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Newsletter - September 2019

9/10/2019

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Weird and Faithful: Community
Each year LuMin in St. Cloud scouts out a person, lay or ordained, who is doing something that is both weird and faithful in ministry and brings them to St. Cloud to share their experiences with students, alumni, and supporters of campus ministry.


This year we’ve invited Pastor Lenny Duncan, ELCA mission developer and newly published author, to join us on September 27, 2019 at 7pm to share portions of his book called Dear Church: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the US and engage us in conversation about how to form and maintain communities that have enough space to hold people’s many diversities. Find the event and more details on our Facebook page, LuMin in St. Cloud. If you can’t make it, but would still like to show your support for LuMin in St. Cloud, check out ways to give on the "Support Us" page here or like our Facebook page.
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Questions from a Past Project 
As I look forward to incoming applications for new student ministry projects, I wanted to share with you some of the work that a student completed for his project last spring semester. He applied to take some of his friends on a retreat to discuss how technology is changing the practice of religion. Though we hit some metaphorical bumps in the road, we made it up to Luther Crest Bible Camp in April for relaxation, good food, and great conversation. I think the student even surprised himself with how well the weekend went! Here are some of the questions that he crafted for our time together. I hope they spark some good conversation for you as they did for us.
 
  • Can the religious systems of the past work in the tech world of the future?
  • Do you think the advancements in social networking technology are helping people connect more or less?
  • In what ways do you think future technological advancements will change the way people learn religious ideals?
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Newsletter - September 2018

9/12/2018

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PictureWeird and Faithful 2017 with Pastor Margaret Kelly
​Give Your Information
While you are exploring our website, you will find a link to a form at the top of the “Support Us” page. If you would, please take the time to fill it out to help us make sure we know how you fit into the LuMin in St. Cloud community. When the ministry transitioned from belonging to a congregation to being a ministry embedded in campus life, we were unable to retain critical information about our alumni.
 
Weird and Faithful 2018
In 2016, I announced the beginning of a new annual event - Weird and Faithful. Each year LuMin in St. Cloud will scout out a person, lay or ordained, who is doing something that is both weird and faithful in ministry and bring them to St. Cloud to share their experiences with students, alumni, and supporters of campus ministry. For one afternoon, people from all areas of our church’s life can share a meal and consider how God might be nudging them outside of their boxes.
 
On October 14, Dr. Jake Sorenson, a practical theologian and researcher who finds joy in bringing scholarly attention to ministry especially experiential ministry, will be coming to Salem Lutheran Church in St. Cloud, MN to present on his latest research project. He set out, along with Dr. Roland Martinson, to discover exactly what Lutheran Campus Ministry looks like across the country and what it offers to students and the larger church alike. The research has taken over two years to complete and is the largest study of its kind. Come and hear what Jake has discovered about the character of campus ministry in our Church.
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Newsletter - October 2017

10/3/2017

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New School Year, New Name
The 2017-2018 academic year has brought a new name for Lutheran Campus Ministry in St. Cloud - LuMin in St. Cloud.  The LuMin name was unveiled at the 2016 ELCA Campus Ministry Staff Conference. The hope is that the new name will spark curiosity among students and bring nationwide recognition to the efforts of all of the ELCA’s campus ministries. For more information, check out lumin-network.com.

More Time, More Opportunity for Connection
Starting August 15, my hours increased from 20 to 25 hours per week. As I continue to live into my new schedule, I enjoy the increased intentionality and focus I find I can bring to LuMin events. The increase in hours also means that I have more time to explore new relationships with students, professors, and community members.

Weird and Faithful 2017
Last year, as we celebrated our 60th year on campus, I announced the beginning of a new annual event - Weird and Faithful. The idea is that LuMin in St. Cloud will scout out a person, lay or ordained, who is doing something that is both weird and faithful in ministry and bring them to St. Cloud to share their experiences with students, alumni, and supporters of campus ministry. For one night, people from all areas of our church’s life can share a meal and consider how God might be nudging them outside of their boxes all while supporting LuMin in St. Cloud.

On October 13, Pastor Margaret Kelly, a mission developer in the ELCA who formed a ministry around a food truck called Shobi’s Table, will share her experiences guiding a ministry that may look weird from the outside, but is faithful to Jesus' example of meeting people where they are. Their mission is to “provide food, friendship, faith, and employment skills to the homeless and near homeless people of St. Paul.” Details and tickets are available on Eventbrite now!
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A Reflection upon the 60th Anniversary of LCM in St. Cloud

9/16/2016

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Welcome to our 60th Anniversary Celebration.

I’m Pastor Courtney Young, and I’m the new Lutheran Campus Pastor at SCSU. I actually went to St. Olaf for my college education so part of my work here has been to figure out what Lutheran Campus Ministry is both in St. Cloud and in general as part of the ELCA. As I’ve been digging into the history of this organization, there has been a lot of other conversations going on about the impending 500th anniversary of the Reformation. We Lutherans really like to talk about the Reformation, but we don’t like to talk about what reformation implies. Really, reformation is just a fancy way of talking about change and with change always comes sacrifice. Sometimes we choose the sacrifices we make, sometimes we are forced by circumstances to make sacrifices and adapt.

Now, as I’ve been learning about the history of campus ministry here in St. Cloud, I’ve heard many different stories of reformation and sacrifice. First, I heard how this ministry grew out of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, and eventually became its own standalone ministry. They reformed so that they could have closer ties to campus and to other campus ministries, but there was sacrifice there - they lost intimacy with the community at Bethlehem. The second big change that I heard about was when they sold the houses to found University Lutheran Church of the Epiphany. They reformed so that they could draw together a more diverse community around worship. They sacrificed some of the everyday, run-of-the-mill moments that are more likely to happen in a ministry that functions out of a house. The third change, which I’ve heard the most about, is the closing of University Lutheran Church of the Epiphany. So far this has been the only major story in LCM@SCSU’s history where they had reformation and sacrifice thrust upon them. At least, the only major story that I’ve heard. They sacrificed much - a worshipping community, a building near campus. The change has brought opportunities too, now I work where the students work and my focus has turned entirely to campus and exploring what students today need from the church.

A key part of our ongoing reformation has been continually asking ourselves how can students and churches and alumni and supporters can be served by and stay connected to Lutheran Campus Ministry. Tonight is not only a chance for us to celebrate 60 years of ministry at St. Cloud State University but it is also the start of developing news ways to be in relationship with one another.

O God, we give you thanks for those who founded Lutheran Campus Ministry in St. Cloud 60 years ago and for those who nurtured it in all of its forms. You have promised through your Son to be with your church forever, and we give you thanks for the signs of your presence in our midst, then and now. We rest in assurance that you walk with us still, even as we endeavor to gather in a new way as a Christian community. Increase in us the spirit of faith and love and make our fellowship an example to all believers. We pray through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

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    Pastor Courtney

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