Thirteen students in the Specific Ministry Pastor Program (SMP) received their first calls during morning chapel on Friday, Oct. 11, at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. One call is still pending.

• Brock Cain, The Lutheran Church of the Pines, Waveland, Miss.
• Timothy Carter, Salem Lutheran, Tomball, Texas
• Azor Cigelske, Zion Evangelical Lutheran New Holstein, Wis.
• Jeremy DaPena, Shepherd of the Desert, Scottsdale, Ariz.
• Gary Dunker, Faith Evangelical Lutheran, Lincoln, Neb.
• Joel Fridgen, Concordia Lutheran, Hagerstown, Md.
• Jose Gonzalez, Epiphany Lutheran, Pearland, Texas
• Amos Gray, First Lutheran, Hot Springs, Ark.
• Ronald Howard,  St. John Lutheran, Long Beach, Calif.
• A.J. Mastic, St. John’s Lutheran, Denver, Colo.
• Jackson Onkka, Grace Lutheran, Pensacola, Fla.
• Darren Scruggs, Hosanna Lutheran, Mankato, Minn.
• Edward Thayer, Family of Faith Lutheran, Middletown, N.Y.
• Michael Vieregge, Call pending

Photo: Front row, from left: Joel Fridgen, Timothy Carter, Edward Thayer, Brock Cain; second row: Gary Dunker, Michael Vieregge, Azor Cigelske, Darren Scruggs, Jose Gonzalez, Jeremy DaPena, A.J. Mastic; third row: Rev. Wayne Knolhoff, Jackson Onkka, Amos Gray, Ronald Howard, Dr. David Wollenburg.

The SMP program is designed to meet the needs of the church for pastors in mission and ministry opportunities where a pastor with a seminary degree may not be available. In order to be eligible for the SMP program men must be serving in a ministry of a Lutheran congregation which desires their service as a pastor. They must be nominated for the program by their District President. Based upon this nomination, and their previous ministry experiences, the men begin their academic work as concurrent-deferred vicars.

For more information, contact creative services, Concordia Seminary, 801 Seminary Place, St. Louis, MO 63105; 314-505-7379; [email protected].