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It’s hard to imagine what the founders of Michigan Lutheran Seminary had in mind when they established this school in 1910. After 22 years as a pastor training seminary of the Michigan Synod, the school reopened on September 13, 1910 as a preparatory high school for the newly formed federation of the Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin Synods (later known as WELS). This rebirth began with a meager five students, four young men and one girl, Hilda Hoenecke, the daughter of the newly called director, O.J.R. Hoenecke. Four years later seven students would become the first graduating class of the new Michigan Lutheran Seminary. The school would be in the model of the German progymnasium with a curriculum that prepared students for the university. After graduation from MLS students could enter Northwestern College in Watertown, WI as a sophomore to continue training for the pastoral ministry, or they could enroll at Dr. Martin Luther College in New Um, MN to study for the teaching ministry. Students were also well-prepared to enter a public university for other vocations. One hundred and eight years after the first seven graduates of 1914 received their diplomas, this storied institution celebrated a milestone. Megan Beardslee, of Saginaw, MI, became the 5,000th graduate of Michigan Lutheran Seminary.
CARDINAL CONNECTION SUMMER 2022 Chief Editor Rev. Mark T. Luetzow Graphic Design Michael D. Priebe, MLS ‘94 www.mlsem.org Cardinal Connection is published in winter and summer free of charge for MLS alumni and friends. SUBMIT NEWS ITEMS TO: Michael Priebe, Public Relations mdp@mlsem.org SUBMIT ADDRESS CHANGES TO: Cathy Rothfuss, Mission Advancement car@mlsem.org [ FROM OUR PRESIDENT ] ON THE COVER Twins, Seth (left) and Leah Domke (Memorial, Williamston, MI), celebrate their graduation.
It’s hard to capture the changes that have happened over that century of education on the corner of Court and Hardin streets. From an opening enrollment of 5 students to its highest enrollment of 386, the student body continues to fluctuate in size. The campus, while still standing on its original tract of land from 1887, has seen buildings built and razed. The spoken language in classrooms and dorms has shifted from German to English and is now sprinkled with eclectic sounds of international students. The Latin names for the classes (Sexta, Quinta, Quarta, and Tertia) have given way to their American counterparts Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior. Latin is still taught to all freshmen, but Greek is now left for the college curriculum. Stenography has been replaced with Chromebooks and a Google suite of educational products. I’m confident Hilga Hoenecke would be slightly confused if she walked the halls of her alma mater today. What has not changed is the emphasis on a quality Christ-centered education that prepares students for every vocation, especially the public ministry of the gospel. MLS is still a seminary (Latin: garden, seed bed, nursery) for young faith that grows in the truth of God’s Word and in its desire to serve the Lord. This is not the result of an institution or its professors, but of the Spirit’s blessing being poured out on her five thousand graduates. For that reason, I’d like to think that the founding fathers of Michigan Lutheran Seminary would be proud of the MLS of today. Just maybe they would join in singing… God’s Word is our great heritage And shall be ours forever.
For 35 years the sound of Prof. Bode roaming the MLS hallways was unmistakable. Even after 45 years in ministry, his spry steps still made his keys dance close to his hip and his whistling of hymns in the hallway indicated his love for what he was called to do: teach and encourage. That he did. From 1987 until 2022, Prof. Marcus Bode was a model minister of the gospel for the students of MLS. Every single day he brought his love for the confessional languages into the classroom with an encouraging voice for his students to consider how they might serve the Lord in the future. He was the consummate servant teaching courses in Latin, German, Religion, Physical Education, Government, and Economics over his 35 years. That servant-like attitude carried over into athletics as he served as an assistant coach for the MLS football and cross country teams and head coach of the MLS wrestling program for 35 years. His influence on the ministry, not just here at MLS, but in our entire ministerial education system of WELS, is seen in the many faces that are now serving congregations and schools across our synod. A generation of graduates here at MLS has been touched by his quick wit, dad jokes, and, most importantly, his passion for the gospel. Thank you Prof. Bode for your many years of faithful service! Thank you also to his beloved wife, Karen, who was his biggest encourager and perfect helpmate during his entire ministry. Together they were an example of a minister's family and an encouraging voice for the students who knew and loved them. We wish them God’s richest blessings in their retirement!
PROF. BODE
MARCUS
RETIRES
Prof. Marcus & Karen Bode
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JA mes J. WestenDorf Years of Service at WLS: 1982-2011
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Present Hometown: Johnson Retirement equals vacancies. Savior, Fayetteville, N.C. (December Park, Ill. (March-July 2012); 2013); Prince of Peace, Traverse St. Paul, Grand Junction, Col. as a supply preacher at Shepherd and as a substitute teacher at David Valleskey, Paul O. Wendland, Armin Schuetze and Armin Panning
A LA n h . s igge LK o W Years of service at WLS: 1991-2010
Present Hometown: Thiensville, Since retirement he has served Counseling, counseling people geriatric counseling. The majority people with marriage problems continues to serve as a member Committee, the WELS/ELS Social Media Task Force, Conquerors Captives. He still serves as presented to pastors’ conferences finish a book on pastoral counseling.”
As a kid who grew up in Detroit, why did you choose to attend From what I recall, there never was any doubt that I would be attending MLS. As far back as I can remember, I wanted to follow my pastor father’s footsteps. The best place to go to begin my preparation was MLS with its specific purpose of preparing young men and women for service in the ministry. MLS was about 100 miles from my home in Detroit. I would often hitch-hike between my home and school. Hard to imagine
and five Valleskeygreat-grandchildren.servedaspastorat
St. Paul’s, Livingston, MT, from 1962-65. Then started a mission, Apostles, in San Jose, CA, and served there from to California, this time to Carlsbad. For a number of years he served congregational vacancies, after which he served part-time at their church, Beautiful Saviour. Valleskey retired again in 2021, but is still teaching Bible classes and preaching from
What has your MLS education My years at MLS helped to keep me solidly grounded in my faith and contributed to my desire to become a My education at MLS gave me a good, solid grounding in the Scriptures and also in all of the branches of learning. In addition to its emphasis on the Word, MLS was an excellent college prep school. Looking back, as much as I sometimes disliked the mandatory night-time study halls, it was probably a good thing for a young teenager like me who, if it was entirely up to me, may not have been inclined to spend enough time at my desk. My years at MLS also resulted in some long-lasting friendships. Close to 70 years after my graduation from MLS, I still am in contact with some of my former classmates. That’s one of the treasures of dormitory life.
Do you remember one professor that made an impact on your education? I’m going to name two. Possibly because I was a dorm student, I have a fond memory of a tutor, Paul Eickmann, who later served for many years as professor of Hebrew at Northwestern College. So many years later I cannot recall what classes he taught, but I remember loving to be in his classroom. I think that the professor who made the biggest impact on my education was Werner Franzmann. I admired his love for the student body and his wit. He loved puns. His teaching instilled in me a lifelong love for English literature. What is one of your fondest memories from high school? One of my treasured memories was being a part of the very first MLS football team. Prof. Lloyd Thompson was the coach. I loved sports (still do), but wasn’t all that athletic. But I made the team as a 145-pound very near-sighted starting offensive tackle. I remember that on kick-offs I would ask the guy next to me, “Chub” Bailey, if I remember correctly, to tell me if the ball was heading in my direction. I think I made the team because I was able to memorize the plays.
Considering the fact that the MLS of your day looks much different than the MLS of today, what is different about MLS today and what is remarkably the same? The facilities are certainly not the same. In my 9th grade, our classes were still in “Old Main,” which was torn down by a wrecking ball to make room for what was the “new” building. What remains the same is the singleminded purpose to provide the first step in the preparation of young men and women for the ministry. Not all become pastors and teachers of course; but many do embark on that path as a result of their years at MLS. We didn’t have “Taste of Ministry” experiences such as are offered at MLS now, which I’m sure helps to contribute to young people’s interest in pursuing a course that would one day make them ministers of the Andgospel.MLS has not deviated from the path of offering a solid biblical education that is in full harmony with the Scriptures and the confessional writings of the Lutheran church Please comment about what made MLS a special place to consider the vocation of ministry? Three things come to mind: 1. The school exists for that purpose in particular. It is an important first step. Its assignment is to prepare students for the next step in becoming full-time workers in the WELS. That’s its main business and it does it well.
3. Positive peer pressure. I think back to my years as president of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. One of the questions I would ask of each senior prior to graduation was what led him to desire to become a pastor. Many times the student would talk about the influence of a classmate or classmates. A ninth-grader is twelve years away from becoming a seminary graduate, almost as many years as he’s lived so far. Friendships are formed. Friends encourage one another when it seems like twelve years is like an eternity away. Students are not likely to get that kind of encouragement from fellow classmates at any other school than one that is designed particularly with the ministry in mind. You served as a parish pastor for many years and then as a professor and president of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary for 20 years. Anyone who has been blessed to be served by you, either in the parish or the classroom, knows you have a deep love for the ministry. With that perspective you are currently working on a book entitled The Splendid Task of Ministry. What is it about ministry that makes it splendid? Let me tell you a little story. When I was serving at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, I would often walk to school with Prof. Richard Balge. He lived across the street from us. As we walked and talked together, more than once he said to me something to the effect, “Just think, they actually pay us to do this!” With these words he was expressing the joy of serving in the “splendid task” of the ministry. Daily contact with the Word in devotional study. Preaching the Word, teaching the Word. Bringing God’s Word of comfort to the sick and infirm and troubled in heart. Using the Word to proclaim peace to those who don’t know what Jesus has done for them. And they pay you to do it! Yes, the ministry, whether as pastor or teacher is work. In Colossians, the Apostle Paul speaks of toiling and struggling (1:29). In 2 Corinthians he talks about laboring and going without sleep, about the pressure he feels every day that comes from his shepherd-concern for all the churches (11:27-28). Every pastor and teacher is going to have similar experiences. Struggle, toil, sleepless nights. Facing apathy and indifference, disappointments and defections. But none of that overshadows the splendor of the ministry. You do for a living what the rest of your members have to struggle to find time for in their busy lives! As an alumnus, what encouragement can you give to other alumni for the ministry of MLS? Pray. Pray. Pray. Encourage. Encourage. Encourage. Our Lord Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:37-38). God may well answer your prayers by using you to give a word of encouragement to a young person, your child, perhaps, or a young man or woman in your congregation, an encouragement to think about serving the Lord in the ministry. With that you might plant a seed that eventually germinates and sprouts and grows and turns into a pastor or teacher in the church
2. The entire full-time faculty all are committed to encouraging students to give serious, prayerful thought to a life of serving the Savior in the full-time ministry. That they do, both by what they say and by their example. Many are the graduates of MLS who did not choose to go on in study for the ministry who have become strong leaders in their congregations, at least partially as a result of their years at MLS.
5 SUMMER 2022 ~ CARDINAL CONNECTION CLASS OF 2022
“Don't be afraid because you're not facing them (unknown and known dangers that the future may hold) alone as you enter this new stage of life. Know that the Lord your God is going with you.” That’s the message Rev. David Mielke, Christ Lutheran in Oakley, MI, had for 37 graduating MLS seniors. MLS was blessed to have its 5000th graduate walk across the stage this year! Megan Beardslee (St. Paul's, Saginaw, MI) was honored with a plaque and was joined by the 4000th graduate, Mrs. Faith (Schmitzer) Naumann. Class speakers this year were Alexandra Schroeder (Good Shepherd, Burton, MI) and Benjamin Schoch (Zion, Chesaning, MI). Next fall 10 of these students will be headed to Martin Luther College to begin their training to serve their Savior in the public ministry. May the Lord bless all these students in whatever plan He has for them!
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid and do not be terrified before them, because the Lord your God is going with you. He will not abandon you and he will not forsake you.
Deuteronomy 31:6 (EHV)
I think we realized what a blessing it was to have each other as roommates. After hearing about different scholarships that are awarded by MLS at the end of the year, someone came up with the idea. It started off as a joke during our latenight conversation, almost like, “Let’s make a grant that’s given to a set of roommates.” But after a lot of encouragement and support from President Luetzow we realized that we could actually pull this off. Ultimately, the main motive of the idea was to give back to MLS, and support roommates who embody the type of friendship and love we have for each other and for the Lord. In your own words, what does it take to be an excellent roommate at MLS? Living in a dorm through your teenage years, you are quite literally growing up with your roommates. Being an excellent roommate means that you support and encourage each other in all facets of being an MLS dorm student. Church, chapel, classes, sports, music, theater, free time, and personal matters - are all different avenues of showing encouragement and love to your roommates.
Roommates are an integral part of the MLS experience for dorm students. For some, similar personalities are a necessary comfort when students are away from home. For others, a blend of personalities and experiences enriches the entire room. Some roommates are the perfect blend of encouragement and support. Others are a bit on the lively side which keeps each day interestingly unique. Having roommates who share the same faith can be a faith-enriching blessing for which we thank our God. That’s what four recent graduates of MLS wanted to capture when they established the Room 205 Grant.
The ‘excellent roommate’ isn’t necessarily the roommate with whom you have the most fun. Rather, being an excellent roommate is all about keeping each other accountable. You’re going to make a lot of mistakes through these years and having a close friend there to keep you in check is invaluable. For our specific situation I think it was like being brothers. Loving each other like brothers through the good and the bad is the most important. You are with them through a lot of crazy times and it’s about continuously loving them and encouraging them to grow socially, academically, and spiritually. You were blessed with roommates who obviously played a significant role in your high school years. Can you describe the impact they had on your MLS experience? I never felt alone while I was at MLS. Loneliness is something that a lot of modern day teenagers suffer from. Not only were my roommates always physically present but they challenged me to become more socially active, whether this was playing sports or a simple game of chess. They were friends who were always (figuratively and literally) there for me; they provided constant encouragement through difficult times. They encouraged me to stay constantly in God’s Word and held me accountable in that and in many other aspects of school and life.
Conceived and initially supported by four MLS roommates, this grant was recently established in thanksgiving for the continual spiritual and emotional support that they received from each other while on the MLS campus. The grant is awarded to returning roommates selected by the MLS Dorm Staff who best exemplify the encouraging spirit of an MLS roommate. The grant will be used to assist with the next year's Room and Board expenses of the recipients The Cardinal Connection staff interviewed those four roommates to capture their perspective on this unique grant. Explain for our Cardinal Connection readers where the idea for the Room 205 Scholarship came from.
7 SUMMER 2022 ~ CARDINAL CONNECTION ROOM 205 GRANT
FUTURE CALLED WORKERS
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NOTE FROM THE MLS FOUNDATION Have you missed out on the latest Foundation emails and know that you are signed up for them? We have been finding that certain email providers are blocking our emails or sending them to spam. To prevent this from happening, please be sure to add Josh Wakefield’s email (jrw@mlsem.org) to your contact list. This will ensure that emails from the Foundation get to your inbox. Don’t know if you are signed up for emails? Visit https://mls-foundation.org/ to sign up for email notifications from our office. What advice do you have for current MLS roommates?
Continue to encourage and look out for each other. Be there when one is down and keep one another on the right path. Be patient, be encouraging, and talk to them - whether it’s about big things or little things. Most of the blessings of a roommate come from not being afraid to talk to them whenever they need encouragement or correction. Remember to have fun together and give God the glory in everything that you do.
MLS appreciates the many gifts given by people like you, our friends and alumni. Please consider supporting the work MLS does to train future pastors, teachers and staff ministers. Scan this QR code to support MLS through an online gift. Or go to our website at https://www.mlsem.org/support/
The Cardinal Connection is also available digitally! If you or someone you know would prefer to receive an electronic version of the publication, please contact Michael Priebe at mdp@mlsem.org or by phone at 989-793-1010, ext 231 to make the change. If you want to support this grant, you are welcome to scan the QR code or visit the MLS Foundation website (https://mls-foundation.org) to make a donation. Gifts given in thanksgiving for your roommate(s) will be recognized in upcoming editions of the Cardinal Connection or in the MLS Foundation reports. If donations total $15,000 or more, the grant will become an endowed scholarship with a percentage distributed to current MLS roommates annually.
MLS has set a goal that no student will be turned away from an MLS education purely for financial reasons. One reason that MLS can confidently plan to meet that goal is the annual funding it gets from the WELS Ministerial Education Endowment Fund—over $50,000 a year. Contributions to that fund provide WELS’ four ministerial education schools with ongoing financial support since the endowment is designed to make steady annual distributions that increase as the fund grows. Learn more about WELS endowment funds at wels.net/foundation.
Final thoughts? When we were first beginning to discuss this grant, it was both interesting and encouraging to hear how many others had similar experiences with their MLS roommates and were still close friends years or decades later. While we were at MLS, we would often hear of the “generous donor” and the people who would give to the school for various reasons, and it’s kind of neat getting to be on the other end of it this time.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR
ADMISSIONS CORNER The
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• Megan Buth (Newnan, GA) - Tutor
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Please continue to keep our new and returning students in your prayers this summer and throughout the school year as they consider how they can best serve the Lord of the Church with their gifts. All those applications came through our very own Cardinal App, which completes a project the Admissions and Technology departments had been working toward for several years. Keep an eye on the MLS calendars and Facebook page to stay up to date for all the different ways you can visit campus and connect with us this coming school year! latest from Pastor Chartrand! Not only did MLS have three new tutors and one professor assigned this past May, but many former MLS alumni
• Carl Boeder (New Ulm, MN) - Music Professor
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Rebecca Carpenter (MLS '17) - St Matthew, Marathon, WI Adam Arrowsmith (MLS '18) Jessie (Amstein) Bue (MLS '17) Jacob Lewis (MLS '18) Micah Neumann (MLS '18) Rebecca Klement (MLS '16) Noah Nordlie (MLS '18) Andrew Owczarzak (MLS '17) Kara Peter (MLS '18) - St Paul, South Haven, MI Ethan Petermann (MLS '18) Laura Schrader (MLS '18) - Siloah, Milwaukee, WI Ziwen Shi (MLS '17) - Illinois Lutheran High School Kaylie Solomon (MLS '17) - Divine Savior Academy, Delray Beach, FL Nathan Spaude (MLS '18) - Holy Trinity, Des Moines, WA
ASSIGNMENT NEWS
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• Aiden Holien (Watertown, SD) - Tutor Brett Burger (Lake Mills, WI) - Tutor Joel Prange (MLS '14) - Grace, Dickinson, ND Nathanael Plocher (MLS '11) - Zion, Rhinelander, WI Joel Krieger (MLS '00) - Graduate Associate to the President of the Southeastern Wisconsin District
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MLS received over 60 applications for the Class of 2026, and we're excited to welcome our newest Cardinals to campus in August!
The MLS Concert Choir is currently in the process of tentatively planning a Texas tour over spring break 2023! Watch for details as they are available at www.mlsem.org.
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received assignments as well. MLS ASSIGNMENTS
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Barbara A.
BARKHOLTZ '60 Don and Jane Barkholtz
Hawkes
GARY
Wayne
D. Gust Robert Guthrie Joan B. Harry Craig and Kristin Heil
JANNA
J. HOLLENBECK
CROOK
Dale
David
TAMMY J.
A. Crook Charles and Barbara Roth Kirk Ware
J. HESKETT
and Lori Gieschen
LAWRENCE
VERNA
Marcus
LARRY
LUTHERAN, BAY CITY, MI SCHOOL STAFF Allan and Jill Ferrio In Memory of...
LARRY
J. DAST Lothar and Margo VonDaggenhausen
Eleanor
BILL
C. HECKMAN David and Celia Brohn
JUDY
BARKHOLTZ '61 Don and Jane Barkholtz
ARMBRUSTER
J. HEYN Ted and Myra Heyn Scott and Diane McCallum
Elizabeth J.
Carol
A. Stuhr
Terry
L. Aman Rex and Michele Batchelder
and Wendy Foelske
L. Johnston
CROOK Karl and Lorraine Neuman
JEAN
TRINITY
DAVID
Julie
D. HOLLENBECK Louis Peterman
DOUGLAS
and Karen Mischke Jeffrey N. Mischke Norman and Earlene Mischke Lois ArnoldAmyRandallRamseyH.RathjeRauandConnie Schultz Marilyn A. Schuster Bryan and Patricia Schwab Richard and Darlene Spannagel Joyce A. Tafel Barry and Kara Waters MICHAEL A. HUSBY Jo A. Carmichael ROBERT H. KNUTH Richard and Laurie Starr STEVEN L. KORTH Ned and Nancy Kleinke SILAS R. KRUEGER Ted and Myra Heyn JAMES D. LIGGETT Hogey and Janet Holtz RHONDA L. MARKER Marcus and Barbara Manthey ALLAN J. NORDER Anna G. Potter Wanda Potter DELWOOD NORDER Janis AndrewJoannBradleyWandaDianeDegeerVanHovelnPotterC.SchlicherR.SouthwellandAmanda Steiger Michael and Marilyn Thornburg MARY E. PINGEL Loraine L. Stindt DAVID SCHAFER James and Shirley Langebartels CAROL A. SMITH Karan Premo MILTON P. SPAUDE Lawrence and Kay Retberg DONALD L. THOMPSON Karen J. Doering RICHARD TOWNE Tammy J. Armbruster KARL J. VERTZ Karen SalemRonaldJohnMichaelArnoldHermanMatthewMarilynJudithCherylGarnetAffholterBirnerL.DienerA.DienerL.HoenerandJoyHuberandJoanLeuenbergerandConnieSchultzandMarilynThornburgandDianneVossandJoanZahnLutheran,SturgeonBay,WI CLARENCE E. WICHMANN Steven C. Wichmann
and Barbara Manthey
Kiepke
10SUMMER 2022 ~ CARDINAL CONNECTION THANKS TO OUR GENEROUS DONORS Tribute gifts given to MLS from January 1, 2022 – June 30, 2022. Gifts to the MLS Foundation are found on the Foundation website www.mls-foundation.org In Honor of...
R. Longanbach
Donald
Philip
BEHRMANN
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