{"id":7980,"date":"2024-11-19T16:41:14","date_gmt":"2024-11-19T16:41:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.luthersem.edu\/story\/?p=7980"},"modified":"2024-11-19T16:54:22","modified_gmt":"2024-11-19T16:54:22","slug":"rural-issues-global-connections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.luthersem.edu\/story\/2024\/11\/19\/rural-issues-global-connections\/","title":{"rendered":"Rural issues, global connections"},"content":{"rendered":"

In late summer, a group of Luther Seminary students, faculty, and staff piled into a van and left St. Paul for rural Redwood County in southwest Minnesota. Their destination: Minnesota Farmfest.<\/p>\n

Jon Anderson<\/strong>, director of rural ministry, saw the trip as an opportunity for members of the Luther community to learn about the economics, politics, and lifestyle of rural and small-town people in this part of the Midwest. By happenstance, all of the participants\u2014students Paul<\/strong> Kising\u2019u<\/strong>, Godson Dauda<\/strong>, and Vincent Jabbie Momoh<\/strong>, as well as Leon Rodrigues<\/strong>, dean of students, and Samuel Zalanga<\/strong>, director of inclusion and belonging\u2014originally hail from African countries, including Sierra Leone, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.<\/p>\n

\"Six
Left to right: Jon Anderson, Paul Kising\u2019u, Godson Dauda, Leon Rodrigues,
Samuel Zalanga, and Vincent Jabbie Momoh.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The group\u2019s unique global and theological perspectives informed a day of listening and learning about rural issues\u2014from the new farm bill to emerging technologies, from medical concerns to contemporary<\/p>\n

Indigenous communities. The seminary field trip even caught the attention of a Minnesota Star Tribune writer, who highlighted reflections from the group in an August 16 column (\u201cTolkkinen: African pastors bring a different perspective to Farmfest\u201d).<\/p>\n

This cross-cultural experience perfectly aligned with Anderson\u2019s goals, and he plans to continue exploring immersive opportunities in the future. \u201cMy dream is to not just grow pastors for rural or small-town contexts all over the country and world,\u201d he said. \u201cEven in a metro area, I dream of having people just be a little more aware of what rural contexts are like and what rural ministry is like. This is a way people can understand better how rural folks live their lives and how ministry happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dauda agreed. \u201cBeing there was a profound way to experience the diversity in American society,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n