Eastern Mennonite Seminary teams up with Wesley Theological Seminary
Eastern Mennonite Seminary and Wesley Theological Seminary are teaming up to provide more opportunities for United Methodist students at both schools.
“Eastern Mennonite Seminary seeks to be fully accountable to the United Methodist University Senate, which has asked that non-Methodist seminaries approved to teach Methodist students either enter in partnership with a Methodist seminary or hire a full-time Methodist faculty member,” said Michael A. King, EMS dean. Read more
Eastern Mennonite Seminary hires new professor
David Evans will nurture and push students as they wade into the increasingly diverse religious contexts of the world. The newest member of the Eastern Mennonite Seminary faculty in Harrisonburg, Evans has been named assistant professor of history, mission, intercultural and interfaith studies.
Evans brings expertise in cultural analysis and interfaith and intercultural mission from a historical perspective. He earned his doctoral degree from Drew University in the history of U.S. religion. His studies provided the context for his dissertation titled, “A Methodist Melting Pot: Religion, Race and Nation in America 1909-16.” Read more
Help offered for church conflicts
Leaders of churches that sometimes experience turmoil and disagreements—all church leaders, basically—can benefit from a hybrid course at Eastern Mennonite University, offered on four weekends this fall. The course combines teachings from EMU’s conflict transformation program and its seminary.
“Managing Congregational Conflict” was a lynchpin course for Barbara Robbins, a 2011 graduate of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP).
“I am a congregational consultant for Virginia Baptist Network,” she said. “I provide coaching and guidance for congregations in conflict, as well as helping congregations work with reorganization and strategic planning.
“The course was the perfect blend of theory and practice,” said Robbins. “I am able to apply projects from that class directly into congregational settings.”
“Managing Congregational Conflict” is open to students in both EMU’s CJP program and to Eastern Mennonite Seminary students, as well as to community members or others who are interested in the topic.
“I entered the CJP program as a mid-life student seeking to fine-tune what I already know and enhance what I was already doing,” said Robbins. “This course brought together the strong foundation in organization studies that CJP brings, into a life application I was interested in.”
Mike Metzler, ’09 grad, took the class while in seminary. “I learned that conflict is an opportunity for change. Conflict is still scary but framing it as an opportunity allows me to move towards conflict with some excitement as well.
“This is one of my top three courses from my master of divinity studies at EMS,” added Metzler, associate pastor at Mountville (Pa.) Mennonite Church. “It builds on the foundational classes in ways that transform the students as well as impacting the congregations in which they are called to serve.”
The course focuses on congregations both as family systems and organizational systems. It also works with the ideas of forgiveness and the theology of forgiveness in congregations.
David Brubaker, PhD, associate professor of organizational studies at CJP, and Mary Thiessen Nation, PhD, adjunct instructor for EMS, co-teach the course.
The course will run Friday 6-9 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. beginning the weekend of Sept. 23-24, and continuing one weekend every month through December.
EMS and CJP collaborate on a number of courses. The two graduate programs offer several courses as options for a graduate certificate in theology for peacebuilding or a dual master of divinity and master of arts in conflict transformation degree.
Seminary grad’s book champions love feast
When Paul Fike Stutzman began writing his master’s thesis at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, he soon realized he had more material than the 80-120 page project required.
After a year of writing, his 237-page thesis was turned in, but Stutzman still had more to write. The result: a 294-page book titled, “Recovering the Love Feast: Broadening our Eucharistic Celebrations,” published January 1, 2011 by Wipf and Stock.
The Love Feast is a church ritual practiced by the Church of the Brethren, Stutzman’s denomination. It includes footwashing, a meal and communion and usually happens during Passion Week. It is intended to imitate the disciples’ last supper with Jesus as described in the Bible in John 13.
Stutzman’s book details the history of the Love Feast, beginning with its early practice, its gradual decline, and finally its reemergence in Anabaptist and Pietist groups.
“The love feast is a valuable Christian practice for all denominations today,” Stutzman argues in his book.
“My hope is that this book will help Christians from a broad range of backgrounds to learn about the historical Love Feast and to consider ways in which they might celebrate it today, focusing on the themes of submission, love, confession, reconciliation and thanksgiving,” Stutzman continued.
Eleanor Kreider, noted author and theologian writing in the book’s foreword, said: “I am convinced that the full-orbed Love Feast which draws the five themes together carries potential for genuine renewal.”
In addition to his thesis material, the book contains two entirely new chapters as well as revisions and additions. He has also started a blog at thelovefeast.wordpress.com to invite people to share their experiences of the love feast in a variety of traditions.
“I have been excited to discover examples of the Love Feast being celebrated by Presbyterians, Pentecostals, emerging churches and others,” said Stutzman. “I think the Brethren can learn from those who are experimenting with new expressions of Love Feast, just as we in turn can share our 300-year experience with them.”
Stutzman is a licensed minister in the Church of the Brethren. He and his wife Karen live in Rocky Mount, Va with their children, Kaylee and Joshua.
He received his master of arts in religion degree from Eastern Mennonite Seminary in 2009.
“Recovering the Love Feast” is available for $32 from Wipf and Stock at www.wipfandstock.com.
Story by Laura Lehman Amstutz
EMU seminary grads ‘anointed’ for minstry
Carl and Becky Van Stavern. Photo by Lindsey Kolb
Eastern Mennonite Seminary graduates Carl and Becky Van Stavern have spent the last three years juggling seminary and eight churches. Carl had five United Methodist congregations and Becky had three. Becky also finished her undergraduate degree online from Bluefield State College during that time. They drove three hours to EMS from their home in Weston, W.Va.
The Van Staverns were among 21 students to receive master of divinity degrees from Eastern Mennonite Seminary Saturday afternoon, Apr. 30. Two students received master of arts in church leadership degrees, one received a master of arts in religion degree and three received certificates during the ceremony. George R. Brunk III, dean emeritus and professor emeritus of New Testament at EMS, gave the commencement address titled, “Anointed for Ministry.”
The Van Staverns came to Eastern Mennonite Seminary because they knew seminary alumni Charles and Sharon Miller and Dallas Forren. All three are United Methodist pastors in West Virginia.
“These people have true pastor’s hearts,” said Carl. “They focus on the needs of the people and the community in which they minister. They had a pastoral identity that was created out of the formation program here at EMS.”
“My classes here have helped me become a better listener,” said Becky. “We deal with a lot of low income people who can’t afford to see counselors. We are all they have. Clinical Pastoral Education, pastoral care, healing class, counseling classes and spiritual direction have helped me know how to listen and help these people fight their demons.”
“I have appreciated the biblical focus at EMS,” said Carl. “I learned to understand the context in which the scripture was written and the relationship of that context to today.”
The class of 2011 choose the theme “Called by the Spirit, Sent by the Spirit” as their class theme.
“In ministry, are you anointed or are you appointed?” Dr. Brunk asked the graduates in his address. “Anything worthy of being called Christian ministry must put the priority on anointing – the Spirit empowerment that rests upon you.
“I will affirm on the basis of biblical precedent and on my own observations of life that a deep friendship between the ministering person and the Spirit is high on the list of success factors in ministry,” Brunk told the graduates.
“There is no authentic spiritual experience that is not Spirit experience; there is no genuine spiritual ministry that is not ministry in the Spirit,” he continued.
“As a minister of the Gospel you are accompanied, not abandoned. God has taken the initiative to make the Spirit an actor in our world and in our lives. We don’t so much then need to invoke the Spirit’s presence as to perceive it and conform to it, ” Brunk said.
Story by Laura Lehman Amstutz
Seminary training emphasizes spirit
Where is the Holy Spirit working today? The nearly 200 people attending the annual School for Leadership Training at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, Jan. 17-19, 2011, heard Cheryl Bridges Johns, a professor and pastor from Cleveland, Ky, explore the theme, “The Work of the Holy Spirit: Pentecost Remixed.”
Johns, a member of the Wesleyan-Pentecostal faith, spoke about the ongoing work of the Spirit in the world today. Johns preached at Monday evening’s worship service and provided plenary input on Tuesday and Wednesday morning.
“The work of the Holy Spirit has been overlooked in many Christian circles,” said Johns, “or, as in my denomination, it has been pigeon-holed into one or two areas.”
Johns encouraged the participants to think about the feast of Pentecost described in Acts 2 as a continuing and not a one-time event. It occasionally happens in Pentecostal churches today, but, Johns said, “the Holy Spirit doesn’t have to interrupt because it is working daily in the world.
Johns also suggested why Christians sometimes resist the Holy Spirit. “Pentecost is a festival of deconstruction,” she said “We don’t like to lose our individuality and our ability for control. As in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit causes us to lose control.
Part of this loss of control, according to Johns, has to do with speaking in tongues.
“Language is the last hiding place of the self,” she said. “When I give away my language I am exposed.” However, she continued, speaking in tongues is also a redistribution of knowledge.”
“Cheryl helped us see that removing the Spirit from the world has contributed to a divide between the theological academy and congregational life that can create unedifying categories of ‘educated’ and ‘uneducated,’” said Brian Gumm, a student in the seminary and in the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding.
“The Spirit acts as the mighty and unpredictable leveler,” Gumm continued. “In the Spirit, professors and peasants together speak with the tongues of angels, joyfully worshiping and serving God in word, song and deed.” Wednesday evening, seminary dean Michael A. King preached at the closing worship session on the topic, “Toward Becoming more Daring in the Spirit.” King described how a mentor encouraged him to live without a map, when he was in the midst of a mid-life crisis in his 40s.
“Your maps, your plans for where and how you’ll go are the essence of responsible functioning. But my mentor encouraged me to give up not only things like plans but even view of self, ways of making sense of life, doctrines locked in as the truth,” said King.
“Living without a map is a way of describing a life guided by the Holy Spirit,” he declared.
King went on to talk about how he learned that this living without a map “sometimes means understanding that God can work through your weaknesses.”
Participants selected from a number of workshops focused on the role of the Holy Spirit in topics ranging from theology and biblical interpretation to the work of the Spirit in the visual and performing arts.
“The diversity of experiences of workshop leaders was wonderful,” said Brian Paff, director of communication at Laurelville Mennonite Church Center, Mt. Pleasant, Pa. “The different voices contributed to the conversation on the Holy Spirit’s role in the life of the church.”
“The work of the Spirit was evident in the whole event,” said Maria Paff. “It came out in the worship, the fellowship time, the workshops, the fellowship time and the plenary sessions, and the way each of these things fit together.”
To order CDs and DVDs of School for Leadership Training sessions, contact Learning Resources at Eastern Mennonite University at 540.432.4231 or e-mail kingmg@emu.edu.
Story by Laura Lehman Amstutz
Seminary releases evening, online schedule for spring 2011
Eastern Mennonite Seminary, a graduate school of theological education on the Eastern Mennonite University campus, is offering two evening classes and three online courses during the spring semester, 2011.
• Kevin A. Clark, assistant professor of spiritual formation, will teach “Spiritual Formation for Congregational Discernment” 6:30-9:10 p.m. Tuesdays, Jan. 11-April 26.
• Dan Garrett, adjunct instructor in United Methodist studies, will teach “Sacramental Theology and Liturgical Practice,” 6:30-9:10 p.m. Tuesdays, Jan. 11-Apr. 26.
The seminary online courses are:
• “Christ in a Communication Culture: Communicating in Today’s Global, Digital, Relational World,” led by Julie Gochenour, adjunct instructor;
• “Ethics and Nonviolence: Sermon on the Mount” led by N. Gerald Shenk, adjunct instructor; and
• “Anabaptism Today,” led by Mark Thiessen Nation, professor of theology.
These courses begin Jan. 10 and end April 29 and may be taken for academic credit. Registration ends Jan. 10.
For more information, contact the office of seminary admissions, at 540.432.4257, e-mail semadmiss@emu.edu or visit www.emu.edu/seminary.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
