Here our Lord’s mission continues, albeit in unprecedented ways. The Seminary is located in St. Louis County. The county, St. Louis City and the state of Illinois have imposed “stay at home” orders that have drastically changed how we pursue our mission. All classes are now online. All meetings are online. Students are either staying on campus or are back in their homes of origin. A virtual Call Day service will be held April 28. A skeleton crew of workers is on campus to support e-learning and our physical and financial infrastructures. More changes will come as our leadership team continues to monitor health guidelines and government orders. I invite you to follow developments on our website.

Through all of this we are grateful for many things. We are grateful to all who have supported us through the years because, under God’s grace, the Seminary is in a strong position to take the shocks of this pandemic. We are grateful for our faculty, staff and administrators who are showing goodwill and excellent cooperation in coping with all the changes forced upon us. We are grateful for our students. They are disappointed that the closeness of campus life must be gone for a season but, digital natives that they are, they are strengthening the ties that bind in new ways, ways that will be used in their coming ministries. Above all, our humble gratitude is to our God and Lord. We on campus have been very intentional about coping with this crisis with explicit trust and confidence in the goodness of God given to us in all His promises centered in Jesus Christ. That’s the way you’re facing this crisis too.

In closing, I’m finding great solace and guidance in our Lutheran hymnody.