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Above the Fog
PLTS Newsletter
January 2015 |
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Greetings!
We wanted to send a brief issue of Above the Fog this month because we have some rather important news to share with you. Shortly after the first of the year, Karen Bloomquist resigned as dean and chief administrative officer of PLTS. As California Lutheran University works to determine the next steps in filling this gap in leadership created by her departure, we (Alicia Vargas and Brian Stein-Webber) have been asked to step up and lead the seminary in this new year.
We are honored to take on these temporary roles vital to the continued success of our beloved PLTS. So much good work and collaboration have already occurred in our first year as part of Cal Lutheran and we look forward to spearheading more of that work in 2015. We can assure you that the instructional, programmatic and administrative functions of the seminary are moving forward. This month, we have hosted and will host the following events on campus: a consultation for ELCA African Native Ministries; the Sierra Pacific Synod Candidacy Committee; a meeting of Region 2 Directors of Evangelical Mission; an Evangelism and Justice class taught by Ruben Duran; a faculty retreat; an Alum Symposium on ministry; a week of classes for TEEM students.
Our staff and faculty are tending to the planning of events during the next several months (see below), the visiting of friends around the West and across the country, spring semester classes, contextual education, and much more. Our advisory board members, under the leadership of Bishop Steve Talmage, are being very supportive, and will offer their expertise as the seminary looks at next steps.
We are also being wholeheartedly supported during this time of transition by the personnel and foundation of California Lutheran University.
Our mission continues as it always had, to form church leaders for the ministries and mission of the ELCA and the larger Christian church. In this, we rely on God's grace through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. And we cherish being in your prayers.
Sincerely,
Alicia Vargas, Interim Dean
Brian Stein-Webber, Interim Chief Administrative Officer
P.S. As promised, our next issue, with the help of the Cal Lutheran marketing and website departments, will have a more attractive - and more readable - layout.
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In case you need introductions to our leadership team
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Brian Stein-Webber
Interim Chief Administrative Officer, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary of Cal Lutheran
 Brian Stein-Webber was born when PLTS was four years old. He grew up at Messiah Lutheran Church in Pasadena, California, where he was baptized and confirmed (and ultimately ordained). He attended the young California Lutheran College, where he majored in English and Psychology and was deeply formed by classes and professors, religious life, music, residential living and all of the sights, smells and sounds of the campus. Upon graduation, he went to Japan with the Lutheran Church in America as a short-term missionary, teaching "English conversation" at a Lutheran boy's high school in Kumamoto. Halfway through the stint, he married college sweetheart, Mary Stein. Upon returning to the states, they taught at Lutheran elementary schools. Both then enrolled as Master of Divinity students at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, where they attended for the next few years, taking time away to take Clinical Pastoral Education in Denver and internship in Pasadena and Inglewood. Brian's first pastoral call, with Mary, was to Mount of Olives Lutheran Church in Phoenix, Arizona. They then served at Christ Lutheran Church in Long Beach, California, where their son Philip and daughter Juliana were born. In 1995, Brian was called to serve at PLTS as the Associate Director of the Office of Seminary Advancement, with responsibilities for recruitment, alums and the annual fund. He served under Presidents Jerry Schmalenberger and Timothy Lull. In 2000, Brian left the seminary to take the position of Executive Director of the Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County, with offices in Walnut Creek, California. He supervised programs that included chaplaincies, a rotating homeless shelter, public square religious advocacy, interfaith understanding, social justice and health issues. During most of his tenure with the Interfaith Council, Brian also served as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Oakland, California. In 2012, Brian was called by President Phyllis Anderson to return to PLTS as Director of Seminary Relations, where he has concentrated on fundraising and has interacted with the various constituencies of the seminary, including synods, congregations, alums, donors and other friends. While taking on interim duty as Chief Administrative Office of the seminary, Brian is helped by OSR Associate Director Sara Wilson and Advancement Services Assistant Chelsea Pell, as well as Dean's Assistant, Gretchen McDonald.
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The Rev. Dr. Alicia Vargas
Interim Dean, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary of California Lutheran University  The Rev. Dr. Alicia Vargas arrived as a student at PLTS in 1991 and has never left. She holds an M.Div. degree from PLTS and an M.A. in New Testament studies from the Graduate Theological Union (GTU). She also holds a second M.A. and a Ph.D. from the University of California in Literary Criticism which she now applies to biblical hermeneutics and Mujerista Theology. At PLTS she has been serving as Associate Professor of Multicultural and Contextual Studies. In addition to teaching at PLTS, she served as Academic Dean for two years just prior to the merger and as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs since the merger. Before coming to PLTS, Alicia taught as Assistant Professor at St. Olaf College for one year and at Vassar College for eight. It was during her tenure at Vassar that Alicia heard God's call to change course and engage in theological education. After graduation from PLTS/GTU, Alicia combined teaching at PLTS with ordained pastoral work as a jail and prison chaplain, ministry that she also loved. Alicia is originally from Cuba and she's married to the Rev. Dr. Steven Churchill, an ELCA pastor. Steven and Alicia have two grown children, one who graduated from Cal Lutheran. Dr. Vargas' publications include: "Mujerismo and the Two Kin-doms: Distinction and Reconcialiation" in Dialog; "The Construction of Latina Theology" in Currents in Theology and Mission, "Reading Ourselves into the Cross Story. Luther and United States Latinos" in Cross Examinations: Readings on the Meaning of the Cross Today, and "Introduction to the Leipzig Disputation" en Lutero al habla, as well as the book Como estudiar la la Biblia/How to Study the Bible, published by Augsburg Fortress. Vargas is a popular speaker. In March she'll be delivering a plenary address to the Association of Theological Schools' women deans (ATS) on Multicultural Theological Education.
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A Presentation by Rev. Dr.
Margot Käßmann
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Wednesday, February 11th, 2015
 | | Rev. Dr. Margot Käßmann |
In 2017, churches around the world will observe the 500th anniversary of the Reformation unforeseeably initiated by Martin Luther in Wittenberg, Germany. The theological conflicts of the 16th Century, the long-term antagonisms between Christians that these conflicts produced, and ongoing reforms within traditions since then, have brought many Christians to rapprochement and a new appreciation of one another's traditions.
Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary of California Lutheran University kicks off preparation for this anniversary with a presentation by the Rev. Dr. Margot Käßmann, the special envoy of the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD), with worship and a lunch to follow afterwards.
If you are interested in attending this free event, please RSVP to Erin Horne at reception@plts.edu or (510) 559-2727 so that we have an accurate number for the lunch following the worship.
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Week of Renewal
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6thAnnual Week of Renewal: June 22-26, 2015
SAVE THE DATE!
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. Stay tuned - information about courses, tuition, housing, and more will be available in February.
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Active Faculty Searches
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It is unusual, but PLTS is currently in the process of three search processes for new faculty, who will be expected to begin this fall.
The one search farthest along is in the area of Reformation History and Theology, the position held by Dr. Jane Strohl (who is now a pastor in Indiana, Pennsylvania - yes, that's a real city). Three final candidates are being considered.
We are also in search processes for two professors who will be shared with the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, an Episcopal seminary here in Berkeley. The first position, being vacated by Dr. Bradley Burroughs at the end of the spring, is in Christian Ethics. The second position, being vacated by longer-time Dr. Steed Davidson, is in Old Testament. The position in Ethics will be anchored in the PLTS faculty and the one in Old Testament will be anchored in the CDSP faculty.
Each of these latter two searches are entertaining three final candidates, with visits to the campuses scheduled for February and March.
For various reasons, our faculty is experiencing one of its greatest turnovers in its history. We are gratified, in that process, by the number of the excellent candidates who have shown interest in this place. More information will be made public in good time!
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Our Campus Pastoral Care Team
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Some years ago, Roger and Lora Anderson of Huntington Beach made provision for a pastoral presence on campus. Then-president Jerry Schmalenberger helped them to see the importance within the seminary community of an impartial and pastoral staff member. You see, faculty are certainly pastoral in many ways, but they are also - indeed primarily - responsible for student instruction and evaluation. Other staff can be pastoral as well, but they are also busy with their duties and assignments.
Enter the Campus Pastoral Care Team. Organized by staff member Kara Groth, these five local pastors are present on campus on community days and other times, and are available for confidential conversation and counseling with the students - and others as well. The campus pastors are Kathryn Gulbranson of Corte Madera, Jeff Johnson of Berkeley, Linda Boston of Oakland, Rod Seeger of Mill Valley and Joshua Serrano of Orinda. They are supported by the Anderson Pastoral Care Fund.
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Alumni Updates
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Jen-Hao Lee, TEEM '12, has been called to Formosan Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles, and will be installed there on February 21st.
Eric Huseth, MDiv '13, has been called to Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Bonner, Montana. He will be ordained on January 31, 2015 at Westwood Lutheran Church in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Eric's wife Abby is doing graduate study at the University of Montana in Missoula.
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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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