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Newsletter
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December 2024
Dear Friends,
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto His
servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by
His angel unto His servant John: 2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of
the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he
that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those
things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. 4 John to the seven
churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and
which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his
throne; 5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first
begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that
loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings
and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and
ever. Amen. 7 Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and
they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of
Him. Even so, Amen. 8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith
the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”
Revelation 1:1-8
The new church year begins with the season of Advent, which is the celebration
of the coming of Jesus Christ. Actually, during Advent we celebrate the
three-fold coming of Our Lord: past, present and future. As the Apostle John
shares with us in the book of Revelation “I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is
to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8
We mark the first advent of Our Lord in the season of Christmas, wherein we
celebrate God coming to us in the past in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ.
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His
glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and
truth.” John 1:14
Jesus comes to us in the present through Word and Sacrament. Every time we
gather together as God’s people, Jesus comes to us bringing us His good gifts of
Life and salvation through the proclamation of His Word and the celebration of
Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
In Advent, we also look forward the second coming of Jesus Christ at the end of
the age, which He promised to us many years ago. Once again, the Apostles John
shares “Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him…”
Revelation 1:7 When Jesus Christ returns with power and great glory, we
shall see the fulness of His finished work at the Cross. As God’s people, we
wait for Christ’s return with great longing and rejoicing, as a bride awaits her
bridegroom. As the composer Laurenti, Laurentius writes:
Our Hope and Expectation,
O Jesus, now appear;
Arise, thou Sun so longed for,
O'er this benighted sphere.
With hearts and hands uplifted,
We plead, O Lord to see
The day of earth's redemption
That brings us unto thee.
Thank you for your steadfast support of the ministry of the Seminary. May God
bless you this Advent and Christmas season, as we celebrate the three-fold
coming of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Yours in Christ,
Chuck Bylkas
DONATIONS RECEIVED…
In memory of Donald Matti
From Genevieve Matti
In memory of Martha Koski
From Joyce Tibbs
In memory of Tim Simula
From Gary Kangas
In memory of Rev. Elmer Yliniemi
From Gary Kangas
In memory of Dr. Uuras Saarnivaara
From Gary Kangas
In memory of James Matson
From the family of James Matson
In memory of Janice Kangas
From Gary Kangas
Steve & Marilyn Dahlmeier
Edwin Jr. & Kathleen Bergstedt
James & Kristin Erickson
Pastor Ernest Bylkas III, Joy & family
In memory of Dave Jukuri
From Erik & Karen Kukkonen
In memory of Rev. Kenneth Hendrickson
From Gary Kangas
In memory of Rev. Wayne Juntunen
From Gary Kangas
In memory of Rev. A.B. Anderson
From Gary Kangas
In honor of 1st grandson, Kaito Rheineck
From Neil & Debra Sunnarborg
MATCHING FUNDS PROGRAM ENDS DECEMBER 15th
We are so thankful for the matching funds donations we have received so far! The
program ends on December 15th so if you are able, the seminary is seeking
additional donations above and beyond normal giving that would be matched dollar
for dollar within this program. Please earmark your contribution “matching
funds” in the memo section of your check. We appreciate your continued support.
May the glory of our Savior's birth fill your heart with peace
and love this Christmas.
Merry Christmas from the staff and students of the Inter-Lutheran Seminary.
ATTENTION: SUPPORTERS
THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT THE SEMINARY.
CHOICE DOLLARS DETAILS: Eligible clients with membership can recommend
where Thrivent distributes some of its charitable grant funds. These
recommendations are shared by directing Choice Dollars to enrolled nonprofit
organizations, including churches.
Eligibility requirements: To be eligible to direct Choice Dollars as part of
Thrivent Choice®, you must be a client with benefit membership. Individual
eligibility is also based on at least one of the following:
• Having $750 or more in annual billed premiums of qualifying life and health
insurance products.
• Having $20,000 or more in contract value of qualifying life insurance and
annuity products.
Eligibility is determined monthly and reevaluated on an annual basis.
Minimum and maximum Choice Dollars designations: Eligible clients will be
designated a minimum of 25 Choice Dollars and a maximum of 5,000 Choice Dollars
per eligibility period (Jan. 1 to Dec. 31).
Choice Dollars expiration date: Choice Dollars designated during the calendar
year can be directed until March 31 of the following year.
For more information about Choice Dollars, visit http://www.Thrivent.com/thriventchoice
or call 800-847-4836 or contact your local Thrivent Financial representative.
THRIVENT CHARITABLE IMPACT & INVESTINGTM
The Inter-Lutheran Seminary has established an Endowment Fund through Thrivent
Charitable Impact & InvestingTM (formerly InFaith Community Foundation). All
earnings of the endowment will be used for the seminary’s needs thereby ensuring
the continued existence of this funding source. This is the preferred method
used by many non-profit entities, especially ongoing religiously focused
organizations such as seminaries. To learn more about this organization, go to
www.thriventcharitable.com.
We would love to grow our endowment into a major source of ongoing seminary
support. Although the seminary still needs the financial ongoing regular
contributions of our supporters, please consider the endowment fund for your
planned giving needs. For more additional information, please contact Kirk Otto,
Jr. at (715) 821-8574 or Cheryl Hendrickson at
(906) 482-3337.
ANOTHER OPTION FOR GIVING – PayPal
Online giving is as easy as clicking the DONATE button on our website: https://ilseminary.org.
Simply go to the How to Contribute tab and tap the yellow DONATE button to
begin. There are options for credit and debit card donations and even the option
to help the seminary cover the PayPal processing fee. (Note we are charged 1.99%
+ $.49/transaction fee). As always, we are thankful for your continued support!
**PLEASE NOTE**
If you are receiving this newsletter in error or would prefer to be taken off
the mailing list, please complete the form below and mail to: P.O. Box 449,
Hancock, MI 49930.
Or call 906-482-3337 or email: cilseminary@ilseminary.com. Thank you!
Date:_________________
Name:_______________________________________________________
Address:_____________________________________________________
I wish to be removed from the Inter-Lutheran Seminary’s mailing list.
Inter-Lutheran
Theological Seminary
James Weidner, President
P.O. Box 449
Hancock, MI 49930
administrator@ilseminary.org
Phone: 906-482-3337
FAX: 906-482-0694