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May - June 2010Vol.15 No.4TracksLutheran Campus Ministry (ECLA) at Northern Michigan UniversitySome months ago I sat with one of our students in a Benedictine monastery high in the snow-dusted hills East of Santa Fe,New Mexico. A former graduate student I once worked with (a visitor to Lothlorien not many years ago) is now a Director of Research at Los Alamos National Laboratory. During a presentation he gave to a small group of us he said,“One thing bothers me about the majority of scientists and theologians. They like to make absolute statements about truth. As a nuclear physicist, I know that everything needs to be qualified.” He was invoking, in a gentle way, the need for humility in both disciplines. He said that’s good science. He also suggested it’s good religion. Here’s a point. Excursions into communities of faith that seek to build lives of courage and compassion are not for the faint-hearted. It’s easy for some to go cynical, get depressed about the complexity of living in this world. It’s also tempting for others to go fanatical, banging people over the head with the Bible or a version of some New Age prosperity gospel. Both paths have dire consequences for us, personally and collectively. As this ministry closes another academic year and quietly goes dormant for a time of rest and renewal, it’s startling to look back. It’s impossible not to be astonished, quite frankly, by the whole shebang: Finding resources to send two students into Columbia to visit a sister parish in the Bogotá slums; coordinating dialogues between Buddhists and Christians around a fireplace during long winter evenings; sitting alongside a graduate student from Dar Es Salaam opening our community worship every week with sounds of a drum; having an environmental studies major, a leader of NMU’s interfaith Earthkeepers, introduce a New Testament scholar to a room overflowing with students and community members embroiled in controversy over a proposed sulfide mine. Then there were twenty-eight weekly community meals and the hospitality for a dozen visitors who shared Lothlorien’s guest room at no cost. And this was done for the simple love of it?
Nothing is for certain. Choose to believe that (and many of us do) it makes little struggling faith communities like ours dazzling “giants” of hope, courage, generosity, and graceful surprise. Whether you’re drinking a beer right now, or reading Scripture, ponder that one. See you in the fall. 
LIFE TOGETHER
Our community worship life together closes for another season. Our thanks to Myra Zyburt, Tim Keushner, and Gisele Duehring who quietly joined us as guest presenters to reflect on their spiritual lives during the weeks of Lent. And to Pastor Lee Goodwin who brought insight into the Easter week with reflections during our mid-week Gathering. Since 1995, seventy-five individuals including a hundred and one year old great grandmother, a mortician, a rock and roll roadman, an artist, a bishop, a waitress, a custodian and a cancer survivor have brought on-the-ground perspectives on what it means to seek to live a life of faith in the world. Our Sunday evening meals together came to a close with a joyful gathering at the campus pastor’s home with 30 students, Board members and friends of the ministry present.We prayed for our departing seniors (Zach Shipman, Lacey Heinzelman, Erika Niebler, Scott McLain and Dulcey Heinzelman) and welcomed our leadership team for the new 2010-2011 academic year: Ellen Lindbloom, Blair Sauve, and Emmanuel Shayo. We look forward to the year ahead. Our Sunday evening community meals (Gaudeamus) coordinators John and Linda Carlson, have continued to serve us in extraordinary ways once again this past year. For helping provide weekly meals of gifted nutritious food via donations of dozens of Lothlorien supporters, John and Linda, we give you a standing ovation! LOTHLORIAN’S GARDENWe are delighted to welcome Katy Nelson as Lothlorien’s new gardener. Katy has a private practice as a naturopathic physician in our Marquette community and brings an appreciative wisdom about health-mind-body relationships. Her vision is to help us build a “learning organization” based around the care for our native plants, trees and herbs. Lothlorien’s landscape and gardens were first blessed in the fall of 2006 by both Buddhist and Christian clergy. All plants, trees, and shrubs on Lothlorien’s landscape are reflective of a recovery of a balanced ecosystem in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. No pesticides or artificial fertilizers are used. On April 18, the Second Sunday of Easter 2010, an apple serviceberry tree was planted in a special ritual in honor of the brief life of Luke Gerald Ehle, the son of Scott and Stefanie Ehle. Gentle prayers were lifted up and hymns raised.The serviceberry (sometimes called “Autumn Brilliance” is a fruit-bearing and medicinal tree first brought to America by the Jesuits in the 17the Century. These trees are known for their simple elegance and tasty berries. Our special thanks to Eric and Janice Meister for their generous donation of the serviceberry tree planted on the 18th. Eric and Janice are deeply involved in their faith community (Messiah) and, in this instance, kindly offered this tree as a gift from their business (Meister’s Showplace and Greenhouses) in Harvey.
COLUMBIA
I was part of a mission trip that went to Bogota, Colombia, and whether our group was talking to people at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Colombia or visiting with people in their homes, the Colombian people were gracious, intelligent, and helpful.
We worshiped at a church on the Sunday we were there and I was overcome by the intense faith and joy that filled the room while everyone sang. They even sang some songs in English for us! The people afterward were eager to talk with us and to make us feel at home.
I felt so privileged to be able to witness the passion in him that he expressed about his work. I wish all church members could witness the kindness that I experienced so they'd know the good they are doing when they give money at their church. Benevolence is an important aspect of our church's budget that does so much good; we can't even fathom the amount. I want to share my experience with the Colombian people so more will know their beauty, just like they know the beauty of an orchid. THE SAMUEL PROJECTIn the spring of 2009, Scott Ehle, former student leader at NMU, now a Lutheran clergy serving in Fairwater, Wisconsin, returned to Lothlorien community for three days to serve as our first “Pastor in Residence” here at our Northern Michigan University campus ministry community. During the 2009 fall semester Steve Gauger, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rapid River, Michigan, joined us for a similar experience.This past April, Lee Goodwin, Director of the Synod’s Sabbath Project, visited us as our guest. Here are his reflections.
The days were unseasonably warm. Spring has come early to the south shore of Lake Superior. Students at Northern are in the final throws of the semester at the same time the earth is awakening from its winter dormancy. I was honored to spend a few days after Easter exploring what it is to be to be alive in this community. We ate pancakes within sound of the lake at the campus pastor’s camp near Granite Point - I now count myself a regular customer at Babycakes, which doesn't’t make me a native, but it gets me closer to being one - we ate together - I luxuriated in gracious hospitality at Lothlorien provided by students and Interim Ministry Associate Gisele Duehring – I rested - and we shared in holy communion in a meeting room on the campus at NMU. This is what it is to be alive, and it is indeed a serious thing – meaning, I think, non-trivial. This being alive, it is to be taken seriously, that is entered into completely, with careful, affectionate curiosity, with tenderness, with humility and humor – seriously. As spring continues its unfolding, as the school year comes to a close, as summer plans become clearer and new ventures are undertaken – take it all seriously, all this being alive. After all, what else is there to do with this life-gift, this daily new beginning, what else is there to do that makes any sense. Thanks to the entire NMU Lutheran Campus Ministry community for embodying the gracious, generous life of Easter people. Peace, * “Invitation” from Red Bird by Mary Oliver The Samuel Project is a special ministry sponsored by Lothlorien. Each semester one clergy from our Northern Great Lakes Synod is invited to take a respite from their normal pastoral duties as our special guest. He or she is invited to spend three days with us, sharing insights, informally relating to students, spending times in coffee shops, taking naps, using our library, and roaming our community as a “field theologian.” If interested, feel free to contact our office for more information. SHARING MINISTRY RESOURCES
The campus pastor continues his role as a clergy representative for the Lake Superior BiNational Forum, a Canadian and US Citizen Advisory Council set aside to make recommendations for the protection of Lake Superior. In April he was a guest speaker at the interfaith Shalom Service at St. Mark’s and also was invited and traveled to the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) to provide a workshop on environmental efforts, young adults, and faith communities.
FINANCESThe struggle for existence is part of an ongoing truth for prophetic ministries such as ours. Living on the edge is a precarious place to be. Recent polls show 14% of young adults have any connection to faith communities.The university is a good place for the church to provide places for reflection, action and spiritual formation. We need your prayers and your faith, ongoing support. We have now been informed that there will be a cutback in funding by the ELCA National Campus Ministry in 2010.We were ready for this. Our Board has strategically set our sights on a “braided” model of support where we can keep dancing, fighting, building, and caring, by creating steady, modest, but diverse rivers of financial support. We plan this year to reach out to ten supporting parishes to help us cut the difference. But it will be our “Tracks” donors (in 2009-2010 there were eighty-eight of you from all walks of life) who with special gifts will, once again, keep us going. We are a small and fearless voice in the church.As long as your faith gifts keep flowing ($13,000 in 2009) we’re not going anywhere.
Dulcey Heinzelman with the Messiah St. Mark’s sister parish delegation to Columbia, February 2010. EARTHKEEPERS
Negotiations are currently underway with the United States Environmental Agency for ongoing funding of this faith-based work, which continues to draw attention from across North America. Since 2004, ten faith traditions encompassing 250 congregations in Northern Michigan and Wisconsin have worked together in a raising of consciousness about being stewards of the natural world. Their efforts have included the collection of 320 tons of electronic waste (in 3 hours!), the planting of 12,000 trees, and the gathering of over a ton of outdated pharmaceutical medicines. COMMUNITY NOTES
She traveled extensively over the years and continues to do so, having decided, following health issues, that this would be a right time to step back from her service with us. We especially appreciated her keen spiritual insight, the story of her spiritual sojourn to Peru, the splendid hospitality at her home on Lake Superior, and her always adventuresome spirit. During her work with us over the years, she helped us transition from Hunt Hall on campus by contributing to the design and vision of Lothlorien. Modest, generous, collegial, she accompanied student delegates from our ministry to National Student Conferences in Arizona, Washington D.C., and North Carolina. Carolyn, you truly have been an exquisite gift to us all. Prayers go with you! • Our appreciation to Kathy Geier, member of Bethany in Ishpeming, who has quietly been organizing our library at Lothlorien, sifting out the best of literary classic, journals, and reference books and making our collection user-friendly.
• Welcome to NMU faculty members Carol Bell(Mathematics) and Larry Pagel (Business) who will join us as NMU/LCM Board members in the 2010-2011 academic year. See you in August and September! ON THE HORIZON• GROUND BREAKING GARDEN PROJECT(June – September, 2010) In cooperation with Lutheran Social Service’s Voices for Youth and the ELCA Hunger Education Project for Campus Ministry Gisele Duehring, Lothlorien’s Campus Ministry Associate, will be helping plant and maintain a vegetable garden at LSS’s transitional home for young adults here in Marquette. A team of NMU students will be working with campus ministry staff to carry on this project, which we intend to serve as a “teaching” point for growing local food and promoting a model for a sustainable ecosystem. • HEALING THE SPIRITUAL HEART
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© 2009 Lutheran Campus Ministry at Northern Michigan University. All rights reserved. Web design by Middle Ear Media. |
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But it was a conversation with another nuclear physicist a thousand
miles away a couple months later that really dazzled me. I related to
him my colleague’s comment. He responded with a gleam in his eye,
“Quite frankly, accordingly to Probability Theory (the premise of modern
science) the very best that we can know about anything is about half.”
Colombia's land is graced by one of the most beautiful flowers in the world, the orchid Cattleya trianae. It is the country's national flower. Almost everyone has experienced the beauty of an orchid, but not everyone can say they've experienced the beauty of the Colombian people.
There is quite a misconception of this country, considering its violent history. But if there was one thing I want to share the most, it's that Colombia is a wonderful place full of vibrant and caring people.
Another day while we were in Bogota, we met with Felipé, a Lutheran World Relief worker. He spoke to us about his job, about the people he helps and about how he has encountered Guerilla's.
It is a serious thing just to be alive…*
Over recent weeks the campus pastor liturgical
leadership and preached at Messiah and St.
Marquette’s Lutheran Churches (Marquette), Bethany
Lutheran (Negaunee), Grace Episcopal (Ishpeming),
and Christ the King (Escanaba). NMU students Ben
Scheelk and Amanda Emerson led a Sunday
morning Youth Group study at Prince of Peace,
NMU student and future seminarian Zach Shipman
preached at St. Mark’s in Marquette, and the campus
pastor assisted in facilitating a Synod (ELCA)
women’s retreat at Christ the King in Escanaba in
May with campus ministry friend and social worker
Ray Hasenauer.
Over these past six years, university
student leaders at NMU have provided key
voices in shaping and implementing this new
interfaith work. They have included NMU
students Jennifer Simula, Rosemary
Misfud, Michael Rotter, Sarah
Swanson, Ben Scheelk, and Amanda
Emerson. Earthkeeper Communications
coordinator Kyra Fillmore is guiding
current efforts from the Roman Catholic
community. Denominational leaders
shaping this initiative include both Bishops
Tom Skrenes (Northern Great Lakes
Synod / ELCA) and Alex Sample (Roman
Catholic Diocese of Marquette).
A most special tribute to Carolyn Jean, Ministry
Associate at Lothlorien from 1996 – 2010.
Carolyn served our ministry here in
extraordinary ways, setting up office procedures,
supporting students, hosting numerous guests that
included Fulbright Scholars, world-renown
theologians, religious leaders, and dozens of young
adults who visited and
participated in retreats
and study groups with
us over the years.
• Hurrah for Danny Stone, Lothlorien’s “house
manager” who continues to do extraordinary
service to keep things in order at 701 W College
Ave., and to Marcia Parkkonen, member of
Messiah, who brings, these days, special skills for
our ministry’s outreach to our community. Also
to Greg Peterson, you-tube producer, writer, and
photographer who keeps us in the community’s
eye with story and image.
