tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227992622009-10-31T16:11:04.483-04:00Reflections on mission and ministry from Lutheran Campus Ministry, Ann Arbor, Michigan.Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-29088233482794954722009-10-31T16:04:00.003-04:002009-10-31T16:07:26.098-04:00

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Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-28085056524331347162009-09-01T13:54:00.003-04:002009-09-01T13:56:36.780-04:00

A number of people have asked that we publish the prayers of the people that were offered this past Sunday, August 30, 2009. We are pleased to share them with the permission of their author, Merton Spencer:God Of All The Universe…You constantly call your church to re-formation and renewal. We give you thanks for the ELCA and the churchwide assembly actions that bring this church closer to be what

Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-53414648930512360932009-08-25T12:12:00.010-04:002009-08-25T12:32:56.908-04:00

Apologies'Sorry for the delay in writing, folks. Our very weak Internet connection pretty much died - along with my energy...Overall ReflectionsThis assembly - my first as a voting member - was both exhilarating and exhausting: physically, emotionally and spiritually. As I said to a couple of folks along the way, I didn't realize I should have gone into training for this event - but it would have

Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-59431482704891649952009-08-22T08:23:00.008-04:002009-08-25T12:12:26.964-04:00

An Historic DayThe day was a blur. The major items before us, of course, were the four ministry principles that put into effect the acceptance of GLBT clergy in committed relationships (that long phraseology is just toooooooooo long to repeat!). While there were some who approached the process from a position of anger and threat, most approached the day from a position of earnest belief and

Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-25490646927150808572009-08-20T23:40:00.004-04:002009-08-22T08:40:22.474-04:00

Random ReflectionsOur day began with a quasi-committee of the whole, over breakfast, at round tables in the dining room. To my left was the Bishop of North Carolina who shared the story of how a pastor in his synod wrote a letter to his congregation, explaining how he felt about the Statement on Sexuality and the rostering of GLBT folks in committed relationships (which they refer to as, "

Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-10570761509826079732009-08-20T00:37:00.004-04:002009-08-22T08:42:09.677-04:00

We have pictures!Okay, I can find only one at this point.The bishop and I made it onto the front page of the ELCA web site! (Photo from Tuesday.) We had been asked to talk about how we saw God moving in our places of ministry & Bishop Steve and I were having a heart to heart about prayer. Of course, before I saw this photo, I had heard about it from half a dozen people! Pretty funny! The bishop

Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-60390084141550564442009-08-18T19:57:00.002-04:002009-08-18T20:08:09.727-04:00

Today was an interesting day. (How's that for a lame beginning?)We heard the Presiding Bishop's report which, as expected, was enlightening and inspiring.We heard a LOT about the Malaria and HIV/AIDS initiatives (Rebecca Coulborn! You shoulda been here - but the docs are online...) It seemed to me as though a remarkable number of people had personal experience with malaria. $10 buys a netting

Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-11974255237997953612009-08-18T00:46:00.003-04:002009-08-18T01:22:26.943-04:00

Preface Before I share about the assembly, I want to mention that Bishop Marsh's mother had a heart attack yesterday (August 16, the first anniversary of Bishop Schreiber's death - creepy coincidence). Please keep his family in your prayers. His mother is in Temecula with two sisters and a brother at her bedside. It's tough on Bishop Steve not to be there, as you can well imagine. Opening

Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-79932290015172190412009-06-04T17:17:00.003-04:002009-06-04T17:19:03.682-04:00

The final day of summer camp in 1996 concluded in a large assembly on the hillside, the parents were invited, and the camp counselors and staff talked about the previous week, speaking of our turns on the zip-line and the blob, swimming, canoeing, worship in the evening, and devotions in the afternoon. As they spoke they did not simply describe what we did, they attached the word awesome to

Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-72188883939793801182009-05-02T21:53:00.003-04:002009-05-02T21:56:30.611-04:00

May 2, 2009On the 5th ballot, The Rev. Stephen G. Marsh was elected Bishop of the Southeast Michigan Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America!The Bishop-Elect has requested that we pray for him daily. And so, we shall pray that God will bless, direct and guide him in this new calling.Pastor Sue

Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-23129526599447881782009-05-02T21:43:00.007-04:002009-05-02T21:52:17.238-04:00

Perry and Casey Francis and Pastor Sue were late arriving at the Southeast Michigan Synod Assembly because they wouldn't miss attending Max Wineland's commissioning ceremony! Max looks like a million bucks in his dress blues! Taking the oath - together! Mom and Dad have the honor of pinning on his bars.Congratulations, Max! We're proud of you!

Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-56045061040974293252009-05-02T21:36:00.004-04:002009-05-02T21:53:20.241-04:00

Back (l to r): Collen Jensen, Kelle Parsons, Rebekah Vanwieren, Max WinelandFront: Casey Francis, Laura Heinrich, Jackie Hibbard Six of our ten graduates were able to participate in worship on Graduate Recognition Sunday, April 26th. The future Dr. Laura Heinrich preached, organizational management specialist Kelle Parsons served as Assisting Minister and double master's degree candidate Colleen

Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-31148963751398217972009-03-04T13:36:00.003-05:002009-03-04T13:57:19.708-05:00

SabeelOn a very rainy Friday morning, we made our way to the offices of Sabeel in Jerusalem. Ironically, while we had been invited to visit by Naim Ateek, founder of Sabeel, he was in the Detroit area on a book tour while we were in Jerusalem! However, two long-time volunteers stood in and shared with us the work of the organization, its joys and challenges.Rain, Rain...The rain put a bit of a

Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-89500722995890168652009-03-04T13:28:00.004-05:002009-03-04T13:36:28.391-05:00

A Visit with Bishop YounanWe were able to enjoy a bit of a leisurely morning before checking out of the ICB and transferring to Jerusalem. The highlight of the day was the opportunity to visit with our Bishop in Jerusalem, Munib Younan. Bishop Younan is a remarkable man – insightful, prophetic, good-humored. Our partnership is one of the great blessings of being in ministry in the SEMI Synod.

Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-15720836096343561612009-03-04T12:58:00.007-05:002009-03-11T14:35:49.494-04:00

We got a very early start on Wednesday, leaving the International Center in Bethlehem at 6:15AM in order to join folks from Augusta Victoria Hospital on a visit to one of the village clinics. Unfortunately, the Palestinian staffer assigned to lead the group was stopped at a checkpoint,refused entry into the area and forced to turn back. There would be no visit to the village clinic.However, Scott

Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-55606019881910616002009-02-24T22:22:00.002-05:002009-03-04T11:44:47.637-05:00

At-Tuwani At the village of At-Tuwani, where we were welcomed by Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) volunteers Janet (Scotland), Josh (Portland) and a young man from Memphis whose name escapes me. Much of the tour we were given was led by Hafez, a villager who has been subject to a good deal of harassment by the IDF (Tuwani is in area C so under both the military and civil control of Israel; as such

Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-8948489902530488892009-02-24T22:19:00.004-05:002009-03-03T20:22:49.318-05:00

The Dome of the RockWe got an early start in order to visit the Dome of the Rock, which is open for only very limited hours. Security, of course, was tight throughout; one enters the Haraam/Temple Mount via a series or ramps from which one can see excavations in process as well as riot shields stacked up and ready at a moment’s notice. I’d long heard that it is a very peaceful place; that is

Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-68015835617016537302009-02-24T12:15:00.003-05:002009-03-03T20:07:09.532-05:00

Check out the article about our Skype Worship in the Ann Arbor News!

Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-47677343882383380652009-02-24T12:12:00.005-05:002009-03-03T20:01:36.178-05:00

In the morning, we packed up and, using our cab drivers from the previous night, headed to the King Hussein Bridge. Within 2 km of the bridge, we had to change taxis to the terminal, where we went through arrival and departure procedures, security, paid our exit tax and then took the JETT bus across the bridge. They took our luggage to send it through security and sent us through. Then, things

Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-33374894047723633892009-02-24T12:10:00.007-05:002009-03-03T19:39:51.107-05:00

CAVEATDue to the size of the keyboard and time available to blog, these entries are going to be brief. So, it may make it easier for those of you who are interested in certain topics to get to them.Friday/Saturday, February 20-21We took off on time, made the requisite stop in Montreal to pick up some French Canadian tourists and were off to Amman. Our arrival went quite smoothly, with money

Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-18618975830277917942009-02-17T19:06:00.001-05:002009-02-17T19:09:33.998-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: The Rev. Susan F. SprowlsOffice 734.668.7622; Cell 734.255.7903pastorsprowls@comcast.netContact: Dr. Perry C. FrancisOffice 734.487.7120pfrancis@emich.eduFebruary 17, 2009Lutheran Campus Ministry to Host “Skype” WorshipSimultaneous Liturgy to Take Place in Ann Arbor and BethlehemANN ARBOR, MI –Lord of Light Lutheran Church and Lutheran Campus at the University of

Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-42491713772836922912009-02-13T04:45:00.003-05:002009-02-13T04:58:58.135-05:00

Friday, February 13, 20094:21AM I was a junior in college twenty-five years ago – long before college students carried cell phones – and even before most had their own phones in their rooms. The dorms at Oxy had central lines which were proctored from morning until midnight. When a call came in, the proctor would buzz the person’s room and she’d go off running down the hall, hoping that the

Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-60016001757543436702008-12-11T14:12:00.007-05:002008-12-11T14:50:49.365-05:00

On Sunday, December 7th, we honored three mid-year graduates:Rebecca CoulbornM.P.H. Epidemiology, International Health with a Global Health Concentration. Thesis topic: Human Papillomavirus and burden of co-infection with other sexually transmitted infections in the U.S. female population. Rebecca plans to continue working as a Clinical Research Coordinator with the UM Department of Epidemiology.

Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-60560866866458874392008-10-09T14:27:00.004-04:002008-10-09T14:35:10.448-04:00

Almighty God, ...teach us how to govern the ways of business to the harm of none and for the sake of the common good;through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.(Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 78 ) Grace and peace to you. As bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, we are deeply concerned about the current financial crisis, which is affecting not only our nation but the entire global

Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22799262.post-42632841408505613032008-10-07T17:27:00.003-04:002008-10-07T18:39:23.679-04:00

An organization called The Clarion Fund, which describes itself as "an independent, non-profit, non-partisan organization devoted to educating the public about national security issues" is currently distributing 28 million copies of the one-hour version of a film entitled, "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West." Copies of this DVD are being direct-mailed to individuals and distributed

Pastor Suenoreply@blogger.com0