Archives for November 2022

Everyone is invited to lunch church this Thursday, November 3 at 11 a.m., OCC Dining Room. During this week of celebrating the communion of Saints, we invite you to bring a photo or a memento of a Saint in your faith and life who is now part of the Communion of Saints Eternal. This will be a sacred time for you to remember and share with others about the way God worked through this person to form a part of your life in faith.

You are also welcome to join us online. A Zoom link will be provided on Thursday.

Each degree-seeking student may request reimbursement towards payment of a licensed counselor and/or spiritual director for up to $300 per academic year. Please see the Emotional Well Being Guide for more information. Please reach out (with confidentiality) to sempastor@luthersem.edu with any questions.

When you have receipts, please submit them in a timely manner through this form.

Fania Davis defines restorative justice in this way: “restorative justice is a proactive relational strategy to create a culture of connectivity where all members of a community thrive and feel valued. It includes: (1) storytelling and relationship building, (2) truth-telling and accountability, and (3) reparative action” (based on Fania Davis, The Little Book of Race and Restorative Justice, loc 309 and loc 412)”

Recently the INVITE group at Luther (integrating nonviolence into theological education) and Interfaith Action (a St. Paul nonprofit) held a lunch time webinar introducing restorative justice. We highlighted Brenda Burnside (Let’s Circle Up Restorative Services), Annie Kahn (Ramsey County Attorney’s Office), and Randi Ilyse Roth (Interfaith Action). You can view the recording here.

We hope that these brief notes make you curious! And now, the ABIDE committee at Luther is pleased to invite you to join in a three day in-person training led by Kay Pranis, a nationally recognized restorative justice educator based here in the Twin Cities. The goal of this training is to begin to learn something of restorative justice practices, particularly Peacemaking Circle practices, and then to start to find ways to implement them in your own settings. 

The Peacemaking Circle is used to build community, promote healing and transform conflict in educational settings both as a prevention practice and an intervention practice when relationships are disrupted. In a time of deep division and increasing isolation the Restorative Justice vision and the Peacemaking Circle process provide both a profound conceptual foundation and pragmatic process illuminating a path towards a society in which everyone belongs and everyone is valued for their gifts.

The training will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day from January 31 to February 2, and you must commit to attending all three days.  All fees for the training will be paid by Luther Seminary, and in addition we will provide snacks and food during the event.

Faculty and staff will be given first priority in this training, but as room permits we will also welcome students. Please register here.

Questions can be directed to Mary Hess (mhess@luthersem.edu)

Juli Kramer – 10 years – Word and World

Trevor Schaeffer – 5 years – Seminary Relations

Angie Miller – 1 year – Faith+Lead

Sitraka Rakotoarivelo – 1 year – Faith+Lead

Terra Zosel – 1 year – Operations Coordinator

Luther Seminary will be conducting fire alarm drills at 2 p.m. Wednesday, November 2. Fire alarms will be activated in Bockman Hall, Gullixson Hall, and Olson Community Center simultaneously. All occupants will be expected to leave the buildings during the drill and to remain outside until the all clear is given.

An encouraging reminder to visit our vending machines in the 2nd floor café area of OCC. This Canteen Market features beverages, snacks, and fresh food options! To learn how to set up an account for easy access, check out this link, or find instructions on the side of the machine. If our campus sales of the fresh food don’t increase in the next few weeks, we run the risk of losing these options entirely. So, make your way there and check out the fresh food offerings today!