Meet Emily Lutz, First Year MAPCC Student

Name: Emily Nicole Lutz

Hometown: Dothan, Alabama

Age: 30

Home Church & Denomination: Aldersgate United Methodist Church, Montgomery, Alabama

Degrees: B.A., Psychology, Business Minor, Troy University
M.Div., Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary

Garrett-Evangelical Degree Program/Year: Master of Arts in Pastoral Care and Counseling (Clinical Track), first year

Background Information 

I am a middle child, a self-proclaimed psychology junkie and a lover of people. I enjoy traveling, experiencing new cultures and people, and building relationships. I love to listen – to music, to stories, to inspiring conversations taking place on the CTA (which do happen, really). I enjoy sports and am a complete sucker for teamwork. I am an introvert who enjoys being with people.

I enjoy reading, and I am inspired by people who tell their own stories of work, life, faith, spirituality, family, struggle, challenge and relationships. I love to watch (and quote) movies, whether romantic comedies, documentaries, sports inspiration films, or socio-political or historical commentaries. I search for God in the world each day through people, nature, and the creative work of each.

Calling

Having spent five years in the nonprofit sector in a cluster of diverse organizations (a faith-based, home repair mission organization, a state-level sexual violence prevention coalition, and a youth mentoring organization), I had learned that my calling was on the ground level of life. My personal call to the Order of Deacon in The United Methodist Church stems from this realization. I am called to work where faith meets life, or in the words of The United Methodist Church, where the church meets the world.

Upon entering my master of divinity program, I understood my call to be at a macro-level: organizations, systems, advocacy, community service and missions. After three years of education, discernment and work in various field placements, I have realized that I am called to a much more personal level of work: pastoral care and clinical counseling.

Attraction to Garrett-Evangelical

I was born in the Midwest and traveled back regularly to visit extended family throughout my life, and I have always felt an affinity for this part of the country. Garrett-Evangelical’s location, not only in the Midwest, but also in the wonderful Chicagoland area initially hooked me. I am also on the deacon ordination track in my conference, and Garrett-Evangelical’s impressive and long-standing commitment to and support of deacons and deacon candidate students was exactly what I was hoping for in a seminary education and community. Having been part of this community for three years now, I could not be more grateful for the many ways I have been challenged and affirmed, both personally and professionally, by my professors and my peers.

In pursuing my clinical counseling degree, I am so fortunate that Garrett-Evangelical sees the important impact and place of this vocation in the church and has garnered partnerships with other academic organizations to offer not only doctoral programs that equip students for licensure, but also a master program for students like me who are not able to pursue education at the doctoral level.

Career Plans

I am pursuing this next master’s degree en route to working as a clinical counselor. At this point, I am still discerning how this plan may manifest, but I know that I am particularly interested in grief and its effects on a person’s psyche and faith, as well as the ways in which faith influences a person’s experiences of grieving. I am looking forward to engaging in this program of study, taking my first unit of clinical pastoral education, listening to the stories of clients, and walking alongside people in their journeys as their counselor.

A Cross-Cultural Field Education Experience in Thailand

I recently had the opportunity to spend eight months in the Northern region of Thailand, interning with a non-profit organization called Borderless Friendship Foundation (BFF). BFF does community development in over 300 communities of minority groups in Thailand called the hill tribes, who face oppression and are not afforded many basic human rights. BFF works in communities to make education possible for children, to keep children safe from human trafficking, to bring sanitation and safe drinking water to villages, to educate farmers on spending and safe practices, to start hill tribe cooperatives and microcredit, among other things.

I have always been passionate about the Church working outside of our own walls, sharing the love of Christ through actions of compassion and justice in our communities and in the global community. So, I spoke with the director of field education at Garrett-Evangelical and, with her help, worked on planning a school-year long internship with BFF as part of my field education and cross-cultural requirements for the M.Div program. The process of planning, working on deferring classwork and graduation, getting housing taken care of, and figuring out finances was challenging. However, I am still overwhelmed when I think of all the support I have received from everyone at Garrett-Evangelical. I am blessed to be at a school that encourages me to participate in the mission of God where I feel called.

In my work with BFF I was able to be a part of many projects. I participated from the beginning to the end of the installation of a solar-powered water filtration system in partnership with a California Rotary Club. I worked with the newly formed Hill Tribe Women’s council to market handicrafts and to speak to the women about female empowerment in a culture that is very patriarchal. I taught English at two schools and had a chance to work with Myanmar refugee hill tribe children at a border orphanage, teaching them music so that they could sing in the BFF fundraising concert in January. I worked on BFF communications, putting together the annual newsletter, updating their Facebook and webpages, and sending e-mails to English-speaking donors. Aside from my work with BFF, I had the opportunity to participate in worship and activities of many Christian hill tribe communities. I preached in churches (with a translator), offered prayers at hospital beds and meal tables, offered music in worship, and spoke with pastors about theology.

This only touches on the many experiences I had over those eight months. I am forever changed by the places I went, the things I saw, the people I met; and I am forever encouraged by the power of people doing good. In the midst of poverty and violence, in a world where sex trafficking is prevalent, there are people working tirelessly in love and service for a better world. God is at work through people every day and we are called to be a part of that work for the transformation of the world.

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Kathleen McMurray is a 3rd year Master of Divinity student at Garrett-Evangelical.

"Context Determines Meaning"

My fifteen day journey to the Holy Lands as a part of a travel course with Garrett-Evangelical has changed my outlook on the nature of the Bible and the state of Israel. To see the biblical sites, to interact with the Israelites, to experience a different culture, and to have an experience with God was an awesome and enriching trip. I even experienced riding on a donkey and snow in Jerusalem. Visiting the Holy Lands has given me a new insight on the Bible and about the Holy Lands.

I often hear the phrase "context determines meaning.” Context includes the experiences of a persons or groups personal life: the experiences of success, failure, births, relationships, and so forth that allows persons to, or prevent persons from, experiencing God in their lives.[1] I have been reading the Bible most of my life, whether it was in Sunday School, Bible Study, worship service, or even in seminary. I never understood why the biblical authors consistently referred to mountains, rocks, hills, stones, water, and sheep, until I was able to walk through the biblical sites. It was the context that they were living in that the authors wrote such profound words that have become a roadmap for my life.

I remember one particular day when we were in Tel Hazor, which is an ancient city found in the region of Galilee in Northwestern Israel, about four miles southwest of Lake Huleh and ten miles north of the Sea of Galilee.[2] When you are at Tel Hazor, you have an amazing view of all these different landscapes and mountains. When you are looking at these beautiful mountains, it is mind-blowing and places more meaning to the text. I took a picture pointing above the mountains, because when in Psalm 121:1-2, the psalmist said, “I lift up my eyes to the hills from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth,” I can understand how these mountains and hills could give inspiration to this particular author.

In conclusion, I have to say this has been an awesome opportunity to visit the Holy Lands. What I thought would be just a fifteen day trip turned into a life changing experience. I enjoyed walking through the biblical sites, interacting with the local residents there, and learning firsthand about the war situation in Israel. I would highly recommend to anyone who is hoping to expand their biblical horizons to take a trip to Israel at least once during their lifetime, for it will change ones perspective on so many things. I am not sure when I will return to the Holy Land of Israel, but I plan to return some time in the near future.

[1] Stephen B. Bevans, Models of Contextual Theology, Rev. and expanded ed., Faith and Cultures Series (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 2002), 5.
[2] Charles R. Page, The Land and the Book: An Introduction to the World of the Bible (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993), 137.

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Tiggs Washington is a second year Master of Divinity student at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.

A Call to Prayer: Remembering Trayvon Martin and All Who Have Been Affected by Gun Violence

Less then 24 hours from the verdict being delivered for George Zimmerman and the number of Facebook posts, tweets, articles, and blogs regarding Trayvon Martin already seems immeasurable. Within the Garrett-Evangelical community a number of responses, prayers, laments, and insights have been lifted up from faculty, students, and alumni/ae. While there are too many to share, here are a few highlights:

"[I] find that the Lectionary can be eerily timely. Tomorrow's chosen gospel text is the Good Samaritan."

-Thomas Winslow Harris, alumnus

"Outraged. . . and mourning"

-Anne Joh, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology

"Tonight we see (again) that our justice system does not value the lives of young African Americans. I do. So from this day forth, I propose a new campaign. As a white person with undeserved privilege, I want to be available to help. Should you need a walk home, I will walk with you. Even if the protection you need is from officers of the system itself. Let us come together to make safe neighborhoods where our teenagers can walk home without being shot for the color of their skin."

-Audrey Krumbach, alumna

"Listening in church to see if the gospel is preached today."

-James Poling, Professor Emeritus

"The world won't get no better if we just let it be. The world won't get no better we gotta change it yeah, just you and me."

-Reginald Blount, Assistant Professor of Formation,
Youth, and Culture, quoting lyrics from Wake Up Everybody

"There is a Trayvon Martin in your service of worship today. There is a George Zimmerman in your service of worship today. Both pray 'in Jesus' name.'"

-Shonda Nicole Gladden, alumna

"I won't be posting a picture of myself in a hoodie because the truth is, in our racist society, white men in hoodies are never coded as a threat. Ask Justin Bieber and Bill Belichick. Trayvon Martin wasn't killed for wearing a hoodie, he was killed for being a young black man. That's what was 'threatening' about him."

-Chris Baker, current Ph.D. student

"The crucial point to remember is that it is not only Black people who grieve tonight. Certainly our pain is made acute by the history we have lived as a people. We cannot and should not deny that. Ours is a righteous anger born of this story too often told. We must remember that there are many of our white sisters and brothers who grieve with us in their way. Do not make them pay for the evil in this land, and do not forget that God sends allies to the people as they trudge through the wilderness. Melchizidek to name but one. By the same token people of good will of all colors never forget that while you may understand our pain, you can never know our pain. This was the mistake that Job's friends made. It may well be enough to stand with people in their pain and by your presence communicate more than your words ever can. To us all, this land, this world belongs to us ALL; not just the ones with malice and hate in their hearts. So, we must fight together against injustice anywhere, anytime. Do not coddle the unjust, neither be concerned of their feelings at the expense of those who suffer because of their actions, nor seek their favor foolishly believing they will change. Grieve with those who grieve because of injustice, stand with those who seek to bind up their broken hearts because of dreams shattered again, and again. And know, with all of your heart, all of your soul, and all of your mind that God will be with you because it is, as it ever has been that hears the cry of God's people sorely oppressed, and strengthens the last and the least and any who stand with them in the light of God's justice, grace, and mercy. Amen."

-Stephen Ray, Neal F. and Ila A. Fisher
Professor of Systematic Theology

A Call to Prayer

Beginning Monday afternoon (1 p.m.) you'll find a gray Garrett-Evangelical hoodie and some sharpies in the chancel area of the Chapel of the Unnamed Faithful. You'll also find candles. For those mourning, questioning, hurting, and in need of prayer we invite you to write or draw on the hoodie and to light a candle in memory of Trayvon Martin and all of those who have been affected by gun violence. If you are unable to be on campus this week and would like to offer your own prayer or thoughts please feel free to do so in the comments section of this blog.

Rest in peace Trayvon Martin and God be with the Martin's, the Zimmerman's, our nation, and the world.

Class of 1963 Memory Book

On the eve of Garrett-Evangelical’s 156^th Commencement, the classes of 1963 from Evangelical Theological Seminary (ETS) and Garrett Theological Seminary (GTS) returned to their alma mater.  As they do, memories from a previous era are sure to follow. Such was an era of typewriters, not computers; community phones, not iPhones; and chalkboards, not projection screens. In those days, the Garrett Tower housed a basketball court, ETS was a seminary of the Evangelical United Brethren Church located in Naperville, and Lake Michigan was a stone’s throw from the Garrett dorms. The changes at Garrett-Evangelical are certainly numerable and if you see a 1963 graduate, you’ll be sure to hear about it!

The Class of 1963 connects us to the past, but they also connect us to the future. When they graduated, they entered a world where African Americans and Caucasian Americans were far from equal, where an ordained woman was a rarity, and where the United States was still reeling from the assassination of its president. Although their present seemed bleak, they went into the world as pastors, professors, missionaries, social activists, chaplains, entrepreneurs, and counselors. They ministered to multicultural congregations on the South Side of Chicago, soldiers in the war, hospital patients, and the oppressed citizens of South Korea.  In essence, they did what they could do to change the world around them.

The world in which the class of 2013 has entered is better because of the ministries of those from the class of 1963. When the graduates of 1963 anointed the class of 2013 in Senior Chapel, they passed on on the torch. There is a lot of uncertainty for the Class of 2013, but they too will go out as pastors, professors, missionaries, social activists, chaplains, entrepreneurs, and counselors.  They too will minister to diverse congregations, to the sick and dying, and to the oppressed and hopeless and in their own way, they will change the world around them.

Travel Logged

Garrett-Evangelical has been proud to offer a variety of travel course opportunities for our students each year. We are pleased to be able to share some of our students travel stories over the next few weeks.

Becky Wilson (second from the right)
in Bethlehem

One of the many things that stood out on my first visit to the campus of Garrett-Evangelical was a flyer promoting a travel course to Rome. While I have not yet experienced Rome, my experience as a seminarian has been marked by travel.

By whatever means available from my home in Detroit to Evanston.

By train to downtown Chicago for urban ministry conferences at SCUPE.

By bus through the Galilean hillside.

On foot through an Israeli check point from Bethlehem to Jerusalem.

And last summer, by plane to Philadelphia for the travel course, United Methodist Studies: Wesley and the 19th Century.

This was my first trip to the City of Brotherly Love. I ate my first cheese steak, tasted soft pretzels from several vendors and preached a sermon from the pulpit of Historic Old St. George’s United Methodist Church.

Travel courses are a lot of fun. They are also hard work. Each student was required to preach two sermons on the trip. No big deal, right? Except for the fact that the assignment was to preach contemporary interpretations of John Wesley sermons. I considered dropping the course when I was assigned The New Birth. (Seriously, I did.)

Standing in the chalice shaped pulpit of Old St. George’s in the summer heat was a daunting task. Once my body adjusted to the pulpit’s swaying I found my voice and delivered a sermon to my professor and classmates. In this preaching moment I felt a powerful connection to the history of my denomination and my family roots, which are half-grounded in Methodism.

Originally hesitant to embrace the topic, but in the end, encountering a new birth of my own.

Traveling to Lovely Lane Chapel, Old Otterbein, Long’s Barn, Cokesbury College, Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Gettysburg and Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, I was reminded of the importance and the power of seeing life and learning history from a location other than our own backyard.

It is one thing to read about the evolution of Methodism in America, but it is another thing to travel through it.

It is one thing to read about Jesus’ travels in and around Galilee, but it is a totally different experience to put your feet in the Sea of Galilee and contemplate your future ministry.

It is one thing to read about violence and oppression, but it becomes real in a whole new way when an Israeli soldier’s gun brushes against your leg as he walks the aisle of your tour bus.

As I begin my final year of seminary, I realize how fortunate I am for the opportunities to travel and experience the world outside of the classroom. All of my courses at Garrett-Evangelical, not just the ones involving travel, have filled me with a boldness to preach The Gospel and with an eagerness to transform the Church and the World.

I am also eager to visit Rome.

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Becky Wilson is a third year Master of Divinity student with a concentration in Urban Ministry.