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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“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 |