A farewell and a move forward

One of the most powerful moments of the November 20 decommissioning ceremony for the Columba, South Carolina campus of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (LTSS) did not appear in the program or video feed. While the Rev. Dr. Chad Rimmer, dean and rector of LTSS, delivered his sermon to the assembled guests in Christ Chapel, outside the sun broke through the clouds that had been hanging over the city all day.

Inside the chapel, the light streamed through the stained-glass panels onto the wall behind the altar. Congregants nudged each other and pointed at the glowing sunburst cast on the wall as Rimmer concluded his sermon and led the assembly in singing “Wade in the Water.” The sunlight grew brighter with the sound of the voices and slowly faded after the singing ended.

“As all the voices were booming, the light through the windows created a change in the feeling of the room. It felt like joy, like hope,” shared Emily Stolba, M.Div. ’24, who grew up near the seminary and was only days away from her ordination and first call at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in Johnston, South Carolina. “It was really moving to watch. It felt reflective of the pilgrimage the seminary has been on and will be on. Seeing the seminary change also encourages us to grow and change as we minister in the world.”

Reflecting on the past

Saying goodbye to a campus so filled with history and memories was bittersweet for those in attendance, but it was also a time to celebrate those memories and the relationships that have endured over time.

“On my drive here, I was pondering the hymn ‘Thine be the Glory’ – there’s a verse in there that begins ‘lo, Jesus meets us,’ and I thought of all the times Jesus met me on this campus. I feel gratitude for this place and the living stones that formed me,” shared the Rev. Dr. Kevin Strickland, M.Div. ’08, bishop of the Southeastern Synod. “But it also reminds me that Jesus goes with us from this campus and remains with us wherever we are.”

Fellow alumna and bishop, the Rev. Virginia Aebischer, M.Div. ’89, bishop of the South Carolina Synod also expressed a mixture of emotions before the service.

“It’s a hard day, but it’s good to see so many people from throughout the region here on campus today because it speaks to the impact this seminary has had on so many lives,” she said. “It also feels like the people who aren’t here today are with us in spirit, and it makes you remember the community that formed you. I’m feeling the power of community today. This is an opportunity to go deeper into our faith and our relationship with God as we focus on forming and training leaders for the future.”

The presiding bishop for the service, the Rev. Susan Briner, M.Div. ’03, of the Southwestern Texas Synod, also shared fond memories of the bonds she formed as a student at LTSS.

“I met a group of amazing women here 25 years ago. This week we got together and talked about how this place is very dear to us and has formed us in our ministry and formed our friendship,” she said. “As sacred as this space is, the real power of this seminary is the relationships we’ve formed with each other and with professors and staff. Closing a building doesn’t change that.”

The ceremony likewise focused on the people, memories and influence of LTSS in the Southeast and throughout the United States. Recognition of the guests present included former presidents and deans, faculty and staff and alumni from each decade going back to the 1950s.

Many shared stories from their own experiences, such as the Rev. David Donges, retired bishop of the South Carolina Synod, who recalled visiting campus in 1966 on a choir tour from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg and being invited to sing in the not-yet-finished Christ Chapel to experience the acoustics.

The Rev. Dr. Daryl S. “Tony” Everett, retired Dewey F. Beam professor of pastoral care, opened his remarks with his signature question, “Where is God in all of this?” to thunderous applause. His conclusion placed the service and the seminary’s upcoming move into sharper perspective. “My heavens, we know where God is. In change. In the cross. Amen.”

Looking to the future

After the hymns and remarks from so many distinguished church leaders came a performance from the Koinonia of Columbia Children’s Choir and the distribution of holy communion. The final segment of the service was the deeply emotional Litany of Decommissioning, in which faculty members in turn recognized and gave thanks for each building and the open spaces on campus before releasing each one from use as part of LTSS.

The litany concluded with a focus on the future and the mission that continues: “We cherish the gift that has been entrusted to us, knowing that there will be new places to gather and worship, teach and learn, live and love, and that God will continue to be with us through this new age.”

Current LTSS students are happy to continue their studies and formation in Hickory and through the seminary’s online program.

“As a first-year student, it’s joyful and nostalgic to see the legacy of this place. It makes me proud to be part of this community,” shared Elizabeth Fennell, M.Div. ’27, who attends classes online from her home in Atlanta. “I have never seen an institution so intentional about the inclusion of their online into the community and culture – it’s a model for all institutions.”

Bishop Tim Smith of the North Carolina Synod observed how the changing landscape of higher education has affected institutions’ relationships with their brick-and-mortar existence.

“My grandfather walked to Columbia from Concord, North Carolina to study at LTSS in 1927,” he shared. “Students can attend from anywhere through virtual learning, so while the seminary is moving from Columbia to Hickory, it also exists outside of those physical spaces. The traditions and learning can continue no matter where they’re located.”

LTSS student body president Ben Bernstein, M.Div. ’25, will attend online from Columbia for his final semester, but he remarked, “I feel exuberant energy and optimism for what God has in store for this seminary.”

Other students expressed excitement to explore Hickory and join the campus community at Lenoir-Rhyne, and one staff member and LTSS alumnus is eager to welcome them.

“I have many wonderful memories tied to the Columbia campus because of the people I met here,” shared Lenoir-Rhyne University Pastor, the Rev. Todd Cutter ’96, M.A. ’00, M.Div. 04. “This place has shaped me as a spiritual leader. As university pastor, I’m also excited to work alongside the students coming to Hickory, to get to journey with them through their formation as spiritual leaders.”

Rimmer is sure that “LTSS will know the joy of an embrace and creative collaboration in Hickory with our colleagues, students, and neighbors across our university who share our co-mission. What a wonder to see what awaits LTSS in our becoming. I am full of hope and joy for a future that we cannot even imagine.”