Dear Fellow Children of
God,
My heart is heavy as I
write this devotion. I received word on
Monday, February 10, that Concordia University – Portland will be closing its
doors and will cease operation at the end of this semester for Spring of 2020. Concordia began teaching and preparing
students as Lutheran Church workers in 1905.
But, when classes end this Spring, that service will be finished.
Perhaps it is surprising
for me to feel this way about a college I did not personally attend. I began preparing to serve as a pastor at Concordia
College in Austin, TX. But, I know many
people who did attend Concordia-Portland, including Dave and Marilee Nufer,
Pastor Paul Birner, President Paul Linnemann and his wife, Cindy, Pastor George
Rakos, my daughter Mary, and many more. Mary
graduated with her Masters Degree in Social Studies just last year, in May of
2019! Over the years, Concordia Portland
has prepared church workers, educated lay people, helped equip congregations,
and shared the Gospel of Jesus with students who did not know Him. Now these blessings will cease. My heart is heavy.
Concordia had, in recent
years, even reached out into the community and worked with Faubion School, the
PK-8th grade public school next door to them. This school, with the highest proportion of
free lunch recipients in the Portland School District, worked in partnership
with Concordia students. Concordia students
received experience at Faubion. Faubion
students benefited from tutoring, help with their studies, and use of the university
library and facilities.
In recent decades Concordia
prepared a large percentage of the teachers who taught in Oregon schools, even at
times more than the University of Oregon and Oregon State University. A law school was even opened in Boise, ID.
However, the world
around us has changed. There are few
church work students at Concordia today.
When Concordia began operation 115 years ago as an institution of the Lutheran
Church, it received financial support from the Lutheran Church Missouri
Synod. Financial arrangements and financial
realities have changed drastically. And,
the culture in which the university operates is much different. Concordia is an institution of a conservative,
Bible-believing church body. Portland is
one of the most progressive cities in the United States. There are differences of opinion, sometimes
extreme, over today’s hot button issues.
When all these realities combine with financial struggles, the
University Board of Regents decided that operating the university was no longer
feasible. With this May 2020 closing
comes loss of the continued service and blessing which Concordia has been to
the church. My heart is not the only one
which is heavy.
A number of Scripture
verses speak to me in this time of Portland’s closing. Perhaps most appropriate is Psalm 137:1. “By the rivers of Babylon we
sat and wept when we remembered Zion.” The people of Jerusalem and Judah were in exile in Babylon. Their temple, their city, and their nation
had been destroyed. So they wept over and
grieved their loss.
But, I am also continuing
to read the Mitford books, currently the book “In this Mountain.” In this book Father
Tim suffers serious injury, trials, and depression. He struggles with these issues for most of
the book. But, as he works through his
struggle, God’s truth from 1 Thessalonians 5:18 helps him. “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ
Jesus.” Father Tim comes to grow through his trials as He learns that God is with
us and blesses us, even in times of heavy hearts. He learns that, even in his failure and loss,
God’s grace is present, and is reason even to give thanks.
Universities are not the only institutions whose life can
end. Congregations also have struggles,
and sometimes close their doors. I have
known a number of congregations over the years who struggled, and could no
longer afford to operate. There were also
tears from those who remembered the past blessings of these churches. Yet, during their time of serving, those ministries
helped grow faith and build faith in God’s people. During their time of serving, those congregations
witnessed to Jesus’ love in their communities.
Even in the closing of these churches, there was reason to give thanks
because God had worked His purposes during their time of operation, AND these
blessings continued through the
people who had been served.
The blessing of Concordia-Portland will be missing in the
future. But, there are other gifts for
which we can give thanks. We can give
thanks for the pastors and teachers and DCE’s, trained at Concordia, who have
served the Lord and His people in the church, and who continue to do so. We can thank the Lord that churches were
strengthened, and Christians grew in faith.
We can thank God that the good news of Jesus was shared with people who
did not know Him. And, we can thank the
Lord that the good news of Jesus continues to move forward through people
touched by those who attended Concordia.
Perhaps we should not be surprised that a church university
closed. Actually, it has happened in our
denomination before; in Oakland, CA, in Winfield, KS, and in Selma, AL. Remember, Jesus tells His disciples, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my
words will never pass away.”
(Matthew 24:35) Everything in
this world is temporal. But, in Jesus,
the promise of God’s love, the assurance of forgiveness through faith in Jesus’
death and rising, and the sure hope of eternal life are unshakable and
immovable!
My heart is heavy.
But, even in this time of loss there is reason to give thanks. God worked through Concordia Portland to
bring faith to people. That faith and
God’s blessings in Jesus continue to spread and grow. So, I’m working to learn
this truth of God. “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ
Jesus.”
A Child of God, Working
to Give Thanks in All Circumstances,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Here are some articles from the Internet. Please remember, just because something
appears on the internet, does not make everything reported necessarily true.
· About the Closing of Concordia
o
Here is a letter from President Paul Linnemann
about the closing of Concordia. http://nowlcms.org/sites/www.nowlcms.org/files/CU%20Closure%20Letter%20to%20the%20District.pdf
o
Here is a statement from the LCMS - https://blogs.lcms.org/2020/lcms-statement-regarding-the-announced-closure-of-concordia-university-portland/
o
Here is a statement from local Portland
news.- https://www.opb.org/news/article/portland-concordia-university-closing-spring-2020/
· About Concordia’s relationship with Faubion School. https://www.cu-portland.edu/3-phd-power-possibilities
· About
the Concordia Law School in Boise - https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/concordia-university-closing-boise-law-school/277-92e87d7a-7454-44e9-b0ea-8ffbfb7faffe
P.P.S. Here are some fishing
pictures from a fishing trip on the Suwannee River February 11. https://photos.app.goo.gl/UYFCFfNSHA1L4k1F9
*****
ABOUT THIS DEVOTION - I
am now retired as senior pastor of St. John Lutheran in Palmer, AK. This
devotion was previously titled, "Thoughts from the Pastor."
However, with life's changes I will now call it "Journeys Through Life as
a Child of God." I am only sending this message to those who have
asked o receive it. If you know someone else who desires to receive this
message, have them e-mail me at jonrock53@mtaonline.net. You can also
view this message on my Facebook page.
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