Sunday, Aug. 30 marked the start of the new school year at Luther Seminary with the welcoming of new students to campus. First Week programs ran through Thursday, Sept. 3 and were organized around the Wholeness Wheel. New students learned how to tend their spiritual, community, financial, emotional, vocational and intellectual lives through a series of panel discussions, information sessions and off-campus excursions.
The wide variety of available workshops included everything from familiarizing students with the Chicago Manual of Style to teaching spiritual practices to fostering financial and emotional health. New students were also given the opportunity to choose between several Day in Context options: an excursion to rural Spring Lake Lutheran in North Branch, Minn.; an introduction to chaplaincy and spiritual care in the Twin Cities; a time to explore interfaith relationships; an introduction to social justice ministries; and a chance to experience congregational redevelopment. First-year student Anders Nelson said, “One of my favorite aspects of the entire First Week experience was spending a day in context with some of my fellow first-year students by exploring some interfaith sites. By having one of our first learning experiences as a group be off campus, it truly provided us a great opportunity for reflection and conversation.”
First Week provides students with a helpful orientation to life at Luther, but it also serves to build relationships between new students, returning students, faculty and staff. First-year student Josh Moss said, “The best part of First Week was the opportunity to get to know so many of the incoming class. Once classes began we all sort of went off in our own directions, but having that one week to get to know a little about each person provided a great foundation for future relationships.”
You can view photos of the First Week experience at www.flickr.com/lutherseminary.