What an outstanding time we had at the second annual Christian Culture Conference last week. With over 260 guests in attendance, not counting over 50 children attending the conference “VBS” at Mount Hope, we were grateful to welcome the vibrancy of our rich Christian culture to Casper.
The conference began on the 16-acre campus of Luther Classical College, right next to the WY District Office and Mount Hope Lutheran Church. Guests gathered for coffee and pastries, Christian fellowship, and our groundbreaking ceremony.
The first thing many of our guests noticed upon arrival was the number of different license plates in the parking lot. Of the over 260 guests in attendance at the conference, nearly 30 different states were represented. What an honor to welcome supporters from all around the country (and even internationally).
With that, we’d like to thank everyone who was in attendance. Your presence in Casper means so much to us and to everyone supporting this historic college founding.
What a busy morning it was. And an emotional one. There were many in attendance who remembered the first beginnings of a Lutheran school in Casper 30 years ago. On June 4 they gathered to watch the first shovel pierce the ground for the construction of a premier Lutheran college for Lutheran young men and women across the country. See how God chooses to bless our labors for His Church!
The conference itself featured five papers, a banquet speech, and a presidential address.
Rev. Dr. Peter Scaer, Chair of the Exegetical Department at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne presented on Wokism and Post-Christian America.
Dr. Allan Carlson, professor, author, and current board member and corporate secretary of the Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty in Washington, DC, presented on the Lutheran Family: Past and Future.
Rev. Jeffrey Hemmer, pastor of Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church in Fairview Heights, Illinois, and an assistant to LCMS President, Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, gave his paper on Necessary Masculinity for a Post-Christian America.
Dr. Scott Yenor, senior Director of State Coalitions at the Claremont Institute‘s Center for the American Way of Life and a professor of Political Science at Boise State University, presented on modern American higher education, explaining how “Campus Free Speech is not Enough.” Dr. Yenor is the newest member of Luther Classical College’s Board of Regents.
Rev. David Ramirez, pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Union Grove, WI, concluded our presentations with a paper on Tyranny’s Assault on the Family: Church and State in Post-Christian America.
But to top off the two-day conference, on Wednesday evening our gifted musicians put on a stellar benefit concert performance, generating rapturous applause from special guests––from the CCC conference, the Casper community, and beyond. The concert featured impressive individual vocal and instrumental pieces followed by portions from Handel’s Messiah. A huge “thank-you” to all musicians and organizers! All free-will proceeds went to Luther Classical College.
We would like to thank our speakers for their fantastic papers, Trinity Lutheran Church for being such a gracious host, our Board of Regents, staff, and volunteers for phenomenal vision and organization, and last but certainly not least, our amazing supporters who make this conference and college founding possible. May God keep us all steadfast in His Word as we continue the necessary work of founding Luther Classical College, to the glory of God and for the benefit of our fellow man.