Blessed is the man whose delight is in the Word of the Lord.
Just when candidates and vicars thought they might get a break, Rev. Stephen Preus, brother of one of the graduates, reminded them in his sermon on II Corinthians 13:1-14: “Test yourselves” if you want to be faithful servants of the Lord for His Church. He added, this might prove difficult at times, since few in the world want to hear about their sins or the need for grace alone; but it is necessary. As all were reminded in the collects, vicars need practice, so “all may see your progress,” and candidates were urged to pay careful attention to themselves and “to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.”
The hymns and readings at the Placement and Call Service for the three vicars and three 
candidates from Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary, St. Catharines, held Saturday, 30 May 2015, the Eve of Holy Trinity, at Christ Lutheran Church, likewise reflected on such readiness to serve by one prepared to “meditate on His Word day and night.” In attendance were 165 people, and at least 50 took advantage of the live-streaming. The Seminary Guild hosted a reception for all after the service.
This annual spring ritual encourages the eager vicars and newly-certified candidates and assigns them their placements and calls. Andrew Cottrill will serve Christ Lutheran Church in Timmins, Ontario, under the supervision of Rev. David Smilek. Milton Lam heads west to Winkler, Manitoba, where he will serve Trinity Lutheran under the supervision of Rev. Alex Klages. Paul Schulz was assigned to Immanuel Lutheran Church in Terre Haute, Indiana, to work with Rev. Jacob R. Sutton. Receiving their first placements to serve as pastors were James Preus, to Trinity, Ottumwa, Iowa; Joseph Singh (a PAT graduate) to Assistant Pastor at Our Saviour, Etobicoke, Ontario; and Jeff Swords to St. John Lutheran, Angola, New York. An Edmonton graduate, Aaron Astley, will fill the nearby vacancy at Redeemer, Hamilton/Christ Our Saviour, Grimsby, Ontario. East District President, Rev. Paul Zabel and Eastern District representative, Rev. Alan Bauch, presented each student with their documents and welcomed them into the respective synods.
In addition to encouraging these new servants, the worship service also recognized individuals for past service. Mr Gordon Martens, from Warman, Saskatchewan, received the Delta Chi Medal. He has been active in his congregation and community and also by serving on the Board of Directors of Lutheran Bible Translators–Canada. Seminary President, Dr. Thomas Winger, also paused to wish Godspeed and farewell to Dr William Mundt on retiring from 15 years of full-time service to Concordia. This coincides with the 40th anniversary of his ordination.
More photos are available here.
Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary 