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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!


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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