Living through transition is hard. Transitions in which the baton of leadership isn’t passed on smoothly make them even more difficult to take part in. If being a residential student at Luther Seminary in the 2016-17 academic year taught me anything, this truth would be at the very top of the list of things learned. However, that academic year also equipped me with a lot of important tools, tools with which I can approach the newness and pain of post-“major change” anxiety that a lot of churches and ministry sites might be experiencing.

My internship site experienced its fair share of transitions in the last few years with the senior pastor pursuing another call and his spouse, who had directed the sanctuary choir and organized all things music during her tenure at Our Savior’s, leaving with him. One of the major roles she played in her position was organizing the annual Music Sunday on Advent III, a worship service that celebrated and showcased the myriad musical groups housed at Our Savior’s. With her departure, the service no longer had an organized front in its planning. Seeing a need in my context that aligned with my own interests of music, liturgy, and creative imagining in the face of transition, I discerned my way into the role of organizer of Music Sunday for Advent 2017.

The nitty gritty of this project had me planning a rather elaborate church service: developing litanies and selecting readings to be used between songs, selecting a hymnody for the day that kept us within the season of Advent while also being familiar enough for the whole congregation to sing, and managing the logistics of these musical groups moving about the space without someone having to run across the sanctuary to move from the adult choir to the bell choir (which has happened in years past).

Beyond the detail oriented work, there were also a lot of conversations. Informal conversations with congregation members who shared some of their fond memories of Music Sundays of old aided me in gathering a sense of what the service should include to feed the needs of the assembly. Meetings with ensemble directors to talk music selection and rehearsals helped me to see how invested these leaders were in making this worship service a spectacular moment of praise. These moments of connection granted me the wisdom to see that this community was invested in this service; these was not just another event that came and went during the church year, but a time during which the fellowship and joy that comes with the advent season is most palpable.

In the end, the service was a grand success. The musical offerings filled the space with songs of longing and praise, the assembly’s voices joined in the refrain, and the musician’s tones blended it all together in a tapestry of Advent joy. In addition, as this community continues to get its feet underneath it again after the many transitions it’s experienced, the intentional conversations and planning that went into this service helped us to begin visioning for next year. With a little extra lifeblood pumped back into Music Sunday, many voices chimed in about their desire to be involved in crafting next year’s service. In the wake of jarring transition, instead of grumbling about how things “aren’t what they used to be,” people are beginning to speak up for the sake of renewal and imagination.

It’s that hope that follows major transition that makes this project important beyond the walls of my internship site. While this project was affirming of my call to serve the church, it was also affirming that the grief and pain that one experiences during the front end of transition can eventually lift into a renewed sense of purpose and mission. While this project examines only one piece of Our Savior’s renewal, it serves as a testament to what solid discernment and hope can bring into the life of a church.

Context: First/Palisade Lutheran Parish, Valley Springs, SD and Rural Rock County, MN

Here is a photo of our group! (I was praying that God would send 10 and ended up with 12 of us!) We range in age from 30’s to 70’s.

Front Row: Deb (wearing a black sweater), Candy, Darlene, Laura (Intern), Carrie
Back Row: Lanette, Linda B., Kim, Linda H., Dottie, Lesley, Patti

Project: A Women’s Retreat

• Why was this project subject of interest to you?

I had been part of a congregation that held a women’s retreat each year (Spirit of Joy in Sioux Falls, SD) and was blessed to have a part in the leadership of it. Because I had been a witness to the bonding that women can experience through this kind of event and the rich learning that can take place, it was of interest to try a retreat with this congregation. It was the first event of its kind in this context!

• Why was your context a good fit for this project?

The women of this parish are actively involved in the day to day activity of the churches. They are the “workers,” quite often the ones who are handling service projects and outreach activities. It was a good fit, because they were a cohesive group to begin with, and this gave them the opportunity to just be together for a time of fun, fellowship and learning, rather than a time to get something done!

• Why might this project be of interest to your fellow interns?

There is such a unique bonding that occurs at events like this. Women can get to know one another on a deeper level than they do sitting in a pew next to one another. Even this group, many of whom had known one another for years, have new things to learn! They came back from the retreat calling it THE FIRST ANNUAL women’s retreat!

Share an outline of your internship project: 

• What: An overnight retreat for women.

• Who: For the woman of our parish, and others (daughters, mothers, friends) who wanted to attend.

• Where: Shetek Lutheran Ministries, Slayton, MN

• Purpose: A relaxing time of fellowship, joy and learning as we worked through the book of Philippians together.

• Hopes: That I would get to know the women of my parish in a deeper way, and that they would get to know one another better as well. Also, I knew going into this that Bible study was new to some of them. I wanted to make that part of the retreat fun and easy for all people to be able to come away with new knowledge and insight, and a deeper level of comfort with scripture—an “I can do a Bible Study!” attitude!

Share the Outcomes and Transformations the Internship Context experienced:

The women who were able to come had such a great time—and have encouraged others to “come next year”! They felt relaxed, we had a lot of fun and laughter together, and they felt it was a good experience all around. They have since named it “The First Annual Women’s Retreat”…which means they are looking forward to another one! Also, some of the men of our parish told me they felt left out—”could there be a family retreat sometime?” I knew that it was good when at the end of our final worship experience the women just stayed… no one got up to go! We all just lingered there together. It was very meaningful. 

Share the Outcomes and Transformations you experienced:

This was a big learning experience for me! I had been part of planning a retreat at a large congregation, with a team of people, but I had never done anything like this on my own. It caused me to think carefully through what I knew had worked in the past, what I would need to adapt, and what would be especially meaningful for this group of women. In planning the study, I pulled together a number of resources and focused on the topic of JOY (the Epistle to the Philippians). Also, several resources were combined to plan worship (including Common Prayer and the Way to Lead Advent 2017 Week 3 Joy Meditation, along with our own With One Voice). I planned times that were interactive, some that were meditative, some that were quiet and some that were just fun! Now that the women of the parish know what this is all about, I believe that some would be willing to be part of planning another retreat as a team!

What “image” exists in your memory from your internship project experience?

Two images will stick with me: the first, watching the women move around our worship space with peaceful music and firelight/candlelight to several prayer stations and it being so meaningful and worshipful. The second, that they just stayed right where they were at the end—all at peace, no one in a rush to go—it was like an afterglow somehow!

How might this project experience influence your ministry in a settled ministry call?

I love the fellowship of women! This is a project I would do over and over because it is a time for God to speak into the hearts of people in a unique and intimate way—one that does not always happen on Sunday morning!

We had a wonderful family vacation in February. My wife and I, our three adult children, our daughter-in-law, and our two grandchildren went to San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, for the proverbial week of fun in the sun. It was our eighth year at our favorite resort. We had neighboring ground floor rooms just steps from the pool. Wonderful.

At first we weren’t too sure. The resort was pummeled by Hurricane Odile last September, and was closed from mid-September until mid-December. Rebuilding is still underway. Some parts of the resort are still not completed and in use. There was, however, more than enough for us, and we had a great week.

But. But. For seven years we had been taking two or three meals a day in the same resort restaurant, the Napa. We knew what to expect there. We knew where we liked to sit. We knew the people who worked in the Napa, and what the particular menu treats were. But the Napa was severely damaged by Odile, and the decision made that it would not be reopened. The area is becoming a meeting room.

Another of the restaurants was expanded and remodeled, so rather than taking our meals in the Napa, we would be taking them in Fruitas and Floras. I was not convinced that I liked this idea. It meant losing something familiar that I had loved. There was no choice. We went along with it. Grudgingly…

… for about one meal. Fruitas and Floras turned out to be wonderful. The same people were there. The same food, with some new treats added. If anything, the seating was more comfortable. I am now a certified Fruitas and Floras fan.

This made me think about change. I have always been about change. I can honestly say that I enjoy change. I never had the patience to stay in one congregation for more than 12 years. I always wondered what was over the next horizon. One of the attractive aspects of ministry to me was the chance to move every few years, and my family gloried in that. In congregations I tried to be an agent of change. I get bored easily. Recently I floated an idea to my bride that we change seats at the kitchen table. The proposal is being debated.

But I don’t like it when change is forced on me, imposed on me from the outside, like being forced to leave the Napa and go to Fruitas and Floras.

I am all for pastors and interns being agents of change. I think that is a significant part of the role of the pastor. When a church stops changing it dies, just like a person who has stopped changing is dead. At the same time, now and then it is helpful to get a reminder of what it is like to be on the other side of the change, to be the one change is imposed upon. Being the changer is a blast. Being the changee is not so much fun!

Patience, sisters and brothers, patience.

What does a longtime radical theologian and justice-seeker like Ched Myers do for his 60th birthday? Weep with the salmon over dammed riverbeds. Dance with Miriam to tambourine and djembe. Gather 180 friends to connect prophetic Biblical texts with ongoing experiences of solidarity and struggle in communities across the US!

This February, I attended Ched’s Festival of Radical Discipleship in Oakview, CA, a gathering that was part celebration, part reunion, and part serious huddle about Christian nonviolent resistance to destructive forces of empire. The ecumenical, intergenerational gathering included folks ranging from priest to labor organizer to addictions counselor to folksinger. The common denominators were a commitment to following Jesus through radical discipleship and deep solidarity with our fellow creatures, believing:

“that followers of Jesus should stand for compassion and equity, and against all forms of oppression and violence. To do this we must face our personal and political blindness to the realities of human suffering, as well as to God’s horizons of justice.”

Jesus seems to have spent most of his ministry and prayer life in the wild—places that both set our inner demons buzzing and call us into Holy Spirit-led transformation and wholeness.For an overflowing week, we camped in the desert chaparral and discussed experiences of seeking to live out Biblical themes of wilderness, economic jubilee, and resistance. We hiked and learned from the Ojai Valley’s teetering desert ecosystem inhabited by water-hungry humans. We connected with folks around the country called by faith to resist oppressive structures of racism, economic injustice, and war.

This is the kind of thinking that got Dr. King into deep trouble, and participants shared each other’s experiences of struggle, doubt and pushback. I met people with hearts constantly broken and renewed by love, like the Detroit clergy who face arrest for resisting the ongoing privatization of water, or the female Catholic priests who share the gospel of good news for the poor despite excommunication. Others were innovating alternative models for theological education and could speak to my search for wisdom and community-rootedness.

What if the call from the wilderness, challenging and dangerous as it seems, is also a joyful, irresistibly life-giving one? I’ve been reminded to listen, and to move deeper into that wild call.We heard many voices calling for prophetic humor and playful artistic resistance, from a laugh-out-loud sermon by Minneapolis pastor Jin Kim to the colorful “Carnival de Resistance” of Tevyn East and Jay Beck. Their powerful “Water Show” brought spectacle, song and prophetic spoken word to the watershed in the dancing figures of John the Baptist and Miriam (and Ched Myers in a giant squid hat). Full to the brim with new friends and mentors, I enjoyed quiet time painting and reflecting on vocation with artists Dmitri Kadiev and John August Swanson.

One of my favorite moments of the Festival was during poet/theologian Jim Perkinson’s talk on Biblical nomads, wilderness ecology and his beloved Detroit. I was reminded of how a spiritual mentor once framed my seminary discernment journey as a wilderness time. At the time, I connected that desert image with suffering, failure and scarcity. But Ched and many others at the Festival pointed out that Jesus seems to have spent most of his ministry and prayer life in the wild—places that both set our inner demons buzzing and call us into Holy Spirit-led transformation and wholeness.

As Jim spoke, I climbed into the embrace of the live oak above us. A little child on the other side of the circle climbed into his own tree. We sat listening, swinging our legs and smiling at each other. What if the call from the wilderness, challenging and dangerous as it seems, is also a joyful, irresistibly life-giving one? I’ve been reminded to listen, and to move deeper into that wild call.

(You can learn more about Ched and the Festival of Radical Discipleship at the Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries website, http://www.bcm-net.org.)

To those sites and supervisors who interviewed this past month: Thank you all for completing your Preferences Forms punctually and with great detail! All of us here at Contextual Learning appreciate your attention and care as we begin our annual internship placement process.

Pastors, some of you have begun inquiring about preparations for a possible internship placement. We’re happy to share these details with you.

Next Steps

We may be in touch with you with additional questions or suggestions as we work through our placement process. Please do keep an eye on your email in the coming weeks. Official placement decisions will be made by April 15. Sites and seminarians will be notified simultaneously.

New Supervisor Workshop

If you are a new supervisor who receives an internship placement by April 15, you are encouraged to join us for our New Supervisor Workshop. Because we know your schedules are tight, we would like to give you the information you need to arrange your calendar and/or book flights. However, as internship placements will not be published until April 15, we want to reiterate that receiving an internship placement is not necessarily a guarantee.

Dates and agenda

This year, our New Supervisor Workshop will be held Tuesday May 5 – Wednesday May 6, 2015. During the workshop, the Contextual Learning staff will cover expectations and responsibilities of serving as an internship supervisor, including a special panel and evening dinner presentation.

The workshop officially begins at 1 p.m. on Tuesday May 5 in the Olson Campus Center Auxiliary Dining Room here at Luther Seminary. We will conclude at lunchtime on Wednesday May 6. Following the workshop, participants are also invited to join us at Luther Seminary’s daily chapel for a very special sending service for next year’s interns!

Fees and registration

The cost for the New Supervisor Workshop is $200.00.

• This fee will be used to cover participants’ airfare, mileage, and/or meals during the workshop (as well as the cost of the workshop itself).
• You will be invited to submit your airfare (if flying), mileage (if driving), and/or meal receipts during travel to and from the workshop to Contextual Learning for reimbursement after the conclusion of the workshop.
• Please note: Local transit and lodging will not reimbursed.

To participate: Please mail a check, payable to Contextual Learning, by Friday April 24. Please also click here and complete a short registration form by Friday April 24.

Local transit

Regarding transit, you can get to campus from the airport by taxi, public transportation, or by arranging a ride with Super Shuttle. There are also a wide variety of rental car agencies available. You may also find a campus map and parking by clicking here.

Lodging

1. Stub Hall is a dormitory-style building with guest rooms available on campus for persons attending events at Luther Seminary. Rates are $30.00/night for a private room without a bath or $40 per night for a private room with a full or partial bath (singles only), of which there is a limited number. Double, triple and quad rooms are $20.00/night.
2. We would also recommend Roseville Holiday Inn Express. This Holiday Inn has a Luther Seminary rate of $89.00/night, which includes breakfast. When placing your order, simply say that you are attending an event at Luther Seminary.

3. We have also been informed that the brand-new Courtyard Marriott in downtown Minneapolis also opened up a Luther Seminary rate of $99.00/night. This includes breakfast and is located in a more luxury area. When placing your order, simply say that you are attending an event at Luther Seminary. You may find more information and directions here: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mspdc-courtyard-minneapolis-downtown/

If you have any questions, feel free to be in touch: 651-641-3266 or contextuallearning@luthersem.edu.