New Ulm, MN – Our help is needed in honoring and carrying forward the gospel ministry legacy of Jim Unke, MLC’s long-time Athletic Director who passed away last summer. Anyone who knew Jim knew that he cared deeply about athletics at MLC, but his passion for sports at the college was singularly focused on assisting in the growth and development of future pastors, teachers, and staff ministers. The Jim Unke Memorial Scholarship will honor and carry forward Coach Unke’s legacy of gospel ministry by financially supporting the training of future pastors, teachers, and staff ministers at MLC for long into the future. The campaign is seeking to raise $25,000 over 25 days in honor of Jim’s 25 years of service to MLC as Athletic Director. Please partner with the “25-25-25 Campaign” in carrying forward Jim’s ministry impact at MLC for generations to come through the establishment of the Jim Unke Memorial Scholarship!
Here’s how you can partner with the campaign:
Click here to watch the Jim Unke Memorial Scholarship video.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day at MLC prepares students for ministry in a multicultural society. MLC’s upcoming celebration of MLK Day takes place on January 16, 2023, and centers on 1 Corinthians 12:12: “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.”
MLC will host keynote speaker Ronald Kelly and provide a variety of activities for the campus family, including a social dynamic simulation, a movie discussion, choir and fine arts workshops, a panel discussion, and more.
Pictured: Keynote speaker Ronald Kelly with his family
Despite the darkness of our world, God’s gracious gift of his Son brings light that can never be extinguished. This truth was the theme for the 2022 Christmas concert: Dawn of Redeeming Grace.
On November 14-18, the Cultural Engagement Center (CEC) celebrated International Education Week.
International Coordinator Professor Tingting Schwartz said, “I found International Education Week to serve two purposes: empowering our international students to share their unique stories and perspectives, and increasing cultural awareness on campus so that we can be better equipped for the Great Commission.”
Each day of the week, one of MLC’s international students read Scripture in their home language during morning chapel. On November 18, Yijin Wang (pictured) read Malachi 4 in Mandarin.
The CEC also hosted nightly presentations on students’ experiences abroad. Offerings included presentations from Rebekah White (Loving Shepherd-Milwaukee), Katherine Boehlke (Good Shepherd-Burnsville MN), and Kendra Rivera (Messiah-South Windsor CT) about studying abroad in Berlin, Limerick, and London, respectively, and a discussion with the International Student Panel.
The administration of Martin Luther College is working to fill the position of the MLC Athletic Director that Jim Unke faithfully served for 25 years. In consultation with the Executive Committee of the MLC Governing Board, the administration is moving ahead with a three-part interim plan:
The memorial service for Jim Unke will be held this Sunday, August 7, at 4:00 pm in the Chapel of the Christ on the MLC campus at 1995 Luther Court, New Ulm, MN. It will also be live-streamed on the MLC website here. Visitation will take place before the service from 12:00 – 4:00 pm. Pastor Nathan Scharf will officiate, and a private burial service will be held at a later date. Following the service, there will be light refreshments in the MLC cafeteria in the Luther Student Center.
Today (Saturday, July 30), in wisdom far beyond our own, and in boundless love for us in Christ that is also at times hard for us to fully understand, God has seen fit to call to himself in heaven the soul of our brother, Jim Unke.
After the stroke Jim suffered on Friday, July 15, it became clear, as last week drew to a close, that the fatal brain injury the stroke caused would mean that God would soon be calling his faithful servant home to himself in heaven.
We will be sure to pass on information about Jim’s funeral service as soon as that is shared with us.
You may recall that just this April, Jim was among those on our campus who thanked God for completing a significant ministry milestone as he celebrated 40 years of public gospel ministry:
The seal of MLC where Jim served so faithfully for 25 years has the Latin word vivit (“he lives”) inscribed around the outside. Vivit is a reminder that, in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus, we have the certainty that God has declared us not-guilty and that because Jesus lives, we too shall live (John 14:25).
On this day, Jim has begun to experience in a whole new glorious way that truth on our MLC seal under which he served for 25 years, Yes, even on this day of Jim’s death, this is true: Vivit!
Please remember to keep in your prayers Jim’s wife Lori, their children, grandchildren, and the rest of their extended families, as they mourn the earthly loss of a faithful and loving husband, father, and grandfather. Please keep our college of ministry in your prayers as our campus family feels the earthly loss of a friend, a co-worker, and a brother in Christ.
But, in Christ, while we do indeed grieve, we do not grieve without hope as the unbelieving world does (1 Thessalonians 4:13). We grieve in hope. Why? Vivit!
In Him,
Rich Gurgel
President, Martin Luther College
