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January/March 2010Vol.15 No.3TracksLutheran Campus Ministry (ECLA) at Northern Michigan UniversityOne night not long ago I was riding south, down along a remote stretch of Highway 550 north of Marquette. I was a passenger in a 2003 Nissan Frontier pick-up truck. The driver, a friend of mine and a guitar tech, had just returned from an overseas stint with a rock and roll band. He mused, “Ya’ know, I discovered something. The very best part of me comes out when I’m working for something other than myself.” I’ve been thinking about that the last few days. A few community members, students and I have pondered the writings of the well-known theologian and scholar Paul Tillich these past weeks. He reminds us there’s an order of misplaced energy that the human race, historically, consistently devotes to what he calls “idolatries,” in other words false gods. His observation is that such seductive forces in our lives finally can’t hold up, inevitably betraying those who devote themselves to obtaining from them some ultimate satisfaction. That’s often what great novels and tragedies are all about. This is the same troubling challenge of university life. As students, we’re encouraged to think that academic achievement, attractiveness, physical talent and good-paying careers are what life is about. I recalled smiling when our country’s Secretary of State, a year ago, speaking at a university commencement, took a risk to break open that assumption by asserting, “There’s a difference between having a job, and having a life.”
Missions such as this one are here to lift up a spiritual premise that our lives are part of a larger drama. If you tap into that, the universe opens up the very deepest recesses of your heart. That’s the real purpose of religious and even pseudo-religious sensibilities. George Orwell, in 1940, made the intriguing observation that the appeal of Hitler to the German people of that time, is that he called them to a higher vision other than simple material satisfaction and self-indulgence. He lifted up, however distorted, something higher than themselves and their own narcissistic, egocentric ambitions. The folk singer Bob Dylan, however, probably said it better than anyone in the words he wrote to one of his songs: “It may be the devil or it may be the Lord, but you’re going to have to serve somebody.” There’s the question. Your move. 
Weekly Rhythms
THE GATHERINGThe heart of our life and mission is found in a quiet circle of prayer each Wednesday evening in the University Center during the school year. This is a sacred time that grounds us personally and shapes our community vision. Special thanks to Pastors Peter Anderson and Ken Lahners who served as guest homilists for us in January and February. During the weeks of Lent we shift our format to honor our tradition of “Stories of Faith.” Each Wednesday a guest comes to Lothlorien to join us around the fireplace and talk candidly about his or her ups and downs of their faith journey. Our thanks to Bishop Tom Skrenes and Pastor David Van Kley for joining us during the first weeks of Lent. This Lenten tradition continues each Wednesday from 8-9 p.m. at our campus center (Lothlorien) at 701 West College Ave. On April 7 we return to the Pioneer Room (A) in the University Center each Wednesday evening at 8 p.m. Come and join us. The circle is always open. NMU’s Emmanuel Shayo is serving this semester as our worship leader. 
GAUDEAMUS Latin for Joy-filledEach week our community gathers for a Sunday evening meal at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 1318 Presque Isle. Home prepared food is brought to us by members of our Covenant parishes. Special thanks to Mark Paulson, NMU Professor of Chemistry, for his riveting presentation on the “Mystery of Water” in February. A special focus of our shared meals this spring semester is to honor the environment in its many manifestations. See you there! 6 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. PASTOR-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAMOur campus ministry welcomes our third guest in our series of Pastor-in-Residence. The Samuel Project invites pastors serving rural ministries to spend three days of retreat and rest at Lothlorien (our campus house). They normally join us for Gaudeamus (our Sunday evening dinner) and our Wednesday night Gathering (our mid-week prayer time). We also encourage them to use this time for renewal, reading, and informal conversations with students and staff. Lodging and meals are provided.
Lee, a long-time friend of our ministry, is from Marinette, Wisconsin. He joins us on Easter evening, April 4, and will be with us until Wednesday evening, April 7. Lee will also be leading a special evening of reflection on the Poetic Vision of Mary Oliver the evening of April 5, 7:30 p.m. at the campus pastor’s home. Welcome Lee! Our prior Samuel Project guests have included Pastors Scott Ehle from Fairwater, Wisconsin (Spring Semester 2009) and Steve Gauger from Rapid River, Wisconsin (Fall Semester 2009.) STUDENT LEADERSHIP TEAMINTERESTED IN SERVING ON OUR STUDENT TEAM FOR 2010-2011?At the core of our ministry at NMU is our student leadership team. Along with planning retreats, service projects, and environmental programs, responsibilities involve office work of 2-4 hours per week. Stipends (funding) are available for two positions. This is a unique opportunity for young adults to engage with on-the-ground training in leadership skills and developing a sensitivity for spiritual formation. For more information contact Gisele Duehring at (906)249-9122 or by e-mail at lcmnmu7@charter.net. We’d like to have our team in place for Fall Semester, 2010 in the next few weeks. MEET GISELE, INTERIM MINISTRY ASSOCIATE
I get a kick out of seeing how people’s paths cross and crisscross and how experiences collectively prepare a person for their next experience. Mine include being a short order cook, budding floral designer, corn detassler crew foreman, mom, an engineer in a power company’s fuel department, controls design group, and project management. My vocation? Stay tuned…I am. When tutoring students, I loved figuring out how someone thought and then explain a concept in their line of thinking. As a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) I helped give abused children a voice. I have a ha-yuuuuuge passion for adult literacy—tutor trainer, tutor, speaker, board member. Get me started on that—many incredible stories to tell. Flowers. Wow! Flowers to me signify God’s extravagance. Their color, texture, construction literally stop me in my tracks. My husband says my flower radar senses a flower within a mile radius. Likewise, with my little-kid radar. I collect corny stories—so sharable! Add to my repertoire anytime. What else feeds me? Curiosity. Especially about God’s creativity. Curiosity’s a gift, a link to what is. You know that drowning worry that leaves you gurgling and sputtering? Bleck! Instead, being curious about what God’s doing can be absolutely life giving. On a lighter note...LCM’s staff, board and students are most excellent. Their communication is out-standing and, well, they love. Individually and all together. Glad to be on board! —Gisele Duehring SPIRITUALITY & THE ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGE:NEW TESTAMENT SCHOLAR AUDREY WEST SPEAKS AT NORTHERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
On the evening of February 1, 2010, Dr. Audrey West, PhD spoke to a crowd of over 100 students and community members on the topic of “Faith, Ethics and the Environmental Challenge.” With her academic degrees from Yale and Duke University, she brought a thoughtful analysis of the current plan by Kennecott Minerals to bring a sulfide mining project to Marquette County. She called for a renewed commitment to critical reasoning, and challenged us to dig deeper into exploring what it means to have a good quality of life, justice, and a healthy community moral conscience. Rio Tinto, the parent company of Kennecott has one of the worst records of pollution and violations of human rights in the global mining industry. The Upper Peninsula’s largest newspaper, The Mining Journal, gave Dr. West’s presentation extensive coverage. On the following day, Dr. West presented a clergy workshop on preaching texts for Lent and later that night also gave a presentation for the public at Bethany Lutheran Church in Ishpeming. This event was sponsored by our ministry in cooperation with the NMU student interfaith Earthkeepers, Bethany Lutheran Church in Ishpeming, Trinity Lutheran Church in Ishpeming, and the Northern Great Lakes Synod of the ELCA. Our thanks to Pastor Warren Geier who served as the coordinator for her visits with us! REFLECTIONS ON THE DYNAMICS OF FAITHTwice during February, a three-part series was offered on the topic of religious experience. Special thanks to Emmanuel Shayo, NMU graduate student, and Ben Scheelk, NMU senior, for assisting the campus pastor in these discussions that involved film clips, contemporary book reviews and personal insights based on the writings of Paul Tillich, a scholar and theologian. Participants included Gisele Duehring, Jill Fries, Bill Parkkonen, Amanda Emerson, Carol O’Neil, Helen Koski and Pat Lunn. Plenty of energy and insights were shared about ideas of broken and unbroken myths, the prevalence of religious and pseudo religious experiences, types of faith and the psychological dangers of investing human faith in that which is not ultimate. Film clips used for discussion included scenes from the 2010 award-winning Hurt Locker. Thanks, Pat, for the chocolate cookies shared on the closing evening in honor of Tillich’s German roots! COMMUNITY NOTES
• Prayers of thanksgiving for the safe journey of the Columbia Sister Parish delegation who, led by Pastor David Van Kley, arrived back in Marquette after a week connecting with an indigenous Lutheran parish located with the poor in Bogotá. NMU students Dulcey Heinzelman and Amanda Emerson served as our campus ministry delegates. Read more about their experiences in the next issue of tracks... next month. • News from Chicago, from our ministry's good friends Pastors Fred and Kim Beckmann. Fred is currently serving a small multicultural congregation in Chicago. Prayers are with him and Kim on the recent loss of his father Paul. Shortly before the new year we were informed Kim’s key position (Candidacy) with the ELCA National Office was eliminated due to budget cuts and she is now in transition. At the same time we lift her up as the gifted author for the Season of Epiphany for Augsburg Fortress' New Proclamation Commentary (2010). Fred and Kim continue to graciously provide Lothlorien with an annual subscription to Rolling Stone magazine. • Appreciation to NMU student Zack Bennett who is writing a history of the interfaith Earthkeeping Initiative that began in 2004. This effort been a signature part of our ministry outreach in recent years and has received special recognition by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Zack is a history and political science major. Publication deadline is set for All Saints Day 2010. IN MEMORIAM: RAY HUTTER 1926-2010
We salute you, Ray! FINANCES AND MISSIONHistory tells us that hard economic times bring out the best in faith communities. For many people, financial challenges help clarify values. Campus ministries continue to be a voice on the edge of the church’s outreach to the world. We also seek to serve as a “satellite” to communicate social trends and challenge our church’s own rigidity. Thanks to a record 26 parishes and 88 individuals who helped us financially in 2009, our program budget for 2010 remains steady at $30,000. All donated funds support our projects and students. The campus pastor’s part-time position is supported by our Covenant Parishes (Messiah and St. Mark’s) and a Synodical allocation.
Bless you all. All is finally a gift. Please keep us in your prayers. We cannot exist here apart from your donations. SHARING MINISTRY RESOURCESDuring past weeks the campus pastor preached at St. Mark’s and Messiah churches, led an adult forum at Messiah on “Spirituality and Environment” with NMU student Amanda Emerson, and assisted in the funeral of Ray Hutter. He also traveled to Duluth, Minnesota as a clergy representative to the Lake Superior Binational Forum, a federally mandated citizen advisory group that makes recommendations to both Canadian and US governments regarding the protection of the ecosystem of the Great Lakes’ Basin.
Campus Ministry Staff & VolunteersLutheran Campus Ministry (ECLA)A Ministry of the Northern Great Lakes Synod & Evangelical Lutheran Church of America "The enemy of the good is the perfect." Jon Magnuson, Campus Pastor Student Leadership TeamErika Niebler
Board of DirectorsPastor Warren Geier, Chair Covenant Congregations: St. Mark's and Messiah Lothlorien “Where Time Passes Differently”
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Learning how to be part of community, to volunteer, to respect persons from different walks of life, to be able to empathize with someone else’s suffering are rarely learned in any classroom. Most of the time such attributes never appear on a resume, yet commitments to such values often draw deeper levels of energy from ourselves, as my friend reflected, than we could ever imagine.
Lee Goodwin is currently under special call by the Northern Great Lakes Synod as Director for the Sabbath Project, an outreach to pastors in our Synod that focuses on mindfulness practices and contemplative prayer disciplines.
Hi, I’m Gisele Duehring. No worries about spelling or pronouncing my name; I like seeing and hearing what people come up with next. Recently Jon invited me to pinch hit for Carolyn Jean during her medical leave this semester. I received that invitation gratefully! Have you been to Lutheran Campus Ministry’s (LCM) house, Lothlorien? A peaceful, energetic place! Ask me more (249-9122) or come by for a rest or a boost.
• Welcome back Lacey Heinzelman who returned from interviews in Texas for Graduate School. We thought she’d be wearing a Stetson when she stepped off the plane! She was wearing a big smile and recently has informed us she’s been accepted in a graduate program for marriage and family therapy.
Ray Hutter, a friend and supporter of this ministry, passed into a greater Kingdom on February 12, 2010. Ray was raised in Big Bay, the son of a lumber mill worker (saw sharpener) and with Myrtle, his wife, raised a family here in Marquette. He was an exquisite student of human nature and a skilled salesman and gifted carpenter. The campus pastor would visit him to hear stories of the Henry Ford days but also ask him for advice on working with people problems. He reflected the rare art of living within his means. These last years he spent with his wife on the shores of Lake Superior on Eagle’s Nest Road. He was the resident fix-it guy, generous in spirit. Myrtle and Ray raised four children: Peter, Paul, Lois and Linda. His life was commemorated in a funeral at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church on February 18, 2010.
In 2010, one peculiar challenge facing us is our cash flow. We are hoping you can join us in a “Simply Giving” program via an automatic payment from a bank account or take a moment to make a faithful contribution with the enclosed envelope. More information follows in our next newsletter from LCM Board member Pastor Tim Bernard. We hope to work toward a more disciplined, efficient, cost-effective model of support to reflect best stewardship practices. Some of our supporters and parishes already do this! In 2009, we received several gifts from folks outside the Lutheran community and are appreciative of that. Our individual donors you who are reading this newsletter continue to be the key to our remarkable resiliency.
Special thanks to Pastor Jim Duehring who coordinated a World Religions Series for the Synod (NGLS) Lay School. Along with an initial presentation by the campus pastor on the nature of religious experience, subsequent weeks included dialogues with Lothlorien friends Dr. Mike Grossman from the Jewish community, NMU’s Mohey Mowafy from the Islamic tradition and NMU faculty member Paul Lehmberg from the Marquette Buddhist Zendo.