Emmaus Conference UOJ Guru Jay Webber Quoted the Waterloo Lutheran Seminary President - You Won't Believe What It's Like Now! UOJ Is the ELCA Way

Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, Waterloo, Ontario.
Mrs. Ichabod earned an MA in German literature at UniWat,
spawned from the "little red schoolhouse,"
whose UOJ Pietism led to the following...

 These three UOJ advocates broke the ice for a shameful
public WELS-ELS-LCMS dogma cuddle. Emmaus 2015.

GJ - "Another Obscure Pietistic Hero

          Webber enjoys citing Pietists and baptizing them as orthodox or confessional Lutherans. The seldom-cited Quistorp gets that treatment from Webber, which would make church historians gasp in wonder. Strangely, Webber begins his essay citing Professor Caroll Herman Little, who once served as president of the seminary I attended – Waterloo Lutheran in Ontario, Canada. Robert Preus once mentioned Little to me and doubtless taught Little as an example of a ULCA pastor who agreed with the LCMS about doctrine. One little problem remains – the Canada Synod was Pietistic. For example, when one of the patriarchs of the synod visited a home and saw the boys playing cards, he said nothing. On Sunday, old Reble delivered a blistering sermon on the evils of playing cards – a typical Pietistic sermon for that era. Like most readers I have to wonder why Little’s opinions about justification matter to anyone."

---

Daniel Moaz is the Jewish scholar in residence,
on the seminary faculty.

UOJ Led WLS into Multi-Faith Education

At Waterloo Lutheran Seminary (WLS), the founding institution of Wilfrid Laurier University, our ecumenical, multifaith and inclusive contact creates a diverse and vibrant community committed to faith in service of the common good. At WLS, you will experience a place where spirituality accompanies academic curiosity to inspire global citizenship.

For more than 100 years, we have educated leaders for church and the world. Through our programs, you’ll learn the art of engaging the resources of a public faith in response to the demands of a changing world. Our association with Laurier provides resources for you to pursue research and scholarly interests in an environment that fosters a high standard of academic excellence.

Our graduates find rewarding careers where they serve, with heart, in various roles such as counsellors, pastors, ministers, chaplains and social workers.

---

Keffer Chapel at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary Is Dog-gone Friendly

Most of our worship takes place in Keffer Memorial Chapel, a flexible worship space that also hosts academic lectures, panel discussions, community meals, yoga classes, and even sessions for students to de-stress with friendly dogs!

 Then - Keffer Chapel had liturgical services
and some of those silly experiments
that permanently alienated me from the entertainment crowd.

Now - UOJ has brought the Latte Church effect to Keffer Chapel,
plus dogs and various world religions.

United Lutheran Seminary Names Presbyterian Theresa Latini As Its First President — Gettysburg Seminary

Theresa Latini is devoid of Lutheran diplomas, 
which is appropriate for a Presbyterian. 
Latini is her maiden name.

United Lutheran Seminary Names Presbyterian Theresa Latini As Its First President — Gettysburg Seminary:


"April 20, 2017 (Gettysburg and Philadelphia) The United Lutheran Seminary named the Rev. Dr. Theresa F. Latini as the first president to lead the unified Seminary with campuses at Gettysburg and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

[GJ - Her blog is - http://www.theresalatini.com/

Her vita - http://www.theresalatini.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/TL-CV-2013-FOR-DISTRIBUTION.pdf]

President-elect Latini will officially begin July 1, 2017, which is also the inaugural date of United Lutheran Seminary (ULS), a consolidation of two historic Lutheran Seminaries in Gettysburg and Philadelphia. ULS is the oldest seminary of the 3.8 million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), dating to 1826. [GJ - ELCA started with 5.3 million members and has whittled that down to 3.8!]

Latini comes to the presidency with extensive experience in theological education as an educator and administrator. She has written two books and many articles on topics such as Christian vocation, congregational leadership, and racial reconciliation. She previously served as the George C. Weinman Chair of Pastoral Theology and Ministry at Luther Seminary and continues to advise students in Luther’s Ph.D. program. Currently, Latini is associate dean of diversity and cultural competency and professor of practical theology and pastoral care at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, MI. She has expertise in conflict mediation and has consulted with congregations and judicatories throughout the United States.

Latini will lead the new theological school, whose roots run deep in Lutheran identity in America and broadly across historically ecumenical Christian commitments. “I am honored and humbled to be called to serve as the first president of United Lutheran Seminary. Grounded in the promises of God, this bold and innovative union of two historic Lutheran institutions will enable us to educate and empower public Christian leaders for confessionally rooted, ecumenically connected, and interculturally competent ministry in the twenty-first century. I look forward to co-laboring with students, staff, and faculty at ULS and with colleagues throughout the ELCA as together we join God’s work of healing, justice, and reconciliation.”

An ordained minister of Word and Sacrament (sic) in the Presbyterian Church (USA), Latini’s background includes pastoral positions in Minneapolis, MN and Levittown, PA.  She received both her M.Div. and Ph.D. degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary. The PCUSA has been a full communion partner of the ELCA since 1997. Full Communion partners share a commitment to interchange of clergy and an official recognition of agreement in essential doctrines and sacramental understanding. [GJ - So that makes this farce OK?]

The Rev. Dr. Elise Brown, who chairs the Seminary Board of Trustees, affirmed that “Dr. Latini brings a broad range of academic experience and expertise in pastoral care, cultural competency, diversity, and conflict resolution.” Brown continued, saying these “areas of expertise will serve United Lutheran Seminary and the wider church in forming leaders for the 21st century in a church that has undergone significant change.  We are thrilled a full communion partner with such deep passion for and understanding of Lutheran reformation theology and history has agreed to serve with us.” 

Consulting with the Rev. Charles Miller, the leader of the search team, ELCA “Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton was very affirmative of the ULS presidential search committee's work and its decision to recommend Dr. Latini.”  During the search process, Miller also observed “After two interviews and some forty questions ranging from ‘what is a seminary?,’ ‘what does it mean to be Lutheran in America today?,’ and ‘how do you work with people who don't agree with you?,’ Dr. Latini's responses persuaded our committee that she was ULS leadership-ready! Her answers were thoughtful and theologically astute. Dr. Latini's gifts and experience equip her exceptionally well to lead ULS in its pivotal and formative launching on July 1, 2017.”  [GJ - Given the parameters, I have to heartily agree with this assessment.]

President-elect Latini will begin as the Seminary President July 1, with a planned inauguration for November 2, 2017 in Lancaster, PA. She will live at both Gettysburg and Philadelphia campuses with her husband, Tom van Deusen, and daughter Eleanor.

The search for a seminary president was launched last fall following the decisions of Gettysburg Seminary President Michael Cooper-White to retire after 17 years of service, and President David Lose of The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, took a call to serve as senior pastor of Mount Olivet Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, MN."


'via Blog this'

***
GJ -

The latest ELCA seminary presidents are -

 Louise Johnson, Wartburg Seminary - founded by Loehe.

 Robin Steinke, on the right, is president of Luther Seminary.

The Berkeley seminary combined with a college, just as Southern did. Now Trinity in Columbus is merging with Capital University. Some additional documents are being handed to the ELCA Board of Directors, which suggests that similar adjustments are coming.

All the ELCA seminaries are financially distraught, no matter what the happy talk memos say. The leaders managed to shrink the ELCA faster than wool in boiling water, just in time for the brick and mortar investments of the past to become an expensive burden.

 Susan Johnson - "Why wasn't I hired?
I went to Waterloo Lutheran Seminary
and have extensive experience as a Canadian bishop, eh?"

Mulched Yards Hold the Rain - Five More Inches Fell Last Night

 God delights in using overlooked people and bad situations
to glorify His Name.
Dandelions quietly help the soil, provide fluff for birds' nests,
and offer super-nutritious leaves.
Man answers by poisoning and pulling them.

I was tempted to look at my wheelbarrow rain gauge, after all-night storms, which cut out the Internet. I could not find a pair of bad shoes to check the wheelbarrow. I only found two right-handed shoes fit for mud and water, so I was content to look out the back door and make a guess.

The backyard is under water. Fortunately, the rain flows down the sides of the house and down into the street. The wood and leaf mulches absorb all the rain and hold it, sponge-like, and keep the plants hydrated.

One old slander of wood mulch is - "The wood absorbs nitrogen, especially sawdust, as it ages or rots." Yes, that is true, but wood also releases that nitrogen. Nothing is wasted, as the Feeding of the Five Thousand miracle teaches. The fragments are gathered up rather than tossed away.

Organic compounds hold useful soil ingredients in the top 12 inches of soil, helped immeasurably by the soil creatures. I look at these organic ingredients as immobile (mulch, manure, leaves, banana peels, shredded wood). The following are mobile forms of organic chemicals:

• Earthworms
• Spiders
• Beetles
• Springtails
• Ants
• Larvae
• Protozoa
• Bacteria
• Nematodes, and
• The prince of all earth-movers - the mole.

When the soil creatures die - or as they die - they become part of another creature. Thus the Manager provides food for all others plants and animals, which themselves become food for all plants and animals.

The spider that eats the bug is snatched by the bird for its young, whose manure provides growth for the plants that host the spider. 

God is a careful and miserly manager, using every ingredient and creature for Every Day Low Costs (a Walmart motto). Unlike us humans, the creatures and plants go about their labor exactly as designed, with total dedication. Today Mr. Cardinal was going to the backyard feeder to bring seed for Mrs. Cardinal, sitting on her nest in the Crepe Myrtle. I would not go out in the driving rain. Sassy refused, too. But Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal were doing their jobs regardless of the nasty weather.

Some "nice try" additions to the soil will not hurt - Epsom Salts (as suggested by the Epsom Salts Council), egg shells, coffee grounds, and used tea bags. None of those things will make a significant positive difference. Minerals need to be converted to useful versions, so Epsom Salts will only benefit the producers -  but they are still a great ingredient for foot soaks.

Egg shells will not become a part of the soil unless used by birds in their crops, maybe by earthworms in their crops. They are not worth the trouble, but good for arguments. If gardeners want calcium for their plants, let the Dandelion herb grow and flourish - it mines calcium from the soil and provides a neat conversion, to bring calcium up from the taproot to the surface. Earthworms also create useful calcium with unique glands engineered for that purpose.

Bananas are the most frequently bought item at a grocery store (source - Walmart guru). We buy them regularly and toss the peels on the bird feeding area. That can be 400 peels a year, an appealing statistic. The peels dry quickly and become part of bug and earthworm food - a good addition. I do not think there is enough coffee and tea leftovers to make a difference, but I am adding de-caff ground coffee to plants as a mulch, for fun and retribution. I really dislike de-caff and bought it on sale.

Adding organics is more a matter of habit than sudden great ideas and a new idea just promoted on Facebook. Gathering leaves and bits of trees are habits that add up to a lot of improvement.

Our neighbor's adult daughter asked about how to help plants grow under a tree. I suggested bags of organic matter, like mushroom compost and mulch. Earthworms will lighten the soil by pulling it down and tunneling in the soil. The process is far more complex, but that is obvious part. She said, "We have a place where we throw our grass and leaves. It has a million earthworms we got from Mom."

I said, "Ah yes. Those are the grandchildren from the red wiggles I gave her for composting." So my initial purchase of earthworms led to their descendants changing the soil at the homes of the mother and daughter.

Butterfly Weed is an attractive flower needed
by the Monarch Butterfly.
The caterpillars also thrive on Milkweed.

Glad I Planted Before the Rain
Yesterday's effort assumed a rainstorm, but nothing like the one we received. I have 5,000 Buckwheat seeds being drowned, eaten, or germinating. Likewise, 1,000 Butterfly Weed seeds.

The old farming adage—
"One for the mouse, one for the crow,
One to rot, and one to grow,"
is true of fruits as well as of seeds.
And many variations in the source.

The new and old roses are getting warm showers, nitrogen compounds for their growth, and perfect water to hydrate them and the soil creatures.

I poked Hidden Lily rhizomes into the soil, and they are getting settled by the long rain. They were already hydrated by a night immersed in the rain-barrel.

  Hidden Lilies are my latest, all-weather find -
and the cost is low.