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January 2021
Dear Friends,
As clocks strike twelve on the first of January every year people all around the
world break into song, mouthing words to a familiar tune which few people know
the full lyrics of and much less know the meaning of the title. “Auld Lang Syne”
means simply “old long since” and is equivalent to saying, “days gone by.” So,
on the first day of the year, we sing of the past and reminisce looking to the
future. This past year is not hard to say goodbye to for many people. So many
have suffered great loss due to the covid virus and this seminary has been no
exception. Last October, right after I had written the November newsletter, I
learned of the passing of our dear brother, gifted pastor and instructor, Elmer
Yliniemi. It was too late to include a tribute to him in that letter, so I’m
doing that now.
I remember when I first came to seminary when we were still located in Plymouth
MN and classes were held in the back Sunday School room of the Plymouth
Apostolic Lutheran Church. One day a man of quite imposing stature came to teach
a class on the history of Apostolic Lutheranism. He was serving congregations in
Minnesota in parts of the state that, at that time, I had never heard of.
Immediately, I was struck by his obvious, deep interest in the material he was
teaching. That was my first experience with Elmer and I often told him that his
class was one of my favorites and that it was so helpful in understanding the
background of the movement that I was now associated with. People often still
tell me that I know so much about the history of Laestadianism and the various
Apostolic Lutheran groups, I don’t, but Elmer did, and I listened. When people
talk to me about the topic, they think I’m answering them but I’m not, Elmer is.
His interest was strong, and we were greatly blessed to receive that information
and pass it on.
One of the other things I deeply admired about Elmer was his candor. He would
speak to us openly about his experiences as a missionary and as a pastor. We
learned so much from him in short order, as he pulled no punches sharing the
good and the bad of his of many experiences, he was candid, even brutally honest
at some points, and he prepared us in a most marvelous way with the truth as we
went on to experience Christian ministry in our own right, every day equipped
with the knowledge passed down by one who had walked the path before us. I used
to always greet him when he would come to teach his class at the seminary, as he
did for many years, as the bishop of Spruce Grove. It was a bit of fun but
honestly rings so true when one reads the qualifications for the office in 1
Timothy. Elmer was all of that, and much more, to those of us who were blessed
to be his students. An example of the good, and faithful shepherd whose
instruction we were wise to follow.
Every day, at the opening of our instruction for the day, Elmer would have us
sing a hymn from the old, red Hymns and Songs of Zion. That first day when I met
him, we sang I Know Whom I Have Believed (376 in the blue Hymns and Songs). On
October 23, 2020 Elmer realized the fullness of the chorus of that song:
But “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able To keep that
which I’ve committed Unto Him against that day.”
We thank God for God’s faithfulness that gave Elmer such a gift through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Likewise, we thank God for Elmer’s faithful carrying out of his
calling through which he witnessed to His Savior every day. Our deepest
condolences go out to Miriam and all of Elmer’s family, may God comfort you as
you feel the sting of your loss but also bless you as you know of Elmer’s
victory in Jesus.
May God bless us all with such a steadfast faith as we start a new year. Another
Auld Lang Syne.
God’s Peace,
Jay Weidner
DONATIONS RECEIVED...
In memory of Elmer Yliniemi
From Steve & Marilyn Dahlmeier
Miriam Yliniemi
Dick & Yvonne Carlund
In memory of Dorothy Anderson
From Joyce Tibbs
In memory of Peter Antioho
From Joel & Lois Hendrickson
In memory of John & Mayme Niemitalo
From Sharon Lehr
In memory of Adam Ostapenko
From Joan Ostapenko
In memory of Joyce Magner
From Joan Ostapenko
In memory of Ross, Kent & Kris Wolfe
From Fayth Wolfe
THANK YOU!!!
We are very happy to announce that the matching fund program was a HUGE success!
We have matched the $20,000 that our donor pledged and would like to extend our
sincere thanks for your continued support. May God Bless your generosity.
SPRING SEMESTER CLASSES OFFERED
Old Testament Introduction (3 credits) – An introductory study of the origin,
authorship, purpose and reliability of the Old Testament writings with special
attention devoted to their literary design and individual and corporate unity.
Principles of Biblical Interpretation (3 credits) – A history and study of the
hermeneutical techniques and their application to scriptures, including the
methods of Textual Analysis.
The Pastoral Counselor (3 credits) – A course about the dynamics of the Pastoral
counseling process designed to provide insight into human nature and the close
relationship between body, soul and mind in human behavior. Students learn to
apply Biblical teachings to help people resolve problems in their lives.
History of the Ancient Church (3 credits) – A historical analysis of the major
people and events that shaped the Christian Church from the Apostolic Age to 600
AD.
Gospel of Luke (2 credits) – An in-depth analysis of the Third Gospel with an
emphasis on sound and segmentation.
Please note the Monday night class on the Gospel of Luke will be available by
Zoom only.
If you are interested in enrolling in any of the classes listed above, please
contact the seminary at 906-482-3337 or email cilseminary@ilseminary.com
ATTENTION: SUPPORTERS
THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT THE SEMINARY.
Have you ever have used Amazon.com to do your shopping? Now AmazonSmile offers
the same products, same prices and same service and will also donate 0.5% of the
price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Inter-Lutheran Theological
Seminary whenever you shop on AmazonSmile.
Simply log use in by using this link….
http://smile.amazon.com/ch/41-0918317
which will bring you directly to smile.amazon.com in support of our
organization.
The Thrivent Choice® program offers a way members can recommend where Thrivent
Financial distributes some of its charitable outreach funds. As a benefit
member, your ownership of Thrivent Financial products and services help make
this support possible.
Remember….If you are an eligible member 16 and older you can recommend how to
distribute Thrivent Financial charitable grant funds thought Choice Dollars®.
Member eligibility and the Choice Dollars designated are based on:
• Holding a Thrivent Financial volunteer leadership position; or
• Having $750 or more in annual premiums of qualifying
insurance products; or
• Having $20,000 or more in contract value of qualifying products.
For more information about Choice Dollars, visit http://www.Thrivent.com/thriventchoice
or call 800-847-4836 or contact your local Thrivent Financial representative.
INFAITH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION:
Several years ago, the Seminary board of directors established the
Inter-Lutheran Seminary Endowment Fund. Funds contributed to the endowment are
not used for current day to day operations. Only the annual 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.
While this is an excellent strategy, it has proven a challenge for us to
actually meet the minimum funding requirements. Until now, the fund has existed
but remained unfunded. By the Lord’s grace we have been blessed with a large
contribution to fund the Inter-Lutheran Seminary Endowment Fund. We would love
to build on this generous contribution 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. The seminary has chosen the InFaith Community Endowment Fund (the renamed
Lutheran Brotherhood Foundation) to administer our endowment fund. They will
provide experienced legal advice to help guide you with any contribution
questions done through estate planning in addition to lump sum contributions,
IRAs, property and securities. For more additional information, please contact
Kirk Otto, Jr. at (715) 294-4343 or Cheryl Hendrickson at (906)482-3337.
**PLEASE NOTE**
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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!
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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