Canadian Association of Lutheran Congregations (CALC)
Psalm 78:72 is at the end of a recap of the history of God’s gracious dealings with the Children of Israel. This verse is referring specifically to King David who in his youth worked for his father as a shepherd and as such becomes the picture of the Good Shepherd King, Jesus.
This also hints at the role CALC plays for our membership. Two words strike me particularly: 1. Integrity 2. Skillfulness. Our pastors need to be people of integrity. That means that we should know who they are and test the fruit of their spiritual life. Secondly, they need to be skillful. That means they need to have proper training.
But pastors also need fellowship. Pastors who don’t seek connection with others are often called “lone wolves.” Wolves by nature are a pack animal, so this is not a natural state. What’s more, you don’t want wolves among your sheep!
Finally, what I like about this picture is that the shepherd is walking among his sheep. A good shepherd does that. A good shepherd leads not for his own good or his own opinion or his own preference but for the good of the whole.
All of this is important as there really are predators out there! People who seek out vulnerable flocks and slip in almost undetected. The point is that we in CALC want to help you avoid this situation.
Finally, the key thing is to pray for your pastor. It is not easy to serve in this day and age.
Be strong in the Lord!
CALC and the Anglican Network in Canada (ANIC) are co-hosting a weekly Bible Study in Kitchener, Ontario. The study is led by Pastor Zena of ANIC. The group meets weekly on Wednesdays. They will be studying the Book of Acts. Come join them! If you know anyone in the Kitchener-Waterloo area that is keen on participating in an in-depth Bible Study on the formative years of the Church, pass this information along!
Wednesdays at 1:30 -3:30 PM
Sessions in September: 4, 11, 18 & 25
Location
Hope Lutheran Church
30 Shaftsbury Drive
Kitchener, ON, N2A 1N6
All are welcome! Any questions? You can contact Glenn Kahle (519) 616-3536 or Kahle123@rogers.com with any questions.
GOAL: BUILDING COMMUNITY THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD
Scriptural
Faithfulness
Clergy Training
Clergy Vetting
Speaking to Canadian Social Issues
Evangelical
Church Planting
World Mission Cooperation
Congregational Revitalization
Confessional
Remaining Lutheran
Developing theological statements
Connecting with like-minded individuals, congregations, and church bodies.
What Does CALC do that a local congregation can’t
Clergy training (ILT, ILTCS)
Clergy Vetting
Fellowship beyond: both nationally and internationally
Assist in conflicted situations
Church planting in areas without a CALC presence
Short to Mid Term Goals
Centre for Congregational Revitalization
Work on accountability (especially in calling pastors)
Longer Term Goals
Church plants in every major Canadian city
Such as: Kitchener-Waterloo; Montreal (ethnic outreach); Halifax
LIFE TOGETHER DAYS
Every Life Together Day is a unique and special time intentionally set aside for our leaders to connect in conversation, hear an encouraging word, worship, and seek God's voice. If that's not enough, we'll also feed you lunch!
LIFE TOGETHER DAY . CAMROSE . AB
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
10 am - 2 pm
Canadian Lutheran Bible Institute
Camrose, Alberta
Speaker to be announced. Click Here to Register for the Camrose Event
LIFE TOGETHER DAY . MEDICINE HAT . AB
Thursday, October 24, 2024
10 am - 2 pm
Victory Lutheran Church
Medicine Hat, Alberta
On Sunday July 21, 2024, the people of Vancouver Chinese Lutheran Church, dedicated their new church building. President Bredeson officiated at the dedication. Their new church home is located at 7716 Cumberland St in Burnaby, BC. Extensive renovations to the inside and outside of the building were recently completed by the congregation. The congregation worships every Sunday in Cantonese. Pastor Chee Seong Wong serves as their fulltime pastor. He immigrated from Malaysia to Canada to take the call to Vancouver Chinese congregation. He is married to Margaret and they have two children Joyce and Josiah.
The congregation was organized in 1992. They began to worship together in space provided by First Lutheran Church in Vancouver. In 1995 the congregation ventured out, renting space Champlain Height Recreation Centre in Vancouver. During 1997 they began to worship at 1005 Kensington Ave, Burnaby, BC. They entered into a joint ministry agreement with Faith Lutheran Church. They worshipped there until their renovations were completed and the building was dedicated.
We pray that God will continue to bless the Vancouver Chinese congregation. We pray that their new building will always be a place where God's covenant with the church in Holy Baptism is shared, God's Triune name is praised, God's forgiveness is received, God's word is proclaimed, and the flock gathered is fed with one heavenly food, the body and the blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Pictured above. Back row L to R: Pastor Manfred Schmidt (retired from Martin Luther church), Pastor Karl Keller and Rev. Dr. Eddie Kwok. Front row: Lto R: President Jim Bredeson and Pastor Thomas Keeley.
On Sunday June 23, 2024, President Jim Bredeson installed Rev. Thomas Keeley as the fulltime Pastor of Martin Luther Evangelical Lutheran Church, of Vancouver, BC.
Rev. Thomas Keeley graduated from the Lutheran Theological Seminary, Saskatoon, in 2009 with a Master of Divinity degree and went on to serve Dunbar Lutheran, Vancouver and Benediction Lutheran, Tsawwassen. He is married to Marie. He is delighted to be called as pastor to Martin Luther Church.
Martin Luther congregation is located in south Vancouver, BC. They are a friendly and welcoming congregation. The Church building has capacity for 150 and is one block from a main road (Fraser St.). They have an education/administration building and a parsonage. Their Mission is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people while serving, supporting and uniting our families and neighbors into an expanding community of faith.
The Martin Luther Church has been in the neighborhood since 1934. The church was founded by German-Canadians, and for a long time held services in both English and German. Services are now in English.
We thank God for the ministry of Pastor Manfred Schmidt at Martin Luther church. He faithfully preached and proclaimed the Gospel in English and German. May God bless Pastor Keeley, his wife and all the members of Martin Luther congregation as they move into the future in ministry. They can be confident of this: the Triune God who began a good work in them in 1934will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)
Elections
The delegates to the 2025 Annual General Convention will elect candidates to fill half of the positions on the National Council. The vacant positions are as follows:
The President
The Secretary
One Elder
Two Trustees
The roster of CALC’s National Council and when each member's term expires is found below. The names of clergy on the National Council arehighlighted in gray.Bolded print highlights the positions on the National Council which become vacant at the 2025 Annual General Convention.
CALC's National Council Year their term expires.
Rev. James Bredeson, President
2025
Fred Schickedanz, Vice President
2027
Rev. Hein Bertram, Secretary
2025
Helen Zacharias, Treasurer
2027
Rev. Alvin Sorenson, Elder
2026
Caroline Parke, Elder
2028
Laurie Storsater, Elder
2025
Leona Ferguson, Trustee
2028
Rev. Eddie Kwok, Trustee
2025
Lowell Lovrod, Trustee
2025
Candidates are elected to four-year terms. Candidates must be a member of a CALC congregation (either full member or associate member congregation) or an individual associate member.
Candidates can be elected to two consecutive four-year terms for any office on National Council.
CALC has placed high value on the participation of lay people in our governance. Our constitution states that lay people must be elected to certain positions. These are laid out below.
With respect to the offices of President and Vice Presidentone must be a lay person (Subsection 2.2.1 of Article 10 of the CALC Constitution). The incumbent Vice President, Fred Schickedanz, is a lay person; therefore, a candidate for the office of the President can be either a pastor or a lay person.
With respect to the offices of Secretary and Treasurer one must be a lay person (Subsection 2.2.2 of Article 10 of the CALC Constitution). The incumbent Treasurer Helen Zacharias is a lay person; therefore, the candidate for Secretary can be either a pastor or a lay person.
Two out of the three members of the Board of Elders must be lay people (Subsection 2.2.3 of Article 10 of the CALC Constitution). An incumbent Elder, Alvin Sorenson is a pastor, therefore, the vacant position on the Board of Elders must be filled by a lay person.
Two out of the three members of the Board of Trustees must be lay people (Subsection 2.2.4 of Article 10 of the CALC Constitution). The incumbent Trustee, Leona Ferguson is a lay person; therefore, one of the two candidates elected to fill these positions could be a pastor.
To preserve the mandated percentage of lay leadership of CALC the status of candidates for the five vacant positions as lay and/or clergy members of CALC is set forth in tabular form below.
Position
Term Expires
Candidate
President
2029
Lay Person or Pastor
Secretary
2029
Lay Person or Pastor
Elder
2029
Lay Person
Trustee 1
2029
Lay Person or Pastor
Trustee 2
2029
Lay person
Nominations
If you wish to nominate a candidate for any position you can use CALC's online nomination's form. Part of the form is filled out by the person making the nomination and the rest of the form is filled out by the candidate, who by filling out the form accepts the nomination. All nominations will be vetted by CALC's Nominating Committee. Click here to access CALC's online nominations form.
Information on the Positions on National Council. Click here for information on the qualifications, responsibilities and expectations for each position on National Council.
ILT’s Christ School of Theology continues to expand and provide new course offerings. The opportunities for students to experience scholarly work at incredible levels of depth and led by distinguished academics bodes well for developing future leaders of the pulpit and the classroom.
New Courses Taught by Dr. Erik Herrmann
Christ School of Theology’s newest Distinguished Professor and Research Fellow
PT 522—Homiletics II
HST 836—Interpretations of the Reformation: This is a brand new course and an exciting edition to our historical theology collection as it delivers deep insights into the historiography of the Reformation and explicates various approaches composed to interpret the reformation over the last 500 years. The course structure will implement a small-group colloquium format. We encourage advanced graduate students interested in the Reformation to add this course to their schedule.
New Courses Taught by Dr. Steve Hein
HST 645/745—Luther’s Theology of the Cross: In this new course, Dr. Hein will be exploring the Theology of the Cross as Luther’s fundamental basis for his later theological writings. Additionally, he will be contrasting the Theology of the Cross with earlier and contemporary versions of what Luther deemed theologies of glory in order to aid students in critical assessments and address contemporary issues.
Students interested in taking these courses for continuing education may audit the course for half the cost of regular tuition. If you are interested in learning more about taking courses as continuing education, please contact Joel Williams at jwilliams@ilt.edu.
You Are Invited to ILT's Weekly Chapel Service
2024-2025 fall semester classes started this week! As our students dive into their academic pursuits, it's crucial to acknowledge the presence of God in their journey. Recognizing that He is there to guide, comfort, and uplift them and transform their perspective on the challenges they face through preaching and His Word.
Students, faculty and board members meet in Chapel every Wednesday at 10:00 am Central Time. Chaplain Tim Swenson, and other faculty and students preach the Word of God every week throughout the semester.
This is a great opportunity to come together as a community, hear inspiring messages, and reflect on our faith. We would like to invite you to participate with our students in Chapel, to be uplifted. Please feel free to attend these live Chapel meetings.
Contact Nina Schmidt nschmidt@ilt.edu for the link to log in and attend.
Institute of Lutheran Theology
Table Talk II
Luke 17:11-19
By: Rev. Timothy Swenson, Dean of Chapel
Luke 17:11-19 11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 When he saw them he said to them, Go and show yourselves to the priests. And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 1a Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner? 19 And he said to him, Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.
In light of the Good Samaritan parable (the gospel reacting for the 13th Sunday after Trinity), these lepers pleaded for Jesus to be a neighbor to them ... to be someone who showed them mercy (Lk. 10:36-37). These lepers are law-abiding. They stand at a distance, respecting the law forbidding them from having contact with non-leprous folk. By banding together, these ten lepers respected the law commanding them to leave home and family, gathering only with one another. We are not told whether they were ringing the required bell and shouting "unclean" to announce their presence. By being encountered at the edge of the village, we know they five on the outskirts of town and most likely had to scavenge for food or depend upon the charity of others. These ten knew the law but, in encountering Jesus, they anticipate someone who will have mercy upon them... someone who will be a neighbor to them even as they are outcasts. And so, Jesus becomes their neighbor.
Jesus delivers mercy upon these ten who are cast out. First, he commands them to obey the law. The law to which he is referring is the law that demanded lepers who were healed receive a certificate of cleanliness from a priest prior to resuming contact with any non-leprous person.
Again, these ten obey Jesus· command and head out to visit the priest. As they go on their way, Jesus provides them with the great mercy: he heals them of their leprosy; they are cleansed. Jesus is indeed a marvelous neighbor!
The Samaritan, in returning to immediately give thanks to Jesus... in falling on his face at Jesus' feet... in this act of violating social distance... the Samaritan becomes a lawbreaker. What's more, Jesus questions why the others haven't become lawbreakers as well. Jesus concludes by praising the Samaritan's faith (vs. 19) rather than praising his obedience to the law. Mercy, not obedience, once again conditions neighborliness.
So, you, as you go on your way, Jesus has mercy on you. Heated of your sin-sickness by the mighty mercy of your Savior, you can continue to be ruled by the law (like the other nine) or you can spontaneously thank and praise the agent of your healing, living out of faith rather than obedience.
Table Talk: Discuss the priority of mercy over obedience.
Pray: Father, grant me such faith that I, too, trust the mercy of my good neighbor, J.esus Christ.Amen
Our regular Fall edition of the e-Connector will be available Sunday September 1st.
If your congregation is celebrating a milestone, such an anniversary, the installation of a new pastor, new construction, a mission activity, and/or the launch of a special new ministry, let us know. We would love to share your joy with the other members of CALC
Contact info for the editorial team: Pastor Ed Skutshek: Tel: (250) 801-3860 Email: skutsheke@gmail.com Sarah Dunphy: Tel: (613) 324-6554 Email: sarahdunphy@calc.ca
