For the ninth year in a row, students, faculty, family and friends packed into a van Jan. 10 to journey to Mission Central in Mapleton, Iowa, for two days of intensive learning. Those attending included Residential Alternate Route (RAR) students Nathan Speerbrecker and Andrew Wrasman; Master of Divinity (M.Div.) student Joshua Hileman; President Dr. Dale A. Meyer and his grandson, Connor Pittman; Interim Director of Resident Field Education Rev. Jeffrey Thormodson; Vicar Joe Pierson; and Tim and Deborah Herberts.

For Speerbrecker, Wrasman and Hieleman, this was also an opportunity to complete Mission and Ministry Seminar (PRA563), a course that focuses theological and missiological study around specific aspects of church planting.

Directed by Gary Thies and Dr. Brent Smith (’01), Mission Central is the largest mission network that provides support to the LCMS offices of International and National Mission. Mission Central continues to be blessed by God as a conduit to raise millions of dollars every year to send and keep missionaries in the field.

In addition to the time spent at Mission Central, the group also made a brief stop at Lutheran Bible Translators (LBT) in Concordia, Mo. LBT’s Director for Program Ministries and COO Rev. Rich Rudowske (’05) explained how Lutherans are working with church and Bible agency leaders to bring God’s Word to those who don’t yet have it in their own languages.