Announcements

The Community Life Fellows are hosting the next round of Pubs & Profs at Stouts on May 13, 6:30–8:30 p.m. Join us as we are educated by Mark Tranvik and Jennifer Wojciechowski as they discuss the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation.

As part of the celebration of AAPI Heritage Month at Luther Seminary, librarian Fred Sweet has added new links Asian American Biblical Scholars and books to the Global Theology Guide. We hope that you’ll make use of this resource as you research your final papers and projects! And in honor of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in May, the Luther Seminary Library and Kristofer Phan Coffman invite you to visit the new display of books related to Asian and Asian American Christianity. Featured books include theology, biblical hermeneutics, and collections of Christian art from the Asian and Asian American perspective. This guide features resources on AAPI ministry and theology, in recognition of our country’s 22.2 million Asians and 1.6 million Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander communities.

Want to share something in an upcoming edition of Inside Luther News, the seminary’s new internal e-newsletter? Send your announcement to communic@luthersem.edu. Submit items for the June edition by Wednesday, May 14. Inside Luther News helps keep students, staff, and faculty connected to our mission, people, and stories. Content in the e-newsletter is meant to be somewhat broader in scope—seasonal announcements, monthly reminders, stories about recent events or news of upcoming projects—than the daily Community Announcements posts and emails.

Dr. Samuel Zalanga will conclude his service as Director of Inclusion and Belonging at Luther Seminary on May 31, 2025. He has been selected as a US Peace Corps volunteer. Samuel joined us in January 2023 and has, over the past two and a half years, made a profound impact on our community. As the leader of our ABIDE program, Samuel brought a gospel-centered approach to justice that aligned deeply with our mission to educate leaders for Christian communities. Through his guidance, we have seen significant development in our inclusion and belonging efforts across the seminary. Samuel built strong, meaningful relationships with faculty and staff and played an instrumental role in developing our ABIDE strategy teams, integrating inclusion and engagement into the fabric of our institutional practices. His work brought theological and sociological depth to our efforts, consistently calling us to center justice and affirm the human dignity of all, especially those who are marginalized. Notably, Samuel also redesigned our Beloved Community Fellowship program and spent the last year working closely with the fellows, mentoring and equipping them with a vision for transformative community. In general, his many collaborative relationships with Luther students inspired their involvement in many ABIDE initiatives. He built significant relationships with international students and served as an advisor to the International Student Association (ISA). As a colleague, Samuel has been kind and light-hearted and has a contagious laugh. His team always appreciated his many stories and book or documentary reviews. We are grateful for the deep insights and wisdom Samuel has shared with us. His vision for a mature, authentic Christian community—where students, staff, and faculty cultivate a true sense of belonging—has helped shape Luther Seminary in lasting ways. Samuel shares that, “I will always remain committed to Luther Seminary and grateful for the time I spent in this community.” Please join us in thanking Samuel for his faithful service and in wishing him all the best in his next chapter.

Operations staff wish to share with those who work and office in Gullixson Hall that on Friday, May 2, the heating boilers will be shut down—to keep the building from overheating during the work day. This likely will result in some uncomfortable mornings when the overnight temperatures trend below normal daytime temperatures. Please dress accordingly and consider wearing clothing “in layers” so you can be comfortable throughout the day. Why do we do this? Steam heat cannot be turned on and off within a normal day. Steam heating systems require active steam (212 degrees) at the radiator to function, meaning the entire steam distribution system is hot. When the system is turned off, all of the active steam condenses back to water and is returned to the boiler. To turn the system back on requires reheating all of the water back to 212 degrees, which take a full day. We do monitor weather and chose a day where, moving forward, it seems that most days will provide warmer temperatures. This month the temperature predictions are difficult. If you have any concerns, please contact Rob Verke, rverke001@luthersem.edu.

In this devotion, Elizabeth Callen ’23 M.Div., reminds us that even in the valleys of life, God is with us. Read today’s God Pause.