website," Laywa says. "The slogan said: 'go deeper, go further, go beyond.'" She saw the words, and the promise of a truly diverse institution connected to the ELCA, and knew that this had to be the next step. (Read more)

PhD Student Smitha Gunthoti on How Scholarships Made Answering the Call to Ministry Possible

For Gunthoti, the community at LSTC made the transition to seminary a positive experience. "I was so happy to see LSTC, and the people welcoming us," she says of her introduction to the campus. "And we were welcomed very warmly." Upon beginning her classes, Smitha was pleased to encounter new pedagogical methods that encouraged taking advantage of experiential learning opportunities and a faculty that supported her research interests. (Read more)

Notable LSTC Alum Herbert Anderson Announces Re-Publication of Three Texts

Dr. Herbert Anderson, who was recently awarded an LSTC's Lifetime Achievement Award (2022), announces the re-publication of three seminal texts: Jacob's Shadow: Reimagining Masculinity, The Divine Art of Dying: Living Well to Life's End, and Mighty Stories, Dangerous Rituals. Now retired from teaching, Anderson continues to be active as a guest lecturer and in his writing. (Read more)

FOR MORE LSTC STORIES VISIT: LSTC.edu/STORIES

EVENTS

LSTC ANNOUNCES 33RD ANNUAL GOSPEL CHOIR BENEFIT CONCERT

Join us in praise on Sunday, April 16 at 4 p.m. in Augustana Chapel for the 33rd annual LSTC Gospel Choir Benefit Concert. This year’s theme, God Is My Everything, will bring the LSTC community together in joyful celebration, with a meal to follow.

This year’s April 16 concert honors gospel artist Percy Gray and recipients of the Grover Wright Scholarship and the Rev. Carole A. Burns Scholarship. (Register now)

MANZ ORGAN RECITAL SERIES
Tuesday, April 18 at 12:15 p.m.

The Manz Organ Recital Series continues this April with Christopher Urban, Associate Director of Music and Organist at First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights. At First Presbyterian, he leads the weekly worship services from the organ and serves as accompanist for the Chancel Choir, Chambers Singers, and Men’s Chorus. Chris is also a featured recitalist in the church’s “Wednesdays @ Noon” concert series and is a frequent recitalist at churches in the Chicagoland area. Register here to join us in person or watch the event later on LSTC's Youtube channel.

FOR LSTC EVENTS PRESENT AND PAST, VISIT: LSTC.edu/events