In this issue Greetings from Randy Nelson What do I do now? Intro to the Editor 101 Internship cluster events Lay Committee Talk o' the Month Good Words from Craig Barnes News from campus So how's it with you? Intern CLI Contact List CLI staff photo Links you'll like Internship Handbook Lay Committee Handbook Internship Forms Contact us The Contextual Leadership Initiative staff is here to support you! Contact us with your concerns or suggestions. Previous newsletters Want to re-read an article from a previous issue? Review previous newsletters.

Internship Newsletter: September 2005

A Greeting from Randy Nelson

On behalf of all of those on the Contextual Leadership Initiative staff, I welcome you to what we hope will be an exciting year of growth and ministry. I am aware that this is the second year of a concurrent internship for some of you. Still others of you began anywhere from one to three months ago. Nevertheless, whether you feel like veterans or are just getting started, we look forward to working with you throughout the year ahead.

You are one of 103 internship teams engaged in ministry under the auspices of the CLI of PLTS and Luther. What happens this year is important not only for each of you and your host congregations and institutions, but also for the larger church. We are grateful for your participation and commitment to the program.

We invite you to stay in touch with your staff contact person throughout the year and to use us as resources in any way that may be helpful for you. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Randy A. Nelson, Director
Contextual Leadership Initiative

What do I do now?  
by Steve McKinley

After my first year of seminary my synod president (what we called bishops in medieval times) “gave” me a congregation all my own for the summer. For three months, I would be the “pastor” of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Oxford Junction, IA. I was a bachelor, and moved all I owned into the parsonage across the street from the church on a Monday. By evening I was all settled. I got up on Tuesday morning, showered, shaved, ate breakfast, put on slacks and a shirt and tie and sat down again at the kitchen table, since that would be my office for the summer. I took out a legal pad and a pen and prepared to write my “To-Do” list for the day.

Item 1: Study and prayer. Item 2: Sunday sermon. And then I was stuck. I couldn’t think of anything to write down. I was there to be the pastor, but I really didn’t know in any specific way what I was supposed to do.

I know more than one intern who has run into this same dilemma. You’re there to be the intern, you’re ready to start, but you don’t quite know what to do, and maybe your supervisor is the type of supervisor who is ready to let you figure this out for yourself. After a few hours, you start feeling guilty. A few suggestions:

• Take heart. This is not a situation that will last long. In a couple months you will look back on these days nostalgically, and will be wondering how you can fit everything in to the day.
• Ask your supervisor to suggest a few shut-ins for you to visit. There are always shut-ins to visit.
• You’ve met a few members. Ask if you can visit them in their workplaces. That’s something that most pastors don’t have time to do, and it is a fabulous experience that will give you insight into the worlds people live in every day.
• Practice ministry by walking around. If the Altar Guild is meeting, stop in and say hello. If some folks are painting a wall in a Sunday School classroom, have a cup of coffee with them. Volunteers stuffing the Sunday bulletin? They would be happy for another set of hands.
• As a person whose most recent experience has been as a student, you will be tempted to spend a lot of time at your desk studying. Yield not to temptation! Of course you will spend some time keeping yourself mentally sharp. But don’t let the desk and office be a place to hole up and avoid people.
• Have fun!

Intro to the Editor 101  

My name is Steve McKinley, and I am the newest member of the CLI staff, the third deployed faculty person. I'll also be the editor of this newsletter for the year. I retired on July 31 after 38 years as a parish pastor, having served in New Haven and Windsor, CT; Auburn, MA; and Andover and Richfield, MN. The last eleven years were spent at House of Prayer Lutheran Church in Richfield. A few things to know about me:

• I am the husband of Pat, the father of Jill, Kirk and Meg, and the father-in-law of Angie.
• I served for eight years on the Board of Directors at PLTS, the last four as chair.
• For 26 years I wrote a column called “Pastor Loci” for “Lutheran Partners” magazine.
• I’ve supervised a gaggle or more of interns and contextual ed students.
• I loved, absolutely loved, being a parish pastor, and I thank God every day for showing her great sense of humor in calling a smart-mouthed kid from a more-or-less unchurched family into this fantastic life.
• While I also love retirement, I envy interns who are getting launched on the ministry voyage. I think the church of today is much more interesting and exciting than the church I was ordained into all those years ago, and my mind staggers at the thought of what the church of the future will be.

I look forward to working with interns in the southern Twin Cities, southern Minnesota, and the Dakotas, and also look forward to getting acquainted with other interns and supervisors. I’m going to be editing this monthly newsletter, so if you’ve got some ideas, send them along!

Internship cluster events  

Interns and supervisors will participate in cluster events throughout the internship year. Generally, your opportunities are once in the fall and once in the spring. The cluster is a chance for reconnecting with your colleagues and discussing ministry realities both challenging and celebrative. Please make every effort to attend your cluster event.