Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, is pleased to announce that Dennis Rhoads received a call to be a pastor at John Lutheran Church, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and Bradley Kelly received a vicarage (internship) assignment to Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, Stevensville, Michigan. The assignments were given during the Seminary's morning chapel service on January 28, 2004.

The master of divinity degree (M.Div.) program is the academic degree program in which most students who desire to be pastors, missionaries or chaplains in The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod enroll. It is a four-year program, including a one-year vicarage (internship).The certificate program (alternate route) is an abbreviated program of preparation for students who meet certain criteria involving age and previous experience in church work. It is a three-year program, including the one-year vicarage which converts into the student's call upon completion of the program.

These students join more than 11,000 graduates from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, who have been prepared to serve as pastors, missionaries and chaplains in The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod.

The Seminary's spring placement is scheduled for Tuesday, April 27, 2004. On this day, approximately 200 men will receive vicarage assignments and calls into the pastoral ministry during worship services at 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., respectively. Both services will be Web cast from the Seminary's Web site (www.csl.edu).

Congregations interested in receiving a vicar should contact Prof. Glenn Nielsen (314) 505-7211 and congregations interested in extending a call to a seminarian should contact Prof. Larry Rockemann (314) 505-7200. Both can be contacted by writing to Concordia Seminary, 801 DeMun Ave., St. Louis, MO 63105.