A Listening Post Event with President Richard Bliese
Well, yesterday I didn't have to travel too far; just to Apple Valley, a suburb of the Twin Cities, south of St. Paul. I went to Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church (big church, what we call in the Midwest a Âmega-churchÂ: 8,000 baptized members, more than twice the size of the population of the first town where I served) for the first Listening Post event with the new Luther Seminary President, Richard Bliese.More of these events will be held throughout the Twin Cities and United States over the next year. The events provide an opportunity for congregations to meet the new President, to hear his story and his strategy for the seminary, and most importantly, to inform him about the mission challenges and opportunities that congregations are facing. And that is exactly what happened last night.
Others from the seminary participating in this event were: (see photo from left to right) Jennifer Harsh, M.Div. Middler at Luther; Gerry Rafftery, Seminary Relations; President Bliese; Maria Thompson, Director of Communication; and David Lose, Academic Dean. I, of course, was also there in my capacity as Associate Director of Admissions. I was available for conversations with anyone interested in studying at the seminary, as well as fielding general questions about the school. It was a good night.
As my schedule allows I will be joining President Bliese for more of these events in the coming year, and I am looking forward to it. So watch your mail or your churchÂs bulletin or newsletter for your invitation to come and meet the President of Luther Seminary, and perhaps even me. It would be a delight.
posted by Liza at 11:27 PM
0 comments
Back to the airport with Shane Freiberg (I found out his last name; and no, he did not transport me in a limo) and then the plane flights home. As always, it will feel good to sleep in my own bed again.
Today was spent getting to know Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PLTS). The morning began with a trip down hill to the Graduate Theological Union (GTU). The GTU is a consortium of nine independent theological schools of various denominations who function under one umbrella. Most of the schools are located within a two-three block radius. PLTS is a member of the GTU, even though they are located a few miles up hill. Students register at one of the nine theological schools but are able to take classes at any of the schools within the GTU. The Martin Looper bus shuttles students from the GTU to PLTS.
After my tour of the GTU we returned to PLTS for Wednesday morning Holy Communion worship at 11:15 AM in the Chapel of the Cross. Worship lasted an hour and was followed by an all campus meal made by the “church ladies,” three male students with wonderful culinary abilities. Today we had grilled chicken kabobs, rice, cabbage salad, carrot cake & beverage. The worship service and meal gave me an opportunity to meet some of the students and staff at the school.
Our last stop for the day was a visit to University Lutheran Chapel and Pastor Jeff Johnson. Jeff serves as both pastor to the University Lutheran congregation as well as Lutheran Campus Pastor to U of C, Berkeley. He shared with Greg and me his ministry with the congregation and the university students.
Today was road trip day in Northern California with our first stop being Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. Our intentions were to meet with Pastor Richard Foster, Lutheran Campus Pastor for the University, but he had family obligations that day. (Relatives who were evacuees from hurricane Katerina were staying with him and he was tending to their needs). So Julie Steinbrenner (not related to George) was kind enough to host us for the day. Julie and her boyfriend Greg are both Ph.D. students at Stanford in the Mechanical Engineering program (very smart people). Julie is a graduate of Valparaiso University. She's from Illinois and Greg is from the Denver area. Julie and Greg are both active in the Episcopal Lutheran Campus Ministry (ELCM).
Julie met Greg (PLTS Admissions Director, not boyfriend) and me at the ELCM Center, and we took off in her convertible. (See picture, but imagine top down, sun shining, and Greg, Julie and I looking our California coolest. This picture was taken after the afternoon thunderstorm, which rarely if ever happens in Northern CA, and especially not in September. The storm was a special show just for me, I was told).
One of the stops on the tour was the Stanford Memorial Church, it was built as a memorial to Senator Leland Stanford, who died in 1893. Actual construction got underway six years later in 1899. It was truly a sight to behold.
After lunch Greg and Julie got Greg (PLTS) and me connected with Caitlyn (another participant in the ELCM and Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering, recently married to another Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering) who was staffing a table with information about the ELCM in the central quad for interested first year students. It turns out that Stanford University does not start until late September--go figure--and today was moving-in day for freshman. Caitlyn was accompanied by the Episcopal priest Father Vern. After conversation with Caitlyn and Father Vern and saying goodbye to Greg and Julie we were on our way to our next stop--Mount Cross Bible Camp, back on the road in the rain.
We made a quick stop at Mt. Cross. (See picture: I think Greg and I both qualified for the width and weight limit for the camp). There we met up with interim director and former ELCA Director for Camps Jerry Olstad. Jerry gave us a history of the camp, an update on its current situation, and a tour. One of the unique camping experiences they offer is “tree house camping.” WAY COOL! See what you can do without mosquitoes? After saying goodbye to Jerry, we were off to University of California, Santa Cruz. The rain had stopped.
I am sure many of you have seen in movies or on television a person driving his or her car in the San Francisco/Bay Area and going up and down extremely steep hills--yup, that is what it is like. The last few miles to the seminary are STRAIGHT UP hill, you gain 1000 feet I was told in that last stretch, and my ears even got plugged. That said, you can imagine then how beautiful the view is from the seminary toward the bay, and the grounds themselves are equally as delightful. As Luther Seminary capitalizes on the best the Midwest flora and fauna has to offer, PLTS does the same with their campus. 
Shane dropped me off at the Admissions office at PLTS where I was met by the staff, Jane Phillips, Administrative secretary and Greg Schaefer, Director.
The first order of business for Greg and me was hosting a supper for the students working with Lutheran Volunteer Corp (LVC) in Berkeley. These five students (Dan, Sarah, Chelsee, Emily, and Megan), all recent college graduates, will spend the next year working in non-profit organizations as volunteers. These organizations include the YWCA, legal aide, elderly low-income housing, and juvenile chemical dependency. It was a delight getting to know them and hearing about their placements with LVC, their backgrounds, and their future ambitions--which may or may not include seminary. I was impressed by these young people's willingness to take a year out of their lives to make a difference in the life of someone else; they are a testament to us all of what it means to be a servant of Christ.
After locating a parking spot (not where I was supposed to be), registering, and grabbing a quick breakfast I was off to find my spot in the Career Fair Tent on the campus grounds. I was at table #37, between Loyola University Health Systems, Chicago & MacNeal Health Network, 
Rachel and I also had the opportunity to worship with the Valpo community at daily chapel. What a grand space in which to worship. Today was their “contemporary” worship service and it was student led. While at chapel I met the two campus pastors.
