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Internship
Newsletter: September 2008
The Joys of Treasure Hunting
by Rick Foss
We have this treasure in earthen vessels...
2 Corinthians 4:7
 Treasure
hunting was my favorite thing to do in my former life as a bishop.
The treasure was, of course, the incarnate treasure that God was
providing in the form of pastors and other leaders for the church.
I know we are all sinner/saints. I gave up a slight tendency toward
Pollyannaism years ago. I don't have to look beyond the mirror to
understand the brokenness of life. Family, friends, parishioners and
colleagues have also provided abundant evidence of the need for
redemption in our lives.
I have no illusions about seminary students, faculty, supervisors or
lay committees, either. Sinner/saints all! I can deal with the
"sinner" aspects. I expect we will walk some valleys together - and
that will be fine. But what I truly love is engaging the "saint"
parts. I am looking forward to getting to know you, especially your
gifts, your hopes, and your joys.
I began this call on August 1 and am having a wonderful time meeting
people and asking questions. I look forward to learning to know you
- students, supervisors, and others - in the months ahead. I hope
you will cut me a bit of slack as I learn the systems. My colleagues
in the CLI are excellent, but we are a bit short-staffed right now,
and I'm new. Thanks for your patience as I begin treasure hunting in
this new venue.
Most of you who are reading this newsletter are at a new beginning,
as well. You may be entering an internship site, receiving a new
intern, beginning a new academic year, beginning or ending a CPE or
a cross-cultural experience, or simply meeting new faculty and
colleagues. In any case, I hope you seek and find the treasures in
your new settings and colleagues. Sometimes the treasures are dusty
or encrusted with stuff; now and then it is carefully hidden; but
when it comes to God's incarnate treasures, there is almost always
more there than firsts meets the eye.
As Calvin (of Calvin & Hobbes), the comic strip character/theologian
says, "There's treasure everywhere!"
I plan to delight in my treasure hunting; I hope you do too.
Rick Foss
P.S. As you might imagine, we are taking stock of how we tend to the
work of the CLI; that tends to happen with new leadership. We will
do this carefully, and take some time. You might be aware that at
Luther there will be a one-year sabbatical from Teaching Parish,
during which the program will be assessed in-depth and redesigned. You might also
know that we have had some staff changes, and we will be looking at
how to best do our work together as PLTS, Luther Seminary, and the
Western Mission Cluster. I trust you will keep us in your prayers as
we move into the new academic year.
Getting the Lay Committee Started 
by Sherwood Glover
One of the important early tasks of the lay internship committee
is getting itself organized and developing a plan of action. For the
purposes of this article, let's assume that the committee has
already welcomed the intern, introduced that person to the
congregation, and explained to the congregation what an internship
is all about. Let's also assume that a chair has been designated and
that a time for a regular meeting of the committee has been worked
out. What then?
In the
online handbook for lay committees, a possible schedule of
monthly themes for discussion is laid out. However, each
committee will need to shape that schedule to meet the
configurations of the congregation's programs and events through the
year. Moreover, the schedule of topics may need to be adjusted based
on the perceived needs of the intern and congregation and in
consultation with the supervisor and intern. Does your congregation
have a major social ministry event or a stewardship emphasis in the
fall? Perhaps that is a time to introduce discussion about the
intern's understandings of and approach to stewardship and social
ministry rather than waiting until later in the year!
 Whatever you decide, it is important that everyone on the
committee be clear what the agenda for the next meeting will look
like and have time to prepare. Each member of the committee could:
(a) give the intern one bit of feedback about the intern's
functioning out of direct personal experience or from what has been
conveyed to the internship committee member by others; and (b) ask
the intern one question around the topic under discussion.
Moreover, the committee members need to understand the ground
rules for the committee, especially around the issue of
confidentiality. What is discussed in the committee stays in the
committee and is not discussed with family members or other members
of the congregation. However, the committee is to be fully
transparent to the supervisor and the intern, avoiding any
triangulation between the parties.
One other suggestion: don't assume that because you have
introduced the intern and the internship program to the congregation
on one occasion, that everyone has gotten the message. Some may have
been absent that day. Some folks don't read newsletters or emails.
Keep reminding your congregation what internship is all about and
what the role of the internship committee and supervisor is in that
process. And celebrate the ministry that your congregation is
providing for the intern and the ELCA by being an internship site!
Fall Cluster Meetings have been scheduled as follows. If you have
questions about your cluster meeting, contact the staff person
responsible for the cluster.
October 7: Twin Cities South & West Cluster at St.
Andrew's, Eden Prairie, Minn. (Steve McKinley)
October 9: Twin Cities North & East Cluster at St. Mark's,
North St. Paul, Minn. (Steve McKinley)
October 13-14: Arizona/Nevada Cluster at Spirit in the Desert
Conference Center, Carefree, Ariz. (Sherwood Glover)
October 21-22: Oregon Cluster at Menucha Conference Center,
Corbett, Ore. (Julie Josund)
October 22-23: Northern California Cluster at San Damiano
Retreat Center, Danville, Calif. (Sherwood Glover)
October 23: Twin Cities Central Cluster at Bethlehem,
Minneapolis, Minn. (Steve McKinley)
October 23: Northern Minnesota-North Dakota Cluster at Hope,
Fargo, No.Dak. (Rick Foss)
October 28: Washington Cluster at Central, Everett, Wash.
(Julie Josund)
October 28: Southern Minnesota-South Dakota Cluster at Shalom
Hill Farm, Windom, Minn. (Steve McKinley)
October 30: Colorado Cluster at Evergreen Lutheran Church,
Evergreen, Colo. (Julie Josund)
November 3-4: Southern California Cluster at Mary and Joseph
Retreat Center, Palos Verdes, Calif. (Sherwood Glover)
Friendless in Cyberspace
by Steve McKinley
I was with an old friend recently who persuaded me that I really
should sign up with one of the social networking Web sites, even
though those sites are usually not the province of those of us who
grew up when the Old Testament was still fairly new. Always eager
for a new experience, I did it.
 In the registration process the Web site pumped me for information
like where and when I graduated from high school and college, so
that it could connect me with old friends. Turned out that almost
all of my high school and college classmates on that Web site were
people whom I either a) didn't remember; or b) didn't like all that
much in the first place. The first face I saw was that of a kid with
whom I used to fight daily in first grade. We weren't friends then;
don't see any reason to think that we would be now.
Well, I poked around a little bit looking for people I thought might
be on there, and I found three or four. The process then asked me to
send those persons a message of some kind saying that I wanted to be
their friend if they were willing to have me as a friend. And I
found the guy who suggested the idea to me in the first place and
sent a similar message to him.
That was about ten days ago. None of them has yet replied. I am
friendless in cyberspace. Nobody wants me for a friend. I haven't
had this much fun since the 7th grade.
I'll bet there are some interns out there who know the feeling. Oh,
you might have plenty of friends in cyberspace and back on the
seminary campus, but in that congregation where you've been setting
up shop in the last few weeks you feel pretty lonely. You talk to
people and all that, but now the shape of your relationship with
others is different than it ever has been before. When you were just
Sally Smith or Jerry Jones, you knew who that was and were able to
relate to people on that basis. Now you find yourself labeled
"Intern Smith" or "Vicar Jones" and people old enough to be your
parents or even your grandparents are treating you with a different
kind of respect and people your own age are treating you like you
are some kind of hyper-holy weirdo. You'd like to make friends, but
people often don't know how to be friends with an Intern or a Vicar.
(By the way: maybe I am telling you this too late, but as soon as
you arrive in a congregation as an intern or a pastor, there will be
a few people eager to be your very good friends. Be afraid of these
people. Be very afraid of them. I'll tell you about it some time.)
Your supervisor is an excellent pastor and a good enough person, but
not necessarily somebody you're going to buddy around with, which is
just the way it is supposed to be.
My profound advice to you: be calm. This too shall pass. Friends
will come. The friendships might not be the same kind of friendships
you have been used to in life, but they will be real friendships
just the same. By November you will feel like you have tons of
friends. In the meantime, dig in and have a great time.
And if you don't find friends by November...look me up in
cyberspace! By then I will probably have a great mob of friends, and
would be happy to add one more!
Welcome to Ministry in Context
For those of you who are new at internship or supervision under
the auspices of the Contextual Leadership Initiative, welcome to
Ministry in Context, the CLI Newsletter! We use this
space to give you some things to think about, to keep you informed
about internship and supervision, and to humanize the whole
operation. Your contributions are welcomed. Please send them to the
editor, Steve McKinley, at
smckinley001@luthersem.edu.
If you know of someone who should be receiving Ministry in
Context each month, especially members of your congregation's Lay
Internship Committee, encourage them to sign up at:
http://www.luthersem.edu/contextual_learning/internship/committee_info.asp.
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