October 2026

Dear Friends,

“Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:  ² That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.  ³ Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.  ⁴ Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:  ⁵ And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.  ⁶ And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:  ⁷ And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.  ⁸ And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.  ⁹ And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.  ¹⁰ And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,  ¹¹ And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;  ¹² Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.  ¹³ Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.  ¹⁴ Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you…”                Deuteronomy 6:1-13                                                                                                          

One of the great gifts of the Lutheran Reformation was the teaching referred to as “Sola Scriptura.”  Sola Scriptura is a Latin term that means “Scripture alone.”  This means that all preaching and teaching in the Christian Church must conform to God’s Holy Word alone.  We must not be led by human reason or philosophy, feelings and emotions or man-made traditions and rituals.  God gives His ultimate revelation to us through His Word, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The importance of God’s Word was not invented by Martin Luther.  Luther and the reformers discovered this teaching in the Word itself.  God tells us how important His Word is, and also, why it is so important.  Moses instructs the people to talk about the commandments of God, day and night and to always have the Word of God before their eyes.  Just as food is necessary for our physical life, God’s Word is vital for our spiritual life.  It is food for the soul. 

Moses goes on to explain that the Israelites must hear the Word of God “…lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.” 

So too, we must not forsake the hearing of God’s Word lest we forget the God who created us, who redeemed us by the blood of His Son and who leads and guides us by His Holy Spirit.  We listen to the Word of God so that we might know the truth about who God is and the truth about who we are.  “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;  ³² And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”   John 8:31-32

We hear the Word of God, so that we might live.  “Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live…”  Isaiah 55:3

Thank you for your ongoing support of the Seminary as we endeavor to minister God’s Holy Word to His people.  May God give us a hunger and thirst for His Word, so that we might hear, believe and live.

Yours in Christ,

Chuck Bylkas

DONATIONS RECEIVED....

In memory of Reuben & Anita Aho From Pastor Ernest Bylkas, Joy & family and Luella Puumala

The Board of Directors of the Inter-Lutheran Theological Seminary

invite you to attend the Annual Seminary Rally on

Sunday, October 11, 2026 at 3:30PM at Range Apostolic Lutheran Church

11 Whealkate Ave. South Range, MI Dinner following service. MATCHING FUNDS OPPORTUNITY

We have some exciting news!! A kind and generous donor has come forward with a matching fund donation of $25,000 for the year end of 2026.

We are seeking additional donations above and beyond normal giving that would be matched dollar for dollar within this program. The program begins October 1 and runs through December 15, 2026. If you are able to contribute to this program, please earmark your contribution “matching funds” in the memo section of your check.

Your continued support of the seminary is deeply appreciated and enables us to continue to grow and carry on the work of teaching and preparing our students for ministry. God bless you again for your generosity!