Southern Stories
The Quest to Define Community
December 10, 2008
Last January several of my classmates and I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Israel as part of our cross-cultural education. While sharing dinner with a married couple who was affiliated with another seminary, they remarked that they were impressed with the strong sense of community the students of LTSS embodied; both on the trip and in the several dealings they have had with the campus. They also were trying to figure out how they might foster this same spirit in their own "home" seminary! It's one thing to recognize this gift of community among ourselves, it's quite another to hear about it in such a positive, and dare I say it, "envious" way from fellow travelers.
As fundamental as it is for many of our experiences here at LTSS, "community" can be an elusive concept to grasp. What is the LTSS community? Is our community defined by academic class, familial group, age group, degree status, academic affiliation, religious tradition, or housing situation? Are we a part of a larger community such as the Eau Claire neighborhood where our campus is located?
Even a brief survey of this non-comprehensive list reveals that "community" can and should be defined in many ways; ways which are often simultaneously complimentary and mutually exclusive.
President Miller laid his finger on the problem in his opening address to the students, staff and faculty this fall. He reminded us that although we intuitively strive towards the holy grail of "living in community" we are often stymied in practice because just beneath the surface of consciousness, none of us is necessarily expert in defining what community is in the first place.
Without doubt, activities that promote campus-wide community continue to nourish many of us during this time of formation. The Friday night cookouts held this semester at the Hillcrest apartments continue to be a popular event. This year we are blessed with the presence of many children each week. Like future little "seminarians-to-be" many gather in their very own folding camp chairs to join the circle of adults in having some fun and discussing life.
Also, preparations for "Luther Bowl" were in full swing with football practice held every Friday afternoon. The LTSS Fighting Doves battled other seminaries in November in this annual and storied exchange of "physical theology."
Yet are these activities the only examples of LTSS community? Several students, spouses, and faculty have begun to explore a different, more inclusive take on the word "community." Instead of concentrating solely on traditionally campus-centric events, several have begun to take seriously the tricky question: What does it mean for LTSS to become a meaningful and sustainable part of the larger community: that of the Eau Claire neighborhood?
Although an individual student may only be in the Eau Claire area for a year or two at a time, the corporate body of LTSS is a presence that has had, and will continue to have, deep roots in Columbia for years to come. The challenge for the seminary may lie in creating and fostering an internal seminary culture which simultaneously affirms the participation of LTSS in its neighborhood while at the same time recognizing and honoring the "short-timers" reality for most students. This is no small endeavor; however, the Community Action Committee, having both students and spouses as active members, is committed to explore this challenge and to create realistic options.
Plans are under consideration to host a faculty forum to discuss ways to "crack open the church's stained glass windows" in terms of serving communities. Partnerships with local congregations such as the Lutheran Church of the Ascension are underway in order to become more mindful of specific needs in the community and to address the continuity issue.
Finally, in addition to the usual service activities that the seminary has long been a part of, such as Habitat for Humanity Blitz Builds, participation in the Oliver Gospel Mission homeless center, and fundraising drives for local service organizations such as SisterCare, members of the LTSS community are taking an active listening role in the Seminary Ridge neighborhood association meetings in order to foster a sense of cooperation and mutual respect.
Certainly, the Holy Spirit has graced LTSS with many gifts, not the least of which is community and the breath of life. We acknowledge this in the team cheer for the Fighting Doves football team: ru'ach! (The Hebrew word for wind, spirit or breath, pronounced as if you are trying to dislodge a pecan from the throat.) And despite the slippery nature of that word "community," despite the challenges that it provides each of us in our struggle to live it out every day as baptized Christians, we trust that the ru'ach of God will continue to inspire us and lead us rightly in all that we do.
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Article by Chris Wulff, student
