December 11, 2023
Editor: Haley Wels
Unto Us a Child Is Born
The Son was sent into the world that the world might be saved through him.
The combined choirs of Martin Luther College, the Wind Symphony, and the Hosanna Ringers presented the annual Christmas concert on December 2 and 3. The concert is always a joyous Advent tradition, featuring both new and traditional carols and compositions.

MLC welcomed the campus family and many visitors, both in person and online, to celebrate God’s grace.

Couldn’t make it to the concert? Watch the stream on MLC’s YouTube channel!

Pictured: Members of Männerchor and College Choir performing at Saturdays concert.
International Education Week
During International Education Week, MLC’s Cultural Engagement Center (CEC) put the spotlight on study abroad and teaching abroad, and the campus family got better acquainted with our international students, who come from Canada, China, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam.
One special event during this week was the Global Potluck in the CEC. This event allowed students to share a part of their culture in a casual, low-pressure environment while building community and eating delicious food!

Liza Bornschlegl (Resurrection and Life-Rochester MN) attended the potluck and appreciated how the food became a conversation starter and a way to share unique aspects of each person’s culture. “Even though our cultures and the foods that we brought were so different from each other’s,” says Liza, “there we all were, sharing a meal together and learning about each other as friends.”

Pictured: Wei (Nadine) Li (Koinonia-Hong Kong), Liza Bornschlegl, Jason Hanania (Bethany-Saginaw MI), Renee Johnson (St. Paul-Ottawa, Canada), AnaCristina Iglesias (St. Mark-Watertown WI), and Xueqian (Sissi) Gan at the Global Potluck.
Bingo Night Donations
Bingo Night 2024 is Wednesday, February 7!

This highly anticipated event is sponsored by the MLC Ladies’ Auxiliary for all MLC students!

The Auxiliary is currently asking for the following donations: cash, baked goods, and quilts/blankets.

Please drop off donations at the MLC reception desk no later than February 1. Or mail them to 1995 Luther Court, New Ulm MN 56073.
Football All-Conference Honors
On November 16, UMAC announced its all-conference honors, awarding eleven to the MLC football team.
Mason Cox (St. Paul-New Ulm MN), Jude Pederson (Cross of Christ-Coon Rapids MN), and Cole Broekhuizen (St. John-Bay City MI) were named to the offensive first team.

Thomas Balge (St. Paul-New Ulm MN), Joey Ehlke (Good Shepherd-West Bend WI), Jeremiah Stanton (Redemption-Milwaukee), and Christian Koelpin (Faith-Tyler TX) were all named to the defensive first team.

Max Nordlie (Divine Grace-Lake Orion MI), Carson Oestreich (Immanuel-Hadar NE), Sam Rodriguez (Bethlehem-Menomonee Falls WI), and Micah Koschnitzke (Grace-Milwaukee) were the four MLC players to take offensive second team.

Tom Balge (pictured), one of the honorees, feels thankful for his coaches’ help and his teammates’ dedication throughout the season. “I think the honors reflect our season well,” says Tom. “We were so close to being the top team in the conference, and each team member played a key part in our third place finish.”

The awards also make Tom optimistic for the 2024 season. “Out of the eleven players who won all-conference,” Tom says, “six of them were freshmen, sophomores, or juniors. Although we will be losing very good players, I think it’s safe to say that our team has a lot of potential next year.”

New Face on Campus: Aaron Bush
Tutor Aaron Bush (MLC ’19, WLS ’23) serves the MLC campus family in a variety of roles: dorm supervisor, instructor, assistant football coach, morning and evening chapel chaplain, and student chapel advisor.

Despite his service now at MLC, Tutor Bush didn’t always see himself in ministry. When he was a baby, a WELS pastor invited his parents to worship, and he doesn’t have called workers in his family.

It was Tutor Bush’s eighth-grade pastor who showed him that pastoral ministry was something he could do.

After attending Wisconsin LHS, Tutor Bush went on to MLC and then WLS, serving as a vicar at Abiding Grace-Covington GA and as a seminary assistant at St. Paul-Slinger WI. Now he’s striving to provide the kind of encouragement given to him as he considered ministry. “I passionately want to support those who also have come from non-ministry backgrounds,” says Tutor Bush. “They have a unique perspective to offer their fellow students and future fellow called workers.”

As for his work at MLC, “The students are the best part,” says Tutor Bush. “They come with their own unique perspectives. They’ve struggled through hardships. There are still many who keep the faith as teenagers and young adults. God is still good and has preserved his elect. We don’t need to be scared to listen to our young brothers and sisters in the faith.”
Spreading Christmas Joy
On November 18, senators and their friends were up bright and early to bring the joy of Christmas to campus spaces. The decorations are just one of the ways the Student Senate serves our campus!

A beautiful Christmas tree and a nativity scene greet the campus family and visitors when they walk into the WCC, reminding them of God’s gift of a Savior.

These Christmas reminders of God’s great love refocus students, faculty, and staff during busy preparations for the end of the semester.

Pictured: Student Senators decorate one of the many Christmas trees on campus.
MLC InFocus
Want to know more about what’s happening here on the hill? Interested in the new senior retreat? Excited to learn more about the Child Development Associate credential?

Check out the Fall 2023 MLC InFocus magazine!

Read online (Link works best on a larger device.)
Call Updates
Calls Extended by MLC:
  • Mrs. JoElyn Krohn (mathematics) received a call from MLC to serve as professor of mathematics and financial wellness coordinator.
Calls Received by MLC Faculty:
  • Admissions Counselor Martín Santos received a call to serve as vice principal and begin a Spanish program at Shepherd of the Valley LES-Menasha WI.
  • Professor Kelli Green (special education) received a call to serve as a special education teacher at Shoreland LHS.
  • Professor Timothy Grundmeier (history) received a call to serve as an associate pastor at St. John-Waterloo WI.
  • ECLC Lead Teacher Catherine St. John received a call to serve as preschool teacher and director at St. John LES-Westland MI.
Contact us today:

507.354.8221