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In this devotion, Carol Seilhymer ’16 M.Div., considers the many reasons we have to be grateful to God. Read today’s God Pause.

Check out this week’s blog post from Dean of the Chapel Steve Thomason—Beginning the New Season Together.

Syllabus Day for Fall 2026 is Tuesday, September 15. Please plan to attend the 45-minute session with your professor, where you will review the syllabus and be assigned any pre-work. See times and Zoom links here.

Calling all residential students—you are invited to join the Office of Student Affairs for a complimentary cup of coffee, walk, and lunch around Luther Seminary’s new campus. We’ll roll out from the Bockman parking lot at 10 a.m. on Thursday, September 17 and head to FRGMNT Coffee at the Mill District for drinks and pastries. Then we’ll walk around Gold Medal Park, over to the Guthrie Theater, and end at Stone Arch Bridge. Lunch will be back where we started, at Clay Oven Indian Cuisine. We’ll aim to eat around 12:30 p.m. and get back to campus by 2 p.m. Add your name to this Google Doc if you’d like to join us.

Explore the history of writing, publishing, and libraries at Luther Seminary. Come to the library’s reading room any time during Fall RFS when the library is open to explore the history of writing and publication and the role libraries have played at each stage of the seminary’s history. The exhibit draws entirely from Luther’s rare book room and library resources and features illuminated manuscripts, papyri, art, and more. The exhibit will be open during regular library hours—10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, September 18, and during the week of RFS (Monday September 21 to Friday September 25.) For information contact Bryant Kumlin at bkumlin002@luthersem.edu.

Open Enrollment is the time each fall for all employees to make benefit elections for the coming year. For 2027 elections, Open Enrollment with Portico will begin in late October and close in early November. As a result of Portico’s offerings this year, we want to inform you of two changes that will impact employee out-of-pocket costs:

• Change 1. Increase in Medical Plan Premiums. Portico is increasing all medical plan premiums by 15%. Because Luther Seminary is committed to affordable and comprehensive employee benefits, we will continue covering 91% of total premiums, which means employees will continue to pay about 9% of their premium. In the high-deductible plan, employee costs will go up slightly—family plans will increase about $26 per month, individual and plus-one plans will increase by smaller amounts. Employees in the co-pay plan will also see an increase in premiums—the 2027 rates will be available from Portico soon. Sharing these cost increases between the seminary and employees makes it more manageable for all.
• Change 2. Annual Deductibles. Portico is also increasing annual deductibles by $500–$1,000 depending on the plan. For employee-only plans, the annual deductible is increasing from $2,000 to $2,500. For spouse and family coverage plans, the annual deductible is increasing from $4,000 to $5,000.

On Wednesday, October 14, from 9–10:30 a.m. in OCC 10, the seminary’s Portico representatives will be on campus to present plan details and answer your questions. Additional information and calendar invitations to follow. All staff and faculty are invited to attend this presentation. If you have questions about these changes or about Open Enrollment generally, please contact Carrie Johnson (cjohnson007@luthersem.edu) or me (jahrens001@luthersem.edu).
Thank you for your commitment to Luther Seminary,
Joe Ahrens
Controller