September 30 Greetings Listen, Listen God is Calling

7:45 a.m. Mountain Standard Time, Monday, September 28: I’ve already attended a service of morning prayer, watched a lecture, read three emails, and have an invitation to sing in a virtual choir. Welcome to the fourth week of seminary at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, one of the ELCA’s seven seminaries to prepare future leaders of the Church. Learn about the ELCA’s seven seminaries here:

Seven Seminaries - One Church The ELCA has a long history and tradition of training and preparing pastors and other rostered ministers to share the good news of Jesus Christ and to inspire and equip members to participate in God's work in the world. Read more elcaseminaries.org

I am one of millions of students attending my classes online this fall in the wake of COVID-19. In my case, I’d intended to attend classes virtually this year, perhaps for my first two years. Other first-year seminarians live on campus in Hyde Park, eat at the LSTC refectory, see classmates in the Creation Courtyard (the area between the student apartments), but attend their classes and chapel online from their apartments. Between my classes, chapel, meetings, study sessions, and other get-togethers, I understand “Zoom Fatigue.” Here is a great article about Zoom fatigue:

'Zoom fatigue' is real. Here's why you're feeling it,... Video calls have become a crucial way to stay in touch from afar, but they can be exhausting. That's because we're missing many of the nonverbal cues that we typically rely on during in-person conversations, says behavior analyst Laura Dudley. Read more news.northeastern.edu

My classes this fall are Ministerial Leadership I, History and Theology I, Biblical Greek I, and the Life and Letters of Paul. Two of those classes have an online face-to-face meeting once a week (8:00am Chicago time translates to 6:00am Arizona time until November, so coffee is a class requirement for this seminarian!). Two of the classes are completely asynchronous, with recorded lectures, assigned readings, discussion posts, and, of course, assignments and quizzes.

Speaking of assigned readings, I thank Emmanuel Lutheran Church, the Endowment Committee, and Pastor Tricia who nominated me for the $375 gift from the first distribution from Emmanuel’s Endowment. It almost pays for the books for these four classes for first semester.

My classmates come from all regions of the United States, as well as places like Iceland and India, and several are from various countries in South America and Africa. LSTC has a truly diverse student population. The instructors are diverse too, in geographic background, race and ethnicity, and even church affiliation. At least 50% of LSTC’s professors must be ordained Lutheran pastors, but others come from other Christian denominations, mostly from the ELCA’s full communion partners: Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Moravian, Reformed, and United Church of Christ.

It’s hard to believe that in the 25+ years that Emmanuel has been God’s presence here in Prescott Valley, I am our first seminarian. The ELCA is not graduating enough seminarians to meet the need for ministers of word and sacrament (pastors) and ministers of word and service (deacons), as well as other non-rostered callings, such as musicians and educators. ELCA first-call pastors can fill only one third of openings. Other openings are staffed by intentional interim pastors, pastors who had intended to retire, pulpit-supply pastors who lead worship only, pastors ordained in churches in full-communion with the ELCA, or Synodically Authorized Ministers (SAMs): lay people approved by bishops to lead worship and other duties assigned individually. Several of my classmates are SAMs in Wisconsin and Illinois. Read more about the shortage of ELCA pastors here:

Luther and ministry "in crisis" - Living Lutheran Our church has a current and growing crisis in terms of what is often called our "public ministry." Following Martin Luther's great insight on Christian vocation, we believe every one of us is a minister of the gospel. Nevertheless, the church... Read more www.livinglutheran.org

It falls on all of us to identify and encourage people of all ages who have ministry gifts that would serve the Church. It never is too early to plant the seed in our young people that God may be calling them. An intern pastor from LSTC was the first person to plant that seed for me as a teenager—a seed that germinated decades later. Maybe one of our youth is interested in the Young Adults in Global Mission program. Two of my classmates recently returned from YAGM placements. Here is a link to the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission program:

Young Adults in Global Mission Update: While YAGM will not be sending volunteers for the 2020-21 program year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we plan to resume sending volunteers next year in August 2021. Applications will be open from Nov. 1, 2020, to Jan. 15, 2021. Read more. Read more elca.org

We also need to help make seminary affordable for those who are called—tuition alone is about $20,000 a year, aside from books, fees, transportation costs for required on-campus meetings, and required and optional educational experiences. Thanks to a scholarship from LSTC, this education is affordable for Mike and me. We should also think about outreach to our quickly growing community—perhaps a seminary intern who has pastor-developer gifts might be a good fit to tell the Quad City area about our wonderful faith family here at Emmanuel. That, too, requires budget dollars.

The seminary year includes first semester, a January (J-term) class, and spring semester. Some students also take a late spring/summer class. After basic classes, this seminarian will have preaching and ministry in context classes. Ministry in context (MIC) requires a seminarian to do field work in a church or community organization and meet with other MIC students and a professor weekly to discuss challenges and joys. Then comes a short-term Clinical Pastoral Education experience, ministering under supervision in chaplaincy settings, such as hospitals or hospices. Students can do an internship in either year three or four, although most choose to do a third-year internship.

Finally, LSTC proves that the ELCA really is a small world. During orientation, I met Dr. Mark Swanson, who is the Associate Director of A Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice and Director of Advanced Studies at LSTC. That is a mouthful of a title, but Dr. Swanson also is LSTC’s Harold S. Vogelaar Professor of Christian-Muslim Studies and Interfaith Relations. Yes, he has the position at LSTC that was endowed in the name of our own Hal Vogelaar, who is an LSTC professor emeritus. Dr. Swanson didn’t have enough good words to say about Hal, his mentor, and I shared how Hal has guided and educated our congregation in many ways. Learn more about the Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice here:

A Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and... For many years LSTC has utilized Chicago's many cultures and various faiths to teach students how to witness to God's love in Jesus Christ while striving to understand and respect the faiths of Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and neighbors of... Read more www.lstc.edu

One classmate in the Master of Divinity (MDiv) program also is from the Grand Canyon Synod. Then I discovered another MDiv student served in a church in Kansas under Rev. Mari Larson, former pastor of Spirit of Joy in Clarkdale, of which Mike and I were charter members! Before orientation was over, I felt solid connections to professors, staff, and students.

Thank you for your words of encouragement and your prayers as I take this first step toward pastoral ministry. Emmanuel has been, and continues to be, the foundation that has stretched me and called me toward candidacy. I will continue to need your prayers as this journey continues! Yours in Christ, Gail Emmanuel Lutheran Church Prescott Valley, AZ

6 We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7 ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8 the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness. Romans 12:6-8

The church office is staffed from 9:00am to 1:00pm most weekdays. Please call ahead to let us know that you are coming or knock loudly when you have arrived! Remember that we are asking everyone to wear masks when you are in the building with other people; let’s stay safe out there, people! Keep safe, check in with each other, and don’t hesitate to call Pastor Tricia (310-890-9785) or the church office (928-772-4135) if you need something, or email [email protected] if you have something to share. Keep sending those pictures; we love seeing what everyone is up to.

Emmanuel Lutheran Church 7763 E.Long Look Prescott Valley, AZ 86314 PH (928) 772-4135 • FX (928) 759-3541 website: emmanuellutheranpv.org email: [email protected] submissions: [email protected]

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