Christmas decorations in front of the Earhart Manor on Concordia University Ann Arbor's campus tell the story of Jesus' birth in the glow of annual lights in December 2009. The lights are visible to the thousands of people who pass by the campus each day on Geddes and Earhart roads. Photo by Molly Fitzgerald.

By Molly Fitzgerald
Concordia Vox

This time of year is time of rejoicing.

Finals are coming, followed by the end of the semester and Christmas; a time when we have a month off from college to spend with family and friends before coming back to a new semester.

To put everyone in the spirit, the look and sounds of campus have changed quite a bit over recent weeks. A large Christmas tree is erected outside of the Chapel of the Holy Trinity that can be seen from all over campus. The annual nativity scene lights are on display in front of Earhart Manor, visible to thousands of people who pass by in their vehicles on Geddes Road. Christmas music plays in many places, and several Christmas events have taken place, such as a Christmas Concert by the Music Department, a community read-aloud event with Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” the Yule Ball and, of course, the Boar’s Head Festival.

There is even dorm decorating. This year’s theme is “Merry Christmas.” You had to have the words “Merry Christmas” somewhere in the room to participate. The dorms all looked wonderfully festive with lights strung from the railings and trees put up all over.

Something else that has changed during this season of Advent compared with the rest of the year is the services at the chapel: They have become more focused on the Gospel accounts of the birth of Christ, and how powerful this time of year is for everyone. Christmastime has the power to lift the spirits of many people, and Concordia’s campus does its part.

The 32nd annual Boar's Head Festival at Concordia University Ann Arbor in December 2009. Picture by T. Emmett Bramwell

By T. Emmett Bramwell
Concordia Vox

On Friday, Dec. 4, as the crowd stepped into the Chapel of the Holy Trinity on the campus of Concordia University Ann Arbor, a sense of excitement filled the pews.

Many guests from off-campus were in attendance for the opening night of the 32nd annual Boar’s Head Festival. On the first night of a three-day run, the cast consisting of students, faculty, staff, and others, emerged in front of the audience, ready to entertain.

A scene from the Boar's Head Festival. Photo by Molly Fitzgerald

This year’s Boar’s Head kicked off with a slight alteration to the normal pattern of events. For the first time, a student introduced the Concordia tradition, providing instruction with regards to audience participation. After hearing this, the crowd was ready for the show, and the Medieval-era Christmas story was under way.

Stunning music, performed by Concordia’s choir and band, filled the chapel. After a captivating performance by the show’s youngest performer, a precious little sprite, the isles came to life as Beefeaters moved through the audience, establishing the time period of the play. A somber tone prevailed, reflecting the all-business facial expressions of the guards.

As the king took center stage, the significance of the show’s title became more clear to much of the audience. Lords and ladies filled the room as they danced their way through the audience toward the stage. Festive is the only word to describe the scene as fully garbed Medieval royalty paraded about. Celebration abounded! Children sang while a jester bounded about, providing the perfect dose of comic relief.

Then, as the mood shifted, the reason for the season presented Himself as Mary and Joseph slowly made their way to the manger. Once there, a beautiful re-enactment of the Bible’s nativity account commenced, complete with startled shepherds, and ornamented wise men trailing behind the star of Bethlehem. Before long, the entire cast was at center stage cascading outward from baby Jesus, filling every inch of the tiered stage with arms outstretched in a posture of praise.

Concordia’s annual Boar’s Head Festival is a must-see performance: a family-friendly, Christ-centered show that captivates the heart and ignites the soul to worship the one true God, Jesus Christ!

The chandelier at the Yule Ball added to the festive flair of the December event. Photo by Molly Fitzgerald

It took place in the Black Box in Kreft Hall. Christmas lights gave the room a festive decor, and a chandelier was perched in the middle of the dance floor to create an ambiance for the room. Each table was decorated with traditional Christmas-related items from various places, including United States, France, Ireland, Santa’s North Pole, Italy, and many other locations.

The music started out very old-school, with a very calming sound. No one danced for about 20 minutes. Then DJ Spencer played “Cha Cha Slide” by DJ Casper. Almost everyone immediately got up from their separate tables and joined in for a group dance. Throughout the night, the music was a very nice combination of old-school rock and modern popular tunes, and was a big reason the evening was so enjoyable.

The attire ranged from nice dress pants and shirt to full gowns. Most of the men wore nice sweater-vests and khakis. Everyone was dressed very nicely and festively for the occasion.

Concordia is full of talent, and much of it is hidden from the everyday bustle of campus. Most of the soloist are young newcomers, but several are doing this for the last time. Final semester can mean emotional and heartfelt singing and talking.

The professors guiding the singers are very enthusiastic and excited to show the community the results of the practice and preparation that has been going on in their studios.

Many of the students are excited to sing in front of their peers and show them how much their talents have developed. The preparations have been all semester long and sometimes tedious, but in the end it is all worthwhile to the singers.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m.

The Cards started off with good shots in the first five minutes, making the score 6-5. But something broke with the offense, and the Panthers ended up getting a double-digit lead with 16-6 less then five minutes later.

Kyle Barlow scored a triple-point shot just before the Panthers scored a total of 9 points; giving them a 16 point lead. Making the score 27-11.

Leaders on the board for the game at this point were Barlow with 13 points plus 3 steals, and Rocko Holmes with a total of 8 points. Marius Williams had four steals and two assists.

The Cards have a season record of 4-6. This weekend, they will play in a tournament in Mishawaka, Ind., against several teams including Calumet College of St. Joseph.

The Concordia men’s team raised their record to 4-3 by defeating Alma College on Dec. 1.

The final score of 59-56 was the result of the team coming together and working for the victory.

Rocko Holmes lead the team in its victory at home with 19 points.

“I felt the we played at a intense level throughout the game, and we are growing as a team day by day. Our team is not the most talented team, but we will outwork every team, and it showed yesterday against Alma,” he said.

At halftime, the Cards had a 5-point lead of 33-28.

Later, Kyle Barlow’s jumper gave Cards the final score with only 2:11 left in the game. For the duration of the game, neither team made any more shots, but played solid defense.

In the realm of radio, Lutherans have a long and rich history. The Lutheran Church-Missour Synod owns and operates the nation’s longest continually running religious radio station, KFUO. But as technology changes and audiences shift from regional to national to international, so too does the way radio is delivered. Perhaps it should not be a surprise to hear that just as Lutherans spearheaded use of the technology of yesteryear, we are at it again.

Pirate Christian Radio (www.piratechristianradio.com) is an Internet-based radio station designed to reach an international audience. Noticing that Christian broadcasters were no longer interested in solid Law/Gospel programming, founder, Chris Rosebrough, who holds an MBA from Pepperdine University, did what any good entrepreneur would do: In 2007, he decided to start his own radio station.

The result is arguably the most innovative approach to Lutheran radio in the past 50 years. By intentionally targeting an international audience, PCR took to the Internet with a goal of  providing eight hours of Christ-centered radio in both preaching and talk formats. An ensemble of solid programming was put together that “proclaims the true Christian Gospel message that ‘Christ was crucified for our sins’ [and] exalts and defends the historic Christian faith from those who are trying to replace or mix it with pop-psychology, self-help, mysticism, liberalism, and Oprah-fied spirituality.”

Headlining Pirate Christian Radio is none other than “Issues, Etc.,” a show which was abruptly dropped from the Missouri Synod’s KFUO lineup on March 18, 2008. Many listeners were dismayed to find that ‘Issues’ had been canceled. However, after talking to Rosebrough, a man who loves to laugh, it would seem that the stir surrounding “Issues, Etc.” in the spring of 2008 has been turned into an opportunity for expanded service. Shortly after the plug was pulled on “Issues, Etc.,” Chris hopped on a flight to St. Louis with a proposal to put Rev. Wilken and producer Jeff Schwarz back on the air. Bringing “Issues, Etc.” onboard was paramount for the young station as the show brought an already established listening audience.

But “Issues, Etc.” is hardly the only thing going for Pirate Christian Radio. Other programs broadcast on the station include the following:

• “White Horse Inn” is a program hosted by four men of different denominational affiliations including Dr. Rod Rosenbladt, professor of theology at Concordia University – Irvine, Calif. All the hosts “long to see a second reformation take hold of our churches and return them to the God-honoring, Christ-centered, Spirit-wrought places of worship they should be.” The White Horse Inn has been around for nearly 20 years.

• “Fighting for the Faith” is hosted by the Pirate Christian himself, Rosebrough. The premise behind this show is “to compare what people are saying in the name of God to the Word of God.” The entire show is built upon discernment, from the news to the sermon reviews and even the hilarious satire. That’s right, Fighting for the Faith not only provides solid biblical discernment but also delivers gut-wrenching humor that also makes a point. When asked about Marty Python’s Flying Circus Church, the unique satirical skits, Rosebrough commented that the “freedom of the Gospel lets us laugh,” and that he loves to laugh. The fact that he is a huge Monty Python fan has some notable influence on his comedic style.

• “Table Talk Radio,” “everyone’s favorite theological game show,” is hosted by Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller and seminarian Evan Goeglein. The show discusses “various articles of the Christian faith, the Holy Scriptures as well and current events as they relate to the faith.”

• “The God Whisperers” is co-hosted by Rev. Bill Cwirla who, in addition to radio and the parish, is also the President of Higher Things, “a Lutheran youth organization that strives to shape a confessional, liturgical Lutheran identity among those in high school and college.” The other Whisperer microphone is manned by Rev. Craig Donofrio, who, in addition to radio and the parish, is the executive director of South Orange County Outreach, “a mission society based in Southern California dedicated to apologetics forums and church planting.” Donofrio is also responsible for much of the leg work that went into building the Pirate Christian Radio lineup.

The rest of the programming is made up of: “Sermons From Holy Trinity,” “The Gift: Sermons from Faith Lutheran,” “Internet Monk,” “Radical Grace,” “SOCO,” “Higher Things,” “The Feast,” “Dying to Live,” “Living Water,” “Words of Hope” and “Time Out.”

So, with a year and a half under its belt, has Pirate Christian Radio achieved its goal of reaching an international audience with Christ-centered radio? The answer seems to be: yes. According to Rosebrough, “PCR is currently listened to in 67 countries.”

Rosebrough said he believes the success has come because the station is “not trying to beat people over the head with Lutheranism” but are simply providing a “Biblical meal people can’t get other places.” Listeners are discovering that “there are places left to hear the Gospel.” As a result of this approach, many people are coming to Lutheranism. Rosebrough said he receives e-mails on a regular basis from listeners who visited a Lutheran church after hearing the programming on PCR and have decided to continue worshipping there.

PCR has listeners at Concordia University Ann Arbor.

C.J. Luttinen, a pre-sem student double majoring in Biblical languages and psychology stumbled upon PCR on iTunes and had this to say about Fighting for the Faith: “I love that Chris takes a hard-line stance on his view of the Bible and defends it well. He goes against all takers and reviews the big names in today’s ‘Christian Mainstream.’ I listened for a week and already began to love it before I found out he was LCMS. What a bonus. It’s really helpful to hear what some of these big names are saying and then be given direct Bible passages breaking down why they are either right or wrong in their views. I had heard Rob Bell was controversial for a while but never heard him speak outside of the Nooma videos. Fighting for the Faith really helped to show me what he’s saying is wrong.”

Another CUAA listener, David Appold, who is doing his student teaching in Saginaw, said: “I regularly listen to Fighting for the Faith, with the occasional episode of “Issues Etc.” thrown in.  In the past I’ve also been able to listen to some of the sermons that they broadcast daily.

“The best part of Fighting for the Faith is the sermon review. Whether it is a review of a good sermon or a bad one, Rosebrough does a great job of highlighting the pure teachings and correcting the false ones,” Appold added. “I think it’s especially helpful for future pastors to start thinking about what should be in a sermon; should it be a bunch of fun stories with a nice inspirational message, or should it be a true exposition of the Biblical text, with the Law preached in its fullness to drive us to our Savior, and then the Gospel given to show us who that Savior is and what He has done for us.”

Pirate Christian Radio is a listener-supported radio station and that is currently in the middle of building a crew of 1,000 supporters. To become a Crew Member, a person agrees to support PCR by donating $6.95 a month. Pirate Christian Radio has set up a Pirate Cove that can only be accessed by these members. Inside the cove is a treasure trove of information designed to equip Pirate Christian Radio listeners with the tools necessary to effectively discern what is taught throughout Christendom today.

The Huron River is much more visible from campus after many plants were cleared. Photo by Molly Fitzgerald

By Molly Fitzgerald
Concordia Vox

While the world slept, several students got up at 8 a.m on the morning of Nov. 14, 2009, to start the clean-up of the Huron riverfront on campus.

This involved many tools and a lot of muscle and lasted until 5:30 p.m.

More than 100 feet of riverfront was cleared under the leadership of Steve Schmidt and Steve Ferguson. More than 50 students helped, and most gave up the majority of their day to help with the project.

The view before volunteers cleared away many of the land plants near the riverbank. Photo by Molly Fitzgerald

A huge pile of debris more than 7 feet high was created on top of the hill.

Several students said many of the land plants at the site had become overpopulated and were harming the growth of riverside plants.

Some helpers worried about the land sliding, but the volunteers were assured that precautions had been taken to avoid it.

When the day was done, the result was a dramatic change from the thick forest looking scene that had been present that morning. Now, a beautiful view of the riverfront was there just in time for the winter season.

Many students are now more adventurous on campus because they can now go and sit near the riverfront and have peace and quiet.

Music at Tool Time in fall 2009. Photo by Abi Werner

By Molly Fitzgerald
Concordia Vox

Over the weekend of Nov. 7-8, many Concordia University Ann Arbor students welcomed and housed more than 100 high school students in their dorm rooms for a weekend of learning, enjoyment and enlightenment.

Tool Time, which was hosted by the New Crew Youth Ministries team, is designed to bring the Word of God to the youth groups that come to campus and aims to bring them closer to God by the end.

The event was filled from start to finish with activities for the high schoolers to do, including skits to watch and games to play. The young visitors also got to know what campus life is like by living with a college student for the weekend.

The Men in White Shirts troupe performs at the November 2009 Tool Time event. Photo by Abi Werner

Some of the highlights of the weekend were the New Crew band, which played songs like “Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)” and others, and the Human skit, to which the high schoolers seemed to respond well. The actors in the skit tried to convey the message that even when you are weighted down by sin and feel like nothing can help, God always will be there to care for you and clean you off from your sins.

Some of the fun things that happened during the weekend were Men in White Shirts, which is a troupe that makes scenes using only themselves as props; some of the scenes were “touchdown” and “toast.”

The event featured speakers, too. Steve Bornheimer spoke of addictions;  Steve Schmidt talked about limitations of his grandfather; Andrea Johnson  spoke of the feeling of not being good enough; and Beth Folkerts spoke of a birth defect. The talks were moving; at times, members of the audience came to tears over what they heard. It clearly took a lot of courage and strength to speak to hundreds of people about topics so private.

Another Tool Time event is scheduled for spring 2010, which will involve junior high school youths.

What is the season of fall without chilly nights around the campfire, raking leaves, picking apples and attending the local campus football games? The last part is rather difficult to accomplish when there isn’t a football team in sight.

Ever since Concordia was founded, it seems that some of the energy and life that one experiences elsewhere is missing. This energy could only be brought about by the hype created during football season! Let’s go Cards!

Concordia University Ann Arbor Athletic Director Ben Limback

Since Concordia’s doors opened, there were plans of having a football team, but it never happened. Athletic Director Ben Limback stated: “Now is the right time,” for us to add this standard college sport. It is a major program that previous athletic directors have been forming and molding it for the past four-plus years. Limback believes that through the addition of the team, enrollment will increase by nearly 100 students and school spirit will increase significantly.

For the first year, the team will technically be a “club,” but in 2011 it will be an official varsity sport.

At the moment there is no recruiting or tryouts taking place; that is the job of the head coach, who will be hired in January.

“We’ve had 150-plus applications,” Limback said.

As for the type of individual CUAA might hire? “(We are not looking for) one specific thing,” but those doing the hiring are looking for an individual who will be able to raise money, show an ability to recruit “quality” players, and above all, follow Concordia’s mission statement.

So where will these fine young men play? For now, the lots across the street, south of the softball field, will be a practice area. Games likely will will take place at Huron High School, which is just up Geddes Road about a mile, but major renovations are coming.
At some point, Limback said, he has a dream of stands and lights, like other university football teams have.

Who will the men play? While they are currently applying for a conference, it is highly likely  the team will be playing schools in the Indiana and Ohio region, also any school in the area like Albion or Adrian.

What’s a football team without it’s support team? Cheerleading will be following the start of the football season, and there is a high possibility that a Marching Band will join, as well as an extension of the girls Dance Team season to perform during football games as well.

Where is the money coming from to do all this? The bottom line is, with more opportunity comes more students, and those students will bring in more revenue as well. There will be athletic scholarships available for those who qualify.

Limback said the addition of football to our university’s campus will create a fresh boost to school spirit and new students to help maintain enrollment.

For current students interested in playing football in the upcoming year, check out the CUAA Web site at www.cuaa.edu for more information and a questionnaire.