ILC Newsletter
Every other month we get an update on what’s been happening recently at our Immanuel
Lutheran High School, College and Seminary in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
The only entry gate into Christian education is Immanuel.
I am talking about the person, our Lord Jesus Who came for us, not the campus. Seeing our great burden of guilt, He came to carry away the guilt of sin for us. Seeing our blind stumbling in the darkness, He came to give us the light of His Word. Seeing our bondage in death, He came to open for us the portals of heaven. Seeing our own unwillingness to come to Him, He sent the Holy Spirit to create faith in our hearts. Immanuel has come for you and wants to abide with you.
Recently, Immanuel, the school in Eau Claire that serves our Church of the Lutheran Confession, hosted a college visitors’ day. On November 10, 2017, we gathered to emphasize the importance of abiding in Jesus, no matter what college and career path a student may follow. “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26)
But we also gathered to encourage each student to consider the benefits available in attending Immanuel Lutheran College, where every teacher shares our belief in the teachings of our Savior God, and the Bible is the basic text for all subjects. At this college, even secular subjects are taught from a Christian point of view: geography opens the panoramic vista of God as the Creator and Preserver of the world, history is a record which shows how God guides the destinies of nations, social studies teaches the duties of a Christian toward his country, science is presented as God’s handmaid. The student learns to exclaim with the psalmist, “Marvelous are Your works.” (Psalm 139:14) By the grace of God, Immanuel offers a Christian world view for Christian young people. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)
Some of the current students shared their unique perspectives with the High School Juniors and Seniors who were attending:
“You may not feel God calling you toward the pastoral or teaching ministry now. You may think that you’ve already learned all you need to know about the Bible. But there is so much more to be gained at the college level. The two-year AA program can help you grow. No matter where you are, stay open to God’s guiding in everything; don’t say ‘No’ to God.”
“Attending Immanuel has really been a blessing to me, a blessing I want to share with the lambs of Christ’s kingdom. Even if the Lord is not directing you toward the teaching ministry, you’ll want your children to have the privilege we’ve had of a Christian education. So, don’t unintentionally discourage someone else from entering the teaching program, saying things like, ‘You mean you are just going to come back here?’ Coming here is a great blessing!”
“God has put you in a life raft. But you are facing some major decisions. It may seem that your life raft is entering turbulent waters. One big decision is whether you will stay in that life raft or abandon it. Another is whether you will be a help to others, whose hands are reaching up from the turbulent waters, by pulling them onboard.”
“Perhaps you have doubts about what you should do, where you should go. I have had lots of them. I did not plan on being here, preparing to be a pastor. Yet, despite all my doubts, Jesus has led me here. And if Jesus can make a pastor out of me, He can prepare you to be a pastor or teacher too.”
John Ude is a professor at Immanuel Lutheran
College in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.