New ELCA Campus Pastor for Brazos Valley

By Mindy Roll

Howdy! My name is Mindy Roll, and I am the new ELCA Campus Pastor for the Brazos Valley, which includes Texas A&M, Blinn College in Bryan, and Blinn College in Brenham. I started in early September, and it's been a whirlwind start! From moving to getting to know students to meeting area pastors to starting new programs, it's been busy - but also tremendously fun. We have bright, committed, and thoughtful students, faculty, and staff - eager to engage, worship, serve, and learn. An excellent combination!

A few words of introduction...  I am a 2003 graduate of Texas A&M (B.A. Political Science), a 2007 graduate of Yale Divinity School (M.Div., Lutheran Studies), and a soon-to-be 2011 graduate of the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg (S.T.M., Pastoral Care/Pastoral Theology). I am originally from Houston, and I grew up at Faith Lutheran in Bellaire. Most recently, I have been working as a chaplain at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston. It's a joy to be back in Texas, among the many people and places that have so profoundly shaped my faith.

So where are all the young people? Is this a question your church has asked? I hope so, because research shows that fully two-thirds (two-thirds!) of young adults stop attending church during these critical years (18-30), many never to return. Enter campus ministry. With campus ministry, we have the potential to reach countless young adults, many who are looking for a grace-filled spiritual home and a safe place to ask hard questions about faith, identity, life, and God. Not only that, but campus ministry has the opportunity to provide a Lutheran witness on campus, one that points to a God of grace and compassion, sorely needed in today's world. And if that's not enough, campus ministry is also situated to help shape our future church leaders in their most formative years. What an exciting place to be!

So I invite you to partner with us as we reach out to young adults by offering your prayers, encouragement, and gifts (time, resources, and finances - we welcome all of these!). If you have or know students at any of these schools or if you are a former student, please let me know. Also, watch for opportunities to join us tailgating (November 20), doing campus ministry Sundays, and engaged in service alongside you. Join the excitement for campus ministry!

God's Peace,

Mindy Roll,  Pastor

Brazos Valley Campus Ministry

mindyroll@yahoo.com  

A Look at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg

LTSC is probably the only seminary with cannons on its property

This may be the only seminary that has cannons on it's property. With 52 acres and 25 buildings located adjacent to the battleground that turned the tide of the Civil War, the Lutheran Theological School at Gettysburg (LTSG) is a unique place.

Bishops are to periodically visit seminaries to discuss the state of theological education, and to meet with faculty, staff and students. The goal is to maintain continuity between seminary and synod, between candidacy, theological education and assignment. I arrived early to spend time with my brother Paul, who lives about an hour south of the seminary. Prior to the meeting we spent time wandering around the battlefield and visiting the museum.

LTSG in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania is the oldest Lutheran seminary in the U.S.  Established in 1826, it sits on 52 acres adjacent to the Gettysburg battlefield, home to one of the most famous battles of the Civil War. Gettysburg is a member of the Washington Theological Consortium. The President is Michael L. Cooper-White.  The seminary currently has 230 students.

Website: http://www.ltsg.edu/

Schmucker Hall

As early as 1818, the Pennsylvania Ministerium named a committee of D.D., Conrad Jaeger and H. A. Muhlenberg, and Rev. John George Schmucker to begin setting up a seminary. The institution was actually founded by Samuel Simon Schmucker, a leading Pennsylvania anti-slavery advocate and the son of John. Samuel was the first professor.

Born on February 28, 1799, Schmucker received his theological training at Princeton Seminary, one of the few theological schools at the time. He was the best educated and likely the most influential Lutheran leader in America. He was an outspoken advocate for unity, not only among Lutherans, but also among all American Christian traditions. He was an avid abolitionist, who spoke out against slavery. His house on campus and his barn were used as part of the underground railroad.

Schmucker House

The seminary gives its name to the geographical feature, Seminary Ridge, which was the site of fierce fighting on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1, 1863. General Lee decided to try to win the Civil War by an invasion of southern Pennsylvania. His troops met General Meade's troops in a battle that ultimately turned the tide for the North. The seminary, as well as adjacent homes of the professors, was used for weeks after the battle as a temporary field hospital before its last patients were moved to the Camp Letterman military hospital. The building was badly damaged by gunfire. Dr. Schmucker's house still has a cannonball lodged in the brickwork.

Cannonball lodged in wall

LTSG's first building, Schmucker Hall now houses the Adams County Historical Society. There are plans to turn it into a state-of-the-art museum.

More Americans died at Gettysburg than at any other war in American history. The town of 2400 was left with 51,000 casualties and 5,000 dead horses. The small southern Pennsylvania town was changed forever.

A few months later the President would give his shortest and most famous speech, the Gettysburg Address, which many memorized as children: "Four score and seven years ago, our Fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation..." (http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm)

In keeping with Lutheran shenanigans, a disagreement resulted in a split that formed another seminary just down the road. The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP) was founded in 1864, breaking off from LTSG, which some felt was willing to sacrifice confessional Lutheran orthodoxy for ecumenism at all costs. The entire Pennsylvania Ministerium also withdrew from the General Synod, forming the General Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in North America in 1867. Sigh. Schism and merger. Schism and merger. This is our history. The rivalry between the schools continues, though in a more friendly way. While I was there they were preparing for their annual football tournament with Philadelphia Seminary, Trinity Seminary in Columbus, Southern Seminary in South Carolina, LSTC, Union Theological Seminary and a couple other non-Lutheran seminaries.

Since the Civil War, the Seminary has substantially increased in size. Scattered throughout the grounds of the Seminary are markers related to the battles, as well as several artillery pieces that approximate the location of several batteries.

We attended a class and met with the president and dean. We attended chapel and walked the campus. We met with the senior class, answering questions about the ubiquitous paperwork and the daunting assignment process. Every time I visit a seminary I find myself impressed with the quality, passion and depth of the candidates.

Inside the chapel

My first two years as bishop, each assignment process had nearly twice as many vacancies as candidates. There was talk of a clergy shortage. The last two assignment processes have been atypical: more candidates than openings. Graduates are having to work while openings emerge. The general take on this is the economy. No one wants to sell a house right now if they don't have to. And those close to retirement are waiting for the market to come back before doing so. The baby boomer bell curve is heading toward retirement, but delaying things a little. The next few years should produce a lot of openings.

Theological education is on the move, but no one knows where. Distance learning is growing, but some things require presence. (e.g. How do you teach preaching online? Pastoral care?) I have often wondered if we need eight seminaries. On other days, I wish we had theological education available in every major city of the U.S.  Seminaries that are part of consortiums (like the Berkeley GTU) may be the wave of the future. If so we will only have to focus on Lutheran substance, theology, history and hermeneutics. Greek is Greek. There is no Lutheran Greek. But how we read Romans? That requires a Lutheran lens that we don't want to lose. We have our work cut out for us as we seek to deliver high quality theological education in a rapidly changing cultural context.

Visit a seminary sometime. Give generously. Take a class. (It's not just for pastor wannabe's anymore!) And keep this church, its pastors and seminaries in your prayers.

Addressing Poverty in La Grange

By Jen Kindsvatter
Youth & Family Minister, St. Paul Lutheran Church, La Grange, TX
 

Members of St. Paul in La Grange, Texas celebrate the work of several local agencies in addressing poverty. In a small community like La Grange, we have the opportunity to work hand in hand with people of other denominations to address the needs of our neighbors.

Second Chance Emporium, a re-sale shop which donates all proceeds to local charities, has just crossed the $2,000,000 mark in revenues. Local churches, such as St. Paul, take turns running the entire operation - receiving donations, pricing, cleaning, selling and repeating these steps each week. Second Chance is an incredible resource for the people of Fayette County and we are proud to be a part of this ministry.

Fayette County Habitat for Humanity has completed two homes and is raising funds for a third. This excellent non-profit provides a hand-up not a hand-out, Habitat homeowners provide sweat equity and pay a mortgage, too. Several members of St. Paul serve as Board Members, construction leaders, fundraisers and more. We honor their work to provide equal housing opportunities for all people.

AMEN (Area Ministry for Emergency Needs) Food Pantry meets the basic needs of people that are fighting the cycle of poverty. Community members can pick up canned goods, formula, diapers and other items. St. Paul routinely provides volunteer hours, hosts food drives and advocates for this important ministry.  This weekend, we will host a Hunger Meal at St. Paul to explore the realities of World Hunger and see how we can do justice locally and abroad.