Star. Our goal is to increase the base of support for the young adult ministry at UNI and in the community.

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1 Star Northeastern Iowa Evangelical September 2010 Volume 23, Issue 7 Lutheran Church in America Strengthening the Church Campus Ministry Ready to Spread its Wings A partnership of two local congregations will lead a new era in Lutheran Campus Ministry By Marcia Hahn From the roaring 20s through the turbulent sixties to the digital age of the 21st century, the Lutheran Student Center in Cedar Falls has served as the base for Lutheran Campus Ministry at the University of Northern Iowa. This year, the center s ministry will return to its roots as an outreach of local congregations to reach beyond the campus and connect with a broader network of Christian support. Pastor Gary Hedding Pastor Dave Kebschull Cedar Falls pastors Gary Hedding of Bethlehem Lutheran and Dave Kebschull of St. John Lutheran are spearheading the transition of the Lutheran Student Center from a campus-based ministry to a congregation-based ministry that will serve young adults throughout the Cedar Valley area. Speaking as one voice, Hedding and Kebschull say that connecting the student center to their two congregations will bring increased resources of personnel and financial support, making it a more affordable and expansive ministry. Our goal is to increase the base of support for the young adult ministry at UNI and in the community. Instead of one pastoral director, the center will be served by a pastoral team that includes Hedding and Kebschull, along with Chris Tripolino, young adult ministry team leader at St. John, and Robin Souhrada, youth ministry director at Bethlehem. According to Hedding and Kebschull, young adults will have greater opportunities to connect with congregation members of both churches in the same way they would at their own hometown churches. Some of those connections began earlier this summer when pastors, congregation members and Lutheran Student Center Board members worked side-by-side with UNI students to renovate the 100-year-old Victorian house where the Lutheran Student Center is located. The renovation project was even incorporated into the Extreme Transformation theme at St. John s vacation Bible school. As the children learned about the transforming power of God in their lives, they witnessed the transformation of the Lutheran Student Center through daily videos of the renovation progress. The Lutheran Student Center, located across from the University of Northern Iowa campus, has served the college community since In This Issue >> Continued on page 2 1 Campus Ministry Ready to Spread its Wings 3 Listen to the Call to Serve 4 Offerings to Support Scholarship Fund for Seminary Students 5 Iowa Pastor Serves Lord and Nation 7 Mission Support: Together We Make Mission Happen 9 Events, Congregations 10 Prayer Calendar

2 Campus Ministry... << Continued from page 1 The Lutheran Student Center will continue to offer its regular line-up of events, including Wednesday evening worship services and the twice-weekly LaVida evenings in which students can share coffee, art, music and discussions. UNI students will continue to participate in synod-sponsored service projects, such as mission trips and the synod s annual middle school lock-in at UNI. The center will maintain its relationships with other campus ministries and groups, and will open its space for groups to use for meetings and events that have a mission in Christ. The Lutheran Student Center has always served as an intentional living community for a handful of students, and that opportunity will continue with an added covenant for residents to support each other in their faith. Through shared values and shared activities and meals, the community living environment will reflect and reinforce on a daily basis the faith of those who live there. Though most of the center s programs will remain in place, Hedding and Kebschull say that the center s ministry will reflect a cultural shift that is more about networks than St. John Members Nick Menefee and Chris Tripolino pull down remnants of ceiling in an office at the Lutheran Student Center. programs. The pastors plan to utilize tools such as the Google calendar, Facebook, text messages, and s to stay connected with the students and young adults. They also plan to expand the opportunities for small group discussions, Bible studies and other sessions at the center as a way for the students to build trusted support with each other. We want to help the students engage in intimate conversations that will help them grow as disciples with the Lord, Hedding and Kebschull say. Hedding and Kebschull see networking and congregational involvement as keys to reach out to the large number of young adults who work fulltime or who attend the area s other colleges Hawkeye Community College, Allen College, Kaplan College and the Upper Iowa Waterloo campus. Connecting them to the St. John and Bethlehem congregations can be a more inclusive and familiar ministry and offer more opportunities for intergenerational activities and mentoring. This ministry is not about having an office and office hours, it s more about being networked, the pastors say. We get texted and ed 24/7. We meet the students on their terms. According to Pastor Mark Anderson, assistant to the bishop, the congregations involvement in the new campus ministry is a strategic investment. It will 2 Northeastern Iowa Synod Jane Nelson, a member of Bethlehem Lutheran and the Lutheran Student Center Board, paints a wall during the center s recent renovation. help bring young adults their energy and skills to their congregations, says Anderson, who helped develop the ministry s new paradigm. It s going to be a marvelous, mutually beneficial relationship. Representatives from St. John, Bethlehem and the Northeastern Iowa Synod office, and UNI students comprise the Lutheran Student Center Board of Directors. Pastor Scott Duffus served as the center s director for the last five years. As the ministry begins a new approach, Hedding and Kebschull express their gratitude for the support they have received from the center s board of directors, the synod staff and council, the congregations and the community, and for Pastor Duffus ministry at the center. St. John pastors were involved in forming this ministry decades ago, so in some ways the ministry is coming full circle back to where it started, Hedding and Kebschull say. Our focus will be to help young adults understand their walk with Christ to equip them for ministry and send them. Follow the Lutheran Student Center on Facebook or visit

3 Bishop Listen to the Call to Serve The New Frontier...sums up not what I intend to offer the American people, but what I intend to ask of them. John F, Kennedy s 1960 speech accepting the Democratic nomination for President This past summer, Ruth and I enjoyed a trip to Boston to visit our daughter Kara. We had a wonderful time together. One of the highlights was to visit the JFK presidential library. It was a powerful experience to relive a part of American history that had such an impact on our personal development. It was also renewing to once again experience how a person s faith had shaped his commitment to public service. From his acceptance speech to his inauguration address ( Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country. ), President Kennedy s leadership provided a clarion call to empty oneself for the greater good. It inspired a generation to serve our country by serving others. Surely his Christian faith shaped his understanding of the world. When Jesus said that he did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many, John Kennedy listened. My hope is that we will listen as carefully. I do not remember a time when our culture and many within our church have so vehemently argued that the faith is about what is in it for me, how we are only for those who agree with us, and that it is every person for himself or herself. Where is the larger and deeper question of service for others? It is hard to hear it in the cacophony of self service, fear and anxiety. Yet, Jesus continues to speak truth to our generation. Life is not all about me and those who are like me. It is about service of the least among us. Faith is not about what the church will do for us but what we will do through the church to speak Good News to the poor, feed hungry people and work for God s justice in the world. In the midst of angry news analysts and suspicious purveyors of the culture, we are called to live lives of faith, trust, hope and love of our neighbors. Our lives, our country and our church are in God s hands. What shall we fear? Steven L. Ullestad Bishop, Northeastern Iowa Synod Building Men for Christ Workshop Lutheran men are invited to attend the Building Men for Christ workshop set for Nov. 5-6 at Nazareth Lutheran, Cedar Falls. The 24-hour workshop is designed to help church leaders develop life-changing men s ministries for their congregations. Workshop presenters are Doug Haugen, Lutheran Men in Mission executive director, and Lon Buss, Region 5 representative for the Lutheran Men in Mission Board. The workshop will be based on the No Man Left Behind model for a thriving disciple-making ministry for every man in the church and the book Coming of Age, which explores the spirituality and identify of younger men. Registration fees for the event are $95 per person, $200 for three or four from one congregation, or $50 per person for five or more from one congregation. No charge for a rostered leader with at least one man from the congregation attending. Friday supper, Saturday lunch, two books and materials are included. To learn more or to download a poster or registration brochure, visit September

4 Offerings to Support Scholarship Fund for Seminary Students Two upcoming giving opportunities will help boost the Northeastern Iowa Synod Leadership Endowment Fund. Special offerings at the Fall Theological Conference and at worship services on Reformation Sunday, both in October, will go toward the endowment fund to provide scholarships for seminary students in the Northeastern Iowa Synod. The 2003 Northeastern Iowa Synod Assembly requested establishment of the fund as a way to help students with the high costs of seminary education and to encourage new people to enter the ministry. Since its creation, the fund has reached nearly one-third of its $150,000 funding goal when the scholarships can begin to be awarded. According to Pastor Darrel Gerrietts, assistant to the bishop, providing scholarships to seminary students is necessary in order to bring more first call pastors to Northeastern Iowa. Pastors must complete four years for a bachelor s degree, then two years of seminary classes, a one-year internship, and then one more year of seminary classes, Gerrietts explains. Then they re supposed to go out with eight years of student loans and pay it back on a pastor s salary. It can t be done. Gerrietts says that the idea of churches supporting the cost of seminary education goes back to what churches originally did when the cost of education was much lower. Church offerings have stayed static since the ELCA was formed, and as a result, today s higher cost of education is being born by the students. The Northeastern Iowa Synod currently has 13 active candidates in some level of formal education or internship within the seminary. Students at Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque will spend $13,000 per year in just tuition and fees, on top of any debts from their undergraduate education. Gerrietts points out two ways the synod is helping support students financial needs: Consult with students while in candidacy to advise them on how to properly structure their debts; do fundraising for scholarships. Students can go into only so much debt, so we tell them they may need to drop out of school at some point and pay some of it off before continuing, Gerrietts says. A few churches offer their own financial support to seminary candidates. Many congregations and the synod also support the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Fund for Leaders in Mission which has been awarding scholarships to seminary students since Minna Quint, a Ryan native who is in her first year at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, received scholarships from both the ELCA and the seminary. Together, the two scholarships pay for her seminary tuition, but Quint says she still needs student loans to cover her living expenses. We are allowed to work only five hours a week while in seminary or we can t keep up with our studies, Quint says. They really want us to focus on school work to make sure we re moving along and understanding scripture. Quint s goal is to work in a youth and family-oriented ministry, but she says the need to pay off her student loans may limit what call she can accept. With debt of $30,000 from her undergraduate education, Quint says that every bit of financial support and scholarship helps. I don t know what I would have done if I hadn t received the scholarships, Quint says. It is such a relief and blessing. Northeastern Iowa Synod Bishop Rev. Dr. Steven L. Ullestad - ullestads@neiasynod.org Assistants to the Bishop Rev. Mark A. Anderson - andersonm@neiasynod.org Rev. Darrel W. Gerrietts - gerriettsd@neiasynod.org Linda J. Hudgins - hudginsl@neiasynod.org Rev. Nancy J. Larson - nancy_larson@elca.org STAR Editors Marcia Hahn - hahnm@neiasynod.org Julie Drewes - jdrewes@mchsi.com The STAR is published 11 times a year by the Northeastern Iowa Synod, th Street SW, PO Box 804, Waverly, IA ; phone , FAX Send news for the October issue to Marcia Hahn by September 2. We welcome story ideas related to the 2010 theme, Strengthening the Church. Articles in this newsletter may be duplicated for use in synod congregations and organizations, with credit to the Star newsletter. Please notify the synod office with name and address changes. Minna Quint 4 Northeastern Iowa Synod

5 Iowa Pastor Serves Lord and Nation Lance Kittleson, pastor for St. Peter, Toeterville, and Deer Creek, Carpenter, has taken a leave from his Iowa ministry to serve as a chaplain to American troops in Iraq. A member of the Army Reserve, Col. Kittleson began training for his deployment in February, with plans to return to his parish in July That is a huge sacrifice for my congregations, but they have been nothing but supportive, Kittleson said. Col. Lance Kittleson, right, talks with a fellow chaplain in Kuwait. Kittleson arrived in Kuwait in early June for two weeks of combat medical training that included a simulated firefight. He practiced providing treatment in a darkened tent with the sounds of small arms, machine gun fire and mortars, along with disorienting strobe lights. Best EMT training I ve had in a long time, Kittleson said. From there, Kittleson moved to Joint Base Balad in Iraq where he served a year-long combat tour in He currently serves as the Garrison Chaplain and Command Chaplain for the Des Moines-based 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) made up of more than 5,000 active Army, National Guard and Army Reserve troops, including about 15 unit ministry teams of chaplains and chaplain assistants. Being an Army chaplain is about providing freedom of religion to American soldiers of any faith and being with the soldiers where they live, work and fight, Kittleson says. On July 4 Kittleson s birthday he wore full body armor and rode with troops in the back of a mine resistant ambush protected vehicle (MRAP) to Baghdad. Apart from missing his family, Kittleson said that nothing could have been better on his birthday than sharing the road and uncertainty with those young soldiers. In the Army, if the troops are in danger, the Chaplain needs and must share that with them in order to do incarnational ministry, Kittleson said. It is a privilege to do so with these young troops who happen to be from our Iowa Army Reserve Unit and from the Louisiana National Guard. Kittleson said that the number of liturgical Christians in the military is small, as is attendance at worship services. Gospel worship services have the largest attendance, with Southern Baptists comprising about one-third of all Army chaplains. The chaplain s workload is heavier in counseling than worship due to the long, repeated separations and hardships the soldiers and their families face. The biggest heroes of deployment, Kittleson Col. Lance Kittleson celebrates his birthday and Independence Day with American troops in Baghdad. believes, are the families back home who keep life running without a spouse, father or mother around, while wondering if their loved one overseas is safe. When my own son was in a bad neighborhood of Baghdad for a year as an Army Reserve civic affairs officer, I dreaded every slam of a car door outside my house, praying as I looked out the window that it was not two soldiers and a chaplain in uniform coming to notify us of his being killed in action, Kittleson explained. That is what families experience every day, to one extent or another, for a year. The spouses, kids and families are true combat veterans. September

6 Church Groups Pitch In at Parkersburg Volunteers from Lutheran churches in the Northeastern Iowa Synod and even Wisconsin have responded to the invitation to help build a new Habitat for Humanity home in Parkersburg. Church members from Trinity Lutheran in Dubuque (left) and a men s group from Our Savior s Lutheran in Sun Prairie, Wis. (center) are among the church groups that have worked on the project. St. John-Vilmar, Greene, and Zion Lutheran, Oelwein, have also sent volunteers to help build. Faith, Shell Rock, has raised $500 for the project, and Bethel Lutheran, Parkersburg, has served as the host church. Volunteers will continue to be needed through the fall. Contact Pastor Mark Anderson, , or Jennifer Heeren, Butler County volunteer corodinator, at , to learn more. Assembly Offering A total of $8, was received in 2010 Assembly offerings for the Synod Fund for Leaders in Mission and the Companion Synod Travel Fund. Gifts are still being accepted. Please make checks payable to the Northeastern Iowa Synod. Jr. High/Middle School Lock-In Oct UNI Wellness Recreation Center Cedar Falls, Iowa Obituaries Pastor Charles Hart died July 22, He was ordained June 9, 1946 and served as pastor of Christ Lutheran, Nauvoo, Ill.; Zion, La Porte City; St. John, Arlington; and as chaplain of the Mental Health Institute, Independence, Iowa. He retired July 1, The funeral service was Aug. 7, 2010, at St. Peter Lutheran, Denver. He is survived by his wife, Mildred, and their four children. Expressions of sympathy may be sent to his daughter, Ruth Goldenstein, th St., Aurora IA Memorials may be directed to the EWALU chapel fund. Pastor Marlin Ingebretson died July 14, He was ordained May 1, and served as pastor of St. Paul and Upper Fall River, Eureka, Kansas; Bethesda, Jewell; on the faculty at Waldorf College, Forest City; and as pastor of Trinity and Ullensvang, Thor, Iowa; Peace, Ryan; and St. Paul, Thornton. He retired Aug. 1, The funeral service was July 19, 2010, at St. Paul Lutheran, Thornton. Expressions of sympathy may be sent to his wife, Marilyn Ingebretson, PO Box 58, Thornton IA Pastor Milton Eklund died July 7, He was ordained May 14, 1954, and served as pastor of the following congregations: Grace, Lewellen, Neb.; St. Mark, Sioux City, Iowa; St. Paul, Missouri Valley, Iowa; Elfsborg, Pomeroy, Iowa; Good Shepherd, Washington, Kansas; and St. John, Hampton, Iowa. He retired Sept. 1, The funeral service was July 13, 2010, at St. Paul Lutheran, Hampton. He is survived by four children. Expressions of sympathy may be sent to his daughter, Frida Maiers, 1313 East 92nd Street, Bloomington, MN Northeastern Iowa Synod

7 Mission Support: Together We Make Mission Happen By Pastor Nancy Larson Director for Evangelical Mission and Assistant to the Bishop In 2003, the Northeastern Iowa Synod in Assembly adopted a strategy intended to strengthen our connectedness in mission. A three-step rotational process was established in order that we would intentionally celebrate our partnership in mission and renew our resolve to fully support this mission. The strategy that established this consultation rotation identified four pieces of its mission: Support the mission of the ELCA in making Christ known through stewardship education. Stir up a passion in the pastors and members of congregations for the mission of Jesus Christ. Conference Gatherings Council Visits + + Mission + + Mailings 2010 Consultation Rotation Congregational Council Visits Prairie Grace Conference Upper Iowa River Conference Wartburg Conference Conference Gatherings This fall we will once again implement this process. Thirty trained visitors will visit 60 congregation councils, congregational leaders in three conferences will be invited to meet in conference gatherings, and approximately 60 congregations will receive materials by mail. The 30-minute council visits are structured to begin with Bible study and prayer followed by a time to say thank you for partnership in mission, a time to listen to how God is at work in each congregation, and a time to share information about the work of the Northeastern Iowa Synod and the ELCA. Make congregations and their members more aware of stewardship as an expression of faithful discipleship. Foster increased cooperation and partnership among congregations. The strategy also articulated the following three goals: To encourage a passion for the larger ministry of the church. To encourage an attitude of thanksgiving expressed in generosity. To provide resources to congregations in support of the mission of the ELCA. Bethany Conference tuesday, September 14 Zion, Dysart Cedar River Conference thursday, September 16 bethlehem, Cedar Falls Lake Conference tuesday, September 7 trinity, Belmond Riverside Conference thursday, September 9 our Savior, Radcliffe Congregational Mailings Mason City Conference Shechem Conference Shepherd of the Hills Conference Water of Life Conference September

8 Life-Long Learning for Lutherans The following events and courses will be offered during the fall series of Life-Long Learning for Lutherans. For schedule updates and registration forms, visit the Northeastern Iowa Synod website at events or contact Susan Friedrich, registrar, at or Making Sense of Scripture Sunday, Sept. 12, 6:30-8:30 p.m. McCaskey Lyceum, Wartburg College, Waverly A look at understanding the Bible, presented by Dr. David Lose. Free and open to the public. Monday, Sept. 13, 9 a.m. 2 p.m. Nazareth Lutheran Church, Cedar Falls Dr. Lose offers three presentations that follow up on the theme from his Sept. 12 program. Early registration fee $25; after Sept. 3, $30. Lutheran Heritage: Lutherans in America Five Sundays Oct. 3, 10, 24 & Nov. 7, 14 Zion Lutheran, West Union A video course about the history of Lutheranism in America, facilitated by Pastor David Grant. Register by Monday, Sept. 20. Fee is $50 per student. How to Interpret the Bible St. Peter Lutheran, Denver A video presentation featuring the Rev. Dr. Mark Allan Powell of Trinity Seminary. Dates to be determined. Bonhoeffer Today St. John Lutheran, Charles City Video presentation about the philosophies of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, whose life was cut short due to his faithful opposition to the Nazi regime in Germany. Dates to be determined. Fall Theological Conference is Oct The Rev. Dr. Rolf Jacobson, associate professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary, will be the featured speaker at the Fall Theological Conference set for Oct at the Best Western Midway, Dubuque. The conference will focus on Strengthening the Church through Bible Study. The Rev. Dr. Rolf Jacobson is an in-demand speaker Jacobson and author whose writings deal with the Old Testament s reflections on theology and ethics, as well as its psalms and poetry. Registration for the conference is due Thursday, Sept. 30, to the synod office. The fee for the conference is $90 per person, including meals. To download a registration form, visit www. neiasynod.org/events. Learn About Jail and Prison Ministry at Sept. 19 Meeting An informational meeting about volunteer opportunities with the Jail and Prison Ministry for Northeast Iowa is set for 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 19, at West Union United Methodist Church, West Union. The Northeastern Iowa Synod is working in partnership with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Dubuque the ministry s sponsor to recruit volunteers who can support and mentor ex-offenders from Northeast Iowa as they try to rebuild their lives after release from prison. People can volunteer for the ministry in two ways: as part of a small group circle of support and accountability that welcomes an ex-offender to the community and offers support and guidance for living a responsible life; as a mentor who offers guidance and friendship in a one-to-one relationship with an ex-offender to promote constructive attitudes and law-abiding behavior. Deacon Bill Hickson of Catholic Charities will lead the Sept. 19 meeting, which is hosted by the Ministerial Group of West Union and open to anyone interested in attending. To register, contact Pastor Harold Peterson at or paspete65@hotmail.com. A bulletin insert can be downloaded at 8 Northeastern Iowa Synod