Opening service set to welcome seminary to Hickory

Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (LTSS) will officially begin its new chapter in Hickory, North Carolina, with an opening service on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at 10 a.m. The event will take place in Grace Chapel on the Lenoir-Rhyne University campus. 

The service will highlight both the arrival of LTSS and the beginning of a new semester for LR students and include Holy Communion. The Rev. Todd Cutter ’96, M.A. ’00, M.Div. ’04, university pastor, director of spiritual life and director of counseling services is a graduate of both Lenoir-Rhyne and Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary and will preach. 

"As the seminary completes its pilgrimage and arrives in Hickory, I am honored to be a part of this important moment," said Cutter. 

The Rev. Dr. Beverly Wallace, M.Div. ’96, director of lifelong learning at the seminary, will preside at Eucharist, and the Rev. Dr. Melanie Dobson, associate professor and the Lefler and Wohltmann Chair in Methodist Studies, will preside over portions of the liturgy. 

The Rev. Dr. Chad Rimmer, dean and rector of LTSS, echoed Cutter's sentiment. “While many are saddened to leave our beloved Columbia campus, this move is an important part of our seminary's history, and the Lutheran tradition of higher education. By relocating to Hickory, we are helping to secure the future of LTSS as we look toward our 200th anniversary in 2030. We are grateful for the support of our alumni, friends, and the broader Lutheran community as we embark on this new chapter of educating and forming leaders for public ministry." 

A reception will be held in the lobby of Belk Centrum immediately after the service. To register, visit: https://engage.lr.edu/e/ltss-commissioning-ceremony/.

The service also will be live streamed at www.lr.edu/live.