Good Goodbyes   
by Jean Larson

Most interns are into the final stretch, with 3 months or less to go. Now 3 months is a good, long time – it's the better part of an academic term -- and many of you are busy with special summer programs and finishing internship projects and covering for supervisors on vacation. But it’s not too early to start thinking about and preparing for a good goodbye, so that the work of closure is honored.

It’s not just "the work," of course. It's the relationships that have come alive this year – the widow whose husband’s funeral was your first, the confirmation kids who drove you nuts and brought forth your most creative efforts, the person on your committee who gave you confidence, your supervisor whose warts allow you to acknowledge your own and still dare to proceed – these relationships need to be honored. And so does your heart and spirit. That’s what closure is all about.

Roy Oswald describes two ways to do it poorly in his Alban Institute classic, Running Through the Thistles (1978). One is to soak up all your parishioners' feelings about your leaving, and keep your own at bay. This is a recipe for depression. If you don’t want to go there, take some time to be mindful about how you really are feeling about leaving. (If you’re mostly happy about moving on in your call, that’s fine. Own it.) Ponder, journal, pray, talk with your supervisor.

The other poor closure approach is to race through the goodbyes at the last possible minute. This is Oswald’s story, the title story. When Roy was a little guy, he and his brothers would take the short-cut home from school, through the thistle patch, often barefoot. (Who says brilliant church gurus don’t have a lick of sense?) They knew it would hurt, so they’d run as fast as they could, and then collapse on the other side of the patch to pull out the thistles that got stuck in their feet. Well, when we leave any important work and web of relationships, we’re tempted to do the same. We know it will hurt, so we try to get it over with as quickly as possible. The wise old coot inside us knows this is a mistake. You might save a few tears in the short term, but you risk ending up with ungrieved grief and unthanked thanks, all stuffed inside with nowhere to go once you’re back at seminary or into your first call. The congregation, too, is poorly served. They’re left holding their own bag of unexpressed thanks and unshared toasts, and, if another intern is to follow, they might not be ready to greet your successor cleanly.

The alternative to these two forms of denial is "transformational closure," a.k.a., practice in dying. (Need motivation?) Oswald says that the way we say goodbye is a little foretaste of the way we will die. So he gives us 5 closure tasks that parallel the 5 tasks of dying well. The first four apply to internship; the fifth to future parish leave-takings.

1. Be proactive, not passive. Start thinking now about the special people at your site who have made a big difference in your learning. How do you want to say a more personal good-bye –a visit? a card? a phone call? It’s also time for your internship committee to begin making plans for the end. New committees might need a heads-up. Some liturgical rite of "farewell and Godspeed" should be part of the deal. Check out the little liturgy on our web site: (http://www.luthersem.edu/contextual_learning/internship/handbook/godspeed.asp). Talk with your supervisor about his or her plans.
    
2. Get your affairs in order. What loose ends need tying up -- in projects as well as in relationships? Are there any housing issues you need to prepare for (utilities, cleaning)? A seasoned supervisor has said that the best way to make sure you will be talked about for months after you go is to not clean your apartment. Some interns leave a note for the next intern, the way President Bartlett did for Matt Santos at the end of West Wing. Nice idea. (sigh….)
    
3. Let go of old grudges. Do the work of reconciliation. Start practicing this one, because you’ll make good use of these skills for the rest of your ministry. You could wait until the last passing of the peace, as I once did. It was OK. But the Spirit gives us courage, so you might as well ask for a little bigger dose than I did.
    
4. Say thank you. When in doubt, you can’t lose on this one. Someone thanks you for the work you did on the clean-up project and you think your work was shoddy? Say thanks. Others say they’ll really miss you, but you know you won’t miss them as much? Say thanks. Having a hard time feeling grateful? Take it to the Lord in prayer.
    
5. For future reference: Be clear about your reasons for leaving. This is obvious for interns, although if you’re the first intern at a site, you might need to remind the folks that leaving is part of the deal. Even so, you might run into some frustration or even anger that you have to go. See #4 above and educate.

Goodbyes can be messy. Maybe you'll cry. It's OK. Be mindful, be honest, and you’ll do ministry even here. After all, "goodbye" is shorthand for "God be with you." A blessing, at the end, for your people. And for you.

Learning to Empower Leaders   
By Bobbi Bell
Intern at Resurrection Lutheran, St. Joseph, MN

"Dear Laure,
Just to let you know - I still haven't shaken the fever of 99-100.7. I now have no voice, sore throat, plugged ears and sinuses, what looks like (but the doctor says isn't) pink eye and a very annoying cough which only happens when I am trying to sleep - which is happening more and more frequently as I am getting less and less sleep."

Thus began a recent e-mail to Laure Schwartz. It continued ad nauseum about me and also my supervising pastor’s longer and more extensive illness until I stated that “this is undoubtedly more information than you wanted!” I went on to tell her of the unexpected joy of watching others become empowered to create and participate in activities which for years had been my roles in my home church. I had anticipated feeling sadness and loss, to put it mildly, not to sing the Holden Evening Prayer every week.

There has been a very distinct and clear paradigm shift for me in being able and willing, in fact eager, to empower others to do what ten years ago I would have either done all by myself or micromanaged to death. Even five years ago, I would have wanted to do everything either out of the perspective that only I could see the vision and I was unable to communicate it adequately to others or that my multitasking mind had it all going at once and others would only be lost in the process. I no longer feel that way and it is so very freeing and exciting to watch others emerge and work together as a team. Several people have actually told me that I have helped them or a group to be self sustaining in some way. This has been an unexpected and joyous surprise!!

Even as I could label the realization that I was unable to accurately relate a vision to someone else as “a mature assessment of my limitations”, it didn’t necessarily mean that I did something about it. I have tried to find a balance between the excitement of the process and the excitement of the conclusion. Identifying that I was equally or even more excited by the preparation and anticipation of an event than the event itself helped me put my energies in the proper location. This allows me to work more cohesively with those who both share and complement my skills, ideas and focus.

I have always embraced the fact that the body of Christ requires and nurtures diversity and variety in order to function. After all, I would not want to walk on my ears nor try to eat through my knees. Doesn’t the absurdity of those images make the point well? In recognizing and encouraging different points of views, talents and skills in others, I find that I am able to have my own mind, heart and horizon richly expanded. My awareness of the scope of God’s beauty, power and love keeps increasing exponentially. I am able to better utilize my own specific energies, time and gifts for God’s glory. This is a new and radical idea for one who has always thought she had to do it all.

I remember the speaker during first week at Luther Seminary regarding our strengths assessments telling the group that rather than focus 75% of our energies trying to improve the five lowest of twenty-five strength areas, we would be better served by realizing that there is a reason they are our lowest areas. This was so freeing to hear. Why not expend most of our energies where most of our talent lies? Admittedly, there are always areas within which to improve and being well-rounded is a very healthy goal but why would I spend half my energy trying to be something I’m not?

In looking at my progress toward my internship goals, this is my "goal I didn't even know to set" for now. I look forward to stretching the envelope more as I transition to closure in this site. I’d like not to leave a hole or gap when I leave here as much as to have created a space for others to fill together with their Spirit-filled gifts. I think of the analogy of a quilt. My single square will be replaced by the bright, creative and collaborative design of others. How surprising! How exciting!

What a God thing! Praise be to God!

Editor's Column: Lazy Hazy Crazy and All That   
By Steve McKinley

When I was a young pastor in New England our back door neighbor was one of the leading laypersons in a nearby Unitarian church. (Interestingly enough, her husband was one of the leading laypersons in a nearby Episcopal church. Quite a combination.) One evening in May they had us over for dinner along with the Unitarian minister and his spouse. Not surprisingly, my Unitarian brother and I “talked shop.”

“Getting ready to close down for the summer?” he asked.

“Well, not exactly close down, but things do slow down a bit.”

“You don’t still have worship services in the summer, do you?”

“As a matter of fact.”

“Not us. We quit Memorial Day weekend, and don’t have services again until after Labor Day. No meetings either. We go to our cabin for the summer, though I do come back for a wedding now and then.”

Well shucks. This sounded interesting. I figured the Unitarian tent was big enough to include Lutheran me, but that wasn’t saying much. I was not sure I could be comfortable inside a tent that big. Having the summer off sounded like a good deal, but I decided to hang in with the Lutheran pop stand. (And, just in case some poobah in Chicago reads this, I have never regretted that, not one little bit. Of course, I got out of active pastoring before I had to introduce another new hymnal.)

This is a major change in ministry over the years. If they didn’t shut down, many churches used to severely curtail what went on during the summer. Now the summer is a time for mission trips, outdoor services, “Barbecue and Bible Study,” Habitat for Humanity, and all kinds of other activities. Still, July tends to be a quieter time than April, say.

So what’s an intern to do in the summer? You’ve probably got a few things on your plate, just as your supervisor has a few things on her plate, but if things are getting quiet, let me make a few suggestions:

• Most of you are coming to the end of your internship. Take time to say a good good-bye. See Jean Larson’s article on that topic, above.
• Write up a little memo of welcome and helpful hints for your successor, if there is going to be a successor.
• Go out with a bang. Try a new Bible study at a new and different time for the congregation. Maybe, say, you could get a little gang together for breakfast on Sunday.
• This is not a bad idea: Without creating a monster for the future, you organize hospitality breakfasts for Sundays from mid-July to mid-August. This is a prime time for people seeking a new church home. Help your congregation work on hospitality.
• A Bible Study? How about a prayer group? Pick a time!
• Or an informal Monday night service.
• And have you had that conversation with that high school-aged person you would love to see in the ordained ministry some day? Time is running out.

You might be winding down and you don’t want to leave a problem for your supervisor or the next intern. But you aren’t going to the cabin for the summer. The place isn’t closing down. Try something new and different and crazy. Repeat after me: Crazy is good!

Summer Suggestions for the Lay Committee   

The Lay Internship Committee has guided and supported the intern for nine full months already! First, it helped the intern get oriented to congregation, neighborhood, and surrounding town or city. Then, it sat with, listened, and provided input as the intern became an integral part of this busy worshipping and service community. Now comes the summer . . . with its different rhythms.

What are the summer rhythms of the congregation? This is the first and only summer the intern will experience among you. What should she/he know about summer at this faithful place? What can the intern focus on for the rest of his/her internship experience during the last three months? Are there projects that are calling for completion? What are the plans for the necessary closure of relationships?

Some groups break for the summer. Other opportunities spring up. There is still time to experience something new? Are there opportunities to get more practice in needed areas? The last three months, a precious time. Plan for it.

2006 Cross-Cultural Experiences   
from Rod Maeker

A total of 13 students from PLTS and Luther Seminary are registered to participate in three Cross-Cultural Experiences this summer:

El Paso, Texas: Two students will participate in a larger group of students from around the United States in a Border Immersion Experience in El Paso, Texas, June 3-16. They will explore the realities of the Texas/Mexico border mission and ministry of an ELCA congregation, Iglesia Luterana Cristo Rey on both sides of the border. In addition they will hear the personal accounts of border life and people involved in social justice ministry as well as participate in daily Bible student and reflection.

Chicago, Illinois: Three students will travel to Chicago, June 5-16, and participate in the Seminary Consortium on Urban Pastoral Education better known as SCUPE. They will use the city of Chicago as a multicultural global learning laboratory, engage in biblical study of the early church's struggle with cultural barriers, examine movement and communication across cultural divides, and visit a wide variety of ministries in diverse cultural settings.

St. Paul, Minnesota: Eight students will be introduced to the cultural disciplines of church-based community at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in St. Paul, June 12-26. They will visit and interview congregations who are making an intentional effort to form a new culture where the surrounding community is considered “Holy Ground,” in depth relationships are formed, and accountability to other congregations is developed. Models for pastoral leadership will be explored.

APPLY ASAP!!

International CC Experiences

If you want to participate in a Cross-Cultural Experience at an international site during January Term 2007, you are encouraged to apply NOW at the following CLI website: http://www.luthersem.edu/contextual_learning/crosscultural/CCMissionexp/default.asp. Four international experiences are being offered:

• El Salvador, Approx. January 8 – 25, 2007
• Lutheran Center, Mexico City, Approx. Jan. 5 - 20, 2007
• Gospel & Culture in South Africa, 3 weeks, January to early February, 2007 (Exact dates TBA later)
• The Holy Land — Its Prayers, Peoples, and Places , Jan. 9-24, 2007

You are being encouraged to apply ASAP so that the most reasonable prices for airfare can be secured. The longer one waits, the more the prices are sure to go up!

United States Sites

You may begin applying for CC Experiences offered in the United States beginning Wednesday, September 13, 2006. You are encouraged to also apply for these ASAP after this date in order that hosts may have plenty of time to prepare for your participation. The sites for JT2007 are:

• Chicago: Seminary Consortium for Urban Pastoral Education , Jan. 8 - 20, 2007
• Church Based Community Organizing in St. Paul, Jan. 5 - 19, 2007
• Cross-Cultural Mission in Minneapolis , Jan. 5 - 19, 2007
• Los Angeles Spanish Immersion, Jan. 5 – 27, 2007
• Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota , Jan. 15 –27, 2007
• US-Mexican Border Culture and Issues, San Diego, CA, Jan. 9 – 27, 2007
• Small Town and Rural Ministries - Shalom Hill Farm and Western North Dakota, Jan. 9 – 23, 2006

You may apply for these sites beginning on September 13 at the same CLI website as listed above. The description of all experiences, dates, estimate of costs, expectations, and requirements are listed on the CLI website. Please act ASAP!

Good Words On Health  

Why the concern about health? Why now? Concern about health is like concern about the weather. The topic is always timely, and a change in either can make all the difference in the world. So any time could be an appropriate moment to seek to discern what our faith has to say about health. Take time to download A Letter on Peace and Good Health by James P. Wind (PDF) from the ELCA web site.

June Cluster Meetings