As part of the Reformation 500
celebration, students contributed their
thumbprints to a Luther’s Seal mural
outside Wittenberg Auditorium. AIM,
the Art in Ministry club at MLC, facilitated
this project. For one week in October
2017, students like Eric Dorn (Illinois
LHS / Trinity-Crete IL, pictured) lined up
after morning chapel, dipped their
fingers in paint, and made their mark.
Christian Willick (LPS / St.
John-Wauwatosa WI) and
Jacob Klug (Lakeside / St.
John-Juneau WI) organized
the ensemble that braved
freezing temperatures to
wake up the campus with
Reformation hymns for the
campus Reformation 500
festival. They played on the
Luther Student Center roof.
“We had a crazy come-from-behind victory in the fifth set,” says Taylor
Weber (KML / Bethlehem-Germantown WI, the libero in red). “We were
losing 14-7, and then we came back to top the Bethany Vikings 16-14. It
was the most thrilling game I have ever played in, and I’ve never felt so
proud to be a Knight.”
MLC belongs to the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) and
competes in 16 different sports: volleyball, football, men’s and women’s
soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s tennis,
men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball,
softball, and men’s and women’s track and field.
Students on immersion trips pledge to speak only Spanish
(or Chinese if they’ve landed further east).
Julia Schibbelhut (Luther HS / St. Paul-Onalaska WI),
Faith Otte (Nebraska LHS / Bethel-York NE), and Annie Russell
(MLS / Emanuel First-Lansing MI) took the pledge and made
the trip to Argentina, and it increased their fluency and their
cultural competency.
Other students choose summer or full-semester study abroad
programs in places like Germany, China, or any country of their choice.
Four Times the Charm sang “The Star-Spangled Banner”
in front of 40,000 people last summer at WELS Night
at Miller Park. We “proudly hail” this group made
up of Jacob Ungemach (Manitowoc LHS / First
German-Manitowoc WI), Luke Dorn (Luther HS /
St. John-Lewiston MN), Nic Gartner (MVL /
St. John-Redwood Falls MN), and Carl Boeder
(MVL / St. John-New Ulm MN).
“Honestly,” said Nic Gartner, “the idea of
singing in front of so many people is
terrifying, but at the same time, I couldn’t
be any more excited to use my God-given
singing ability to praise him, as well as
salute this country.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed the process of preaching for chapel from start to finish,” says Phil Waldschmidt (LPS / St. Jacobi-Greenfield WI). “There’s something so special about an honest, straightforward discussion, first with God in his Word, then with myself, then with God’s people. Did it seem a little scary at first? Yes! Did I get nervous beforehand? You bet! But the opportunity to dig deeper into Scripture and show my classmates God’s comfort and guidance trumps any nerves I had going into it.”
In addition to preaching an occasional sermon, preseminary majors like Phil concentrate on the biblical languages, Greek and Hebrew. They also study history and literature, math and science and PE. And some study other languages as well: maybe German or Latin, Spanish or Chinese. And of course they play sports and sing in choirs and act in plays and belong to clubs—all the ingredients of a great college experience! It’s just the kind of preparation they need to move on to Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, where they will continue their pastoral education.
The “Back to the Luther”
Homecoming theme sent
students scrambling across
campus to take pictures with
MLC icons, including the
Luther bust in the library.
Lucy Matteucci (CLHS / Living
Hope-Wildomar CA, pictured
right) says, “I loved that history
was mixed in with our campus
life in this event. We don’t
realize that history is all
around us!”
MLC preseminary students—often called SPAMmers because they’re enrolled in Studies in Pastoral Ministry (SPaM)—meet
regularly for fun and mutual encouragement at SPaM gatherings.
Isaac Hayes (pictured far left) explains: “The purpose of these gatherings is the brotherhood and fellowship with our fellow
brothers who are on the pastor track—not just among the students, but the professors as well. We gather together not only to
have a good time, enjoying entertainment and good food, but to encourage each other with the Word and assure each other of
Christ’s promises to us.”
See the beverage on the table? That would be orange drink. “The orange drink is the sacred elixir reserved for our SPaM
gatherings,” Isaac says.
And on a more serious note, he adds, “Here at the seminary,
we are praying that our brothers
at MLC may come here after their
college graduation and continue
to share in our brotherhood and
in the joy we have in Christ!”
Pictured from left are MLC
2017 graduates and first-year
seminary students Isaac Hayes
(ALA / Emmanuel-Tempe AZ),
Philip Schroeder (LPS /
St. Peter-Modesto CA),
Dan Schmidt (LPS / St.
Matthew-Oconomowoc WI),
and Yaffet Gabayehu (LPS
/ Shepherd of Peace-Powell
OH). The hands holding the
last letter belong to Jake
Shepherd (LPS / Christ Our
Redeemer-Aurora CO).
Their faces say it all. In May 2017 Amber Zibrowski (MVL /
Mt. Olive-Mankato MN) and Seth Zoellner (St. Croix LHS /
Bloomington-Bloomington MN) heard they were called to the
Milwaukee area, Amber to St. Lucas-Milwaukee and Seth to
Trinity-Waukesha. The couple was married in July.
The Call Service is a worship service like none other. At the end,
MLC grads listen carefully as the synod president announces where
each will begin their service, a place carefully chosen for them based
on their gifts and the congregation’s needs. It’s one of the most exciting
days in a young teacher’s life. Since the calls are issued in alphabetical
order, Miss Zibrowski and Mr. Zoellner had to wait a long time, but they
did hear their assignments within the same minute or two.
“I really enjoy going to the nursing home with Anchor,” says Bethany Lisowski (Luther HS / St. Matthew-Winona MN, pictured in the striped shirt).
Anchor, one of many MLC student organizations, is dedicated to gospel-motivated service. Meetings are held once a week, and students can sign up to help with activities.
“We usually do a craft with the nursing home residents, chat a bit, and sing a few hymns. They’re all such special people with interesting stories to tell, and it’s always a treat to be able to spend even a few hours making new friends with them.
This wonderful lady was telling us about how much she loved the green pattern on the paper because of her Irish heritage. These visits are an amazing opportunity to share our faith and let our lights shine, and I’m extremely grateful for them.”
