LTSP News and Media

Is God Calling You? Lutheran Seminary can help you answer.

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:19:25 PST

Is God calling you … to preach, teach, lead, learn, or grow in faith? The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP) has a program that’s right for you. A world-class faculty, flexible schedules, a diverse student body – LTSP delivers affordable excellence in theological education. Learn more about how a seminary education can help you answer God's call at these upcoming events:

Project Connect Annual Gathering of Pre-Seminary Students

February 10-12, 2012 at LTSP

Think + Pray + Discern

Attending the pre-sem gathering will allow time for:

• Interacting with others about Hearing God's Call to serve

• First-hand, bird's eye view of a seminary

• Worship and faith community opportunities

• Sharing with others what's happening at your college

• Information & help regarding candidacy, admissions and the biggie...financial aid

• Meeting and talking with seminary faculty

• Exploring your future

Students and Graduates, ages 18-30 from Regions 7, 8 & 9 of the ELCA, are invited to attend. We encourage the participation of Chaplains and Campus Ministers as well. Meals, housing and program are FREE – NO CHARGE! Transportation reimbursement is available upon request.

Learn more and download the registration form at www.Ltsp.edu/pre-sem.

Prospective Student Days
Thursday, February 16 and Thursday, March 29, 2012, 6 - 8 pm

Come and See what is available for you at LTSP! Prospective Student Day events are open to anyone interested in lay theological education opportunities, certificate, Master of Arts in Religion, Master of Divinity, Doctor of Ministry, Master of Sacred Theology, or Doctor of Philosophy. Whether you are a lay leader in your congregation who is interested in learning more about the bible, the church's traditions and leadership, or you feel called to serve the church and the world as a public minister of the gospel or as professor at a seminary, we offer education opportunities for you. Please join us for refreshments; conversation with students, faculty and staff; and information about education opportunities, financial aid and admission processes.

Learn more and registrar online at www.Ltsp.edu/visit.

The Philadelphia Weekend Visit

Friday - Sunday, April 13-15, 2012

Do you have a passion for service and a love for the gospel? Are you interested in meeting others who are exploring their call? Are you wondering if LTSP is the place for you to study? Then plan to attend our Philadelphia Visit where you'll have the chance to explore God's call on your life, meet current students, staff and faculty, explore the wide range of possibilities LTSP has to offer and experience community life here in Philadelphia. Philadelphia Weekend Visit is designed for those at a distance from Philadelphia who would like to experience the seminary and region close up. Housing and meals are provided. Assistance with transportation is available by request.

Learn more and registrar online at www.Ltsp.edu/visit.

If you have questions or need further information on any of these events, contact seminary admissions at admissions@Ltsp.edu or 215-248-7302.

Seminarian Yvonne Lembo first recipient of the Dr. Grover C. and Irma S. Wright Scholarship

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:46:05 PST

Effort to fully fund the scholarship continues

Yvonne Jones Lembo, a third-year scholar at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP), is the first recipient of the Dr. Grover C. and Irma S. Wright Scholarship for African American Lutheran Students.

The Wright Scholarship Fund was established with a $75,000 gift from Irma Wright, the widow of African American Lutheran pioneer, Grover Wright, who persuaded dozens of Black scholars to serve as Lutheran professional leaders. The gift was made possible through proceeds from the dissolution of the Black Lutheran Community Development Corporation (BLCDC), a non-profit enterprise founded in 1987 by Grover Wright to provide affordable housing and support services to single parent families in order to help them become self-sufficient. This is the single largest African-American Lutheran gift to LTSP in its nearly 150-year history.

Lembo is a candidate for rostered ministry with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). She joined Little Zion Lutheran Church of Telford, PA in 2006 and in 2008 began Master of Divinity studies at LTSP. As a field education student, Lembo served as Vicar with St. Mark's Lutheran Church, where the Rev. Dr. Charles Leonard serves as pastor. Leonard also is director of Contextual Education at LTSP. Recently, Lembo assisted the Rev. Claire Burkat, Bishop of the ELCA’s Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod (SEPA), as pianist and worship leader for the Synod’s “God is Doing Something New” series of three Fall Gatherings She has served as part of LTSP’s Office for Philanthropy since 2009, first as a work-study student, then as an administrative assistant and since October 1 as a Philanthropic Advisor. In this capacity, she is devoted to cultivating strategic relationships in support of LTSP’s Urban Theological Institute (UTI) and funds like the Grover and Irma Wright Scholarship, which provide resources for equipping African-American scholars and Black Church leaders for 21^st century ministry.

Lembo has excelled as a student. During her second year as a seminarian two years ago, Lembo was honored with the Karl Elster Wurster Award, recognizing her academic merit and “promise of ministry.”

Sharing her thoughts on receiving the first Grover and Irma Wright Scholarship award, Lembo said: “I’m inspired and deeply, deeply moved by Grover and Irma's life of faith, courage, hope, perseverance and humility and incredible investment in raising up African-American Lutheran leaders for the Church. Mrs. Wright could have chosen to do many things with the funds she received from the BLCDC. But she chose to invest in the future of African-American Lutheran leaders. I feel as if God has lavished these gracious gifts -- of receiving the scholarship and this opportunity to raise funds for the seminary --- as part of a wonderful plan to extend and enlarge Grover and Irma's incredible legacy. So it’s not only the financial gift, but also the Spirit behind the gift that is a blessing to bequeath to each succeeding generation. It's a vision of hope and promise for the future of African-Americans in the Lutheran Church. It's an investment in the future of our communities-- to raise up caring qualified leaders who are sensitive and responsive to giving a hand up to those in need. In Grover’s words, it’s ‘a challenge, an opportunity and a dare’ to minister with integrity in new ways and new settings to expand the frontiers of the Gospel. When I’m moving in that direction, I feel their wind beneath my wings.”

Since the Wright Scholarship was established in 2010, there has been a wellspring of support from African-American Lutherans. A Celebration of Thanksgiving Service this past May generated nearly $3,500 in additional gifts for the Grover and Irma Wright Fund. This August, New Hope Lutheran Church in Jamaica, NY, an African-American Lutheran congregation designated a gift of nearly $6,000 to the Wright Scholarship Fund.

In her capacity as Philanthropic Advisor, Lembo has organized a Grover and Irma Wright Fund Task Force to follow through with the goal of increasing the Fund from the original $75,000 gift to $100,000 or more in 2012. The Task Force includes the Rev. Jessie Brown, Dr. Addie Butler, the Rev. Daniel Shook and Sister Cecilia Wilson -- all of whom have been longtime friends of Grover and Irma Wright and who served on the original Scholarship Task Force.

Lembo is excited about continuing to build momentum and support for the Wright Fund. “The Task Force is working with Dr. Charles Leonard, Larry House and, of course, Mrs. Irma Wright, to produce a short DVD that will tell the Grover and Irma Wright story through footage and photos from Grover's life and interviews with Irma and several of Grover's key colleagues and protégés.”

The DVD will be used to invite others to join in the Wright’s spirit of philanthropy and investment in African-American Lutheran leaders. It is scheduled to be ready by Spring 2012 and to be introduced at an African-American Lutheran History Day at LTSP that Lembo is working on with LTSP faculty member, the Rev. Dr. Richard Stewart. The History Day is tentatively scheduled for this coming April or May. Pastor Larry Smoose and Reformation Lutheran Church of Media, PA have taken the lead in supporting the Grover Wright DVD and 2012 fundraising initiative by pledging $2,500 for DVD production costs and an additional $2,500 matching gift that will double the impact of those who contribute to the Grover and Irma Wright Scholarship over the next year.

For more information about the Grover and Irma Wright Scholarship Fund contact Yvonne Lembo at the LTSP Office for Philanthropy- 215-248-6318 or ylembo@ltsp.edu. The LTSP website also features information about the Grover and Irma Wright Scholarship and the signing ceremony celebrating the establishment of the scholarship: http://ltsp.edu/GroverIrmaWrightScholarship.

In the photo: Yvonne Lembo (left) with Irma Wright and The Rev. Dr. Rudolph Featherstone at the May 1, 2011 celebration. Photo courtesy JesseBrown.com

Written by seminary writer Mark Staples

Starting this February and March: LTSP Not for Credit Course Offerings

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:18:50 PST

This spring semester, The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP) is offering a not-for-credit course in Basic Spanish, along with a series of five one-day seminars/workshops exploring various facets of educational ministries in congregations. The Spanish course is taught by LTSP Professor Nelson Rivera - no previous Spanish experience

required. Each day long educational ministries seminar is taught by a qualified practitioner and aims to provide a concentrated focus on a theme. The seminars are open to interested Pastors and Christian Educators (for non-credit or continuing education credit). Sessions will be held on the seminary campus, 7301 Germantown Avenue in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia. We invite you to join us!

Detailed information and registration are available online at Ltsp.edu/non-credit, or contact Kathie Afflerbach, LTSP Coordinator for Non-Credit Education, at kafflerbach@ltsp.edu.

Here are some details:

Basic Spanish

Offered by LTSP Prof. Nelson Rivera. For those who have taken little or no Spanish before - no prerequisites! Classes are scheduled for Wednesday evenings starting February 8, 5-6:30 pm.

Seminars on Educational Ministry in Congregations

Five one-day seminars/workshops exploring various facets of educational ministries in congregations. Open to Pastors and Christian Educators of all denominations (available for CE and not for credit - see the website for details and to register.

Friday, March 2, 9 am - 4 pm: Technology and Adult Education in Congregations offered by the Rev. Keith Anderson, Pastor of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Woburn, MA and co-author of the forthcoming book Click2Save: The Digital Ministry Bible (Morehouse 2012).

Friday, March 23, 9 am - 4 pm: Biblical Literacy in Congregations offered by Dr. Erik Heen, John H. P. Reumann Professor in Biblical Studies, LTSP.

Friday, April 13, 9 am - 4 pm: Education for Interreligious Engagement offered by The Rev. Dr. J. Paul Rajashekar, Luther D. Reed Professor of Systematic Theology and Dean, LTSP.

Friday, April 20, 9 am - 4 pm: Sunday School and Young Adult Ministries offered by The Rev. Dr. Jessicah Krey-Duckworth, Assistant Professor of Congregational and Community Care Leadership, Luther Seminary, St. Paul. MN.

Friday, May 4, 9 am - 4 pm: Multicultural Religious Education in Congregations offered by The Rev. Dr. Nelson T. Strobert, Professor of Christian Education in the Paulssen-Hale Chair of Church and Society and Director of Multicultural Programs, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, Gettysburg, PA.

See the website for details, fees and to register online at Ltsp.edu/non-credit.

A Tree Grows in Wittenberg - and in Philadelphia

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:37:56 PST

To close 2011 and continue the Tercentenary story of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, here's a story you may have missed from earlier in the year. The Legacy of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg celebration at LTSP continues in the year ahead. Happy New Year!

Seminary plants a tree in Wittenberg, Germany; 'Luther Garden' commemorates the Reformation

A Flowering Ash tree sponsored for planting by The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP) on May 28 became the 76^th tree to be placed in a commemorative “Luther Garden” in Wittenberg, Germany. The garden, designed as a symbol of the global magnitude of the Reformation, also is intended to mark the interconnectedness, interaction and reconciliation between Christian churches.

Groundbreaking for the garden, located near the Lutheran World Federation Center in Wittenberg, took place Oct 31, 2008. The goal is to attract the planting of 500 trees there from Christian Churches on five continents by the time the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation is celebrated Oct. 31, 2017. The May 28 tree planting was the first to be placed in the garden by a seminary. Wittenberg is the City of Reformer Martin Luther.

Planned by renowned landscape architect Dr. Andreas Kipar, the garden features a public square shaped around a Luther Rose created from a variety of cobblestones. The trees surrounding the square are in the design of an oval. The garden is part of a greenbelt triangle in Wittenberg, connecting the garden to Wittenberg’s Castle Church and City Church. The garden connects the town center to the Elbe River, with the garden pointing toward the river, symbolically opening itself toward the world. Kipar says the trees overall will represent the events in Wittenberg 500 years ago that fundamentally changed the world, and the trees will provide the opportunity for people of today to reflect on those developments.

Representing LTSP at the tree planting here were the Rev. George E. Keck, retired director of admissions for the seminary and a member of the LTSP President’s Advisory Council, and the Rev. Stephen Godsall-Myers, pastor of Advent Lutheran Church, Harleysville, PA, one of the many congregations planted in North America with connections to Lutheran Patriarch Henry Melchior Muhlenberg. Godsall-Myers is a 1983 graduate of LTSP.

“The garden is not only a living monument to the Reformation, but also an ecumenical monument,” Godsall-Myers says. “It recognizes that what happened in Wittenberg did not stay in Wittenberg.” The first trees planted in the garden (in the petals of the Luther Rose) were “ecumenical trees” representing the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Reformed and Methodist communions. “A lesson we took from our Wittenberg visit is that whatever happens in the church, no matter where it is, should not stay in the church but be spread out in all directions.”

After the planting, the seminary was awarded a certificate commemorating the event and signed by the Rev. Hans W. Kasch, director of the LWF Center in Wittenberg.

The agreement with the seminary to plant the tree, signed by LTSP President Philip D. W. Krey, also calls for each Wittenberg Garden sponsoring church organization to plant a tree in its own setting connecting the local planting to the “Luther Garden” in Germany. The dual planting approach aims to emphasize the worldwide significance and influence of the Reformation started by Martin Luther in Wittenberg. The seminary campus’s “partner” tree is located near the main entrance of the Wiedemann Center, LTSP’s main residence hall. LTSP is the first of the seminaries in the United States to have a partner tree at Wittenberg.

Pr. Steve Godsall-Meyers planting the tree

(photo courtesy George Keck).

Watering the tree in Wittenberg with the U.S. contingent watching

(photo courtesy Steve Godsall-Meyers).

Story by seminary writer Mark Staples.

LTSP Alumnus Steve Jensen finds a Wounded Warriors ministry in retirement

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 06:24:22 PST

It began in February with a request from a former officer in charge of a Wounded Warriors ministry in Hawaii. Would retired U.S. Navy Chaplain Steve Jensen, an alumnus of The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP), provide pastoral counseling to a couple having a particularly difficult time with the husband’s IED wounds, traumatic brain Injury, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and coping with a dozen or more medications?

"There was no funding for a chaplain’s position,” Jensen explains. “However, I quickly was embraced by the patients and families I met – hungry for someone to help them deal with the spiritual issues you might expect: Why was God AWOL when I was injured and my friends killed? Why did the best of us die and I was kept alive? Is there a purpose for me to be here?

"I spend a great deal of time encouraging them (Wounded Warriors) to work on their medical, mind, body, spirit, relationship issues, but also building trust," Jensen explains. "They come to my home regularly for a cookout and discussion, finding it a safe place where people don't ask probing or uncomfortable questions. There aren't large crowds, and no loud noises startle them.

"Since I didn't have access to any funds to help with emergent needs, the Lutheran Church of Honolulu (LCH) established a discretionary account, and with local support I was able to create Friends of Windward Wounded Warriors," Jensen continues. Local church conference lay members help as mentors, he notes, provide intern positions at their businesses, host monthly barbecue meals at the barracks, invite individuals and small groups to sail, fish, and play golf, sponsor family days at places like Wet 'N Wild, and more.

"In turn, the Wounded Warriors enjoy giving back to the community by painting out graffiti or doing beach clean-ups, bringing their service dogs to encourage children to read or allow homeless kids in a local program to pet them," Jensen continues. "They send notes and Christmas gifts to Silver Springs-Martin Luther School [located near LTSP in Plymouth Meeting, PA], assist with Special Olympics or Veteran Paralympic games; and much more.” Friends, churches and strangers contribute to the fund so Jensen can buy new baby items, provide work clothes for internships, sponsor a date night for two couples a month, celebrate birthdays with cake and ice cream, and the like," Jensen says.

“I take about a dozen with the most severe PTSD each quarter for a retreat to a neighbor island,” Jensen explains. "The United Service Organization and Armed Services YMCA help underwrite the costs of lodging and transportation, while Lihue Lutheran [Church, Kawai] for example, uses their contact or funds to provide recreational activities and meals. LCH provides free tickets to church/symphony concerts and St. John [Lutheran Church, Kailua] cooks at barbecues and provides secretarial support for me. Prince of Peace [Lutheran Church, Waikiki] is paying for the Thanksgiving meal at my home. Other churches have gathered materials for care packages to the units from which these Marines and Sailors came, still fighting in Afghanistan. And on it goes.

"Because I am also greatly concerned about what happens to them after they are discharged, I am now a member of the Veterans Administration's Institutional Review Board, at which we scrutinize all new programs and services being developed for veterans and their families," Jensen says. "I have agreed to be a Navy League board member beginning in January so I can further develop contacts and resources for the detachment. The Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) has invited me to join as well so I can advocate for donations of materials and jobs for Wounded Warriors. I'm promised four refurbished computers and printers soon, for example, so patients can do their college homework and check e-mail in the lounge. I regularly speak at churches, Rotary clubs, military organizations, yacht clubs, and so on to get out the story and invite people to think about how they personally can get involved."

Slowing down in retirement? What’s that? As Jensen puts it, "It seems I have been given a second chance at ministry for which all other military and civilian experience and training has equipped me. I don't want to squander a day of this opportunity, so I go at it ‘all ahead full.’ As a friend says, I want to be all used up when my time comes, and I can't think of a better way to expend myself in service to others."

Photo caption: LTSP Alumnus and retired US Navy Chaplain Steve Jensen enjoys a visit in Hawaii with First Lady Michelle Obama, who was on hand to encourage Wounded Warriors in Hawaii that Jensen ministers to as a volunteer chaplain.

Written by seminary writer Mark Staples, photo courtesy Steve Jensen.

Henry Melchior Muhlenberg & Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg: Fall Forum Reflections

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 03:00:03 PST

Reflections on the LTSP 2011 Fall Forum

by Clair Anderson

What does Henry Melchior Muhlenberg have in common with Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg? At the November 7 Fall Forum at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP), an animated, engaging LTSP professor, the Rev. Dr. J. Jayakiran Sebastian, acknowledged that both men were sent out as missionaries by the University of Halle, Germany, to spread Lutheran pietism beyond Europe.

In 1706, Ziegenbalg brought the message of salvation through Jesus Christ to South India as the first Protestant missionary, sponsored by the Royal House of Denmark. Realizing the importance of understanding the Indian people before converting them, he engaged them in disputations and published his findings in the book Detailed Description of South Indian Society, showing their need for the Gospel. The book had an impact upon Europe and may have inspired Muhlenberg to seek a missionary appointment to South India. However, Halle responded to the need for pastoral leadership among the infant congregations along the eastern seaboard of America by sending Muhlenberg there. His ministry is described in his Journals and in his Notebook of a Colonial Clergyman. Ziegenbalg imported a printing press so he could have the Bible printed in the Tamal language, as well as a Tamal grammar and dictionary.

Dr. Sebastian began his afternoon presentation with a touching personal story about the impact of missionaries on his own life. The tragic death of his Hindu grandfather led his grandmother to seek refuge in a Christian mission in India, where Dr. Sebastian's father was raised. As a teenager, his father cranked a missionary's Victrola and listened to J.S. Bach records. When asked what name he would take, his father requested "Sebastian."

Moving from mission past to mission now, Dr. Sebastian raised the question, “What is the paradigm or motivation for missiology today?” The last 50-60 years have been dominated by Missio Dei, or the mission of God. A theological critique of this paradigm is needed and begins with the question who is responsible for mission? He advocates a new Missio Humanitas, or mission to God, which takes seriously the human condition as well as human responsibility for mission in a pluralistic, post-colonial world. What does the Bible mean for people in our society now? Mission to God forces us to contemplate who God really is and who we are in relation to neighbors we have, not those we might choose. What are the consequences of our choices and actions? How does mission relate to the victims of globalism, those who have suffered and continue to suffer?

When asked what mission to God would look like, Dr. Sebastian drew upon a Buddhist image of the person who reaches bliss, but waits to cross over so he or she can help others to cross. Jesus accompanies us on the pilgrim journey as our guide, but instead of going on ahead of us, stands along side and encourages us to pass on. We too serve as guides pointing to God. There was a good question and answer exchange at each session.

Dr. Sebastian's spirited, personal, relational style was well-received by those present who greatly appreciated being opened to an unknown area in a stimulating, thought-provoking manner. Dr. Sebastian was born in Bangalore, India, and educated there and in Germany. He served several congregations in India and taught at an Indian seminary for 10 years before joining the faculty at LTSP in 2008 as H. George Anderson Professor of Mission and Cultures, and Director of the Multicultural Mission Resource Center.

The Rev. Dr. Clair Anderson is a retired ELCA pastor and LTSP alumnus, living in Hanover, PA. He tells his connection to the Muhlenberg Legacy on the Muhlenberg 300 website at Ltsp.edu/MuhlenbergStories.

Rest, Refreshment, Renewal March 17, 2012: Early Registration Discount now available

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 09:39:56 PST

“A Great Cloud” is the theme for LTSP’s annual Rest, Refreshment and Renewal Women’s Day 2012.

Our day will center on the celebration of the 300th birthday of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the patriarch of the Lutheran church in North America, and the great cloud of women witnesses from Katie Luther and Anna Muhlenberg to all women who will gather on Saturday, March 17, 2012.

Those who register by January 1 get a discount – and remember your friends by giving them a gift of rest, refreshment and renewal!

Brochures will be sent to those who have participated before and to congregations. Registration deadline is Monday, March 12^th. Open to women of all faiths!

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us” Hebrews 12:1

Learn More: | Schedule | Gatherings | Register Online |

John and Robert Asher honored with Soli Deo Gloria Award at Philadelphia Seminary’s annual Advent Vespers Dinner

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 09:37:09 PST

For noted candy executive and philanthropist John L. “Jack” Asher, Jr., the dinner honoring him and his brother, Robert, featured a big surprise.

Asher and his brother were this year’s recipients of the Soli Deo Gloria Award for outstanding leadership and service to the church and to the mission of The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP). (Robert was unable to attend the annual Advent Vespers in the seminary’s Brossman Center.)

LTSP Trustees Robert Blanck and Board of Trustees Chair John Richter presented the award to Jack Asher, and just as he stepped to the microphone to extend remarks of gratitude, Blanck asked him to stop. And into the hall for a surprise performance tribute to Asher and the dinner audience came 60 members of the 150-member Keystone State Boychoir featuring directors Joe “Fitz” Fitzmartin and Steven M. Fisher. Jack Asher is the choir’s founding Board member. The surprise tribute was arranged by the seminary’s interim Director of Communications, Merri Brown. Her son, Graeme, was a soloist for the occasion.

Visibly proud and moved, Asher explained the accomplishments of the vocal group, who call his congregation, The First Presbyterian Church in Germantown, their home. The choir, he said, has performed on every continent.

Jack Asher, who has served on LTSP’s President’s Council, has been a driving force behind the seminary’s capital campaigns and strategic planning. In opening remarks LTSP President Philip D.W. Krey thanked Jack Asher “for helping me to make the right associations and meet the right people when I became President.” In expressing appreciation for the honor, Jack Asher, a native Philadelphian, called LTSP “one of the signature places that I always remember.”

In his greetings to dinner attendees, Krey noted that the annual Advent Vespers program to follow under the direction of Michael Krentz, seminary Director of Music Ministries, is in honor of The Rev. Dr. Robert E. Bornemann, the late professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at LTSP, who directed the Seminary Choir he founded from 1955 to 1990. Krey told the audience that gifts to the Bornemann Memorial Fund secure the present and future of a vibrant program of music at the seminary. The vespers were held in the Schaeffer-Ashmead Chapel following the dinner. Krey told his audience of invited donors, “We live in troubled times. This is a challenging time for the church, institutions and the country. It is a tall order to keep venerable institutions like the seminary stable and thriving. Thank you for understanding the challenge. I count you as our best friends…” Krey said in the current time of transition, improvements to the seminary’s Krauth Memorial Library, including a connector to The Brossman Center, are beginning to unfold. Highlights of current seminary life include plans for a new curriculum, the ongoing 300th birthday anniversary celebrating of the life of Lutheran Patriarch Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, and a recent gathering of Philadelphia religious leaders, who strategized over “the increasing challenge of hunger in our city.”

Seminary Student Body President Laura Gorton, who is studying for a Master of Arts in Religion with a focus on Christian Education, told the audience she is striving for a career as a director of Christian Education (DCE) and urged the audience to keep in mind the rich diversity of graduates, including pastors, DCE’s, directors of music, social workers and diaconal ministers. “Thank you for supporting us with your gifts in these tough economic times,” she said.

“We watch and wait expectantly for the Christ who was given to us as a child, brother, and Savior,” The Rev. John Puotinen, said in brief remarks. Puotinen is Vice President for Philanthropy and Executive Director of the LTSP Foundation. “I welcome you to this celebration of God’s generosity,” Puotinen said. “I thank you and thank God for sending you here to provide leaders for the church — making use of gifts already given to you by God.”

With Soli Deo Gloria Award recipient Jack Asher (center), (l-r) Bishop Claire Burkat, The Rev. Dr. John Richter, Carolyn Asher, Dr. Robert Blanck, Rene Diemer, President Philip Krey

Brief remarks were also delivered by Richter and seminary Dean J. Paul Rajashekar. Rajashekar introduced The Rev. Dr. Jayakiran Sebastian of the seminary faculty. Sebastian becomes LTSP’s new Dean next academic year as Rajashekar returns to the classroom. The Dean also introduced The Rev. Dr. Richard Stewart and his spouse, Dawn. Stewart retires from the faculty at the end of this academic year. The opening prayer for the dinner was given by Trustee, Dr. Addie J. Butler. The closing prayer was delivered by Bishop Claire S. Burkat of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

After his father’s death in 1966, Jack Asher and his younger brother, Robert, took over Asher’s Chocolates in Philadelphia’s Germantown section and expanded the business. In 1991, Asher’s acquired the Goss Candy Co. in Lewistown, PA, and renamed it Asher’s Chocolates, Lewistown. The enterprise has grown dramatically over the years to become nationally known. In 2006, Jack Asher was elected to the Candy Hall of Fame while serving as president of the firm and co-chair of Asher’s Chocolates. His honors have included being named Small Business Person of the Year (Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, 1988). He’s served on many boards including as President of the Germantown Business Association, President of Whosoever Gospel Mission, Germantown, President of the Germantown Historical Society, and the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. He’s served as a volunteer firefighter for 35 years and today helps direct re-enactments of the Battle of Germantown from the Revolutionary War period. He has served his congregation, The First Presbyterian Church in Germantown, as Deacon, Trustee, Elder, Head Usher, and President of the Couples Club. Jack and his wife, Carolyn, have three adult children.

Native Philadelphian Robert “Bob” Asher serves as co-chair of the Board of Asher’s Chocolates as well as President of Robert Asher Associates. He is a member of the Session of Oreland Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Oreland, PA. He is a Pennsylvania member of the Republican National Committee and served as co-chair for the Tom Corbett for Governor Campaign. Bob Asher serves on several boards including the Delaware River Port Authority, Philadelphia Hospitality, Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation and Greater Philadelphia Executive Committee Chamber of Commerce. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business and Commerce and is a U.S. Army veteran. He has been recognized for public service by the Montgomery County Association for Retarded Citizens, Boy Scouts of America and the Union League of Philadelphia. Bob Asher has been a key networker on behalf of LTSP, facilitating the securing of grants for seminary capital projects. Bob and his wife, Joyce, have three children and seven grandchildren. Both brothers are members of the Union League of Philadelphia.

Soloist Graeme Brown performs as a highlight of the Keystone State Boychoir musical tribute to Jack Asher.

LTSP Vice President John Puotinen: “Welcome to this celebration of God’s generosity."

Click any image to view a larger version, Right-Click to download the image.
Story and photography by seminary writer Mark Staples.

UTI 2011 Lecture & Worship Celebration - Videos of the Day

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:16:02 PST

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

11:15 am Lecture

7:00 pm Evening Worship

The Rev. Dr. William J. Shaw

Lecturer and Preacher

Past President of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.

Gifts for the annual lecture benefit the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Sr., Chair in African American Studies. Learn more and give online here.

Learn more about Dr. Shaw, the 2011 lecturer and preacher, here.

LTSP American Red Cross Blood Drive: Monday, 12/12

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:58:17 PST

Lutheran Theological Seminary

American Red Cross Blood Drive

Monday, December 12

11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Hagan Hall Gymnasium

Sign up online:

http://www.redcrossblood.org/make-donation
sponsor code: 0223357

Donor Eligibility Guidelines: Click Here or call
1 800 RED CROSS

Donation Tips (including tips for after donating): Click Here

Make double the difference

Red blood cells are the most frequently used blood component.

It is as safe as whole blood donation and proven efficient and comfortable.
Feel better: Given that all of your platelets and plasma are returned to your body and you receive some saline in the process, you don’t lose the liquid portion of your blood and may feel more hydrated after your donation.

Learn more about the double red cell donation by clicking here

*Please request one of the "reserved" the double red cell appointments. We can take 1 double red cell donor every 1 hr and 15 minutes.

2011 Quodlibet Lecture by Distinguished Presenter the Rev. Dr. Richard N. Stewart (with video)

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 11:33:06 PDT

He answered every one…

Distinguished Professor Richard Stewart could have taken the easy way out. He took on all 75 Quodlibet questions.

Quodlibet professors can be asked “any question whatever” according to the Medieval practice, but they don’t have to answer them all.

Prof. Richard Stewart

This year’s theological hot seat occupant, the Rev. Dr. Richard Stewart, associate professor of communications and parish administration, apparently did not believe in committing the sin of omission. He dealt with all 75 questions asked of him last week – some of them in cursory fashion and some extensively, often with gentle good humor. The responses were thoughtful and offered insights into Stewart’s wide-ranging experience as a professor involved with his church in myriad levels. As Dean Paul Rajashekar noted in an introduction lasting about 15 minutes, Stewart is "a consummate churchman" known for having attended hundreds of ordination ceremonies involving LTSP graduates during his 22-year tenure as a faculty member and with churchwide service that has included membership on the Board of the Deaconess Community. His technology expertise has been key in development of the Brossman Learning Center and in teaching at LTSP, and he instructs on stewardship with a deep and challenging perspective for this time. We’ll give you a foretaste of the theological feast to come – if you’ll only take time to view the video at the end of this story.

Question: In the battle between good and evil, good always wins, but does evil have more fun?

"Yes. Living on St. Croix for five years (as a parish pastor), we would reflect on the license plate which declared that St. Croix was America’s Paradise. And then we would take note of the quip: 'But Satan Got there First.'"

Question: Are people inherently good or inherently evil?

"Yes, we really can have it both ways."

Question: What makes heretics, heretics?

"Attendance at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia."

Responding to a question that in part asked for perspective on the Lutheran/Roman Catholic Joint Declaration on Justification (agreement) in 1999:

"The present Joint Declaration has this intention: namely, to show that on the basis of their dialogue the subscribing Lutheran churches and the Roman Catholic Church are now able to articulate a common understanding of our justification by God's grace through faith in Christ. It does not cover all that either church teaches about justification; it does encompass a consensus on basic truths of the doctrine of justification and shows that the remaining differences in its explication are no longer the occasion for doctrinal condemnations."

Question: What is the churches proper response to Occupy Wall street movement?

"Pitch and live in the Tents. Isn’t that what Public Theology is all about?"

Question: When, where, and how does God play?

"Anytime, anywhere, Favorite Game is Hide and Seek. Deus Obscondeus. It’s interesting that most of the central Hebrew stories are in the desert. And God doesn’t always play fairly. Well God is God. Uh there’s the burning bush, Dew and manna in the morning and quail at suppertime."

Question: What is your image(s) of God?

"Look around you. Look next to you. Look behind you. Lopsan one of my students at the Lutheran Theological Institute in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa was having difficulty with patient at the hospital where the students were doing pastoral care. After being rebuffed and told never to visit him again, Lopsan said that he didn’t want to go back. It was ugly, it smelled, it was not a nice place to be as a pastor. Actually he was right, but if he had been sick or injured that was the hospital to which he would go. 'Lopsan, are you really ready to be a pastor? For today even in being turned away, you were the face of Jesus to the patient. Would Jesus stay away?' We are all the faces of Jesus, created in the image of God. May we have the fortitude to go back and spend a half hour with someone who the previous week has never wanted to see us again. So look again to your left and to your right to see the faces, the images of God."

Questions: What is your favorite Heresy? What is the most important question in theology for you at the current time? As we look at preparation for Theological Education, how is it that we end up back in the same place—a segregated Sunday morning?

Stewart linked these three questions together and developed the detailed responses based in part on inspirational learnings from 96-year-old teaching theologian, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther Stirewalt, a mentor, based on Stirewalt’s painfully challenging experiences dating to the 1950s in North Carolina regarding race relations in the church. See the video for Stewart’s detailed response, but here is a small key portion:

"We still live with a world where Christian community finds that the Gospel is more easily celebrated in homogenous communities. As a member of the ELCA I affirmed the plan to have the membership of the ELCA reflect the diversity of this country in its membership. I have lived nearly 25 years hoping and praying that my colleagues in the ELCA would see the Gospel importance or achieving this goal. I continue to pray that we may achieve a Pauline approach to our passion for mission and discipleship that does see the world as our field and every person as a child of our creator."

Question: Did Jesus have a sense of humor?

"Of course, look at who Jesus chose as disciples. Even more important look around this room, the Holy Spirit still continues the comedy routine."

Question: What is sin and how does Jesus free us from that?

"If we were free from sin, then we would not be identified with a Reformer who instructed us to Sin Boldly. In many ways Jesus still dies for our indiscretions, which for me many find their locus our inherent inability to not dehumanize one another."

Bornemann’s question– what does it mean to be saved?

"The Moravian Watchword for All Saints Day - Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb! Revelation 7:10 Born on All Saint’s Day in 1944 and Baptized on Palm Sunday 1945, I’ve never consciously known a moment when I wasn’t saved. From conception to today, my family has placed me in the hands of God. Salvation was never an action initiated by me."

Asked why, despite his busy schedule, he is such a consistent presence at alum ordinations/installations, he said:

"If you build a picnic table, wouldn’t it be nice to sit at it, share food and conversation, and know that it will serve others? At an ordination and installation we are no longer professor and student but colleagues…"

Stewart retires after a distinguished career at the end of this calendar year. At the conclusion of Stewart’s remarks, Rajashekar paid tribute to Stewart’s spouse, Dawn, who was in attendance. He took note of her many contributions to the field of Christian Education during a long career.

In addition to the sample remarks above, Stewart gave many responses to questions about a variety of additional topics including technology, congregational life, church architecture appropriate for our time and even a look ahead to his own future. See the video! And enjoy.

Reporting and photos by seminary writer Mark Staples.

Advent Vespers set for December 4

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 05:08:31 PDT

LTSP's annual Advent Vespers, to be held Sunday, December 4, 2011 at 7:30 pm, will be on the theme Salvation is Very Near! The service is free and open to the public.

With the celebration of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg’s Tercentenary, this year's Vespers will reflect on the Muhlenberg legacy with music from Muhlenberg’s time, and through the centuries of American music from the colonial era through today.

Music will “begin” with a movement from a cantata of J. S. Bach – Muhlenberg was ordained in Leipzig, where Bach was in charge of the music in five churches. We will also sing two German chorales, one by Paul Gerhardt and the other from the “Halle Hymnal,” the Advent Hymn “Fling Wide the Door, Unbar the Gate.”

The choir will also sing a piece by the Moravian composer Johann C. Geisler (1729-1815), and the beautiful anthem “As the Dark Awaits the Dawn,” with words by Susan Cherwien and music by Carl Schalk – both still living and writing.

Other music from America for the assembly will include the Appalachian tune with “The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns,” and Psalm 141 and the Magnificat in Gospel style.

Join us for Advent Vespers in the Schaeffer-Ashmead Chapel on the LTSP campus, 7301 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19119. Parking is available on the seminary campus- see this page for links to directions to the seminary and campus parking information.

November 1 "Quodlibet" featuring distinguished professor Richard Stewart

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 16:47:24 PDT

On Tuesday, October 25, "Quodlibet" Distinguished Professor Richard Stewart listened attentively to some 75 questions thrown his way by LTSP faculty, students and staff. The questions ranged from queries about technology and the church to church architecture appropriate for today, and hefty questions concerning sin and theology and African history as it relates to the church.

The Panel of Seminarians

An attentive panel of seminarians - Christie Stratton, Jane Forry, Leslie Scanlon and Rodney Smith - sorted the questions into categories and fed them back to Prof. Stewart and the audience. Next comes the fun part. On Tuesday, Nov. 1, at 11:30 am in Benbow Hall at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP)'s Brossman Center, Stewart will respond to the dizzying array of queries. (In the role of listener on the 25th, Stewart was limited to shrugs, puzzled looks, and nods, depending on what he heard.)

LTSP Dean J. Paul Rajashekar introduced the quodlibet process to the seminary audience, which included Trustees attending a fall board meeting. He explained the program dates from medieval times, when a professor would be asked "any question whatever" by an audience including his peers. (The professor doesn't have to answer them all, just those of his or her choosing.)

Prof. Stewart (right) with trustees (from left)
Dr. Robert Blanck and Carl Phelps.

Stewart was decked out for the occasion in a pink "Heretics" T shirt, which the seminary football team will wear when it competes with other seminary flag football teams this weekend in the annual "Luther Bowl."

Quodlibet is open to the public, and there is no admission charge. The LTSP campus is located in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia at 7301 Germantown Avenue.

reporting and photos by seminary writer Mark Staples

Seminary honors State Sen. LeAnna Washington

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 05:05:57 PDT

LTSP President Philip Krey and
Sen. LeAnna Washington

The inscription beside a newly unveiled portrait of State Sen. LeAnna Washington (D-PA 4^th Senatorial) says simply, “Without her support and that of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, this facility would not have been possible.”

The facility in question is The Brossman Learning Center at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP), and the portrait hangs outside of Brossman’s Benbow Hall, which hosts scores of community events each year. Washington has spearheaded efforts to secure funds from the Commonwealth to help pay for the structure.

Sen. Washington, whose district includes the seminary and the surrounding community, has supported the seminary's development of several facilities including Brossman. Most recently, the senator secured a $250,000 grant to aid in construction of a connector between Brossman and the century-old Krauth Memorial Library, giving handicap access to this historic and important resource. While integral to the academic work of the seminary, both the library and Brossman Center are open to the public, with the library often used by members of the community for research, and The Brossman Center hosting a variety of community events.

Rev. Dr. J. Louis Felton

Perhaps the prayer petitions by Washington’s pastor, the Rev. Dr. J. Louis Felton of Mt. Airy Church of God in Christ, best summed up both the spirit of the occasion and the momentous community partnership with the seminary that led to the gift of state funds. “We have separation between church and state, but we do not have divorce,” Felton said. “We still have visitation rights.” Those visitation rights were also referenced in remarks by Dan Muroff, past president of East Mt. Airy Neighbors, a community organization which has its offices on the seminary campus, when Muroff referred to The Brossman Learning Center as “the Town Hall in Mt. Airy.”

LTSP Trustee chair Rev. Dr. John Richter

In brief remarks paying tribute to Washington, LTSP President Philip D. W. Krey said, “No public official has done more for this school than you have.” Krey described as an example of Washington’s life of public service her passion on behalf of victims of domestic violence and described an annual banquet on behalf of victims, hosted at LTSP and organized by Washington.

Unveiling the portrait

“These are challenging times for the seminary and challenging times for political leaders,” said the Rev. Dr. John Richter, chair of the seminary’s Board of Trustees, who expressed thanks to Washington on behalf of the Trustees. “We are grateful for your partnership and generous commitment to do what you have done for this little corner of God’s kingdom.”

President Krey, Trustee Richter,
Sen. Washington & Dan Muroff

After the portrait was unveiled, a grateful and visibly moved Washington, who was awarded an honorary doctorate by LTSP two years ago, said the initiative to raise support for the seminary was an example of her low profile commitment over 18 years in office to “getting things done” in the name of public service. “As soon as I met President Krey, I came to appreciate his vision for the seminary and its relationship to serve the community,” she said. “And I felt an immediate connection to that vision and a desire to help make his dream for that vision of a broader community relationship become more of a reality.” She cited the seminary as an example of putting public funds to good and visible use in terms of the community.

The Rev. Dr. Jayakirian Sebastian, chaplain of the seminary, led a brief religious service during the event. The service also featured a prayer of gratitude for the seminary and the service of Sen. Washington delivered by Pastor Felton.

view a photo gallery from the unveiling event
with photos you can download

reported by seminary writer Mark Staples,
photos by seminary media consultant John Kahler

LTSP to Recognize Sen. LeAnna Washington October 25

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:22:45 PDT

Sen. LeAnna Washington
(photo: Sen. Washington website)

Pennsylvania Senator LeAnna M. Washington (D-PA 4^th Senatorial) will be recognized at a special ceremony on Tuesday, October 25 in acknowledgment and thanks for her continuing support of The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP) and the seminary's central place in the Northwest Philadelphia community. The ceremony will mark the unveiling and dedication of a portrait of Pennsylvania Senator Washington at 9:30 am in the public areas of The Brossman Learning Center on the seminary's campus, 7301 Germantown Avenue in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia. The public is invited to join the seminary's community, administration, and members of the seminary Board of Trustees at the recognition event.

Senator Washington, whose district includes the seminary and the surrounding community, has supported the seminary's development of several facilities that are integral in the public life of Northwest Philadelphia, including The Brossman Center, securing state grants to assist in building these facilities. Most recently, the senator has secured a $250,000 grant to aid in construction of a connector between The Brossman Center and the century-old Krauth Memorial Library, giving handicap access to this historic and important resource. While integral to the academic work of the seminary, both the library and Brossman Center are open to the public, with the library often used by members of the community for research, and The Brossman Center hosting a variety of community events and activities, including a recent domestic violence event hosted by Senator Washington.

Senator Washington's portrait will be hung in the public lobby space of The Brossman Center, where it will be on view by members of the public and LTSP students, faculty, and staff as they enter to use the facility that was made possible thanks in part to the staunch dedication and support of Senator Washington. The seminary chose this event as an opportunity to publicly thank the Senator on behalf of LTSP and the community she serves and represents.

Thursday, October 20 Prospective Student Day postponed

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 09:02:11 PDT

LTSP's Thursday, October 20th Prospective Student Day has been postponed until November 17th. Please contact admissions@Ltsp.edu if you would like to schedule an individual visit or to register for the November 17th Prospective Student Day.

Congregation Day celebrating life of Henry Muhlenberg: Something for everyone

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 16:44:06 PDT

(see photos from Congregation Day at the bottom of this story)

Congregation Day, celebrating the 300^th anniversary of the birth of North American Lutheran church organizer Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, had a little something for everyone.

If you enjoy listening to a thought-provoking, entertaining account of larger-than life figures, then Dr. Karl Krueger’s stirring lecture on the life and sea-tossed trials of Muhlenberg was right up your alley. Krueger directs the Krauth Memorial Library on the campus of The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP), which hosted this day, part of a series of events recalling Muhlenberg’s life and work, on Saturday, October 15, 2011.

If you were part of the German Evangelical Lutheran Conference in North America, then the day was an ideal highlight to this year’s Muhlenberg celebration.

If you were a young confirmand from Faith Lutheran Church in Mt. Penn, near Reading, PA, and you think in terms of Tweets and texting, then getting to look over Muhlenberg’s 250-year-old journals featuring his scripty handwriting with a quill pen might have opened up a “new” old world for you. Plus, you got a chance to try journaling the old-fashioned way in the Lutheran Archives Center in The Brossman Learning Center at LTSP. That exercise was led by the Rev. Ellen Anderson, director of Alumni and Church Relations for LTSP’s Office for Philanthropy. Natalie Hand, director of Foundation Relations for that office, was co-host for the event.

If you appreciate an important overseas perspective, then the presentation by Dr. Thomas Muller-Bahlke, director of the Director of the Francke Foundations in Halle, Germany, was for you. Halle was the place that sponsored Muhlenberg’s missionary exploits to North America beginning in 1742. Muller-Bahlke described the history and impressive work of the Francke Foundations today, with its sponsorship of four schools, including the teaching of gardening and music, and its remarkable Library.

Finally, if you are captivated by history, then the bus trip to Trappe in Montgomery County, probably made your day. First, you got to visit the Berman Museum at Ursinus College to view an exhibit on the life of Muhlenberg and his family entitled “Pastors and Patriots.” Trappe historian Richard Buckmaster escorted the attendees through the museum gallery and talked about the exhibit highlights. Then, you got to hear the Rev. Herbert H. Michel, D.D., pastor emeritus of Augustus Lutheran Church, tell the story of how farmers, who lived in simple log cabins with dirt floors, helped Muhlenberg construct the church building in 1743. Augustus’s original church is the oldest Lutheran building in the United States still in continuous worship use today. OK, the building (no electricity, heat or air-conditioning, just as Muhlenberg would have known it) is only used for worship between Father’s Day and around Labor Day, plus for Christmas Eve worship, where candles furnish the only scant warmth. The rest of the year the congregation praises God in the “new” 1850 building next door.

Krueger’s lively presentation to about 70 persons attending the day traced Muhlenberg’s birth in Einbeck in Northwest Germany’s Hannover on Sept. 6, 1711, and his historic career in the colonies. He described Muhlenberg’s study of theology at the University of Gottingen, and his efforts with classmates to teach disadvantaged children how to read, write and learn arithmetic. In Halle in Middle Germany, Muhlenberg spent 1738 at an orphanage for 2,000 children, which featured a school and pharmacy, and continues a vital mission in education today.

During that time, Muhlenberg was influenced greatly by August Hermann Francke (1663-1727), and gained a global perspective as well as a knowledge of an important approach to education and social work. August’s son, Gotthilf August Francke, was a considerable influence as well.

Then came Muhlenberg’s call to the agricultural community of Grosshennersdorf, east of Halle, in 1739, following his ordination in Leipzig. He was the assistant pastor until the patron for the congregation died. “Henry was downsized. His salary was reduced,” Krueger explained. “And he began to reconsider his possibilities.” He thought about an assignment to East India. But in Halle, Gotthilf Francke had “received a letter in 1733 asking for a pastor to be sent to congregations in North America,” Krueger said. “And in 1739 (after nothing happened) Gotthilf received another letter that basically said, ‘Hey, remember us?’ Things moved very slowly in those days,” Krueger said. And so on Muhlenberg’s 30^th birthday, he learned he was to be sponsored as pastor to a new land.

In May of 1742, he got his letter of call for three years. Of course, once in North America Muhlenberg never returned home, but first he had to get to Philadelphia (via Savannah, Georgia) from London in what Krueger described as a harrowing trip aboard a packet ship with cargo and 10 cannons. The vessel was pushed across the Atlantic in zig-zaggy directions by ornery, contrary winds, and ran out of food and water before reaching the East Coast of the colonies. “On ships like these, about a third of the passengers could be expected to die,” Krueger related.

Then came a trip from Charleston, SC, to Philadelphia aboard a storm-tossed sloop. The journey lasted two weeks and featured times when a seasick Muhlenberg was “throwing up over the side.” There was another complication once Muhlenberg announced his presence to the three congregations he had been called to serve in Philadelphia, Providence (Trappe) and New Hanover (Falckner’s Swamp, near present day Gilbertsville, PA). “No one had told them he was coming,” Krueger said. Muhlenberg then had the indelicate task of not only introducing himself and his credentials, but also of unseating his less-qualified predecessors in the three pulpits.

Then began his remarkable decades of ministry in the colonies, organizing more than 100 congregations from Savannah, GA, to Lunenberg, Nova Scotia. As both Krueger and Michel explained, Muhlenberg was really like a modern-day Bishop for the young church.

“He established a constitution for the church, a liturgy and a hymnal, and reviewed the qualifications for those seeking to be pastors,” Michel told visitors to Augustus Church. Krueger told his audience at LTSP that 280 people signed the young church’s constitution in October of 1762, “a declaration of interdependence signed 14 years before the Declaration of Independence in the colonies.” During the 1780s came the liturgy, and in 1786 came the hymnal. When Zion Lutheran Church was constructed in Philadelphia, it seated about 3,000 people and was the largest sanctuary in the colonies, hosting many events of the day. (The building no longer exists.)

Muhlenberg died in 1787, and is buried outside old Augustus Church. The gravestone is marked with the words, “Who he was future ages will know without a stone.”

“We are sitting here today because of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg’s vision,” Krueger concluded.

The opening worship for the day was led by the Rev. Martha Kriebel, pastor of Trinity Reformed Church, United Church of Christ, Collegeville, Pennsylvania. The closing worship at Augustus Church was led by the Rev. John H. Van Haneghan, pastor of St. James Lutheran Church in Phillipsburg, NJ. Dr. Philip D. W. Krey, president of the seminary, welcomed the audience with brief opening remarks.

Photos from Congregation Day

Participants in the confirmation track listen to archivist John Peterson tell about Muhlenberg's papers.

Confirmation track participants with the Rev. Ellen Anderson

Confirmation track participants making an entry in their diaries, as Muhlenberg did in the 18th century

Confirmation track participants at Old Augustus church, Trappe

The Rev. Herb Michel telling the group at Old Augustus Church, Trappe, about Muhlenberg and the church at Trappe.

Congregation Day group assembled in front of Old Augustus Church, Trappe.

reporting and photography by seminary writer Mark Staples
updated October 25, 2011 to include information on the Berman Museum tour

Position Opening Announcement: TEY Director

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 08:06:01 PDT

Please share this opening with those who might be interested. The position description and posting announcement can also be downloaded from: Ltsp.edu/eastern-cluster-employment-opportunities

The Lutheran Theological Seminaries at Gettysburg and Philadelphia invite nominations and applications for the position of Director for their joint Theological Education with Youth program. The candidate selected will be responsible for oversight of all TEY programs on a one-third to one-half time basis as program needs and candidate availability determine. The director will work collegially in both schools’ efforts to expand outreach to young persons through an annual Theological Academy, a Crossroads “plunge” experience, facilitating counselor training at regional outdoor ministries, and other programs as needs and resources determine. The director will coordinate the work of others who may be involved in TEY-related work, and will be a primary liaison to the Eastern Cluster’s Project Connect, as well as the Region 9 Bishops’ School held annually at the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary.

The successful candidate will give evidence of mature Christian faith, commitment to theological education, demonstrated effective youth ministry experience, the ability to oversee programs and supervise staff and volunteers. The candidate will be able to develop authentic relationships and articulate, promote and interpret the mission of TEY among its multiple constituencies. Strong verbal and written communication skills and comfort in two technologically sophisticated campus environments 140 miles apart will be essential. The position will require some travel.

Resumes and applications will be reviewed as received. In order to fill the position by November 15, 2011, it is anticipated that candidate interviews will be conducted in late October or early November. The position remains open until filled. Please download the position description from Ltsp.edu/eastern-cluster-employment-opportunities, and send letters of nomination or candidate resume with an accompanying cover letter to: Personnel Officer, Lutheran Theological Seminary, 61 Seminary Ridge, Gettysburg, PA 17325; telefax 717/334-3469; e-mail ctroyer@ltsg.edu. The seminaries are equal opportunity employers.

Seminarians discover the wonders and challenges of ministry in the Port of Philadelphia

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 06:58:52 PDT

As part of a field work assignment, five scholars from LTSP learned about the work of Seamen’s Church Institute and visited crewmembers aboard a Chinese ship bearing a cargo of steel to Camden, NJ.

“I discovered the ministry of Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) to be such a positive thing, just what the church should be doing, caring for God’s beloved children in a time of real need,” said Susan Loney of Wilmington, DE.

“I was impressed to learn of the advocacy side of SCI’s ministry, looking after crewmembers often confined to visiting ships because they may be viewed here as potential terrorists,” said Kerri Walsh of Medford, NY.

“We sometimes think of shopping malls as representing the ‘religion’ of the marketplace,” said Daniel Spigelmyer of McClure, PA. “It’s neat to see malls as also a focus for ministry, places SCI takes seafarers who need a little time for respite away from their ships.”

And Alexa Epstein of Philadelphia, PA, remarked about “the complexity” of those who participate in the life of the Port of Philadelphia. “All the different goods that come through the port, and all the agencies that are a part of the work – the ministry of SCI brings a humanizing dimension to it all.”

Loney, Walsh, Spigelmyer, Epstein, and their colleague from The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP), Rachel Anderson of Newington, CT, were part of an historic field work visit to SCI today. The first-year seminarians learned about the many aspects of the ministry. They toured the Maple Mighty, a steel cargo ship from China delivering goods to the Camden-Beckett Terminal in New Jersey along the Delaware. It was the first time in SCI’s 168-year history that seminary students had made a field work visit to learn about the ecumenical and interfaith ministry that serves 50,000 seafarers annually. The quintet discovered that SCI visits 1,500 ships in a given year in the Philadelphia Port’s 31 terminals along 125 miles of Delaware River shoreline – from Fairless Hills to Marcus Hook in Pennsylvania and from Burlington to Paulsboro in New Jersey. They learned that the vast array of cargo ships bring to Philadelphia includes fruits, cocoa, oil products, steel, wood and gypsum to make sheetrock, and that 95 per cent of goods made use of by regional citizenry come to them by water. The seminarians were hosted the Rev. James Von Dreele, an Episcopal priest who serves as executive director of SCI; the Rev. William Rex, a Lutheran chaplain to SCI on call from Seafarers International House in New York City, and Mark Staples, seminary writer for LTSP, and a volunteer shipboard visitor for SCI. Arrangements for the visit were made by the Rev. Dr. Charles Leonard, a one-time U.S. Navy Chaplain who supervises contextual education at LTSP.

Von Dreele shared many stories and anecdotes, exploring the ecumenical scope of the SCI ministry, which includes Roman Catholic, Southern Baptist, Presbyterian, as well as Lutheran and Episcopal chaplains. Volunteer ship visitors also include a Muslim Imam. He explained that worldwide there are 750 seafarer ministry programs, with 150 in the U.S. He emphasized that the SCI outreach is incarnational – a reflection of Christ, and that the ministry focuses on the goodness of Creation – which includes the essential importance of water.

He emphasized the hardship seafarers endure to get us goods that we need – nine months or more away from home and family at a time, voyages over storm-tossed seas that can last as much as seven weeks, and then, when seafarers reach port, only about 25 percent may qualify for shore leave because of tight, post 9/11 security restrictions. Shipboard visitors from SCI thus provide critically important affordable cell telephone services and MIFI equipment, making it possible for seafarers to contact loved ones by phone or via the Internet. “We are ambassadors,” Von Dreele and Rex pointed out. “We provide the only hospitality that these visitors really receive. That makes us not only the face of Christ to them, but also the face of America.”

Von Dreele and Rex told the seminarians they are hoping a new generation of chaplains may be found for ministries like SCI, including pastors who, like Rex, may serve a congregation and also serve part time in America’s seaports in chaplaincy. In addition to his service as a Lutheran chaplain, Rex is pastor of St. Luke Lutheran Church in Ferndale, Bucks County, PA. Anderson is a member of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Newington. Epstein is a member of University Lutheran Church of the Incarnation in Philadelphia. Loney belongs to Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Wilmington. Spigelmyer belongs to Trinity Lutheran Church in McClure, PA, and Walsh belongs to the Lutheran Church of Our Savior in Pachogue, NY. All are candidates for the MDiv degree, which makes them candidates for ordination.

Five LTSP scholars took part in the first ever field work visit from the seminary to the Seamen's Church Institute (SCI) Sept. 24. From left are Pastor Bill Rex, Lutheran Chaplain to the Port of Philadelphia; seminarians Daniel Spigelmyer, Susan Loney, Rachel Anderson, Kerri Walsh, Alexa Epstein, and the Rev. James Von Dreele, SCI executive director and chaplain to the Port of Philadelphia. The seminarians learned of SCI's ministry of hospitality to 50,000 seafarers visiting the Philadelphia Port each year. They also visited the crew of the Chinese-flagged cargo ship Maple Mighty, seen behind the seminarians. The ship was delivering steel to the Camden-Beckett Terminal in New Jersey.

reporting and photography by seminary writer Mark Staples

Turku Cathedral Boys' Choir in concert at LTSP October 20

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:22:44 PDT

Finland's Turku Cathedral Boys' Choir (Chorus Cathedralis Iuniorum) will be in concert at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP) on Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 7 pm. Co-hosted by LTSP and Finland's Honorary Consul, Philadelphia, Ms. Kristina Mattila, the concert will be presented in the Schaefer-Ashmead Chapel on the seminary's campus, 7301 Germantown Ave. in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia. Open to the public, a free-will offering will benefit the LTSP Chapel Fund.

Chorus Cathedralis Iuniorum (CCI), the Turku Cathedral Boys' Choir, was established in 1987 at the initiative of the joint music committee of the Turku Lutheran Parishes in the tradition of similar European boys’ choirs. In addition to their significant contribution to the musical life of the cathedral in Turku, a medieval city in southwest Finland, CCI sings in services at the cathedral and other Turku churches. CCI has made concert tours to Sweden, England, Germany, Estonia, the United States and Canada. They sing a capella and larger, orchestrated compositions, including pieces by composers such as Mozart, Schubert and Bach. The Choir’s concert at the seminary is part of a 10 day, three city tour of the U.S. that will also take them to New York and Washington, DC.

Visit the CCI website here.
Directions to the LTSP campus can be found online here.

Turku Cathedral Boys' Choir (Chorus Cathedralis Iuniorum)

Intersections Institute Presents Oct 7th Public Seminar: "Creating Shared Value through Collaboration"

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 13:31:45 PDT

The Intersections Institute announced its fall Public Seminar exploring a framework within which businesses and social ministry/social service organizations may advance and experience more substantive intersections together. Scheduled for Friday, October 7th, 2011 at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, 7301 Germantown Ave. in the Mt Airy section of Philadelphia, the Institute will present a panel symposium comprising diverse perspectives around the proposition: “The corporate pursuit of creating shared value can be enhanced through collaboration with social ministry/social service organizations.”   Topics will include corporate experience in the practice of socially responsible strategy; entrepreneurial practices led by business school faculty initiatives; social ministry organization perspectives from an SMO chief executive standpoint; and ethical guidance from the perspective of seminary faculty insights into organizational leadership. The concept of “shared value” and its metrics will be explored.

Presenting are: Dr. TL Hill, Associate Professor in Strategic Management, Temple University Fox School of Business, and Managing Director of Fox School’s Enterprise Management Consulting Practice (EMC), in the MBA program; Dr. James Childs, Fendt Professor of Systematic Theology, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Colombus, OH; Larry R. Webber, Managing Director, Institute for Strategic Management Inc (ISM); Latoria J. Farmer, National Director, Diversity and Corporate Responsibility, KPMG LLP; and Dr. Patricia W. Savage, President/CEO, Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries (ALSM), Hollidaysburg, PA.

The event is free and open to the public, and is scheduled for 10 am to 12 noon in Benbow Hall, The Brossman Center on the seminary campus. Further information is available at the Institute’s website at www.intersectionsinstitute.org.

The Intersections Institute, directed by James Scott, challenges faith-inspired professionals to acquire and enhance managerial, business and theological acumen necessary to thrive at the intersections of service and leadership. To this end, the Institute coordinates two vanguard educational opportunities: the Masters in Public Leadership (MAPL), offered at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, in collaboration with Temple University’s School of Social Work and Fox School of Business; and the Certificate in Leadership of Faith-Based Organizations (CLFO), offered at Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg.

The Muhlenberg Tercentenary Celebration: President Philip Krey

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 23:29:06 PDT

September 6, 2011

Dear Friends of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg,

With Lutherans in North America and Germany we remember Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, born 300 years ago on this date in Einbeck (Hanover), Germany. In 1742, Gotthilf August Franke, a leading German theologian, and Friedrich Michael Ziegenhagen, the Lutheran chaplain to the King of England, George II (also a Lutheran and ruler of Hanover), sent Muhlenberg as pastor and missionary to Pennsylvania. He moved from a planted, well-established church to a wilderness church in need of being planted (“ecclesia plantanda”). In 1748 Muhlenberg helped found the Pennsylvania Ministerium, the first Lutheran church body in North America, to which the ELCA traces its origins. He helped pastors and congregations to develop a constitution, a common liturgy and a common hymnal.

Muhlenberg also worked tirelessly to establish a well-educated, well-trained clergy in his adopted country. As the first seminary founded by the Pennsylvania Ministerium, The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP) is proud to celebrate its true founder, Henry Melchior Muhlenberg. Thus, it is only fitting that celebrate this day not only to remember a hero of the distant past but also to inaugurate our campaign for a Henry Melchior Muhlenberg scholarship, so that deserving Lutheran students at LTSP can continue the legacy of the patriarch of North American Lutheranism.

We also remember Muhlenberg for his fidelity to the gospel of justification by faith and freedom in Christ. In a letter of 1 May, 1753, admonishing New Jersey Lutherans, Muhlenberg worried about “people who call themselves Lutherans but do not experience anything of the true Evangelical faith in their hearts — about which Luther wrote in his preface to the Epistle to the Romans.” In difficulties, he wrote, “Thee greatest comfort is knowing the One in whom we believe and with whom we suffer for the sake of truth and godliness.” [From: The Correspondence of Heinrich Melchior Muhlenberg, vol. 3: 1753-1756 (Rockland, Maine: Picton Press, 2009), 40.]

As part of the celebration of Muhlenberg’s birth, the Francke Foundations in Halle, Germany (the institution that supported his work in the American colonies), working in close collaboration with LTSP, produced the exhibit that is now on display throughout the first floor of The Brossman Center. We give thanks to the Francke Foundations who have generously given the exhibit to the seminary as a permanent loan.

Thank you for your generous support of the seminary and for your eagerness to learn about and celebrate the work of the man whose statue has graced the seminary’s entrance for nearly a century, Henry Melchior Muhlenberg.

Philip D.W. Krey
President, LTSP

Web Streaming of September 6 Muhlenberg Day Events

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 08:22:38 PDT

The celebration of the 300th anniversary of the birth of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, known as "the father of American Lutheranism," begins at LTSP on Tuesday, September 6, 2011 (Muhlenberg's birthday!) with an opening day of events including special worship, a lecture by the Rev. Dr. Martin Marty, workshops by LTSP faculty and others on Muhlenberg's life and legacy, and more.

The day has proven to be very popular, with most events fully registered. LTSP will be live-streaming the opening worship at 10:45 am and the lecture with Dr. Martin Marty at 1:30 pm. Go to Ltsp.edu/LTSPLivestream to view the live events, or to www.ustream.tv/channel/ltsp-convocations for schedules and recordings of live streamed events. The full schedule for the day can be found here.

If you are not able to attend, please join us online for the special worship and lecture as we celebrate the Legacy of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg on the anniversary of his birth.

Need inspiration today? Ponder the witness of colonial church organizer Henry Melchior Muhlenberg

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 05:39:11 PDT

Enduring much hardship, Muhlenberg ‘planted’ more than 100 congregations from Savannah, GA, to Lunenberg, Nova Scotia in the mid to late 1700s. September 6, 2011 marks the 300^th anniversary of his birth including celebrations at LTSP.

Are you experiencing financial trials or hardship? Are you frustrated by the small- or large-scale bickering that is part of today? Are you struggling to figure out how to survive or remain relevant in the current age?

These are timeless questions, and for some answers consider the life and legacy of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, a key leader in the American colonies. Despite experiencing the aforementioned challenges, Muhlenberg planted more than 100 Lutheran congregations from Savannah, GA, to Lunenberg, Nova Scotia, in the mid to late 1700s. Could you use a strong dose of inspiration to energize your life and the faith journey for Christ you are a part of? Sharing in Muhlenberg’s story can help.

Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, born in Germany on September 6, 1711, has become known as the father of Lutheranism in colonial North America. He arrived in the Pennsylvania colony in 1742 intending to fill out a three-year term ministering to German immigrants connected to small Lutheran congregations in Philadelphia, New Hanover and Trappe. Instead, he stayed and married, built a home for his family and established an organized church that welcomed thousands of German immigrants struggling to establish new lives in the British colonies.

Muhlenberg’s persistence to serve despite terrific obstacles and hardships are well documented in the current issue of PS, the magazine of The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP).

German immigrants often lived as indentured servants in their new homeland, notes the Rev. Dr. Timothy Wengert, Ministerium of Pennsylvania Professor of Reformation History, writing in PS. In a letter cited by Wengert written by Ministerium pastors to their sponsors back in Germany, the financial hardships are dramatically defined and perhaps ring a bit familiar to leaders and worshipers in some congregations dealing today with the effects of joblessness and a faltering economy. “With regard to the external circumstances of our colleagues and the united pastors, they are resting on shaky foundations. For the most part we are poor and must live on parishioners’ voluntary mites. Our extensive official duties require extensive costs for horses, harnesses and clothing, and the majority of parishioners are poor and want more from us than they are able to give back…”

After nearly 20 years of missionary work in the colonies, Muhlenberg was charged with heresy by a younger colleague, Lukas Rauss, writes Reformation scholar the Rev. Dr. Martin Lohrmann in the magazine. Rauss accused Muhlenberg and other leaders of unorthodox doctrine and unchristian conduct, according to Lohrmann, a PhD graduate of LTSP and pastor of Christ Ascension Lutheran Church in Philadelphia’s Chestnut Hill. In 1761, Muhlenberg wrote to Swedish Lutheran colleagues who were to decide the case and deftly defended himself, writing that at times like this one needed to heed the advice of Solomon: “Answer fools according to their folly, or they will be wise in their own eyes.” (Prov. 26: 5). Tbe arbiters judged in Muhlenberg’s favor in the matter.

Associate Professor Richard Stewart, who teaches Communication and Parish Administration at LTSP, writes in the magazine that in his journals Muhlenberg was conscious of the social rules and laws in the colonies regarding heathen slaves. At one point, Stewart notes, Muhlenberg critiqued the visual life of Charleston, SC, observing that “one also finds here many slaves who are only half black, the offspring of those white Sodomites who commit fornication with their black slave women.” Stewart writes: “In many ways the German immigrants Muhlenberg found…were as economically suppressed as the African slaves, indentured servants and indigenous peoples. Yet the care of the soul led Muhlenberg and those he mentored.” In 1752, when the new sanctuary for St. Michael’s Lutheran Church was consecrated in Germantown, now part of Philadelphia, Muhlenberg preached and a black male, Christian Gotthilff, was baptized.

“The pluralism along the (Germantown Avenue) route (today) would amaze him (Muhlenberg),” writes the Rev. Dr. Katie Day in PS. Day, the Charles Schieren Professor of Church and Society and director of the seminary’s Metropolitan/Urban Concentration, says there are ten more mainline Lutheran churches along the avenue than in Muhlenberg’s time, and notes that immigrants have continued to plant congregations there. “Pentecostal, Black Hebrew, Hurleyite and Apostolic congregations would have been beyond his imagining, not to mention the two Muslim masjids.” Three megachurches dot the avenue, “different in theology and liturgy than what Muhlenberg was used to, but growing out of the same soil of religious tolerance and the need for city folk to find meaning in increasingly complex urban life,” she writes. Day has closely studied the evolving religious life along the avenue Muhlenberg used to ride on horseback and in carriages.

A PS article also notes how Muhlenberg’s compassion for poor immigrants is carried on today by the organizations Lutheran World Relief and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.

A number of congregations Muhlenberg founded in the greater Philadelphia region are assisting the seminary to plan events in the coming year celebrating Muhlenberg’s life.

Celebrating the Legacy of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg

Martin E. Marty

On Tuesday, September 6, the Muhlenberg 300 celebration begins at LTSP, featuring a festival worship in the morning. In the afternoon, Dr. Martin Marty, Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago, will keynote the opening convocation, speaking on “Henry Melchior Muhlenberg and the Current American Church Scape.” The program will feature afternoon workshops connecting Muhlenberg’s colonial ministry to various aspects of today’s church. A Muhlenberg exhibition will make its seminary debut, featuring artifacts from the seminary and the Lutheran Archives Center at Philadelphia as well as “Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, Patriarch of American Lutheranism,” a display created by the Francke Foundations of Halle, Germany, from where Muhlenberg’s sponsorship to North America emanated. The day’s events, on the seminary’s campus at 7301 Germantown Avenue in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia, are free and open to the public, reservations required. For a detailed schedule of the day and to make reservations, go to www.Ltsp.edu/September6.

Additional Muhlenberg 300 events are in the planning stages, including Congregation Day, October 15; a Fall Forum on November 7, Advent Vespers December 4, Women’s Day March 17, 2012, and Spring Convocation May 1-2, 2012. As plans unfold information will be posted at www.Ltsp.edu/Muhlenberg300.

You can read and download the current issue of PS magazine online at www.Ltsp.edu/PS-Magazine.

World Food Day 2011 Effort

media@ltsp.edu (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:40:16 PDT

The Hunger Free Communities project is a multifaith effort to make all communities in the Philadelphia Region hunger free. The project began with a Prayer Breakfast in April 2011 attended by 150 people who prayed and were inspired to work together. The project has a community blog to share stories and information. Next is a multi-faceted effort for World Food Day on Sunday, October 16, 2011. Join us to work toward all communities being hunger free!

World Food Day 2011 Effort

The Prayer Breakfast for Hunger Free Communities was successful in bringing attention to the problem of hunger in Philadelphia. But it was only the beginning of efforts to address the unacceptably high levels of hunger in our city. As people of various faith traditions, we know we are all called to not only feed the hungry, but to advocate for a just distribution of the abundance of creation. We are in unique positions in our communities not only to pray and feed, but also to educate and organize for change.

As part of the continued effort we are looking forward to World Food Day, on Sunday, October 16, 2011. During the Sabbaths of that weekend, we hope that congregations throughout the Philadelphia region will focus on hunger during their worship services.

There are three possibilities we have planned to connect to World Food Day:

Host a Guest Preacher/Speaker:

We can provide congregations with a preacher or speaker for your Sabbath worship connected to the weekend of World Food Day. Register to host a guest preacher.

Be a Guest Preacher:

We will match guest preachers who have registered and that we have trained with host congregations for the weekend of October 16. Register to be a guest preacher.

Receive Special Preacher/Speaker Training (same as Guest Preachers) for your own congregation:

If you or someone you know would like to be trained, register for a workshop on “Preaching on Hunger,” on Friday, September 23, from 1-5 pm at The Brossman Center on the campus of The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP). The preaching professor from LTSP, the Rev. Dr. Karyn Wiseman, will lead the session and will equip participants to preach on World Food Day in the context of your own tradition. You will learn how to choose texts for the day and work with them, as well as effective homiletical approaches. You will also get helpful up-to-date information about local hunger from Diane Loucks, who has been instrumental in developing City Soup, has researched the issue for Mayor Nutter, and has been a leading advocate in Philadelphia. This workshop will be open to those wanting to preach in their own congregations as well as those willing to serve as guest preachers. Register to attend the preaching workshop.