The governing board of Martin Luther College (MLC), New Ulm, Minn., at its meeting Sept. 24-26, regretfully eliminated the positions of three full-time professors as a result of continuing budget cuts. Because of available transitional funding, the one pastor-trained faculty member and two teacher-trained members will remain in their positions until the end of the current academic year. These latest reductions complete the budget cutting process that began last spring with significant staff reductions and furloughs.

Synodwide, four of six pastor-trained men whose synod-funded positions have been eliminated are currently holding full- or part-time calls. Five teachers and two staff ministers remain without calls. All but 3 seminary graduates and 11 MLC graduates have been assigned.

Meantime, WELS Committee on Relief has provided support for called workers and staff members whose positions were eliminated at Michigan Lutheran Seminary in Saginaw, Mich. The committee provided funding for professional career counseling services for nine workers currently searching for new employment.

Rev. John Seifert, president of the Michigan District, says the displaced workers were encouraged to hear that their experiences in ministry have value in and are transferable to the secular market. Still, they face a difficult struggle finding meaningful employment in the Saginaw area where the unemployment rate hovers between 22 and 25 percent.

Seifert expresses thanks for the support from Committee on Relief for the effort. "The counseling would not have been possible without it," he says.