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Above the Fog
PLTS Newsletter
September 2014 |
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Greetings!
It always seems a bit strange that just when the summer's light begins to fade, the school year begins in earnest. I understand this rhythm is related to the outward growing season in the northern hemisphere, but it also seems appropriate that with shorter days, we naturally turn inward. For seminarians, that means turning in toward sense of call, toward one's own spiritual development, and of course, toward studies in Bible, history, theology and the like.
This year's incoming class of seminarians comes from across the nation. For example, John has been involved with campus ministry at Arizona State University. Kevin was recently in Israel and Palestine with the ELCA program Young Adults in Global Ministry. Zach hails from Seattle. Kate has been a mental health counselor in Wisconsin. Ben was a Peace Corps worker in Ukraine and is a native of Colorado. Christopher finished his Master of Divinity degree in Atlanta and is doing his Lutheran year here.
As you might have noticed from the above list, most of the new students are men. This has been a surprise to everybody, and represents a gender distribution not seen since the 70s. We don't know what it means, but expect that it is not a long-term trend. Meanwhile, we love the students who are here.
These new seminarians are going to be ready in a year or three or four to serve congregations in our ELCA. They will receive as much preparation as we can give them, and then they will pair up with interested call committees to help advance the work of the gospel for our age.
So now we are settling into the patterns of instruction. It's the first semester for the professor of preaching, Shauna Hannan. We are so excited to have her on campus. And it's the last semester for Professor Michael Aune, who for years has tutored students on worship practice and theory and on church history. As the leaves on the trees change their color, so we change too.
But we still remain grateful for the kindnesses and support of you all for this important work.
Faithfully,
Rev. Brian Stein-Webber
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Out of The Fog
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 How can theological perspectives engage the pressing, urgent public issues of our day?
Out of the Fog, is the beginning of a Web-based series that seeks to do j ust that. As part of its core commitment to the church becoming more public, this series is being initiated by Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary of California Lutheran University. Rather than the faith staying "above the fog" (as the PLTS location and the name of this newsletter, implies), how might faith penetrate "out of the fog" and become transformative of what is actually occurring in God's world today?
In faith communities and the wider society, there increasingly is moral outrage about what is occurring, such as entrenched violence and inequalities. However, critical biblical and theological perspectives are seldom brought to bear on what is at stake. Ordinary people of faith are either left "in the fog" about how their faith engages such, or certain "religious" voices are featured in the media that tend to be judgmental or polarizing. The public voice of especially Lutherans tends to remain muted or confined within churches, as it was not for someone like Martin Luther.
This intends to be a series of brief and regular blogs that, in response to a current crisis raging today, draw theological insights and allow people to reflect on the content and ideas presented and/or use the content and ideas for preaching or discussion in a local settings. Beyond this, the intent is that these pieces might move into the wider community, even through the media.
These are not comprehensive theological or ethical analyses of all that is involved, but intended to be accessible to those unfamiliar with theological jargon. You are encouraged to share them widely, as well as responding with what may be contrasting perspectives. We encourage participants to keep submissions brief, to the point, and constructive rather than polemical. The purpose is that this might contribute to reflective deliberation amid differences rather than furthering the polarization that is all too pervasive in our common life.
Visit: Out of The Fog
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"Ще не вмерла Україна" are the beginning words of the Ukrainian National Anthem. Literally translated, it reads:"Ukraine has not yet died" to which so many have cynically equated with the country over its long and somber history. But while I was in Ukraine, one of my mentors translated it another way: "Ukraine lives on!" - The same exact meaning, but more of a 'glass half-full' sort of approach to the life and legacy of her Motherland.
 | | Ben with his two mentors, Natalia and Anastacia, all in traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirts. |
From September 2010 to July 2013, I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kolky: a small village in the northwest corner of Ukraine. In Kolky, I taught English, County Studies, Leadership classes, and worked on community development projects. Kolky put a spring in my step and a glisten in my eye, much like my arrival here to PLTS. But my Ukraine is not what, I'm sure you've seen, on the news in far too long.
Ukraine is in an upheaval. My heart has been sickened with sadness seeing everything that is happening in my second home. When the peaceful, mass protests started in November 2013, I was elated; overjoyed that the people of a country that I love so much, with so much potential, had risen up to speak out, and speak out they did. But over time, the crowds dwindled due to cold weather, lack of immediate governmental progress, New Year and Christmas celebrations, etc.
What were peaceful rallies turned into violent protests as the people's patience dwindled. Quickly after the protests turned deadly, a new government was established and things in Kyiv de-escalated. Taking advantage of the new government and unbalance of the country, Russia made a dramatic and illegal siege of Crimea. This continues today with Russian funded "separatists" on the eastern borders, working their way west, disregarding human lives and the respect for peace.
I'm not sure anybody will ever know why the Russians, specifically Vladimir Putin, are doing what they're doing, other than the greed of power and the protest of progress. International sanctions are starting to take some drastic effects, but will it be enough? How anyone can support this outlandish violation of human and international rights is beyond me.
In any of the photos you see or videos you watch, please understand that this is Ukraine in a very extreme situation. The sometimes apocalyptic looking videos from the protests and now from Eastern Ukraine are not how I choose to remember my adopted home. I will always come back to a country full of sunflowers and painted eggs abundant with wheat fields as far as the eye can see and the most beautiful domed churches, even in the smallest of villages. The struggles of the past shows on many faces, but I choose to see the hope of the future that shines on so many more.
 | | Ben with his 2nd Grade students |
I wish, more than anything, that I could gather up all of my students and hear their thoughts about everything. They have the best perspectives, because talking to them is like looking into the future, knowing that they are going to be the ones to make changes next. I wish hugs were felt a half a world away: for my colleagues, teachers, friends...my family in Ukraine. I can't do much but continue to pray, write to my elected officials, and remain hopeful. I ask of you to do the same.
 | | Ben with participants of "Let's CLean Kolky" day, an event he helped organize with the village to promote civic engagement and environmentalism |
If there is any take away from the current situation, it's this: ще не вмерла Україна...Ukraine lives on! Слава Україні! Героям слава! Glory to Ukraine! Glory to Her Heros!
Benjamin Hogue
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, '10-13
Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary of California Lutheran University; M. Div '18
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Transformative Formation: Personal, Ecclesial and Societal
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Two words that are used frequently at PLTS ("transformative" and "formation") have been brought together is this overall theme that weaves through the Fall term. As seminarians are being formed personally for ministry leadership, what is crucial is moving through personal transformation to the necessary changes in systems that generate injustices, polarization, and all kinds of "isms" (racism, sexism, nationalism, etc.).
That can feel like difficult, if not impossible, work if we leap over the key term: ecclesia. Ecclesia can be where we, as the assembled faith community, are formed by the historic traditions of the faith that we can become subversive of systemic injustices, empowered to "transfigure" how the symbols and actions of the faith can come alive, be expressed and embodied in new more transformative ways for the sake of God's world. The challenge is in learning how to lead faith communities (churches) in ways such that the power of God's Spirit changes/transforms those in as well as those beyond the church, for the sake of the transformation of society toward the justice God intends for all creation.
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Reflections on What I Didn't Learn in Seminary
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Forty one years ago I was handed a degree that proclaimed I had completed
the requirements for a Master of Divinity degree from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. At the same time the Northwest Washington Synod of the (then) Lutheran Church in America said I was approved to receive a "call" to the first church I would serve.
From that day until November 1, 2009 I served churches I had not planned on serving. I had anticipated I would be called to churches such as the one I grew up in. I expected a church family that was working together, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and accomplishing the ministry God had called the people to do.
My wife and I moved from the Washington coast, to Seattle, to Bismarck (North Dakota), to Tucson (Arizona), and finally to back to the Bellingham (Washington) area. And each move was far from what I anticipated when I left PLTS. Each church I served, in one way or another, reflected the struggles I want to share with my colleagues who serve as pastors in today's church.
How would you like to begin a new mission?" the Bishop asked me. I had not planned on mission work directly after graduating from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. I soon realized the seminary hadn't trained me to knock on the door of a total stranger and invite that person to come worship at our new mission.
That was only the beginning of the lessons I didn't learn at the seminary.
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With the present threat of dreaded Ebola, the small country of Liberia, populated by emancipated American slaves, has been in the news. PLTS has a history with that small English speaking country graduating five Liberian students over the years. One, Wilton G. S. Sankawulo, went on to be elected President of the country. Another, Sumoward Harris, was elected Bishop of the Lutheran Church of Liberia. Harris was our first PLTS Bishop and served in that position for twelve years. The others, Tokpa Songu and Joseph Kpanne, served as assistants to the Bishop and as
Parish Pastors.
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Bishop Sumoward Harris and The Rev Dr. Jerry Schmalenberger
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Having initiated the Liberian connection with Global Missions after a sabbatical there, former PLTS President Jerry Schmalenberger and his wife, archivist Carol, have kept in touch with these students and have sponsored the first LCL woman, Lydia Manawu Weagbah to be ordained. She now serves as director of the Lay Training Institute in Totota. In a recent email to the Schmalenbergers, Pastor Lydia wrote the following:
"The rate of Ebola is high in Monrovia city making it difficult for the movement of people. Many airlines have suspended flights to Liberia. Our hospitals (there are two Lutheran hospitals) are closed because the staffs have run away for fear of getting the sickness. Please pray for us."
Ohioʼs Wittenbergers, Rev. Morris Officer with the help of Rev. Henry Heigerd, began Lutheran mission work in Liberia in 1860 with African boys who escaped off a slave ship. It now claims 85 Pastors, 350 congregations with a membership of 71,196. The church became fully autonomous in 1965.
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New Student Spotlight: Kate Drefke M'Div '18
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Traveling most recently from Appleton, Wisconsin to join this autumn's incoming class, Kate Drefke brings her passion for ethics, health care, and mental health education to her seminary studies and to the PLTS community.
Kate completed her Bachelor of Science in Sociology at Northern Michigan University in 2005. She earned a Masters in Social Work with a concentration in Interpersonal Practice and Health at University of Michigan in 2007. Since then, she has worked in different mental health settings; most recently, she worked as a Mental Health Counselor at Catholic Charities of the Diocese of
Green Bay from September 2012 through July 2014. In this position, she worked in a school based mental health program, and was simultaneously clinic-based in three of the Diocese's offices.
 | | Kate (right) and her sister, Abbi, during PLTS Fall preview weekend. |
Kate felt a call to ministry in 2012 and decided to pursue a Master's of Divinity Degree at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. Her passion for seeing the relationship between healthcare and church ministries inspired her to pursue and investigate what her voice might add to the conversation. "Saying yes to God means the whole world opens up even more and you don't need to be restricted in how we envision God's work in the world."
She became a member of the first entering class of PLTS of California Lutheran University this year. During her time at seminary she is excited to be part of interfaith collaborations, and learn more about the intersections of ministry and justice. Outside of work and service, Kate enjoys exploring new cities, getting to know her community, watching Star Trek, playing board games, and trying new things. One day Kate hopes to serve the church and world using her gifts and education to bring together her experience in Social Work, her current M.Div studies, and her interest in Ethics to explore the ways in which all three play a role in holistic approaches to ethics in ministry.
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What's on Your Reading List?
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There are many bookshelves to be found amongst the greater PLTS communities. Thousands of shelves of resources can be explored at the GTU library, the many UC Berkeley Libraries, the Berkeley Public Libraries, and the numerous bookstores in the area. There is one particular bookshelf in Giesy Hall, that is stocked with donated books that are free to a good home. The book shelf with its regularly updated selection helps students, staff, faculty, and visitors continue to build their libraries. Below are some of the books that the staff and faculty at PLTS are excited about these days. Autumn evenings are rapidly approaching. A time of year when bibliophiles are giddy with the possibility of being curled up with a good book. We asked PLTS staff and faculty: What books have you enjoyed recently? What should we add to our reading lists?
 Shauna Hannan: Associate Professor of Homiletics
In On the Map: A Mind-Expanding Exploration of the Way the World Looks, author Simon Garfield explores the way maps both reflect our stories and tell their own stories. I feel like I am making my way around the world and throughout time as i read this book. This is creative nonfiction at its finest.
Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights contains law professor Kenji Yoshino's argument that "covering," even downplaying, elements of our identity threatens our civil rights. This is a challenging read in that it causes one to reconsider all the attempts made to blend into the mainstream.
Holly Johnson: Director of Admissions
The Invention of Wings, by Sue Monk Kidd: A beautiful and occasionally tragic story inspired by the life of Sarah Grimke, this book tells of a complicated friendship between a white Southern girl and her best friend, who becomes her birthday gift from her mother on her twelfth birthday, showcasing some of the places where the institution of slavery started to fall.
 Alicia Vargas: Associate Professor of Multicultural and Contextual Studies, Associate Dean Orange is the New Black: My Year in Women's Prison by Piper Kerman is a sometimes na�ve, sometimes powerfully insightful, always honest account of her year as an inmate in women's correctional facilities by a White, high middle-class, Smith College graduate, woman. Different from its Netflix musical version, this memoir where Piper Kerman discovers the other side of stereotypes is worth reading if not for its literary value, for its human and social one.
Aaron Grieg: Business Office Accounting Technician
Palestinian Christian theologian and pastor, Mitri Raheb, surveys 'Empire' and its theological implications. Faith in the Face of Empire is an impassioned plea for the 'longue duree' of Palestinian occupation and a Biblical hermeneutic of the oppressed.
 Gary Pence: Professor Emeritus of Pastoral Theology
Macho! A Novel, by Mexican-American and New York Times bestselling author, Victor Villase�or, portrays the struggles of 17-year-old Roberto Garcia to escape poverty and fulfill his dreams as an undocumented worker smuggled across the border to an uncertain future in the golden fields of California. Compared favorably to the best of Steinbeck, Villase�or's captivating story follows Roberto from the rituals and rivalries of his rural Mexican village, through the desperation and dangers of the trek north, to the brutality of farm work, and back home again as a self-confident "true-self hero.
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Walter Klockers, MDiv '87, has moved from McGregor, Texas to become pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Moses Lake, Washington.
Roberta Smythe, MDiv '10, has taken a second call to Christ Lutheran Church in Libby, Montana, leaving a three-point parish centered in Galata, Montana.
David Nagler, MDiv '93 is moving from Central City Parish in San Bernardino, California to Christ Lutheran Church in Pacific Beach (San Diego), California, a congregation he has also served in the past.
Bryon Hansen, MDiv '86 is the Lead Pastor of Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church in Seattle as of mid-August 2014
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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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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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