Prof. John T. Pless of Concordia Theological Seminary announced that six ministerial students have been selected to accompany him on the third Mercy Mission Expedition to Madagascar in February. The six students are Jacob Corzine (Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, Peoria, IL), Samuel Janssen (Trinity Lutheran Church, Urbana, IL), Michael Meyer (University Lutheran Chapel, Minneapolis, MN), Terry O'Brien (Living Word Lutheran Church, The Woodlands, TX), Daniel Pezzica (St. James Lutheran Church, Overlea, MD) and Samuel Schuldheisz (St. Michael Lutheran Church, Portland, OR). The Mercy Mission Expedition to Madagascar is sponsored by LCMS World Relief and Human Care. The trip will give students the opportunity to see how Malagasy Lutherans coordinate the church's life of corporate mercy for people with profound human need with the proclamation of the Gospel. After the completion of the trip each student will make at least ten presentations to church groups to share their experiences and raise awareness of human care needs in Madagascar.

Prof. Pless noted "the students selected for this trip represent some of our seminary's finest and most promising students. The time they spend among our Malagasy Lutheran brothers and sisters will deepen in them a theological understanding of how the church ministers to human need. They will grow in their awareness of how Lutherans living daily with the challenges of poverty, suffering and disease are able to respond with compassion and competency. These men will come back to the States better equipped to interpret the work of LCMS World Relief and Human Care to their peers at the seminary and ultimately to the congregations where they will serve as pastors."

Several of the students also reflected on what they anticipate from the trip. Daniel Pezzica commented "During my vicarage in Baltimore, my desire to spread the Gospel to have never heard the good news grew tremendously. Mission work has grown from something that was foreign and intimidating to me, to now being one of the most exciting aspects of the ministry. The primary reason I am so excited about traveling to Madagascar is to see a good example of how mission work can be done so effectively." Jacob Corzine said "I know that every community, congregation, and individual comes with their own complex human history. As a pastor it will be my task to speak the forgiveness of Jesus Christ into that history, providing an anchor in otherwise very rough waters. I believe that my experiences with other churches and other cultures have helped prepare me for this task. I believe that the Mercy Mission Expedition to Madagascar will help me to continue to grow in this area."

Prior to the trip students will have the opportunity to read and reflect on materials on the theology of mercy produced by World Relief and Human Care as well as Beyond Charity: Reformation Initiatives for the Poor. While in Madagascar, the students will visit churches, a school for the blind, a seminary, several hospitals, tobys (literally "encampments of mercy" spread through the country to care for the needy), and the Good Samaritan Center for the Poor. As has been the case with the previous two expeditions, the students will select a human care project to support once they return home. The 2006 CTS group raised enough money to construct a kitchen at the Good Samaritan Center. Last year's group is gathering funds to support human care projects at a regional seminary of the Malagasy Lutheran Church.

"Leading the Mercy Mission Expeditions to Madagascar is the yearly highpoint of my work as a teacher of theology. On these trips, our students are given wonderful opportunities to see Lutheran theology informing and shaping the vitality of the Malagasy Lutherans witness in word and deed to the mercy of God in Christ Jesus. I'm grateful to LCMS Human Care and World Relief for making it possible for my students to have such a rich experience" said Pless.

Photo: Front Row (Left to Right): Prof. John Pless, Daniel Pezzica, Samuel Janssen, and Samuel Schuldheisz. Back Row: Michael Meyer, Jacob Corzine