PS Magazine - Spring 2009

Spring ; 2009Volume 92 Number 1

MDiv ’08“The church has a role to play in public life.” see new Public Leadership Concentration on page 4

“

alumni CONVOCATION 2009

APRIL 27-29

SEE PAGE 10 for DETAILS and REGISTRATION!

AS I AMWRITING THIS ARTICLE,I am basking in the good feelings of havingexperienced the annual Pre-seminaryProject Connect Meeting where almostninety young college-age persons — ofwhom fifty were prospective seminarians—and their mentors gathered at LTSP.They are the wonderful results of anEastern Cluster of Lutheran Seminaries’program funded by the Lilly Endowmentto raise up a whole new generation of lead-ers for the ELCA. Among these promisingyoung persons —identified by their pas-tors, teachers, campus ministers, families,and others who are fulfilling their call toraise up public leaders for the church —are young persons who wish to serve aspastors and, increasingly, young persons who want to serve outtheir baptismal callings working in social ministry organiza-tions, chaplaincies, health ministries, advocacy ministries,camp ministries, and youth ministries.As a seminary, we have had to learn to prepare both those

who will do public ministry through word and sacrament andthrough word and service. In response, we are developing anew concentration to prepare candidates who can lead publicly,competent in theology and in the specialties that I notedabove: equipped with business and administrative skills, socialwork competencies and more. We will be offering coursesunder the Master of Arts in Religion program as we pilot thisconcentration while a proposed MA degree in PublicLeadership is considered by the Commonwealth ofPennsylvania. Social ministry organizations and charities likeLutheran World Relief and Lutheran Immigration andRefugee Services have asked us to help in this program.We are collaborating with Gettysburg Seminary in the

Intersections Institute which has received a generous grantfrom the Thrivent for Lutherans Foundation for a programthat will raise up current and future leaders for our Lutheraninstitutions. Participants will be able to obtain certificates orconcentrate in the MAR degree. The collaboration withGettysburg and later Southern Seminary in this program hasgreat promise for the church. Our roles as seminaries keepchanging for a changing world, but our missions stay the same:

to prepare theologically trained leadersfor the church and the world. Our pri-mary focus will always be to prepare pas-tors for congregations, but we areresponding to the leadership needs of thewhole church.To that end, we need your support as

together we all face a challenging eco-nomic future. I want to thank each of youfor your constant and faithful support.The Leadership Fund (our annual fund),for example, surpassed all expectationslast year, and this year it is dramaticallyahead of last year. This is critical to makeup for the losses in our endowment dueto the economic downturn. We have agoal of raising one million dollars in the

Leadership Fund this year. We are on track to raise $750,000,and are asking every congregation in Region 7 and in our rela-tionships to take up an offering for the seminary on GoodShepherd Sunday, May 3, 2009. We have received authoriza-tion from every Region 7 bishop for this, and hope to makethis an annual event to raise up students for public ministryand support for their studies. Much of the Leadership Fund isdesignated for financial aid so desperately needed by our stu-dents. We need supporters like you to be our champions ineach congregation to make the Region 7 Seminary Sundayoffering a success.I am also delighted to announce that Larry House is back,

working with us as the Director of Leadership Giving. He willbe working with Dr. Paul Brndjar, who will remain the InterimExecutive Director of the Foundation, and our talented staff asa major gifts officer in Region 7. We could not be moredelighted that Larry has chosen to return to help us to supportour mission to prepare a new generation of leaders for thechurch and the world. A friend has returned — and I thankyou, dear friends.

In Christ,

Philip D.W. Krey

Message from the president

ON THE COVER: Passionate healthcare advocate Marissa Harris, MDiv ’08, (in front of the PennsylvaniaState Capitol in Harrisburg), works for Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania (LAMPa, www.lamp.org)as an Advocacy Developer. To learn more about Harris and her call to public ministry, go towww.Ltsp.edu/publicleadership and read her full story as well as view a video interview.

alumni CONVOCATION 2009APRIL 27-29


contents

Page 4

Page 8

EDITOR/DESIGNMerri L. Brown

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONSJohn Kahler

WRITERSLouise JohnsonJohn KahlerMark A. Staples

PHOTOGRAPHYGralin Hughes, Jr.John KahlerJim Roese

Mark A. Staples

EDITORIAL BOARDMerri L. BrownLois La CroixLouise JohnsonJohn Kahler

Philip D.W. KreyAdamMarles

J. Paul Rajashekar

CORRESPONDENCEPS,

The Lutheran Theological Seminaryat Philadelphia,

7301 Germantown Avenue,Philadelphia, PA 19119

Telephone: 215.248.6311 or1.800.286.4616

Email: [email protected] us online: www.Ltsp.edu

PS is a publication of The LutheranTheological Seminary at Philadelphia, andis distributed without charge to alumni/ae,faculty, staff, and friends of the seminary.

© Copyright 2009The Lutheran Theological Seminary

at Philadelphia

Volume 92 Number 1

The LutheranTheological Seminaryat Philadelphia, a school of theEvangelical Lutheran Church in Amer-ica, is committed to preparing or-dained and lay ministers of theWordas leaders for the mission of theChurch in the world.

FEATURES � SPRING 2008

New Public Leadership Concentration at LTSP ............4LTSP meets the needs of a new generation and a rapidlychanging world.

Surrendering at Church: Alumnus’ Initiative HelpsFugitives Turn Their Lives Around..........................................8The Rev. Dr. Ernest McNear spearheads a surrender initiate atthe True Gospel Tabernacle Church in South Philadelphia.He calls the initiative a demonstration of law and grace.

DEPARTMENTSMessage from the President ....................Inside front cover

Offerings ....................................................................................................2

Alumni News ........................................................................................10Alumni Convocation 2009

Faculty/Staff News and Notes ..................................................12Faculty/Staff Activities ................................................................12Passages ................................................................................................17In Memoriam ..................................................................................17

From the Foundation ......................................................................18

PPS

2 PS�SPRING 2009 www.Ltsp.edu

OFFERINGS�“BROOD OFVIPERS:THEMEDIA,THE GOSPELAND PUBLIC LIFE”ADDRESS BY JOURNAL-IST AND ACTIVISTCHRIS SATULLOChris Satullo, formerly acolumnist and director of civicengagement at The Philadel-phia Inquirer, and now Execu-tive Director of News andCivic Dialogue at Philadelphiapublic broadcasterWHYY, explored the connections betweenthe media, faith and the public in a lecture entitled “Brood ofVipers: The media, the Gospel and public life” at the Tuesday,November 18, 2008, convocation at Ltsp. Mr. Satullo looked atthe challenges the media and the church face in presenting andreporting on the position of the church in public life, and howthese groups with different missions and goals come togetherin the public square.View “Brood of Vipers: The media, the Gospel and public life”online: www.Ltsp.edu/satullo

L. JACK BRADT GIVEN AWARD OF DISTINCTIONAT ANNUAL ADVENT RECOGNITION DINNER

L. Jack Bradt, a pioneering Easton, PA, business leader formore than 50 years, and also a teacher and dedicated commu-nity-minded volunteer, was presented with the Soli Deo Gloria(To God Alone the Glory) Award for 2008 by LTSP. Thehonor was conferred December 7, 2008, at the seminary’s an-nual Advent recognition dinner. The dinner is an opportunityfor the seminary to thank those faithful and generous donorswho help carry on the mission of LTSP. Seminary presidentThe Rev. Dr. Philip D.W. Krey and board chair Dr. Addie But-ler took advantage of the occasion to thank those gathered, aswell as important supporters including the Thrivent Financialfor Lutherans Foundation, for their continued support duringthese challenging times.Bradt was honored “in gratitude for outstanding leadership

and service to the Church and to the mission of The LutheranTheological Seminary at Philadelphia.”

L. Jack Bradt (second from left) receives the Soli Deo Gloria.With Bradt,from left, are Dr. Addie J. Butler, chair, Board ofTrustees; Bradt’s wife,Dr. Patricia Bradt; andTrustee Dr. Robert Blanck.

REGION 7 SEMINARY SUNDAY ONMAY 3, “GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY”LTSP is returning to a traditional annual regional SeminarySunday onMay 3, 2009, “Good Shepherd Sunday,” that willstrengthen ties and educate congregations on the importanceof LTSP in the life of all the region’s one thousand congrega-tions. We deeply value the backing of the Region 7 Bishops,and ask you to support this effort in your congregation!For further information, go to www.Ltsp.edu/seminarysunday

TRAVELTO EGYPTWITH LTSP STUDENTSA group of LTSP students, led by LTSP Prof. David D.Grafton, traveled to Egypt during January term for a globaliza-tion experience. They shared the experience with othersthrough aWeb blog. Read their reflections and view photos:www.Ltsp.edu/egypt.

ONLINE LEARNINGTO GROWAT LTSPWhile the physical classroom will always be a place for semi-nary learning, LTSP is planning to expand online for-creditcourses to reach students, both first professional and advanced-level, who find the opportunity to learn online a valuable alter-native to attending classes on campus. Offerings this June andfor the next academic year include Media Literacy, taught byProf. Richard Stewart, andOldTestament 1 and 2, taught byProf. Wil Gafney.For more information and additional courses as they becomeavailable: www.Ltsp.edu/learnonline.

3PS�SPRING 2009 www.Ltsp.edu

Please consider creating a link to LTSP’sWebsite (www.Ltsp.edu) on your congregation’sWeb site. Thank you!

LTSP CELEBRATESWITHTHE FIRST EVENTONTHE NEWWILLIAM ALLEN PLAZAThe newWilliam Allen Plaza, built at the southwest corner ofthe LTSP campus and designed to open the campus to the Mt.Airy business district and add a beautiful new approach to theSchaeffer-Ashmead Chapel, was introduced to the communitywith a Christmas tree lighting ceremony and carol sing led bymembers of the seminary and New Covenant Church choirsand musicians from the Salvation Army on December 5, 2008.The plaza was designed as a public space that connects the

seminary’s 14-acre campus to Mt. Airy’s revitalized businessdistrict along Germantown Avenue, and will also be the en-trance to the new offices of the bishop and staff of the South-eastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical LutheranChurch in America, planned for the lower level of the seminarychapel. The bishop and staff moved fromNorristown toPhiladelphia to temporary quarters on campus in January.See more on the event including photos of the festivities online:www.Ltsp.edu/treelighting

KRAUTH MEMORIALLIBRARY: 100YEARS OFSERVICE & SCHOLARSHIPIn this year-long centennial cele-bration of the KrauthMemorialLibrary, we remember the call ofMartin Luther who said in 1524,“Finally, one thing more meritsserious consideration by all ... It isthis: no effort or expense shouldbe spared to provide good li-braries or book repositories. ...This is essential, not only thatthose who are to be our spiritualand temporal leaders may havebooks to read and study, but alsothat the good books may be pre-served and not lost ...” (Luther’sWorks: The Christian in Society IIVolume 45.Helmut LehmannandWalther Brandt, Editors.Fortress Press, 1962, page 373)Visit the library’s centennial

page on the web to see the Rt.Rev. Dr. Frederick Borsch andThe Rev. Dr. Philip Krey talk about some of the unique treas-ures that have been preserved in the KrauthMemorial Library:www.Ltsp.edu/krauth100.

LTSP’S NEWWEB SITEThe beginning of February was not only the start of the springsemester, it also marked the launch of the new LTSPWeb site.Still located at www.Ltsp.edu, the site not only looks different,it’s a completely different site from technology to capabilities.The site navigation uses buttons and menus similar to com-puter programs, making it easier to move around in the siteand see what’s available from the home page, without beingoverwhelmed by dozens of links. In addition to the updatedcontent from the previous site, Ltsp.edu is much simpler to up-date, allowing for more updates on a regular basis. Give it a look!

The Mt.Airy community gathers onthe newWilliamAllen Plaza for thefirst-ever event.

ive-year-old Richard watched and chattered as Iwalked down to the fellowship hall, slippingout of my vestments. I reached for the tab collar

in my clergy shirt, pulled it out and stuck it in my book.“That’s not where that goes,” Richard said, eyeing me

closely.“What?” I responded.“That’s not where that goes,” he continued. “It goes in your

pocket.”It took a minute to register. We had both observed our fa-

thers’ ritual for years. In what seemed like one fluid motion,Richard’s dad would whisk the tab collar from the neckbandof his shirt and tuck into his shirt pocket. My newly pressedwomen’s clergy shirt didn’t have such a pocket. I smiled,feigned the proverbial collar-in-the-pocket tuck and gave himmy best “What do we do now?” look. I shook my head andmumbled, “It’s not our fathers’ church anymore.”My father’s church, with deep and abiding faith, took care

of its members and cemeteries, gladly assumed the communaltasks of baptizing and confirming, and operated under theauspices of councils and committees. We gathered together,we prayed, we worshiped. We wrote thoughtful and measuredstatements about current issues. We volunteered at the localsoup kitchens and food banks. We held bazaars and suppers.We understood “evangelical” as a word to describe the denom-inations we were not and “evangelism” as an intrusion. Andthe notion of church intersecting with anything like businessor government was not only a foreign concept, but also a terri-fying one. Principles such as the separation of church and state

and Reformer Martin Luther’s understanding of thetwo kingdoms meant that the lines between whathappened on Sunday morning and the rest of theweek extended only to an individual’s moralformation.While there is much about “my father’s

church” to celebrate, it is a model of churchstruggling to meet the needs of a new gen-eration and a rapidly changing world.Declining numbers tell only part of thestory; the longing for genuine and in-tegrated discipleship is palpable.Darken the doors of nearly any churchinstitution these days and, beneath thestories of success, you’ll hear the nerv-ous rhetoric. “If the church doesn’tchange (insert relevant concern here),it will die.”In the circles where I live and move, the particular concern

is for the quantity and quality of church leaders. And right-fully so. On top of an already demonstrable clergy shortage, inthe next 10 years more than one-half of the clergy roster ofthe Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is eligi-ble to retire. And not only are we facing a crisis among exist-ing leaders, but demographic and cultural trends areseemingly to our disadvantage as well. More and more, youngleaders of faith are expressing the desire to see work as a directextension of faith, but to find its expression outside of theframework of ordained pastoral ministry, outside the frame-

PUBLIC

LEADERSHIP


Filling the Educational “Gap” with NewPUBLIC LEADERSHIP ConcentrationbyTHE REV. LOUISE JOHNSON, DIRECTOR of ADMISSIONS

work of “my father’s church.” They are drawn to on-the-groundways of communicating the gospel. They are articulate and se-rious about their faith commitments and eager to serve. Thisgeneration grew up participating in service learning and feel-ing their faith take root in the places where the church ven-tured out into the world.

They have been part of programs like TheologicalEducation with Youth, Young Adults in GlobalMission, Lutheran Volunteer Corps, and awhole host of others. They are eager to serve,but feel disconnected from traditional formsof ministry. They are searching for the landbetween ministry-in-daily-life and taking-up-residence-in-the-parsonage. Togetherthese two trends spell disaster for achurch dependent upon its clergy forleadership and committed to the com-munity of faith within the four wallsof the sanctuary. And, so, for church aswe know it, these trends start to feel likethe beginning (or middle) of the end.As a theological seminary in the

city, LTSP has long struggled in thegap between “my father’s church” and

the need to train leaders for Germantown Avenue. On that av-enue, 80 places of worship exist, along with poverty andwealth in their extremes, and people of every creed, race, andnation— all in an eight-mile stretch.Our response has been to create a curricular emphasis, Pub-

lic Theology, that intentionally blurs the lines between churchand world. Public Theology means we live and learn, formand teach, lead and serve in the Spirit, following the exampleof God in Christ who crossed the boundaries between heavenand earth, between sinners and saints, between life and death.Public Theology prepares leaders who refuse to live as if the

Gospel were meant only for “us,” only for Sunday mornings,only for the four walls of a church building. Public Theologymeans we are, as our tagline says, both “of the Spirit” and “inthe world.”Public theology was at the heart of Reformer Martin

Luther’s work. Following his example, because we are confi-dent in God’s saving grace, we risk direct action in the world.This action turns the typical “quietistic” interpretation of the“Two Kingdoms,” so familiar to my father’s church, on itshead. In fact, the “Two Kingdoms” doctrine frees us preciselyto engage in the world through diverse vocations available tous as citizens in a religiously pluralistic world.Dr. Jon Pahl, Professor of the History of Christianity in

North America at LTSP, had already rolled up his sleeves towork with our colleagues in the Eastern Cluster of LutheranSeminaries and representatives from several Lutheran socialministry organizations on a collaborative certificate programcalled Intersections Institute (“II”). Out of “II” has grown anew concentration in LTSP’s Master of Arts in Religion(MAR) program focusing on Public Leadership. Eventuallyupon anticipated accreditation approval, this concentrationwill “graduate” into a new degree program called the Masterof Arts in Public Leadership (MAPL).The new concentration, which begins this fall, will be of-

fered by LTSP in conjunction with the Fox School of Businessat Temple University and the Temple School of Social ServiceAdministration, among other partners. The first of its kind,this integrative, innovative concentration, expected to becomea degree initiative, is a pilot for what we hope will be a longline of integrative degree programs that find their life at theintersections between such things as theology and law, andtheology and medicine.“… I’ve felt acutely the gaps that exist between what the

church says about justice, what people in pews and social min-istry organizations know about justice, and what actually gets

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continued on next page

done,” said Dr. Pahl. Our hope is totrain leaders who will be in churchbuildings, yes, but also in office build-ings. Our hope is to train leaders whoare conversant in the languages of busi-ness and theology and savvy about howto weave theological and biblical princi-ples into the world’s economic, politicaland social fabric. Our hope is that theblessings of community and care from“my father’s church” might take shapein justice and advocacy in streets andprison cells, in hospital rooms andcourt rooms and, indeed, in the lives ofthose for whom the gospel is but a dis-tant notion. Our hope is to prepareleaders whose calling is to close the gapbetween what we know and say andwhat gets done. And we suspect thatthe Holy Spirit might just be at workamong us, transforming the church intoa vibrant community serving the needsof a world longing for healing, justice,mercy and life.

The ConcentrationThe new Public Leadership Concen-

tration is an extension of the aforemen-tioned and newly formed “II,” and isdesigned to meet the growing needs ofsocial ministry organizations, number-ing well over 300 across the EvangelicalLutheran Church in America (ELCA).The “II” will offer a certificate at the in-tersection between business and theol-ogy for those already working in socialministry. The idea is that those whohave business training and acumen willhave the opportunity to develop theo-logical training and acumen, and viceversa. For both will be the opportunityto integrate the two subject areas

through a range of team-taught, praxis-oriented, integrative courses.TheMaster of Arts in Religion Pub-

lic Leadership Concentration will fol-low the same trajectory, but offerdeeper engagement and significant op-portunity for field experience and edu-cation. It will prepare students from theground up for leadership in social min-istry and advocacy ministries. The con-centration might also be extended tomeet the needs of a variety of vocationswhere the intersection of business andtheology is critical. Vocations in out-door ministry, community leadership,and ecclesiastical administration areamong many.“Many people in pews— and many

pastors! — have no clue about what so-cial ministry organizations do. Manypeople in social ministry organizationshave no clue about the theologicalfoundations that motivated Lutheransto found those organizations,” said Dr.Pahl, whose scholarship is in the field ofAmerican religious history and culture.“The newMARConcentration— aswe envision it — exists to fill these gaps,by raising up a new generation of lead-ers who want to work at the intersec-tions of God’s yearning for justice,human need, and the structures ofAmerican society.” Dr. Pahl is the chiefarchitect of the new concentration andhas worked in collaboration withLTSP’s faculty and colleagues from anumber of disciplines including busi-ness schools, social service administra-tion, law, and healthcare, and withmanagers and executives of social min-istry organizations.“In our conversations, there is strong

agreement that with greater integrationacross professions, drawing on the deep-est motivations in religious faith, manyof the social problems that plague theUnited States — and the globe— canbe solved. Illiteracy, crumbling families,drug abuse, hunger, environmentaldegradation, poverty, violence, and so-cial conflict are not mysteries but sys-temic processes that require integratedsolutions across policy and practice,”Pahl said. “Through a creative, flexible,and practical curriculum, the new ini-tiative will help prepare leaders at theintersection of religious traditions andpractical professions for the twenty-firstcentury.”Situate the new educational approach

between two institutions with strongcommitments to serving the public,namely LTSP and Temple University —founded as a seminary in 1884 byAmerican Baptist minister, lawyer, andorator Russell Conwell, which grewinto an egalitarian school for the work-ing classes, and home to one of the mostdiverse student bodies in the world—and you have what is not only an inno-vative, interesting and relevant pro-gram, but also what just may be thework of the Holy Spirit bidden by“my father’s church.”�More information at www.Ltsp.edu/publicleadership.

PUBLIC

LEADERSHIP


Join us on the LTSP campusThursday,

April 23, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm for

an Informational Session for the

Public Leadership concentration. For

further information and to register:

www.Ltsp.edu/publicleadership

FOR PROSPECTIVE SEMINARIAN Sara Jane Luley, the semi-nary’s new Master of Arts in Religion Concentration in PublicLeadership is becoming a key to serving God in a special way.“I always knew quite certainly that I am not being called to

ordained ministry, but I see a lot of places in the world, espe-cially where the church doesn’t reach, where God is callingpeople to work,” Luley said. “That’s what excited me aboutLTSP’s new MAR program and their general interest in pro-moting other kinds of professional ministry besides ordainedministry. I think there are a lot of people out there like mewho don’t think seminary is for them because they don’t findthemselves cut out to be a pastor.”These days the Pittsburgh, PA native is “staying connected”

to her faith by volunteering for the Academy of Hope inWash-ington, DC, as an adult education instructor for a diversegroup of adult students.The Academy is part of the Ameri-corps-connected LutheranVolunteer Corps (LVC). She lives inthe Dietrich Bonhoeffer house with five other LVC members.Americorps is a federally funded endeavor that encouragesyoung adults to serve others in a wide variety of ways.“When the teacher is younger than the students and from

a completely different background, it becomes more of an en-vironment where everybody has something to teach every-one else, and I really enjoy teaching in that kind ofenvironment,” Luley said.She first became interested in LVC while doing a week-long

program about homelessness called Faith Active in Love atPacific LutheranTheological Seminary in Berkeley, CA. “Whilein the Bay area we visited a house of LVC-ers, and I reallyliked how they were living out what they stood for at theirvolunteer placements,” Luley said. “After working for socialjustice all day, they weren’t coming home to sit in front of theTV and eat a steak dinner. In this way LVC struck me more asa movement toward solidarity than charity. I would definitelysay my faith was a motivating factor in deciding to do LVC.”Luley’s faith was forged in large measure at Faith Lutheran

Church in Pittsburgh, where she was active in her youthgroup and served as youth representative on the congrega-tion council. But, she explained a lot of her church involve-ment stemmed from activities at Susquehanna University,Selinsgrove, PA, where she belonged to the campus chapterof the Lutheran Student Movement and served as studentassistant to the chaplain.

“My job in the chap-lain’s office was part ofa university scholar-ship initiative where afew students are cho-sen from each incom-ing class to work fouryears with a universityprofessor,” she ex-plained. “One of themost rewarding partsof that job was to helpplan yearly service-learning trips to Central America. I alsostarted a FairTrade Festival at the school as a socially respon-sible option for Christmas shopping in our community.”Thefestival sold fair trade chocolate, coffee, tea, and handcrafts,and promoted the Heifer Project and the ChurchWorld Serv-ice Best Gift catalog. “It was a venue too for our Student Ad-vocacyTeam, which I belonged to, for educating shoppersabout social justice issues.” (She worked closely with co-founder Alina Gayeuski, another prospective LTSP seminarian.)Luley majored in International Economics and Spanish in

college (with what she calls a fun but unrelated minor inMusic Performance/Cello). “My big passions for living out myfaith are social justice, fair trade and international service,”she noted. She spent a semester during her junior year livingin Cordoba, Argentina.What of the future does she anticipate after hopefully com-

pleting her work at LTSP?“I suppose it depends on what is available at the time and

what God is calling me to do,” Luley said. “I would reallyenjoy working with social ministry of some kind or another,especially if it would involve international travel.” Of the newLTSP initiative, Luley suggested, “I hope more programs likethis one are created that remind us that the church and ourfaith are connected with everything else in the world.”Adds Louise Johnson, the seminary’s Director of Admis-

sions, “A primary mission of ours remains to prepare futureleaders for ordained ministry in the church, but as I and oth-ers visit college campuses and congregations throughout theU.S., we increasingly hear a plea for educational alternativeslike our new concentration. I think it reflects a rapidly chang-ing global context that challenges the church to explore itsrelevance in a really exciting time.”


PUBLIC

LEADERSHIP

Pittsburgh’s Sara Jane Luley:Focus on PUBLIC LEADERSHIP a Chanceto Live Her Passion

i magine your congregation’ssanctuary turned into several“courtrooms” featuring judges

from your city or community and allthe technology found in a typical court-house. Imagine nearly 1,300 non-vio-lent offenders streaming to your churchover four days to “turn themselves in” inexchange for “favorable consideration”regarding charges for such crimes asdrug possession, scofflaws or other sum-mary violations.Hard to picture? That was the scene

in September, 2008 at True GospelTabernacle Church at 16th andMifflinStreets in South Philadelphia in whatwas called “Fugitive Safe Surrender,” aU.S. Marshals Service program broughtto the city byThe Rev. Dr. Ernest Mc-Near, a 1999 graduate of the UrbanTheological Institute (UTI) of TheLutheran Theological Seminary atPhiladelphia (LTSP). McNear founded

the True Gospel congregation as astorefront church in 1985 while work-ing as a computer librarian for thePhiladelphia Electric Co., now knownsimply as PECO. For the past 11 yearsthe Church of God in Christ(COGIC) congregation has occupied aone-time Episcopal Church building ithas renovated.Through the four-day “surrender”

program, offenders turned themselvesin at the church, clearing warrants,sometimes setting court dates or find-ing their cases disposed of altogether.Many came away from the church cry-ing in relief. Some had been “wanted”for four years or more. The offendersonly came from Philadelphia. Juvenile,traffic, or domestic relations caseswerenot included.Why would a church get involved in

such a program, especially when itsmembers or neighbors are so often vic-

timized by crimes such as drive-byshootings, rapes, robberies and burglaries?McNear calls the initiative a demon-

stration of law and grace.“Before the eyes of God we are all of-

fenders in one way or another,” he said.“We all sin and could be found guilty inthe eyes of God. And yet those of uswho are believers know that God lovesus unconditionally. You hear a lot in thenews these days about terrorism, and wein this urban community experienceterrorism daily in the form of violence.To minister in this community is an ex-ercise of faith because we see instanceswhere a child is raped or someone isshot. It is painful and hard. But we alsoexperience help through the healingpower of God. Faith in action is not let-ting fear have its grip upon us.”The “surrender” initiative is a win-

win situation for both the church andthe justice system, McNear said. “We’re

ERNESTMcNEAR


by MARK A. STAPLES

Surrendering atChurch: Alumnus’Initiative HelpsFugitivesTurnTheirLives Around

Surrendering atChurch: Alumnus’Initiative HelpsFugitivesTurnTheirLives Around

not allowed to evangelize during theprogram,” he said. “What we are doingis living the Gospel, not preaching it.But the reality is that offenders feelmore comfortable about surrenderingin a church than they would be bygoing to a jail or a police station. Thathelps the justice system. For those whosurrender here, the environment is asafe one. The program promotes safetyfor police officers too, who often fallinto harm’s way out on the street. Andthrough the initiative, the justice systemhas a constructive and efficient way todispose of hundreds of cases on its books.”True Gospel Church runs a learning

center for 130 youngsters in kinder-garten through fourth grade, in part be-cause “the lack of education is a directcause of incarceration,” he said. “Morethan 70 percent of those in jail have notgraduated from high school,” and mostof those in Pennsylvania jails, including26 state correctional institutions, comefrom Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, andHarrisburg. “If we are going to conducta meaningful ministry in this commu-nity, then we have to be involved inministry with offenders and with peo-ple in prison,” McNear said. “I tellyoung people in trouble that they arenot the only ones going to jail. Theyput their families in jail. They puteveryone who cares about them in jail.Their family members visit them inprison. They send themmoney whilethey are in jail.”McNear knows first hand about the

trials of the justice system. A 1968 highhonors graduate of Simon Gratz HighSchool, McNear grew up in the projectsof Philadelphia. “My mother and

grandparents raised me and we werepoor.” He gave the valedictory addressat the Gratz commencement exercises.A gifted musician, he went off to theprestigious Berklee College of Music inBoston, MA, and played professionallyfor nearly 10 years. But at the same timehe fell into drug abuse. In his early 20she was arrested in Philadelphia and didsome time. “It seemed like I kneweveryone in the jail cells around me,”McNear recalled. “And they kept tellingme, ‘What are you doing here? Youdon’t belong here!’ But there I was.”During some of his darkest days he

attended his 10th class reunion atGratz. And there he was reminded ofwhat he had once been able to accom-plish and of the gifts he had. He beganto turn his life around. “I realized thatall along God was preparing me forsomething.”In the 1990s he heard about LTSP

from The Rev. Dr. AndrewWillis, “amentor who founded the Urban Theo-logical Institute at LTSP,” McNear re-called. Willis insisted that McNearneeded to study seriously for the or-dained ministry, and studyMcNear did.“LTSP was just an amazing place forme,” he said. “The academics were rig-orous and the professors amazing.What I appreciated the most was howinclusive the education was. The schoolis a Lutheran seminary, but the profes-sors and the community as a whole en-couraged me to be who I am as Ilearned. Being part of an inclusive com-munity like that was pivotal to mygrowth as a pastor and theologian. Myeducation at LTSP influences me everyday of my ministry.”

True Gospel Church today has morethan 600 parishioners. McNear hasguided many significant ministries in-cluding missionary work with 65 pas-tors in Ghana. (He persuaded formerPhiladelphia Mayor John Street to do-nate two desperately needed refur-bished trash trucks to the city of CapeCoast, Ghana.) The congregation runsan educational and support ministry topeople with AIDS.He still plays the saxophone he

played professionally during his 20s. Hesometimes plays Gospel music in a“smooth jazz” style during worship.“But music for me today is not the mostimportant thing,” he said. “It is just apart of the ministry of theWord that iscentral to what we do at True Gospel.”Central to McNear’s ministry clearly

is prison ministry outreach. The con-gregation is the hub for the four-year-old KingdomCare Reentry Networkfor ex-inmates, which inspired McNearto bring the “surrender” program toPhiladelphia. The four-day “surrender”program took many months to organ-ize. But McNear said the hard work waswell worth it in view of the outcome.“So many people with warrants whohad been living in fear were able to turntheir lives around during those fourdays,” he said.“At True Gospel we meet such souls

at our door,” McNear said. “We workdiligently to reintegrate them into soci-ety. We tell ex-inmates who come to usthat God loves them, that they aresomebody and that as people of faiththey can seek their destiny as part of ourchurch family.”�

ERNESTMcNEAR


Expanded video interview with Pr. McNealonline: www.Ltsp.edu/UTIalum


ALUMNI NEWS�WalterWagner,BD ’60, visitingprofessor/ad-junct faculty atLTSP, as well asMoravian Theo-logical SeminaryandMoravianCollege, authoredOpening the

Qur’an: Introducing Islam’s Holy Book(University of Notre Dame Press,October 2008).Available online at www.amazon.com.

Alumni Spring Convocation 2009April 27 to 29, 2009

Path of ForgivenessCLASS REUNIONS: 2008, 2004, 1999, 1994, 1989, 1984, 1979,1974, 1969, 1964, 1959, 1954, 1949, 1944, 1939, and 1934

Spring Convocation 2009 will be held in memory and celebration of the lifeand work of The Rev. Dr. John H.P. Reumann (1927-2008). This time ofremembrance includes:

�Official beginning of fundraising for the John Reumann Chairof Biblical Studies

�Workshop on Philippians (A New Translation with Introduction andCommentary) by John Reumann

� Tuesday Memorial Evening Prayer� Alumni Banquet will include remarks by Dr. Erik Heen andReumann Family

Keynote Presenter:Dr. David Augsburger, Professor of PastoralCounseling, School of Theology, FullerTheological Seminary

Hotel Contact InformationFt. Washington Holiday Inn432 Pennsylvania AvenueFortWashington, PA, 19034215.643.3000www.fwholiday.com

Discounted room rate: $104 (4/27,4/28) until Monday, April 8.When making your hotel reservation, indicate that you are attendingThe Lutheran Theological Seminary’s Spring Convocation.Check-in is at 3:00 pm. Check-out is at 11:00 am.

For further information and to registeronline:www.ltsp.edu/convocation09

alumn

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The Rev. Robert G.Schaefer

The Rev. JenniferOllikainen

LTSP alumnusThe Rev. Robert G.Schaefer, MDiv ’84, became executivefor worship and liturgical resources ofthe Evangelical Lutheran Church inAmerica (ELCA) effective March 1,2009. LTSP alumnaThe Rev. JenniferOllikainen, MDiv ’02, STM ’06, isalso a member of the staff ofWorshipand Liturgical Resources as AssociateforWorship Resources.Information about ELCAWorship andLiturgical resources is at www.ELCA.org/Growing-In-Faith/Worship.aspx


DANIEL 12:3: “THOSEWHO AREWISE SHALL SHINE LIKETHEBRIGHTNESS OFTHE SKY ANDTHOSEWHO LEAD MANYTORIGHTEOUSNESS, LIKETHE STARS FOREVER AND EVER.”

This Star Quilt, hung inthe Lull Lounge, is a gift ofthe artist,The Rev. Dr.Sarah Henrich, LTSP classof 1979, currently Profes-sor of New Testament atLuther Seminary in St.Paul, Minnesota. She is aformer student of ProfessorTimothy Lull.

“Like so many other peo-ple, an astonishing numberreally, my husband and Icherished our friendshipwith Tim Lull, our teacherand mentor. He was sooutgoing, gracious, andcreative that he alwaysknew just where to engageour minds and our hearts,helping us find ways tochannel passion into fruit-ful work and thoughtfulleadership. We loved him.Tim never knew me as aquilter. But I was capti-vated by the design of thisquilt, the patient attentionneeded for every little triangle of fabric used to create the big picture of graduatedcolor in a huge sky, and the sweeping lines of thread, stardust come among us.“When Tim died, the quilt seemed to capture his patient attention to the many

persons, books, commitments, ideas that shaped his life and his picture of God’s wayof being among us. It also picked up both the biblical vision of Tim among God’sshining stars ANDTim’s love for the AmericanWest and its big skies. Tim’s sisterJean later shared his childhood love of stars and astronomy, as well of Robert LouisStevenson’s great poem, ‘Escape at Bedtime.’ In every way, over and over again, itbecame clear that this quilt was Tim’s.” — The Rev. Dr. Sarah Henrich

NEWS�NOTES

THE RT. REV. FREDERICKHOUK BORSCH, PHD Professorof NewTestament and Chair ofAnglican Studies authored:Dayby Day: Loving GodMore Dearly(Morehouse Publishing, January,2009). The popular song fromGodspell, “Day by Day,” is basedon a prayer from theMiddle Agescomposed by Richard of Chich-ester, a saint remembered for hishumility, his perseverance in timesof hardship, his care for the poor,and the strength and generosity ofhis faith. In these theological med-itations, Fred Borsch uses the lifeof Richard to illuminate and guideus as we seek day by day to seemore clearly, love more dearly, andfollow God more nearly. Availablefrom amazon.com and your localbookstore.

DR. KATIE DAY The Charles A.Scheiren Professor, Church andSociety; Director, Metro/UrbanConcentration acting co-deanwithDr. Robert Robinson duringDr. J. Paul Rajashekar’s sabbatical;attended the Society for the Scien-tific Study of Religion and Reli-gious Research Associationmeeting in Louisville, KY; partici-pated in aWomen in Leadershipconference of the Association ofTheological Schools in Pittsburgh,

PA; Dr. Day chairs the Religionand Cities consultation for theAmerican Academy of Religionand convened several panels inChicago with faculty and graduatestudents participating; January2009: participated in week longHess Seminar at the United StatesHolocaust Memorial Museum inWashington D.C. on “Teachingthe Holocaust and Genocides”;had several book reviews pub-lished in the Journal for the Scien-tific Study of Religion and theInternational Journal for PublicTheology (IJPT) and continues re-search on the Germantown Av-enue Project; full article publishedlast spring in the IJPT: “The Con-struction of Public Theology: AnEthnographic Study of the Rela-tionship between the TheologicalAcademy and Local Clergy inSouth Africa.”

DR.WIL GAFNEY Associate Pro-fessor of Hebrew andHebrew ScriptureOctober 2008:Co-edited The Peoples’ Bible(Augsburg Fortress, 2008), (Num-bers, Judges, Ruth, Introduction tothe Apocryphal/ Deuterocanoni-cal Books, Judith, Azariah and theThree Jews, Susanna, Bel and theDragon, Study Notes); partici-pated in the Association of Theo-logical SchoolsWomen inLeadershipWorkshop: “WomenExploring the Future in Theologi-cal Education Leadership” in Pitts-burgh, PA; preached at Episcopal(St. George and St. Barnabus,Philadelphia) and Lutheran con-gregations, (Tabernacle ELC,Philadelphia); November 2008:participated in The PhiladelphiaInquirer’sAnnual Tea for AfricanAmericanWomen as part of afocus group and was subsequentlyinterviewed by The Inquirer; gavethe D’var Torah, the sermon, atthe Dorshei Derekh Reconstruc-tionist Minyan of the German-

DR. ERIKM.HEEN, LTSP PROFESSOROFNEWTESTAMENT ANDGREEK, was the 2008distinguished presenter for Quodlibet, where each yeara member of the faculty at The Lutheran TheologicalSeminary at Philadelphia is presented with “any ques-tion whatsoever” and responds in this tradition-based,rigorous academic exercise. Prof. Heen responded toquestions under the theme “From the Great Plains tothe Cross.” Among the points addressed in the Novem-ber 4 lecture:Through Scripture, God reveals God’s self to us

through Christ crucified on the cross for our sins. Thatreality alone makes it a good thing to read the Bible.And in keeping in mind the theology of the cross, it

is a great challenge for disoriented believers to con-stantly keep their guard up against that “trickster” thedevil, lest we allow the devil to substitute for God“something less than God.”Read highlights and view the lecture online:www.Ltsp.edu/quodlibet2008

2008Quodlibet


FACULTY/STAFF ACTIVITIES

faculty/staff


town Jewish Centre in Philadel-phia; presented a paper “A BiblicalLiteralist Reading of Marriage andFamily,” at the Religion, Cultureand Society Scholars Conveningby Public, Private Ventures and theArcus Foundation in Philadelphia;gave a number of papers and pre-sentations at the Annual Congressof the Society of Biblical Litera-ture in Boston, MA; January2009: attended second phase oftheWabashWorkshop for Pre-Tenure Faculty at Theological In-stitutions; gave the D’var Torah atthe Dorshei Derekh Reconstruc-tionist Minyan of the German-town JewishCentre in Philadelphia.

DR. DAVID D. GRAFTON Asso-ciate Professor, Islamic Studiesand Christian-Muslim Relations;Director of Graduate StudiesJune 2008: attended New JerseySynod Assembly; August 2008:preached at Emmanuel LutheranChurch, Souderton, PA; Septem-ber 2008: led four week adultforum series “Islam in the ModernWorld” at St. Paul’s EvangelicalLutheran Church, Ardmore, PA;preached at Zion EvangelicalLutheran Church, Rahway, NJ;October 2008: presented paper:“An Early American OrientalistLutheran Perspective of Islam:Lewis Eichelberger and hisSources,” at the Lutheran Histori-

cal Conference, Wagner College,Staten Island, NY; presented paper“Revising the 1865 Van Dyck Ara-bic Bible? Struggles with issues ofwahy and communal identity inthe Middle East” at the Cam-bridge University Symposium onLanguage and Knowledge in Mid-dle Eastern Societies, Cambridge,England; November 2008: taughtfour week adult forum series “Reli-gion and Society in the MiddleEast” at St. Luke Lutheran Church,Devon, PA; attended DialogueForum Annual Interfaith Ban-quet; led adult forum on “Inter-preting Islam” at Trinity LutheranChurch, Dover, NJ; December,2008: taught three week adultforum series on Advent; January,2009: led LTSP Globalizationseminar to Egypt; forthcomingpublication: Piety, Politics andPower: Lutherans EncounteringIslam in the Middle East (Wipfand Stock 2009).

DR. ERIK M. HEEN Professorof NewTestament and GreekPublications: Erik M. Heen,Henry G. Brinton, Karoline M.Lewis, and David F.Watson:NewProclamation: Year B, 2009:Easter Through Christ the King,ed. David Lott, (Minneapolis:Fortress, 2008). [Pericope studiesof Revised Common LectionaryTexts for the Season of Easter];

IS THERE A ROLE FOR CHURCHES IN ADVOCAT-ING FOR ANEW ECONOMICWORLDORDER?This is the question raised byCanon John S. Nurser, the dis-tinguished lecturer for the first annualNolde Lectureship andSeminar event, held at LTSP on December 2, 2008. CanonNurser looked at the work done by influential leaders of thechurch during the mid twentieth-century, including work bythe late LTSP Professor O. Frederick Nolde, for whom theLectureship is named. Canon Nurser reflected on how thework done in the past could inform the church today in itsmission and involvement in the unsettled world we live in, andanswered the question of whether there is a role for the churchwith a resounding “Yes.” LTSP students and alumni who areinvolved in advocacy work responded to Canon Nurser’spresentation.“One of the most extraordinary personal achievements of

American history was rooted at LTSP,” Nurser contends.“Professor O. Frederick Nolde, who taught Christian Educa-tion there during the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, played a crucial rolein mobilizing American Protestants to demand a post-WorldWar II ‘global order,’ and one based on human rights. On behalfof theWorld Council of Churches, he was instrumental in ral-lying national delegations at the United Nations to ratify theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10,1948. He drafted the Declaration’s Article 18 on freedom ofreligion. Our present economic crisis is evidence that we in theChristian churches have the responsibility now, 60 years later,to mobilize support for a responsible economic global order.”View the Nolde Seminar, read a summary, comments, and moreonline: www.Ltsp.edu/noldelecture.

First Annual NoldeLectureship and Seminar

President Krey, Nancy Nolde, and CanonJohn Nurser at the Nolde Lectureshipand Seminar.


“Cyril of Alexandria, Writing,” inTreasury of Daily Prayer, ed. ScotA. Kinnaman, et al. (Saint Louis:Concordia, 2008); Presentations:“Paul: TheMan and the Message,”Guest Speaker for the Sunday Af-ternoon Series, St. Paul’s EpiscopalChurch, Chestnut Hill, PA; “1Corinthians,” Adult Forum, ChristAscension Lutheran Church,Chestnut Hill, PA; “How Luther-ans Read the Bible,” Theology onTap Series, St. Paul’s LutheranChurch, Doylestown, PA; “Anti-Judaism and the New Testament,”The American Interfaith Institute,Philadelphia, PA; “Reading theBible with St. Paul,” Alumni FallForum: “Reading the Bible—Bib-lical Interpretation,” LTSP; “HowLuther Understood the Bible,” and“The Bible and North AmericanCulture,” How Lutherans Readthe Bible: All DayMen-in MissionEvent, LTSP; “Quodlibet: AnyQuestionWhatever,” LTSP.

DR. KARL KRUEGER Directorof the Krauth Memorial Library;Associate Professor, History ofChristianityOctober 2008: pre-sented paper, “The 1560 EnglishGeneva: The Exodus Bible forGod’s Newly Chosen People” atthe Sixteenth Century Society &Conference, in St. Louis, MO; inaddition to preaching in Germanat Old Zion Lutheran Church inCenter City Philadelphia, he ismentoring confirmand AlonzoHarding through the second yearof catechetical instruction atChrist Lutheran CommunityChurch in Upper Darby, PA.

DR. JON PAHL Professor,History of Christianity in NorthAmerica edited An AmericanTeacher: Coming of Age, and Com-ing Out, the Memoirs of LorettaColler (Infinity Publishing, 2009),that documents the life, loves, andmurder of a lesbian in twentieth-century America. In poignant and

FACULTY/STAFF ACTIVIT

THE REV. DR. STORM SWAIN hasbeen appointed to the position of AssistantProfessor for Pastoral Care and Theologyand Episcopal Studies at LTSP effectiveJuly 1, 2009. Prof. Swain has already begunto teach at LTSP, serving as an adjunct pro-fessor this spring teaching Introduction toPastoral Care.Prof. Swain recently completed a PhD in

the Psychiatry and Religion program atUnion Theological Seminary in New York,with her dissertation topic “Trinity,Trauma and Transformation: A TrinitarianPastoral Theology reflected in the experi-ence of the Chaplains at the 9/11 Tempo-rary Mortuary at Ground Zero.” She holdsa Bachelor of Theology (1992) from theUniversity of Otago, New Zealand, havingattended Knox Theological Hall majoringin Christian Thought and History, a Mas-ter of Sacred Theology (1999) andMasterof Philosophy (2004) fromUnion Theo-logical Seminary, and from the BlantonPeale Graduate Institute, graduate certifi-cates in Psychoanalysis and Pastoral Psy-chotherapy. After graduation fromOtagoUniversity, Prof. Swain served as Chaplainto Mental Health Services and later also asa CPE supervisor in Dunedin, NewZealand. She is also a priest in the Episco-pal Church, most recently serving the

church as Canon Pastor at the Cathedral ofSt. John the Divine, New York.Speaking from her office in the Hagan

Center, Prof. Swain shared, “I am delightedto have been appointed to the positionhere at LTSP, which has a reputation forgood scholarship, sound formation, and astrong, well respected Pastoral Care pro-gram. As an Episcopalian, hailing from an-other part of the Anglican Communion, Ilook forward to engaging in CommonMission as part of a seminary that is com-mitted to both an ecumenism that is livedout in practice and a global consciousnessthat sees beyond the boundaries of its owncommunity and culture.” Surrounded bybooks and symbols of her ministry thatrange from a chalice and paten from Taize,a pottery fern fromNew Zealand, calligra-phy from an Episcopalian monastery, to abobbled-headed Freud from a market inNew York, Swain noted that “My ownministry has been shaped both in the U.S.and overseas by incredible individuals inhospital and home, from the streets ofHarlem to the hallowed halls of academicinstitutions, from the Pit of Ground Zeroto the holy ground of daily life in thisworld, from those gathered around the Eu-charistic table or sharing pizza at anothertable, who have taught me about thestrength of the human spirit and awesomelove of God who will not give up on useven when we do the worst of what we canto each other. I continue to look forward tobeing part of a great faculty and commu-nity here at LTSP, working with studentswho, at whatever stage in their ministryand whatever shape that may take, are will-ing to learn more about and reflect on thiscomplicated and simple call to love one an-other as the God who loves us.”

Dr. Storm Swain Joining LTSP Faculty



powerful vignettes, Southern Cali-fornia educator Loretta Coller(b. 1931) illumines her strugglesto gain a successful livelihood, andto find peace with a life-partnershe loses too soon to cancer. In theprocess, Coller shares lessonslearned about coping with the si-lences so often imposed upon gaysand lesbians. In an Introductionand Epilogue, Pahl, who Collerasked to help publish her memoirsprior to her death, interpretsColler’s story in its contexts, andnarrates the circumstances leadingto Coller’s murder in 1994. AnAmerican Teacher will be fascinat-ing reading for anyone concernedwith the status of gays and lesbiansin American culture. Further infor-mation, including excerpts and linkto purchase, at: www.Ltsp.edu/coller; creator and writer for book-let, brochure, and video package,Who are the Lutherans (AndWhyDidWe Start So Many Social Min-istry Organizations), for DiakonLutheran Social Ministries. Thematerials, produced by the LTSPMedia Center, tell of the historyof the Lutheran church and explainthe concepts of grace, faith andcalling, and help those new toworking in social ministry under-stand why Lutherans are called tosocial ministry. Materials will be

used by Diakon for new employeeorientation and annual review.TheMedia Center plans to offer,at cost, generic and customizedversions of the materials for use byother Lutheran social ministryorganizations.

DR. MELINDA A. QUIVIKAssociate Professor of ChristianAssemblyNovember 29, 2008:preached at Reformation LutheranChurch, Philadelphia, at a healingservice to commemorateWorldAIDS Day; participated in twoprofessional organizations: TheNorth American Academy ofLiturgy, and the Academy ofHomiletics; met with the MetroNew York Synod CandidacyCommittee; organized a holycommunion liturgy for Epiphanyon January 6, 2008, at LTSP, fol-lowed by a reception honoringMarkMummert’s 18 years ofmusicand teaching at LTSP.

DR. J. PAUL RAJASHEKARDean; Luther D. Reed Professor,SystematicTheology on sabbati-cal from August 1, 2008. to Febru-ary 1, 2009; September 2008:participated in a seminar on “Ped-agogies for Interfaith Dialogue” atthe Graduate Theological Union,Berkeley, CA; October 2008: leda three-part weekly series on “Fun-damentalism and Pluralism” atSt. Peters Episcopal Church in

Philadelphia; November 2008:attended meetings of the ELCAChurch Council in Chicago; Janu-ary 2009: participated in a consul-tation on “Theological Educationin the ELCA” in Chicago; Febru-ary 2009: delivered key-note ad-dress, “The challenge ofGlobalization to Asian Churches,”at the Asian Lutheran Interna-tional Conference in Hong Kong,China.

DR. NELSON RIVERA AssociateProfessor, SystematicTheologyand Hispanic Ministry; Director,Latino Concentration Fall 2008:on sabbatical; September 2008:participated in a panel presenta-tion on the Pew Foundation’s report“Changing Faiths: Latinos and theTransformation of American Reli-gion” for the New Jersey Synod,ELCA; published article in theImmigration Issue (December2008) of the Journal of LutheranEthics.

THE REV. DR. J. JAYAKIRANSEBASTIAN H. George Ander-son Professor of Mission andCultures; Director, MulticulturalMission Resource CenterSeptember 2008: presented “Con-tinuing to Search for EcumenicalUnderstanding: Remembering theLegacy ofWilliamH. Lazareth,” atA Day of Remembrance and Cele-bration: Remembering Prof.William Lazareth and Celebrating100 years of the KrauthMemorialLibrary, LTSP; October 2008:participated, Wabash Center forTeaching and Learning in Theol-ogy and Religion Conference forGraduate School Deans and Pro-gramDirectors, Indianapolis, IN;presented “Importance of (Lay)Leadership in Mission Develop-ment,” at South Asian PastorsRound Table organized by theELCA Asian and Pacific IslandersMinistries, LTSP; November2008: presented “Water of Life —

Water of Baptism,” TheologicalEducation with Youth Affirmationof Baptism Festival, LTSP; organ-izer, session on “Global YouthCollaborative on Peace and Secu-rity,” with EastWest Institute, NewYork, Multicultural Mission Re-source Center, LTSP; December2008: participated, MulticulturalPlanning GroupMeeting, ProjectConnect, LTSP; Publications:“Interrogating Christian Practices:Popular Religiosity Across theOcean,” in Thomas F. Best, ed.,Baptism Today: Understanding,Practice, Ecumenical Implications(Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgi-cal Press/Geneva: World Councilof Churches Publication, 2008);“Why Should Asian TheologiansRead Texts of the Early Teachersof Faith?” in Asian Christian Re-view, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Spring 2008);“Constituting the Human: Rights,Responsibilities and Risks in IndiaToday,” in C.I. David Joy, ed.,Transforming Praxis: God, Com-munity and Church— Essays inHonour of Dr. I. JohnMohan Razu(Bangalore/Delhi: UTC/ISPCK,2008).

DR.TIMOTHY J.WENGERTMinisterium of PennsylvaniaProfessor of the History ofChristianity September 2008:week-long consultation ofLutheran-Roman Catholic teamof scholars writing an ecumenicalcommentary onMartin Luther’s95 Theses, in Paderborn, Ger-many; October 2008: speaker forthe Northeastern MinnesotaSynod, ELCA, on Luther’s under-standing of the Bible; speaker atthe Northern Rockies Institute ofTheology on Luther’s Catechisms;November 2008: speaker at aWheaton College conference:“Reading the Decalogue throughthe Centuries.”

TIES continued


THE REV. DR. QUINTIN L.ROBERTSON is the new Director ofthe Urban Theological Institute (UTI).Dr. Robertson officially begins his workat LTSP onMay 1, and already has beenintroduced to the LTSP and UTI com-munity at this spring’s Preaching withPower events. He will oversee the threeprogramming areas of the UTI: firstprofessional degrees with an AfricanAmerican focus through the MDivBlack Church Concentration andMAR Black Church Specialization, theUTI Certificate Programs, and PublicProgramming, of which Preaching withPower is the capstone event.A native of Newark, New Jersey, he

earned his Bachelor of Business Admin-istration Degree fromHoward Univer-sity inWashington, DC, and his Masterof Business Administration Degreefrom Clark Atlanta University in At-

lanta, Georgia. He furthered his educa-tion by earning a Master of Divinity de-gree and Doctor of Ministry degreefrom the Charles HarrisonMason The-ological Seminary at the Interdenomi-national Theological Center (ITC). Dr.Robertson is an ordained Elder in theChurch of God in Christ and a memberof Cathedral of Faith in Atlanta. He is amember of the Board of Directors forAll Saints Bible College in Memphis,TN. He has mentored and trainedmany students in ministry throughoutthe U.S. He has served as Director ofAdmission and Recruitment for the In-terdenominational Theological Centerfor ten years and Director of CampusMinistry for the Church of God inChrist in the Atlanta University Centerfor four years.Among other responsibilities, Dr.

Robertson is looking forward to re-cruiting new students to the UTI, de-veloping additional certificate programsto serve additional needs in congrega-tions not served by advanced degreeprograms, and adding to the public pro-grams offered by UTI. He also looksforward to teaching periodically to re-main in touch with the degree pro-grams connected to the UTI.

DR. MICHAEL KRENTZ joinsLTSP July 1 as Director of Music Min-istries and Seminary Cantor. An Associ-ate in Ministry in the EvangelicalLutheran Church in America, Dr.Krentz comes to LTSP with some 30years experience in parish music. He re-ceived Bachelor, Master, and Doctor ofMusic degrees fromNorthwestern Uni-versity, Evanston, Illinois. He is a past-Dean of the Lehigh Valley Chapter ofthe American Guild of Organists, andhas served in the leadership of the Asso-ciation of Lutheran ChurchMusicians,including chairperson of ALCM’s 1997national conference, president of Re-gion 1, and national Secretary-Treasurer.In addition to leading the seminary

choir and providing musical leadershipfor seminary worship, Dr. Krentz’s parttime role will include teaching in thefirst professional curriculum and guid-ing Master of Arts in Religion studentsin the Liturgy andMusic Specialization.Read more about Drs. Robertson andKrentz at www.Ltsp.edu/newstaff.

ANNOUNCINGTWO IMPORTANT ADDITIONS to the LTSP STAFF

MERCIA BRENNE BACHMANN,who along with her late husband semi-nary alumnus E. Theodore Bachmannwas a long time supporter of TheLutheran Theological Seminary atPhiladelphia (LTSP), died peacefullyon February 2, 2009, in Townshend,Vermont. She was 96. Mercia and Dr.Bachmann, known as Ted, who died in1995, were known in Lutheran circlesas partners in international ministry.Mercia, a long time resident of

Princeton Junction, New Jersey, and afounding member of Prince of PeaceLutheran in Princeton Junction, do-nated their extensive library to Prince-ton Seminary and LTSP when she soldthe Princeton Junction house in the late1990s, and remained in the Princetonarea until she moved to Vermont to livewith her daughter in 2007.Born on awheat farm in Saskatchewan

on January 2, 1913, Mercia was the sec-ond of five daughters of a circuit ridingLutheran pastor. She grew up in theMidwest in a variety of parsonages, at-tended St. Olaf College and the Univer-sity of Minnesota, and became a social

worker since her father coun-seled her that the time was notripe for female ministers.In 1941 she married E.

Theodore Bachmann, then abudding young church histo-rian from distant Philadelphia,and was his life’s companion,soulmate, critic and editor for54 event- filled years inWilm-

ington, Chicago, post-warWest Ger-many, St. Paul, Berkeley, Brazil,Switzerland, and Princeton as he servedin a wide variety of positions within theLutheran church. They marched inSelma with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.Ardent travelers, they visited some 50countries and together wrote LutheranChurches in theWorld.When Dr. Bach-mann died in 1995, Mercia spent thenext two years finishing his final book,The United Lutheran Church in Amer-ica, 1918-1962.Mercia is survived by her son, F.

Brenne, of Vimmerby, Sweden, anddaughter, Mary, of Putney, Vermont,plus their spouses, Catharina andChristopher, and two granddaughters,Eva and Anna. She is also survived bytwo sisters, Carola Boe of Amery,Wisconsin, and Audrey Peterson ofMesa, Arizona.See http://archive.elca.org/communica-tion/timeline/1941.html for more on TedandMercia Bachmann’s contributions tothe Lutheran Church.

The Rev. Frederick S.Weiser, STM ’66retired Lutheran pastor from New Oxford,PA, died January 26, 2009, inYork Hospi-tal. He was 73.Weiser, a member of Christ Lutheran

Church inYork, PA, graduated from Get-tysburg College, The LutheranTheologicalSeminary at Gettysburg andThe LutheranTheological Seminary at Philadelphia.He served parishes in Germany, Lan-

caster and Biglerville, where he was pas-tor of St. Paul Lutheran for 19 years.He was archivist for Gettysburg Semi-

nary from 1966-71. He wrote books aboutthe Lutheran diaconate, German folk artand his family.

The Rev. Dr. Robert J.Marshall, former presi-dent of the LutheranChurch in America, oneof the predecessorchurch bodies of theEvangelical LutheranChurch in America, died

December 22, 2008, in Allentown, PA.He was 90.

Mary M.Taylor, MDiv’87, a teacher who be-came an Episcopalpriest later in life, diedon Christmas Day inWhitehorse Village inNewtown Square, PA,from the effects of

Parkinson’s disease. In the 1990s, shewas vicar at All Saints Church in Fallsing-ton, Bucks County, and after that servedat St. Mary’s Church in Chester, DelawareCounty. She is survived by son, ConradW.Jr., daughters Delia and Polly Turner, fivegrandchildren and her first husband, Con-radW.Turner, Sr. Her second husband,Robert H. Taylor, predeceased her.


PASSAGES IN MEMORIAM

Friend of LTSPMercia BrenneBachmann has died

�FOUNDATION

18

from the

IN THE DAYS when the late EdnaKrock taught first grade in what wasthen the rural community ofWhite-hall, Pennsylvania, most children andtheir parents knew personally of Edna’sdedication to education, explained theman who was her pastor, The Rev.Michael Bodnyk of Faith EvangelicalLutheran Church in the Allentownsuburb.“Edna taught just about everyone

growing up in the town during her ca-reer,” Pr. Bodnyk said. “She touched alot of lives.” Edna and her late husband,Herbert, were also dedicated to FaithChurch, a congregation of 900 mem-bers where Pr. Bodnyk has served aspastor for the past 13 years. They left alarge portion of their estate to the con-gregation with the understanding thatone-half of the bequest could be used tobenefit the congregation, with the rest

to be used beyond the walls of thechurch. Edna died in 2002.So when Pr. Bodnyk was asked

whether Faith could consider pledginga considerable gift to support the finan-cial challenges facing seminarians atThe Lutheran Theological Seminary atPhiladelphia (LTSP), “it was natural tothink of using some of that money insupport of educating present and futurechurch leaders,” Pr. Bodnyk said. “It alsohelped that our congregation had cometo knowmany seminary interns servingas vicars over the past seven years or so.”“I got a great education at the semi-

nary,” Pr. Bodnyk recalled. A 1976 grad-uate of LTSP, he attended seminarywith The Rev. Charles Leonard, LTSP’sdirector of contextual education whooversees the field work part of the edu-cation of many seminarians. “We’reaware of the kind of sacrifice seminari-

which began July 1, 2008, has beena challenging one. Despite theeconomy, the Foundation continuesto work hard to complete thecampaign for The Brossman Centerin four of our synods (Metro NewYork, New England, SoutheasternPennsylvania, and Upstate NewYork) and has less than $3 millionof the $20 million goal to go.We are also moving closer to our$1 million Leadership Fund goal.In fact, the Leadership Fund is onpace to have more donors and morecontributions than ever before.LTSP is truly blessed to have suchdedicated alumni and friends, andit needs your support now morethan ever.The stories appearing here

exemplify those among us whoensure the vitality of the seminary’smission. The pastors andcongregations at Faith Church andBlue Church demonstrate thevision and commitment totheological education that thefuture of the church depends upon,and we graciously thank them fortheir gifts.

Adam F. MarlesManaging Director of Development

Tomake a contribution online,go to: www.Ltsp.edu/give

Whitehall, PA,Teacher’s LegacyYields $50,000 Church Gift to LTSP

The LTSP fiscal year

PS�SPRING 2009 www.Ltsp.edu


ans make to become pastors,” Pr. Bod-nyk said. “They have to manage quite abit of financial debt, and they are notgoing to make the kind of income dur-ing their careers that people in manyother careers earn.”And so Pr. Bodnyk encouraged sev-

eral Faith Church leaders to meet withhim and The Rev. Kenneth Feinour ofthe LTSP Foundation. When a pledgeof $50,000 over five years to supportseminarian education through LTSP’sLeadership Fund was suggested, “theythought it was a great idea,” Pr. Bodnyksaid. The congregation council agreed.Then The Rev. Louise Johnson, LTSP’sdirector of admissions, came to preachone Sunday and the congregation votedon the idea “without dissent,” Pr. Bod-nyk said. “People seemed to think it wasan excellent way to keep Edna Krock’slegacy alive.”Education is plainly part of the life of

Faith. The congregation hosts theLehigh Valley Lutheran School, aparochial program that educates 60children in grades kindergartenthrough 8th grade. The congregationalso hosts Scouting programs and aninitiative called the Community JusticePanel, a citizens organization from thecommunity that deals with the issues oftroubled youth in the schools. Pr. Bod-nyk’s wife, Sandra, is an executive forNational Penn Bank, and she serves as amember of the seminary’s President’sAdvisory Council.“My favorite thing about being a

pastor is working with people, visitingwith them, and preaching,” Pr. Bodnyksaid.�

ST. PAUL’S EVANGELICALLUTHERAN BLUECHURCH, nestled in a pic-turesque rural setting inCoopersburg, PA, is one ofthe 10 original charter congre-gations established by HenryMelchior Muhlenberg in theMinisterium of Pennsylvaniain the early 1700s. Nearly 270years later, the congregation iscontinuing to make history.St. Paul’s, known as the

Blue Church for the one-timecolor of its exterior, recentlytook the step of pledging afive-year $50,000 gift for sem-inary scholarships to theLeadership Fund of TheLutheran Theological Semi-nary at Philadelphia (LTSP).The pledge came in themidstof trying financial times.“This congregation is

struggling, as is the case formany churches,” explainedThe Rev. Mark Swanson, LTSP class of1988, who has served St. Paul’s for morethan 11 years in a building the churchhas occupied since 1833. “But eventhough we are struggling, we have rec-ognized our responsibility to reach outto create new apostles for professionalchurch service in an increasingly secularworld. We’ve seen that today’s seminari-

ans are enduring significant debt inorder to get an education to serve thechurch as committed key leaders. That’sa major sacrifice on their part. Just asthe Holy Spirit has guided St. Paul’sover the years to endure and survivemany challenges, we have felt the needto continue to plant seeds to make thechurch grow in this important time. We

Historic Church, Historic Pledge:Blue Church Makes $50,000 Giftto LTSP


20

The seminary is pleased to announcethat Larry House has been namedDirector of Leadership Giving in theseminary development office.House, a long time friend and sup-porter of the seminary, most re-cently served asVice President forAdvancement at Liberty LutheranServices (LLS). For over 16 yearsbefore joining LLS, House servedthe seminary in a number of fund-raising roles, during which time heestimated he had invited more than25,000 people to consider finan-cially supporting the seminary.House’s role will be to reconnect

with many of those he encouragedto support the seminary, as well asnew friends. He will be invitingthem through their gifts and finan-cial plans to help insure the semi-nary continues to carry out itsmission to prepare ordained andlay ministers of theWord as leadersfor the mission of the church inthe world.House began his work in March.

He is an Associate in Ministry (AIM)in the Evangelical Lutheran Churchin America and holds CFRE certifi-cation. A member, along with hiswife Karen, of Upper DublinLutheran Church in Ambler, PA, heand Karen reside in PlymouthMeeting.

feel called to share our gifts, and wehave been richly blessed.”The gift became a reality after The

Rev. Kenneth Feinour approached thecongregation representing the LTSPFoundation. Feinour asked whether thehistoric congregation might support agenerous gift. Pr. Swanson suggestedthat Feinour offer the church severalgift choices. Four options were pro-posed, the most generous of whichwould be a pledge of $10,000 each yearover five years.When Pr. Swanson presented the

proposal to the congregation council,he said he was pleasantly surprisedwhen council president Troy Cooperspoke up to say, “Why don’t we approveoption four, a $50,000 pledge over fiveyears?We need to be generous with ourresources to help others.” The councilapproved the suggestion unanimouslyand, according to Pr. Swanson, decidedto recommend to the congregation thatit commit to gifts to LTSP “in perpetu-ity” after the pledge period concludes.The congregation quickly voted to ap-prove council’s recommendation.Pr. Swanson, obviously moved by the

monetary pledge to his alma mater, saidSt. Paul’s has “many lay leaders whohave been moved in their ministry bythe work of the Holy Spirit withinthem. They want to empower new ros-tered leaders to serve the present andfuture church. It is a priority for them.”The congregation has also eagerly sup-ported community-based partnershipswith two neighboring Lutheran congre-gations, St. James and Friedens, and alsowith twoMoravian congregations intown. “We share Bible study and pas-

toral care activities with these churchesand other activities as well,” Pr. Swansonsaid. “For me it is a model of what com-munity ministry is all about.”Pr. Swanson talks about how his sem-

inary training has supported his dailylife ministry to the people of St. Paul’s.“I think about (the late) Dr. John H.P.Reumann’s teaching of Bible to me,” hesaid. “His teaching constantly influ-ences my study of Scripture and the wayI teach the Bible today.” Other great in-fluences include the teaching of preach-ing by The Rev. Dr. John Vannorsdalland The Rev. Dr. Robert Hughes.“We’re obviously a congregation that

is proud of its significant history,” Pr.Swanson noted. “But we’ve also learnedthe importance of sometimes settingaside our pride and focus on history inorder to work with others to strengthenour community and the work of thechurch beyond.”Pr. Swanson’s wife, The Rev. Laura

Csellak (LTSP, class of 1986) formerlyserved as alumni/ae director for theLTSP Foundation, and for the past fiveyears has been pastor of St. Andrew’sLutheran Church, in Palmer Township(Easton), PA.�Prs. Bodnyk and Swanson reflect onministry and their LTSP connection atwww. Ltsp.edu/alumnispeak.

PS�SPRING 2009 www.Ltsp.edu

Saturday, APRIL 18, 2009MEN IN MISSIONStewards of God’s CreationBear Creek Camp, Wilkes-Barre, PAwww.Ltsp.edu/meninmission

Tuesday, APRIL 21, 2009CONVOCATIONDr. Nelson RiveraVocation of Scientists and Theologians11:30 amThe Brossman Learning Center

Thursday, APRIL 23, 2009PUBLIC LEADERSHIPINFORMATION SESSION6:30 pm to 8:30 pmFor prospective students interestedin the new Public LeadershipConcentrationLTSP campuswww.Ltsp.edu/publicleadership

Sunday, APRIL 26, 2009SACRED TEXTS — MODERNISSUES: GETTING FROM ONETO THE OTHERA trialogue for Christian, Jewish andMuslim leaders, seminarians, students,and those interested in interfaith learning2:00 pm to 8:00 pmThe Brossman Learning Centerwww.Ltsp.edu/trialogue

Monday-Wednesday,APRIL 27-29, 2009ALUMNI SPRINGCONVOCATIONThe Brossman Learning Center

Saturday MAY 2, 2009PROSPECTIVE STUDENT DAY8:30 am to NoonLTSP Campus

Tuesday, MAY 5, 2009CONVOCATIONSocial Ministry11:30 amThe Brossman Learning Center

Sunday, MAY 17, 2009COMMENCEMENT3:00 pmLTSP Campus

Tuesday-Thursday,MAY 26-29, 2009ASIAN THEOLOGICALINSTITUTELTSP Campus

Monday-Friday,JUNE 15-19, 2009LUTHERHOSTELWhat Would Luther Say?A week that includes Bible study anddiscussion, music and worship, and a lookat service opportunities for older adultsLTSP Campuswww.Ltsp.edu/lutherhostel09

Thursday, JUNE 18, 2009PROSPECTIVE STUDENT DAY6:30 pm to 8:30 pmLTSP Campus

LTSP Events Spring 2009

For information and updatesgo to www.Ltsp.edu or sign upfor @PS, our eNewsletter atwww.Ltsp.edu/enews.

The Krauth MemorialLibrary is celebrating“100 Years of Service &Scholarship.” For furtherinformation, go towww.Ltsp.edu/krauth100

7301 Germantown AvenuePhiladelphia, PA 19119-1794

www.Ltsp.edu

To keep up with the latest news from LTSP, sign up for @PS, our eNewsletter atwww.Ltsp.edu/enews

GIVING MAKES A DIFFERENCE

www.Ltsp.edu/give

Have you remembered LTSP in your estate planning?

Join us in meeting our$1 million goal by makinga gift today online atwww.Ltsp.edu/give.

Your gift today to theLTSP Leadership Fundwill ensure that we cancontinue to educate,prepare, and nurtureleaders of the church,both for today and forgenerations to come.

alumni CONVOCATION 2009APRIL 27-29


PS Magazine - Spring 2009

Documents

Transcript of PS Magazine - Spring 2009