As I was looking at my upcoming fourth-year internship, I realized that I really hoped to do something unusual. I considered applying to the domestic horizon program, but the ELCA's International Horizon program was particularly attractive to me. What wasn't clear, though, is where I might go. I had a long-time interest in Russia (having majored in Russian at St. Olaf), but I couldn't imagine working in the church there...until Brian Stein-Webber told me about another PLTS graduate, Wes Howell. I got in touch with him and learned about the partner relationship Wes' congregation had with a church in St. Petersburg, Russia. That got the ball rolling for the Russian church to apply to be a site in the ELCA's horizon program. At the same time, I applied to the program, but this was no guarantee that I would be accepted, that the site would be accepted, or that the two of us would be matched together. That last point became especially clear when I met the other international interns, who were sent to places that seemed inexplicable - the German speaker was sent to Egypt, the Spanish speaker to Berlin, the Islamic studies specialist to South America. The logic behind that, I later found out, was that there seemed to be a good mentor-intern match in all those places.

My mentors would be two pastors - the German dean serving in St. Petersburg and the ELCA pastor (Chris Repp) working at the Lutheran seminary just outside of the city. After a short time in St. Petersburg, I was to serve in a congregation three hours away in Novgorod, one of Russia's ancient capitals and a beautiful city. I was sent to be their first full-time Lutheran minister since the 1930s in a congregation that slowly came back to life in the 1990s.

Read the rest of Bradn's story here�

You are invited to join new and old colleagues in ministry for a Week of Renewal on the PLTS campus in Berkeley. Nestled in a beautiful setting between the Bay and Tilden Park, it's the perfect place to plan your five day retreat and continuing education getaway. Enjoy classes, worship, stimulating conversation, theological reflection, and restorative time.  Most evenings are free and make a perfect opportunity to explore the greater San Francisco Bay area. 

We are excited to welcome Dr. Herbert Anderson for a special Tuesday evening lecture, The Divine Art of Dying. 

Tuition for one course is $275 and two courses is $400.  Limited housing will be available for an additional fee. Dr. Anderson's lecture is included in the tuition for one course and is $25 per person for those who wish to attend Tuesday evening only. 

Register here today! If you have questions, please contact Gretchen McDonald in the Office of the Dean at 510-559-2731.

Morning Courses (9:15-12:15)

Justifying Faith: 

"The Fragile Soul, Moral Injury, and the Life of Beatitude"

Ted Peters, Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology and Ethics, PLTS and the GTU

As we approach October 31, 2017 and the 500th Anniversary of the posting of Martin Luther's 95 Theses, this class will re-examine the doctrine of justification by faith yield a liberating transformation, a free and joyous investment in love for oneself and for one's neighbor? How can faith in a trustworthy God make our life better?

New Challenges in Lutheran Ethics

Victor Thasiah, Assistant Professor of Religion, California Lutheran University           

New possibilities and challenges - ethical, political, economic, and ecological - demand new thinking and action. How is Lutheran ethics responding? Come, see, and discuss new ways of thought and practice concerning justice, resistance, and reformation.

Discipleship in the Key of John

Martha E. Stortz, Bernhard M. Christensen Professor for Religion and Vocation, Augsburg College

The gospel of John makes an argument about discipleship. The account begins, not with a birth narrative, but a story of creation; it ends, not with the Last Supper, but with a First Breakfast. In between are some of the most vivid encounters with some of the most unlikely people. John's Jesus leads by asking questions: What are some of Jesus' questions - and how do they address us still?

Afternoon Course (1:30-4:30)

Seeing, Remembering, Connecting: 

Beyond Church Survival

Karen L. Bloomquist, Dean and Chief Administrative Officer, PLTS

This class will consider crucial shifts needed for ministry and mission of our congregations. How might the ordinary verbs "seeing, remembering, and connecting" also become important faith practices through which God transforms our lives, congregations and communities? 

Lena was born on October 6, 1919 in Niederdorla Muhlhausen, Germany and was baptized at St. Johannes Evangelical Lutheran Church. The family came to the United States in 1923, travelling on the Hanover to Ellis Island. They came across country to Orland, California, where the father worked on a farm. He died in 1935 from being gassed during World War I. The family moved near First Lutheran Church, which became a central part of their lives.

Lena married Roger Kees in 1938 and they had four children together. In 1951 she married Alfred Ratassepp and they had one child. In 1989 she married Bill Woodmansee and they moved to Chico and became part of Faith Lutheran Church there. Their mutual love of music brought them together as a piano-organ duet performing in over 100 retirement homes for ten years.

Lena began piano lessons before she entered first grade. It became her lifelong vocation, as she attended San Jose State College and taught piano lessons for 45 years in Orland and Willows. She was the organist and choir director at First Lutheran, and accompanied many groups. She was playing for the Sycamore Glen Melodiers when she experienced a massive stroke, dying early on October 22, 2013.