Category: News

Got two…but they aren’t very high.

Check our Sandra Ostapowich’s review of  RENT and Miss Erin Stephen’s review of Richard and Jane.

Reading the reviews might be better than watching the movies on these (wink).

What is Higher Things?

• the most awesome annual Lutheran youth conferences on the planet!
• the absolute “must-read” Lutheran youth magazine in circulation!
• the coolest, most interactive Lutheran web site devoted entirely to youth on the entire internet!
• the best thing to happen to Lutheran campus ministry since sliced pizza!

Higher Things is liturgical, confessional, Christo-centric, sacramental, edgy, grassroots…Lutheran.

Want to learn more and meet the people behind the scenes?

Come to our
First Annual
Higher Things Symposia Reception

Tuesday, January 17, 2006
7:00 p.m.

The AmeriSuites Ballroom
111 West Washington Center Road
Fort Wayne, IN

Free appetizers, beer (root beer for youth), wine, and door prizes.

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things above, not things on the earth.” (Colossians 3:1-2 NKJV)

Higher Things: Daring to be Lutheran at Symposia
www.higherthings.org

A blessed Feast of the Epiphany to one and all!

We are pleased to announce the speaking slate for the 2006 Christ on Campus Staff Conference. The fourth annual conference will be held June 6-8, 2006 at First Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Rev. Eric Andrae will be serving as our host campus pastor.

The Featured Speakers are:

Dr. John Stephenson
Associate Professor of Historical Theology Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary, St. Catharines, Ontario
“Pastoral Care and the Sacraments on Campus”
Learn more about Dr. Stephenson

Dr. Robert Gagnon
Associate Professor of New Testament, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, PA
“The Homosexualist Agenda on Campus and in the Classroom”
Learn more about Dr. Gagnon

Rev. Larry Nichols
Our Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church, Smithfield, RI & Campus Chaplain at Rhode Island College, Providence, RI
“The Challenge of Cults and the Occult in the College Context”
Learn more about Rev. Nichols

In addition to the above speakers, there will also be opportunities for interaction between campus ministry colleagues, various presentations on other topics by those engaged in campus ministry, and once again, a pre-conference session on “Campus Ministry Basics.”

Registration information will be available by February 1, 2006.

A blessed Christmastide to one and all!

2006 is going to be an exciting new year in terms of campus ministry, done Higher Things style! In addition to our Fourth Annual Staff Conference, the Christ on Campus Team is pleased to announce that there will be at least six regional college retreats in the coming year.

Check out http://higherthings.org/html/campus/events/retreats.html.

Registration and further details will be coming in mid January, but please peruse the Christ on Campus College Retreats page for preliminary basic information on these wonderful events for college students. More information will be provided as soon as it is available.

While these retreats are being designed to be as cheap as possible for the collegiate wallet, nothing will be sacrificed in terms of the integrity of the worship, study and fun activities that one would expect at a Higher Things event. 

These retreats will engage the college mind in topics relevant to campus life, worldviews, the Scriptures, the Lutheran Confessions, evangelism and mission on campus, the advance and defense of the Christian faith as well as worship and praise of God through the rich Reformation traditions of the church.

So check out the Christ on Campus College Retreats page to find a college retreat near you!

Rev. Marcus T. Zill
Christ on Campus Executive

Dear everyone,

Greetings to you at this blessed, though hectic, time of the year!

We’ve been busy preparing for The Feast but we wanted to provide you with a quick update.

Registration for The Feast has now been open for five weeks. We are pleased to announce that over 300 seats at The Feast that have been reserved. This means that we are 25% full. We are also thrilled that 77% of those who have registered to date will be coming to their very first Higher Things  Conference.

Please remember that everything you need to register for The Feast is available at www.TheFeastOnline.org. If you can’t get your questions answered there, please feel free to contact us at:

1-888-HTCONF06
(1-888-482-6630)
thefeast@higherthings.org

God’s blessings for your preparations to join us next summer and may God grant each of you a blessed Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord!

Mrs. Sue Pellegrini,
2006 Conference Registrar

Rev. Marcus Zill
2006 Conference Director

During the season of Epiphany we contemplate our Lord’s manifestation, His coming to us to gift us in His very flesh with forgiveness unto life eternal. Higher Things has once again prepared Daily Reflections for your use. The season of Epiphany was written by the Rev. George Borghardt of Conroe, TX and is now avaiulable for download and printing here. Reflections are for personal, family, small group, and congregational devotions. During the Season of Epiphany they will be posted each day online, as well as via e-mail. You can subscribe to our daily Reflections e-mail list by sending a message to, Reflections-on@lists.higherthings.org.

It’s about time that Higher Movies took a look at Narnia. Everyone is talking about Disney’s new smash hit “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe.”

What do we think at Higher Things? The best place for discussion on HT’s website is our blogs. We’ve had three of our bloggers review it. Check out their following reviews:

    Nathan Fischer at “Blood & Water”
    A.B. Fouts at A.B. Fouts at “Writ in Water”
    Pastor Todd Peperkorn at “The Lutheran Logomaniac”(To be added later today)

Do you agree? Do you disagree? Let them know what you think by posting comments on their blogs!

A blessed Advent to you!  

Paster Borghardt
Internet Services Executive

It’s beginning to look alot like….

well almost…

so close…

It’s almost Christmas and Higher Things has some early Christmas presents for you.  We have brought out some old presents, new presents, and different presents in this special Christmas Online Resource Page!

We’ve got Dasher and Dancer and Comet and Cupid … well, no we don’t.  But we do have articles from years past and one special Christmas article from the upcoming Winter 2005 Higher Things Magazine.  Personally, I really like the preview article.  He’s my favorite HT writer (smile).  

We also have poetry from Pastor Cwirla, sermons from Pastor Peperkorn, Pastor Keseman (a.k.a. “The Annoucement Guy”), and Pastor Zill (the guy who doesn’t post on his blog).  We’ve even got the Reflections from last year and this year!

Jesus is almost here! He’s coming soon! May the Lord fill your Advent preparation with His Words.  Happy Reading!  

Merry… Christ…..

A blessed Advent to you!  

Paster Borghardt
Internet Services Executive

THERE’S STILL TIME!

Advent is coming quickly, but there’s still time to download Higher Things Advent and Christmas Reflections booklets before tomorrow! Download Reflections at <http://higherthings.org/html/reflections.html> and print them out for your personal, family, or even congregational devotions throughout the season.

Or, send an email to Reflections-on@lists.higherthings.org to receive Reflections every day in your email Inbox. Some people even set <http://www.higherthings.org> as their web browser home page because Reflections are available on the website every day as well!

This year, starting with Advent, Reflections will be available daily for the entire year. The Epiphany booklet is now in the final editing and proofing stages to be ready for download in the next week or so.

Reflections are available free of charge, a gift from Higher Things to you.

If you’d like support all that we do at HT with a donation, you may do so at our website at <http://www.higherthings.org/html/support.html> or by mailing a check to: Higher Things, P.O. Box 82 , Hamel , MN 55340. Copies may be made of the Reflections booklets, we only ask that they be reprinted in their entirety without alteration.

Have a blessed Advent and Christmas!

Sandra Ostapowich
Higher Things, Secretary and Internet Services Team

In August, the leadership of Higher Things met in Plymouth, MN for a two day retreat to consider the past, present, and future of Higher Things. Two clear thoughts emerged. We wanted to provide our services to many more congregations and their youth. At the same time we wanted to retain the grassroots, ad hoc, edgy creativity that makes Higher Things unique.

And so we gave ourselves an extreme makeover. Structured, yet entrepreneurial. Institutional, yet non-institutional. A paradox, just like Lutheran theology. The new structure has two distinct groups: the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee.

The Board of Directors consists of nine directors, four of whom are also officers (president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer). The Board of Directors is the guardian of the mission of Higher Things and the steward of its resources. They make sure the money is being spent properly, search for kind and generous people to give money, make sure all the tax forms are filled out, and watch that Higher Things remains, well, “Higher Things.”

The Executive Committee consists of five executives who run distinct areas of Higher Things. Pr. Todd Peperkorn is the executive in charge of Publications, including Higher Things magazine. Pr. Marcus Zill is in charge of Christ on Campus, the campus ministry arm of Higher Things. Pr. Bruce Keseman is in charge of Conferences. Mrs. Sue Pellegrini is the executive in charge of Leadership Development, who will be working to identify and train new leaders for Higher Things. Pr. George Borghardt is the executive in charge of Internet Services, which includes everything you see on the web. 

With nine directors directing, five executives executing, and four officers officiating, (not to mention eight lords a’ leaping), we hope and pray that Higher Things will be able to offer the whole lot and a whole lot more to the joy and edifying of Christ’s holy people.