November 2018
At the beginning of this month, 19 total seminarians received call placements or vicarage assignments to serve congregations of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod throughout the United States. We are delighted; one of these students will be serving in the Northern Illinois District.
November 9th, during morning chapel at Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne (CTS-FW), Rev. Dr. Gary W. Zieroth, director of Vicarage and Internship announced CTS-FW’s vicarage assignments, including Jay R. Weideman’s. This Sunday, December 3rd, during the 8:30 a.m. worship service, Weideman will be installed and begin his vicarage at Trinity Lutheran Church, Herscher, a more than 100 year old congregation.
Students are eligible for vicarage after two years (six quarters) of theological study at either of the LCMS seminaries. Vicars spend one year growing in their pastoral roles at their vicarages. Then, they return to seminary to complete one more year (three quarters) of study before graduating and being called into ministry.
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (CSL) describes vicarage as “a joyous, challenging, risky venture for student, pastor, and congregation.” Vicarage is a time for growth in many ways. CSL lists some saying it is a time for a vicar to make a difference in the life of a congregation as they put their knowledge to daily practice, a time for a pastor to think further through why he does each step of what he does while helping a man mature in his pastoral identity, and a time for the congregation to develop “mission eyes as their vision turns outward toward Seminary and Synod.”
The church which Weideman will be serving dates back to the days of horses and buggies. In fact, one of the causes for its founding meeting on April 9, 1909 was the desire of men in Herscher to have a church in town, so that they did not need to travel the difficult five mile journey “on rutted, unpaved roads, often clogged with snow or mud” to Zion, Bonfield. They also were seeking English services as, at the time, Zion only had German-language services.
Weideman will be serving with Rev. Eric Brown. We pray God’s blessings over Weideman, Pastor Brown, and the congregation of Trinity, Herscher over this next year as they serve the Lord together.