Western Mission Cluster Network Gathering, 1/19-21/2007

It's my second year attending this gathering, held annually in January at the Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center in Carefree, AZ. This event gathers together individuals working in institutions that contribute to the theological education of the baptized in Regions 1, 2, and 3 of the ELCA. Representatives from colleges, seminaries, campus ministry, Augsburg Fortress, lay schools of theology, and numerous others were in attendance to learn what each other is doing, to network around common projects, to gain knowledge and inspiration, and to deepen or begin relationships across this vast expanse of the ELCA.

I attended with my colleagues, Ron Olson, Patricia Lull, and Jose Antonio Machado. Our colleague from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PLTS), Greg Schaefer, was unable to join us; he was in Mexico City with seminary students on a cross-cultural experience. But all of us are working together on a million dollar grant given to both PLTS and Luther Seminary from the Lilly foundation. Though the grant has many facets, we are the team that is focusing on recruitment for each seminary, with emphasis toward recruitment of underrepresented communities: people of color, people whose primary language is other then English, and new immigrants.

We all piled into the rental car to head toward the Phoenix airport for our return flight home. I drove. The conversation flew non-stop as we each shared the benefits and insights we gained in attendance at this event. We were all on such a roll I got us lost. (I need to work on those multi-tasking skills.) But needless to say, expect to see all of us in Carefree next January, hopefully with Greg, to meet and gather at this event. It truly gave our group a nice boost for the ministry we carry out in the theological education of the baptized.