This morning, President Matthew C. Harrison and the Rev. Dr. Albert B. Collver, director of Regional Operations for the Office of International Mission, sent the following letter to all LCMS missionaries. We offer it here in the hope that you will keep the Strohschein family as well as all of the missionaries and Office of International Mission staff who worked alongside Ed in your prayers. More details will follow in an upcoming Reporter Online story.
Dear ones,
In times like these, we, the Church, feel the miles between us profoundly. We wish we could be with you now, in the same room or at the same table, to share with you the news that the Lord has, in His infinite wisdom, seen fit to draw Ed Strohschein, business manager for the LCMS Asia Pacific region, to Himself following a marked battle with cancer.
We grieve with Ed’s wife, Shauna, and his son, John. We pray for both of them and for all his family. And we hurt with you, feeling the loss of our brother in Christ whose love of church and of God’s people was always evident.
Ed has finished his course in the faith, and a robust course it was! Ed was the son of missionaries who was born in the Philippines, went to school in the United States and returned to Asia in 1999 to serve his Lord and his church, anxious to share with those around him the good news of Christ’s grace and forgiveness. Using his keen business sense, Ed kept tabs on all things administrative and financial in that region, even assisting in the expansion of LCMS mission presence throughout the region.
And so we mourn, knowing that Ed now rests from his labors (and they were many!) and especially from a difficult past few months, even as we take joy in the promises of Christ: that we will receive Ed back on the final day and that we will spend eternity with him.
Know that each of you missionaries and your families are in our daily prayers too. The loss of a friend, a coworker, a fellow brother in Christ is trying and thorny. We will continue to check in with you, to pray for you, to ask our Lord to give you courage and faith to meet the days ahead. But we also encourage you to be in touch with us—if you would find it helpful—so that we can pray for your specific needs and can care for you as you seek to live in the joyful expectation of eternal life with Ed and with all who have departed the faith. Please remember that Ellie Corrow, missionary care coordinator, is eager to assist you in any way she can as well.
In times like these, we, the Church, feel the miles between us profoundly. We wish we could be with you now, in the same room or at the same table, to remember Ed, to comfort one another in our grief, to share in the consolation of Christ’s love and His promises. But we also know that in Christ and regardless of miles, we are already knit together into His family, His church, and that because He lives, Ed lives too.
Yours,
Pastor Matt Harrison, president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Rev. Dr. Albert B. Collver, director of Regional Operation, Office of International Mission
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Friday, April 25, 2014
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Dr. Quill Recovery Update
Dr. Quill Recovery Update
For Immediate Release
April 23, 2014
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (CTS)—In this season as we celebrate the resurrection of Christ, it is with thanksgiving to the God of all mercy and comfort that we are able to announce that the Rev. Dr. Timothy Quill has been discharged from the hospital. His road to recovery will continue in Adelaide, Australia. While a date has yet to be set for Dr. Quill’s return to the United States, we pray for his continued recovery and look forward to his homecoming.
Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, and The Office of International Mission of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod continue to give thanks for the marvelous care, both physical and spiritual, that the Quill family is receiving. We further encourage all to keep the Quill’s and those providing care for them in your prayers.
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For Immediate Release
April 23, 2014
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (CTS)—In this season as we celebrate the resurrection of Christ, it is with thanksgiving to the God of all mercy and comfort that we are able to announce that the Rev. Dr. Timothy Quill has been discharged from the hospital. His road to recovery will continue in Adelaide, Australia. While a date has yet to be set for Dr. Quill’s return to the United States, we pray for his continued recovery and look forward to his homecoming.
Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, and The Office of International Mission of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod continue to give thanks for the marvelous care, both physical and spiritual, that the Quill family is receiving. We further encourage all to keep the Quill’s and those providing care for them in your prayers.
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Location:N Seminary Ter,Clayton,United States
Friday, April 11, 2014
Timothy Quill Update Week 2
Adelaide, Australia, April 11, 2014
The Rev. Dr. Timothy Quill, Associate Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTS) and Director of Theological Education for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s (LCMS) Office of International Mission (OIM), remains in the Royal Adelaide Hospital in Adelaide, South Australia, where he underwent surgery for a brain aneurism on April 3.
Quill’s condition has improved over the past several days. He has been released from the Intensive Care Unit and is now being cared for in the Neurology Ward. While he remains in serious condition, his condition is slowly improving.
Although the physicians have yet to provide a prognosis regarding Quill’s ultimate recovery, they have indicated that he is in the category of a more positive outcome for people who have suffered such an aneurysm. While physical therapy has begun, it is likely that Dr. Quill will remain in Australia for some time in preparation for his return to the United States.
Annette and Kati, Quill's wife and daughter, are in Adelaide, lending invaluable emotional support. OIM staff and pastors from the Lutheran Church of Australia will remain with the Quill’s throughout the recovery period to provide spiritual and logistical support. The CTS community is also actively engaged in supporting and caring for the Quill family during this challenging time.
Updates on Dr. Quill’s recovery will be provided as information becomes available. Please keep Tim, his family, and his medical and pastoral care teams in your prayers.
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The Rev. Dr. Timothy Quill, Associate Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTS) and Director of Theological Education for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s (LCMS) Office of International Mission (OIM), remains in the Royal Adelaide Hospital in Adelaide, South Australia, where he underwent surgery for a brain aneurism on April 3.
Quill’s condition has improved over the past several days. He has been released from the Intensive Care Unit and is now being cared for in the Neurology Ward. While he remains in serious condition, his condition is slowly improving.
Although the physicians have yet to provide a prognosis regarding Quill’s ultimate recovery, they have indicated that he is in the category of a more positive outcome for people who have suffered such an aneurysm. While physical therapy has begun, it is likely that Dr. Quill will remain in Australia for some time in preparation for his return to the United States.
Annette and Kati, Quill's wife and daughter, are in Adelaide, lending invaluable emotional support. OIM staff and pastors from the Lutheran Church of Australia will remain with the Quill’s throughout the recovery period to provide spiritual and logistical support. The CTS community is also actively engaged in supporting and caring for the Quill family during this challenging time.
Updates on Dr. Quill’s recovery will be provided as information becomes available. Please keep Tim, his family, and his medical and pastoral care teams in your prayers.
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Sunday, April 6, 2014
Update on Dr. Quill in Australia
Dr. Quill at Ghana Seminary Dedication (Collver and Roethemeyer in background) courtesy of Erik Lunsford, LCMS
5 April 2014 — For Immediate Release
The Rev. Dr. Timothy Quill, Dean of International Studies at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne (www.ctsfw.edu) and Director of Theological Education for the LCMS Office of International Mission (www.lcms.org), fell ill on Wednesday, April 2, in Adelaide, Australia. Quill was taken to Royal Adelaide Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm (subarachnoid hemorrhage). An immediate procedure (craniotomy) to relieve the pressure was followed within twenty-four hours by surgery to repair the aneurysm (surgical clipping). The first week after the surgery is critical and he is being carefully monitored by the medical team. Quill remains in the Intensive Care Unit.
Dr. Quill was traveling with Mr. Darin Storkson, LCMS South Asia and Oceania Regional Director, to visit Australian Lutheran College (www.alc.edu.au) in Adelaide. After Australia, Quill along with CTS Professor Robert Roethemeyer, Director of Library and Information Services and Director of Institutional Planning and Assessment, were to travel to Papua New Guinea to visit Timothy Lutheran Seminary in Birip and Martin Luther Seminary in Lae for the Chemnitz Library Initiative.
Mr. Storkson, along with Rev. Neville Otto, Secretary and Mission Director for the Lutheran Church of Australia, found Dr. Quill unresponsive on Wednesday before Lenten Vespers and called the ambulance. Professor Robert Roethemeyer, who was enroute to Australia, joined them on Thursday morning before the surgery. Rev. Dr. John Kleinig, professor emeritus of Australian Lutheran College (ALC), prayed with Quill before his surgery. Rev. Dr. Gregory Lockwood, professor emeritus at ALC, and Rev. Dr. Andrew Pfeiffer, Director of Pastoral Education at ALC, also visited Quill in the ICU. Pastors of the Lutheran Church in Australia (LCA) have been wonderfully supportive and helpful during this trying time. Quill’s wife, Annette, and daughter, Katie, arrived in Adelaide on Friday morning after the surgery, followed by Dr. Albert Collver, LCMS Director of Church Relations/Regional Operations, and Missionary Jeffrey Horn, Papua New Guinea.
Quill remains at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Doctors are currently establishing a timeline for his convalescence and his return to the United States. Dr. Quill, his family, Concordia Theological Seminary, and the LCMS Office of International Mission are grateful for the care provided by the Royal Adelaide Hospital, by the Lutheran Church of Australia, and the many people around the world who have expressed concern and offered prayers on his behalf.
Friday, April 4, 2014
Edmonton seminary to honour German bishop
(From the Canadian Lutheran)
APRIL 3, 2014 NO COMMENT
The Rev. Hans-Jörg Voigt, Bishop of the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany
EDMONTON—The Rev. Hans-Jörg Voigt, Bishop of the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (SELK), will receive the honourary Doctor of Divinity degree at Concordia Lutheran Seminary’s Sacred Convocation in late May. News of the seminary faculty’s action in granting this honour was recently announced by Dr. James Gimbel, CLS president.
Bishop Voigt, a native of the former communist East Germany, served as a parish pastor for 13 years before his election as SELK leader in 2006. In 2010 he became chairman of the International Lutheran Council (ILC), an association of confessional churches around the world. Despite the modest size of his church body, he has become prominent – especially in the past year – for his very courageous witness in support of historic Christian teaching on marriage, and in opposition to abortion on demand. His 2013 Pastoral Letter “Discovering Marriage and Family as Gifts of God” and other public actions won him recognition as “2013 Bishop of the Year” by an interdenominational Christian news service in his country, and more recently a “Declaration of Respect” by the Association of Christian Publicists.
”Concordia Lutheran Seminary is grateful for the opportunity to publicly acknowledge the courageous leadership and ministry of Bishop Voigt,” noted President Gimbel, in announcing this recognition. “In our global age, partnerships are critically important for a faithful adherence to and proclamation of God’s Word for our world. The presence of the Missionary Study Centre at our seminary, and the extensive work done by our faculty in delivering theological education to Ukraine, southeast Asia, and elsewhere testifies to our love of Christ’s mission, not only in Canada, but throughout the world. We hope to form a new generation of pastors as courageous servants of Christ in season and out of season, wherever God has placed us. We thank God for partners and models like Bishop Voigt, and appreciate this chance to highlight his leadership and witness.”
The Sacred Convocation, at which Bishop Voigt is to be honoured, begins at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, May 30 at the Tegler Centre of Concordia University College of Alberta, directly next door to the seminary. This annual event marks the close of the academic year, and is highlighted by the conferral of academic degrees, as well as the distribution of vicarages and candidate calls. It is a public event, to which pastors, deacons and lay people from LCC congregations are invited.
Concordia Lutheran Seminary, one of the two theological schools maintained by Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC), was founded in 1984 and has taken a leading role in the academic and spiritual preparation of pastors, especially in the two western districts of LCC.
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APRIL 3, 2014 NO COMMENT
The Rev. Hans-Jörg Voigt, Bishop of the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany
EDMONTON—The Rev. Hans-Jörg Voigt, Bishop of the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (SELK), will receive the honourary Doctor of Divinity degree at Concordia Lutheran Seminary’s Sacred Convocation in late May. News of the seminary faculty’s action in granting this honour was recently announced by Dr. James Gimbel, CLS president.
Bishop Voigt, a native of the former communist East Germany, served as a parish pastor for 13 years before his election as SELK leader in 2006. In 2010 he became chairman of the International Lutheran Council (ILC), an association of confessional churches around the world. Despite the modest size of his church body, he has become prominent – especially in the past year – for his very courageous witness in support of historic Christian teaching on marriage, and in opposition to abortion on demand. His 2013 Pastoral Letter “Discovering Marriage and Family as Gifts of God” and other public actions won him recognition as “2013 Bishop of the Year” by an interdenominational Christian news service in his country, and more recently a “Declaration of Respect” by the Association of Christian Publicists.
”Concordia Lutheran Seminary is grateful for the opportunity to publicly acknowledge the courageous leadership and ministry of Bishop Voigt,” noted President Gimbel, in announcing this recognition. “In our global age, partnerships are critically important for a faithful adherence to and proclamation of God’s Word for our world. The presence of the Missionary Study Centre at our seminary, and the extensive work done by our faculty in delivering theological education to Ukraine, southeast Asia, and elsewhere testifies to our love of Christ’s mission, not only in Canada, but throughout the world. We hope to form a new generation of pastors as courageous servants of Christ in season and out of season, wherever God has placed us. We thank God for partners and models like Bishop Voigt, and appreciate this chance to highlight his leadership and witness.”
The Sacred Convocation, at which Bishop Voigt is to be honoured, begins at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, May 30 at the Tegler Centre of Concordia University College of Alberta, directly next door to the seminary. This annual event marks the close of the academic year, and is highlighted by the conferral of academic degrees, as well as the distribution of vicarages and candidate calls. It is a public event, to which pastors, deacons and lay people from LCC congregations are invited.
Concordia Lutheran Seminary, one of the two theological schools maintained by Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC), was founded in 1984 and has taken a leading role in the academic and spiritual preparation of pastors, especially in the two western districts of LCC.
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