Faith Active in Love

This was the first week in PLTS's 2nd Summer of Service program called Faith Active in Love. Our focus this week was on Hunger and Homelessess and we had 7 college students come to PLTS to spend time with people who are or have been homeless, visit soup kitchens, shelters, and transitional housing, and encounter some of the causes of homelessness and the challenges of overcoming them. I was so impressed by the committment that these students made to seeking ways of bringing about the Kingdom of God in the world. I feel good about the future of the church, knowing that there are people as fine as Malory, Chris, Jodi, Sara, Jenni, Adam, and Drew who are stepping up to positions of leadership and I'll treasure them as colleagues.

One of my favorite parts of the week was time spent in the State Capitol in Sacramento with Mark Carlson, who is the Director of the Lutheran Office of Public Policy. You may remember my comments from a few months ago about the important work that Mark does there. We even ran into California's own Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Another highlight was the day we went kayaking. You may know the links between homelessness and environmental protection and water rights. This was a great way to see San Francisco Bay, to talk about the necessity of and right to clean water, and to show the ocean to some people who had never seen it before! Sadly, I can't manage to upload the picture of me getting ready to kayak by putting on a "spray skirt" (yes, indeed, a skirt!) that keeps the water and sun out of the cockpit of the kayak. It didn't do too much good, though, since I and 3 brave souls took a dip in the Bay before heading in to port!

Coordinator for Vocational Formation

One of the exciting collaborations between PLTS and Luther Seminary, the 2 seminaries that make up the Western Mission Cluster, is a grant from the Lilly Foundation through which we are able to extend a call to a pastor who will serve both Admissions Centers as Coordinator for Vocational Formation. Last week, I was in Minnesota for the final interviews with our top two candidates. What a testimony to the partnership of these two schools, and our shared commitment to ministry in the West, that we are able to do this work together. This person will be a representative of both seminaries, on the staff of both, and deepening the existing connections between PLTS and Luther on the one hand and the camps, campus ministries, and congregations of the west on the other.

While I was there, I was able to join Liza Okan (from Luther) for lunch,
together with her new husband, John (he's taking the picture). We went to this great place, Tavern on Grand, where they specialize in a fish called Walleye (not A Fish Called Wanda). It was pretty good stuff, I must say. In fact, when Premier Gorbachev visited the US, he ate walleye from here! I think that's what brought an end to the Cold War! I also had a great tour of St. Paul, which is a beautiful city.

OH, here's a Minnesota law that may surprise you: One can carry a gun into any place that does not have a sign specificaly prohibiting it. So, what this means is, colleges, stores, restaurants, churches, and even the Tavern on Grand have posted signs like this one:

Well, anyway, there are some shots from Minnesota. Stay tuned for the announcement of the new staff member in our Admissions Center!