|
Quicklinks
February 27 - March 1
|
|
Mission Statement
The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago forms visionary leaders to bear witness to the good news of Jesus Christ.
|
|
Changed Reality
When I saw the snow piled up in my alley after the Midwestern snowpocalypse, as the seminarians like to call it, I was convinced that I wouldn't be able to get my car out of the garage for days. But my next door neighbor got out there with a snowblower and within an hour cleared a path just wide enough for one car from our garages all the way to the street.
As I thanked my new local superhero's wife, she said, "I remember how isolated we felt during the Chicago blizzard of 1967. Because of the internet and cell phones, I don't think we'll ever experience that kind of isolation again."
As LSTC shut down for two days because of a storm-related power outage, students played like third graders in the snow in the courtyard. Senior Katy Harder emailed me pictures of their snow day while I worked from home on my LSTC laptop. My neighbor is right, our reality is that even when a monster snowstorm shuts down a major city we are able to keep in touch and bring the far away near.
LSTC alum Amy Kienzle will be spending the next three months serving with the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel. While at seminary, Amy's perception of reality changed. As a result, she is answering another dimension of her call. She shares her story below along with a link to the blog she is keeping, making her faraway reality available to us.
Amy's reality changed on a trip to the Holy Lands, but one can see reality changing for other seminarians in classrooms, in conversations, in chapel, on internship. It may not happen all at once, but it happens. And when students leave LSTC they have a new vision for changing reality in the name of Christ, the one who drew them here in the first place.
Blessings,
|
 Join me on this journey
by Amy Kienzle
M.Div., Class of 2007
I almost changed my mind about the J-term Travel Seminar to the Holy Land in 2005. Fears of the unknown and anxiety about what I thought I knew about the situation made me wonder if it was the wisest decision. But it was my advisor who encouraged me not to pass up an opportunity that could be life-changing. She was right. The trip to Israel-Palestine with Professors Barbara Rossing and Esther Menn was life-changing.
Seeing the daily struggles and suffering of Palestinians living under the occupation, I was compelled to do something. Over the past six years I have been part of a synod taskforce in the Southeast Michigan Synod that does advocacy and education about the situation in Israel/Palestine. Through that work I learned about the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, and I knew someday I would do that program.
I learned in October that there would be an opening in team 39. It seemed that God had made a way. I will begin my three-month term as an Ecumenical Accompanier in February 2011. You can learn more about the EAPPI program at http://eappi.org and can read my blog while I am there -- http://thingsthatmake4peace.wordpress.com/
Pastor Kienzle will travel to Washington, D.C., on February 15 for orientation. She leaves for Tel Aviv on February 18. An article about her trip appeared in the Arab American News.
|
|
News from LSTC
Scherer Lecture examines pre-Christian faith in a post-Christendom world
Theology is in creative ferment in Africa as Christianity grows at an unprecedented rate and the Bible is applied to questions unanticipated by its authors and its Western emissaries. On Tuesday, February 22 at 4 p.m., Dr. Jonathan J. Bonk will deliver the annual Scherer Lecture, "Pre-Christian Faith in a Post-Christendom World: Africa and the Future of Christianity." He will show the inadequacies of looking in old and obvious places to tell the new story of the future of Christianity in Africa. The free lecture will be in the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago Common Room (350), 1100 East 55th Street. [ more ]
Sankofa: African Descent Heritage Month at LSTC
You are invited to be part of the free events during LSTC's celebration of African Descent Heritage Month. For more information visit the Multicultural Center website, or contact Kim Ferguson at mc@lstc.edu or 773-256-0760.
February 17, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Revival, Augustana Chapel
February 18, 7:00 - 9:30 p.m. Hip Hop Worship Service, Augustana Chapel
February 24, 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. AIDS Awareness Day panel discussion, Room 350
 New Youth in Mission e-newsletter
Since 2003, LSTC's Youth in Mission Program (YIM) has provided opportunities for hundreds of youth to broaden their horizons, deepen their faith, and explore their vocation. Kristin Johnson, program coordinator for Youth in Mission, will be sending you a quarterly e-newsletter starting later this month to tell you more about YIM's impact. Watch for it in your email inbox.
Register now for "Experiencing God through Preaching and Worship"
In worship we respond to the good news preached in the sermon. Through the liturgy we are both shown how to give God thanks and praise and provided with the opportunity to do so.
 "Experiencing God through Preaching and Worship" focuses on the important yet sometimes overlooked partnership between preaching and worship. Through worship, liturgical rites and preaching, you will be invited into the holy mystery weaving all of these elements into one common thread. We will work together to construct theological significance out of actual liturgical events such as foot washing and funeral rites. You will also have the opportunity to engage in text study for the seven Sundays of the Easter season. Learn more and register.
Class of 1991 Reunion & Blog
Gather with your classmates during the LSTC Leadership Conference to listen to and tell your stories of ministry over the last 20 years. Terry Kyllo, class convener, and Kevin Bates, billed as "director of subversive activities" are organizing the reunion and have launched a blog.
The Class of 1991 will be getting together over lunch (11:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.) and dinner (6:00 - 9:00 p.m.) on April 4. On April 5, it's dinner at Jimmy's at 7:00 p.m. then back to LSTC to share stories. There may even be some subservsive activities, but don't let that get around. The reunion continues Wednesday morning, April 6 at 9 a.m., participation in weekly Eucharist in the Augustana Chapel at 11 a.m., and a blessing and farewell at noon.
Email tkyllo@frontier.com or post a message on the blog.
|
| Of Interest
AALA Gala at Chicago's South Shore Cultural Center
This year's African America Gala will be held on Friday, February 25, 2011, at the South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Dr., Chicago, from 6:00 - 10 p.m. Tickets cost $60 for adults and $30 for senior citizens/students/youth. Please register by February 15, 2011. Online registration is available at the Metro Chicago Synod website. After February 15, 2011, tickets will be available at the door. For more information about this event, contact the Rev. Lawrence J. Clark at 773-723-2246 or pcstmarklutheran@yahoo.com.
Congress on Urban Ministry 2011, "Peacemaking in a Culture of Violence"
Hosted by the Seminary Consortium for Urban Pastoral Education (SCUPE), March 1 - 4 at the Hyatt McCormick Place Hotel, Chicago, the conference features renowned speakers James Forebes, Renita Weems, Walter Brueggemann, Shane Claiborned, Michael Pfleger, Obery Hendricks, Mindy Fulilove, and Peter Rollins. It includes Bible study, more than 80 workshops to choose from, and the chance to meet with others engaged in urban ministry across the U.S. For more information visit www.congressonurbanministry.org or www.scupe.com.
|
|
|
Upcoming Events
February 13, 4:00 p.m.International Hymn Festival and Advanced Studies Benefit, Faith Lutheran Church, Glen Ellyn, Ill.
February 17, 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. "Men in Power and in trouble: Masculinity in the Hebrew Bible, Abraham as a case study"
February 17, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Revival
February 18, 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. Interfaith skills training
February 18, 7:00 - 9:30 p.m. Hip Hop Worship Service
February 22, 4:00 p.m. Scherer Lecture
February 24, 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. AIDS Awareness Day panel discussion
February 27, 4:00 p.m., The Salaam Shalom Music Project
March 3, 1:00 p.m., Hein-Fry Lecture
March 13, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m., Sixth Annual Sacred Texts Conference, La Grange, Ill.
Links to:
|
|
|
|
|
