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Above the Fog
PLTS Newsletter
Summer 2014 |
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Greetings!
 This photo, of the early morning sun breaking through the trees on the PLTS campus, visually represents my time here. We are already six months into living the reality of the merger with Cal Lutheran. The merger brings adjustments and raises new possibilities. One exciting prospect is to have faculty from the Thousand Oaks campus teach occasionally at PLTS. Another idea is for selected advanced courses taught on the Thousand Oaks campus to be credited toward graduate seminary work at PLTS. We continue to discover and explore opportunities with a sense of awe for God's presence in this time of transition. In late July, the goats arrived again at PLTS. That's right, real goats! Numerous goats are brought to campus each summer to chew off the weeds on the steep hillside. In the Bible, goats aren't often seen in a positive light; they don't like being confined, and are not good followers. (e.g., in Mt. 25:32-33). Most hearers of biblical parables comparing goats and sheep would rather be the sheep. The goats here on campus started me thinking about how their role on campus and presence might help us better understand the mission of the church in the West. Instead of dismissing the "goats" of the world, we can find a way to connect with them and include them in the larger mission of sharing God's love. It might be said that at PLTS we equally welcome the sheep and the goats of the world. Read the rest of Dean Bloomquist's letter here>> |
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Welcome to The Rev. Dr. Shauna K. Hannan
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We are delighted to welcome the Rev. Dr. Shauna K. Hannan to the Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PLTS) faculty as Associate Professor of Homiletics. The Rev. Dr. Hannan earned her Ph.D. in homiletics from Princeton Theological Seminary. Preceding her PhD work, she served as an ELCA parish pastor. Since 2008 Dr. Hannan has served as an Assistant Professor at the Lutheran Theological Seminary (LTSS) in Columbia, SC. Through LTSS, she recently completed her sabbatical focused on Latin American homiletic pedagogies. Through her preaching and teaching, Dr. Hannan reinforces the idea that, as she says, "what God is doing is not boring."
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In Memory of a Church Leader
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The memorial for former bishop of the LCA's Pacific Southwest Synod, Rev. Stanley Olson, was held on July 19 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Sacramento, California. His picture was on the worship bulletin, but up front, where a large photo of the dearly departed is usually displayed, was something else. It was his stole.
 This was not your usual pastor's liturgical stole. In fact, it couldn't be qualified into any of the church seasons. It was not blue or green or purple or white or red or gold. Instead, as you can see from the adjoining picture, it was a mixture of autumn rusts and browns against, okay, a dark blue background. Bishop Olson wore it frequently, and family members said that it showed its wear. But it was still beautiful; stylized wings adorned its yoke, while the crosses of Calvary were at the end of both hanging ends. It is most likely - family can be consulted on this - that the wings represented the promise of God in Psalm 91 that we will be raised up on eagle's wings. Something to the effect that we can do all things through the God who strengthens us. Or symbolic of our salvation through Jesus. Those feathers also suggest Jesus' wish that he could gather his disciples just as a mother hen gathers its chicks under its wings.
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In Memoriam: The Rev. Kathy Hlatshwayo, PLTS Class of '91
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 We regret to announce the sudden death of the Rev. Kathy Hlatshwayo on Friday, June 20 2014 at her home. Kathy was diagnosed with lung and eventually liver cancer two and a half weeks prior to her death, and her swift worsening of health took both her and her husband Hector by surprise.
A native Northern Californian from Santa Cruz, Kathy graduated from CSU Fresno with a BA in Political Science. She worked for Wells Fargo Bank for seventeen years, "retiring" as Assistant Vice President and Department Manager to enter PLTS in 1987.
Kathy served as chaplain intern at Walnut Creek Psychiatric Hospital and Napa State Hospital, working with severely emotionally distressed and mentally ill children. She also served as chaplain at the Contra Costa County Adult Detention Facility in Martinez, California.
Since being ordained in October 1991, Kathy served in a rural setting, and in diverse urban and surburban congregations in Northwest Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and now Washington DC. She served on the Board of Directors of Mar-Lu-Ridge Outdoor Ministries, and as President of the Partnership for Renewal in Southern and Central Maryland, a faith-based community organizing network in Prince George's County, chair of the Metropolitan DC Synod of the ELCA Division for Church in Society, and as member of the Synod Hunger Team. Kathy was also a member of the Synod's Latino Strategy committee and the ELCA Congregation/Based Organizing Team.
Kathy was married to Hector since 1969. Hector is a native South African, who came to the United States via Tanzania as a political refugee. He has been a juvenile probation officer, youth director, and a teacher to children and youth with severe emotional distress and mental illness, and is now retired.
The funeral for Rev. Kathy Hlatshwayo took place Wednesday, June 25 at Grace Lutheran Church in Washington, DC, where she most recently served as interim pastor.
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Summer Time Volunteers and Visitors to PLTS Campus
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Telios program students from California Lutheran stayed on campus in early July. Two large trees southeast of the chapel building were ordered to be cut down to reduce the chance of wildfire spreading. The Telios students helped one morning in distributing wood chips from one of our downed trees around campus.
 Intrepid volunteers from Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Lafayette, California came to campus once again to help with maintaining the physical campus. Above they are photographed midway through repainting the Sawyer garage. In the 1930's, it was a two level, six-car garage! In the early days of PLTS, this building housed classrooms and now are home to six offices.
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The usual path to ordination in the Lutheran Church includes four years of college plus four years of seminary. As college costs have risen over the past ten years, so have the costs for seminary. As a result, more seminary graduates have greater educational debt. This article is re-printed with the permission of its author, The Rev. Bob Dealey, DEM of the Central/Southern Illinois Synod.
An ELCA summary published in April, 2014 revealed the following:
- In 2006, 80% of 259 graduates had educational debt; in 2013, 84% of 179 graduates did.
- In 2006, the average educational debt per student was $31,652; in 2013, that figure was $41,245.
- For 2012, a graduate earning a typical first call salary could expect to have difficulty managing repayment at a debt amount of $31,500.
- In 2012, 52% of graduates had debt that exceeded $31,500, while 17% had educational debt in excess of $70,000.
Here are some suggestions to help reduce seminary educational debt:
- Contribute to the ELCA Fund for Leaders, which provides full scholarships to seminarians.
- Establish a congregational seminarian scholarship fund.
- Encourage congregational members to consider a call to professional church leadership and provide them with financial support.
- Contribute to the synod's seminary scholarship fund, which provides limited financial assistance to seminarians during their seminary years.
- Direct congregational memorials and bequests to be used to help reduce seminary educational debt.
- Add a budget line to your congregation's budget designated for seminary educational debt reduction.
- Adopt seminarians and provide them with financial educational support.
- Designate a time to receive a special congregational offering for "Seminary Educational Debt Reduction".
For Your Consideration:
- What can your congregation do to help seminarians reduce the amount of their educational debt?
- How can your congregation encourage people to consider a call to professional church leadership?
- When was the last time your congregation helped to provide financial assistance to someone who was attending seminary?
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PLTS Week of Renewal 2014
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The last week of June, PLTS welcomed twenty-four pastors and lay leaders from across the United States to join in Week of Renewal. Participants enjoyed the opportunity to take classes at PLTS once again (or for the first time!) Dr. Ted Peter's taught a seminar, Justifying Faith: The Fragile Soul, Moral Injury & the Life of Beatitude, where students delved into conversation about numerous topics including justification of faith, vocation, souls and common call to mission. Dean Karen Bloomquist taught a class, Seeing Remembering, Connecting: Beyond Church Survival, which addressed the ministry and mission of congregations in a changing world. PLTS welcomed back Dr. Marty Stortz to campus. Dr. Stortz's class, Discipleship in the Key of John, led students to explore John's arguments about discipleship and ministry.
 In addition to classes, the Week of Renewal folks had free time to relax and check out the Bay Area. Some enjoyed revisiting their favorite old haunts from their time as seminarians at PLTS as well as seeing the changes in Berkeley since their last visit. Others explored the Bay Area for the first time! Below is a picture of some of the participants who ventured down to Solano Avenue for a refreshing treat! Left to right, they are: Amanda Esping of Nebraska: Barry Vail of Southern California; Paul Leslie of Minnesota; Allen Cassel of Arizona; and Sherri Frederikson of North Dakota.
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PLTS alum, Pr. Lars Clausen (MDiv '93,) is working with victims of the largest fire in Washington State history, the Carlton Complex Fire. Burning just ten miles north of Chelan, WA, over 250,000 acres have burned in the fire since mid July. Pr. Clausen teaches The ICE Method (Identify, Calm, Exchange) to help victims of the fire calm the trauma of their experiences.
To learn more about the ICE method and its use in the aftermath of the Carlton Complex Fire, follow this link: Calm the Trauma.
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Congratulations to Brenda Bos, M.Div '13, who will be ordained on August 16th at St. Matthew's in North Hollywood. Brenda is called to be a pastor at Christ Lutheran in San Clemente.
Congratulations to Kirsten Stangeland Moore, MDiv '14, who will be ordained on August 10th at Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Linda, California, where she will then serve as pastor.
Congratulations to Katherine Brick, MDiv '13, who was recently installed as the Pastor in Residence at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Madras, Oregon.
The Rev. Ada Renee Williams, MDiv '13, has taken the position of Associate of Parish Life at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Rev. Emily (Wineland) Werner, MDiv '10, now serves as pastor of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Kinnon Falk, MDiv '11, is now working as a development officer of Healthcare for the Homeless-Houston.
Congratulations to John Lund, MDiv '96, campus pastor at the University of Montana in Missoula and member of the PLTS Advisory board, who recently received the 2014 Joseph Sittler Award for using the written word to interpret the work of campus ministry to the broader church. In an article entitled "Reimagining Faith Life for Millenials," he wrote: "When it comes to church, young adults are asking questions such as: Is this a safe place? Am I really welcome? Even if I am living with my girl/boyfriend, and I have tattoos, and I don't believe in hell, but I do want to make a difference in the world and I do believe in God somehow, but I have questions? Are you going to judge me and try to convince me to be something I may not want to be, or are you going to accept me and my choices and walk with me in my questions and doubt? Are there people here who will care about me and my life, and won't just try to give advice? Are you going to ask me to do anything exciting or significant, both in the church and beyond? Will this community help me discern my life choices and give me hope for the future, without telling me what to do?...Can this be a place I can call home, or 'my people,' who will help me stay connected and loved, and who will walk with me through the hardships and joys of life?"
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Attention Thrivent Members!
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There is still time! Your simple vote can
help our seminary fund - click here to direct your Thrivent Choice dollars to PLTS. We are grateful for you and appreciate the generosity of Thrivent Financial.
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Donate Today!
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 Your generous support of PLTS helps to ensure that the future leaders of the ELCA church are well equipped to enliven the church, serve the world, and advance the frontiers of theology.
To make a donation to PLTS, please click here, or send checks to: PLTS Annual Fund, 2770 Marin Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94708
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