Two hats to wear at St. John's

After diving into the school year and becoming relatively used to the water, I feel ready to (re-)introduce myself in a slightly newer context -- that of Music Director/ ("slash") Seminarian at St. John's!  This is a very exciting time for me, and I thought I'd share this year's experiences with you as we journey together.

Some of my posts, such as this one, strictly pertain to St. John's, and you will see them published in the monthly church newsletter, The Messenger.  Other times I am sure I will go off on tangents concerning personal observations and experiences, and these will be confined to the blog itself, which you are more than welcome to read as well.

As many of you know, this is my second year as a part-time student at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP).  In terms of time, the usual full-time M.Div. program (Masters of Divinity) takes an average of three years to complete.  In my case -- being tri-vocational, I expect this process to take at least five or six years.  I took lots of evening classes last year, and found this to be very stressful while trying to  help my kids with homework, attending games, church meetings, or opera rehearsals, so I'm trying something new this semester.  All my classes now take place in the morning, Monday through Thursday.  This is not without its own challenges, however, since I still need to get the kids off to school by 8:30 -- and some of my classes, out in Germantown, begin as early as 8:15.  Thank God for older siblings in college!  With my husband Todd away -- he's been in Chicago for the past six weeks -- this life is not for the faint of heart and we live in a very crazy house!  I am not only learning a lot about theology and Church history, but time management, an important pastoral skill.  My classes this semester are Introduction to Biblical Hebrew, History of Christianity, and Old Testament (Genesis - Esther).  Each one involves intense amounts of reading, and Hebrew poses special challenges in memorization, a constant reminder that my brain is now a half-century old.  You will be hearing plenty of stories coming up about my Hebrew classes, I'm sure! As hard as it is, it's probably my favorite class this time around.

My fourth "class" this semester is Field Education.  This is the fun part.  For the next 2-3 months, I get to observe every Sunday School class, from Preschool to Adult, visit each Bible Study, attend meetings such as Church Council, preach two sermons, visit two selected shut-ins regularly, and meet with Pastor Tricia every week or two to reflect on each experience.  I will also be writing about what I encounter, hoping to use this blog as the basis for the written reflections that I must submit by the end of this semester.  Next semester will include more actual class teaching and more preaching and worship leading.

I am excited about this process and that, after over 25 years of God's prodding, can actually get the ball rolling in the journey toward becoming a pastor.  No, I wasn't struck by lightning, but that still, small voice kept getting louder and louder and would not stop coaxing me.  I always knew I had to hone my craft as a musician first, because that was to become my most effective tool for ministry for most of my life.  But even as a music teacher, God led me to people in need and called me above and beyond teaching singing toward becoming a listener, and in some cases, a counselor for others who wanted to minister in music or those who were just going through rough times in their lives.  Thus, a large part of me is stepping out in response to a call toward work in Pastoral Care.

So that's a little bit about me.  It's often difficult to put into written words, but I am always happy to share my journey thus far on an informal basis, so if you're curious, please don't ever hesitate to strike up a conversation.  I probably just won't shut up too easily , that's all :-)

A brief switch to the Music Hat:  How blessed we are to have guitarist Joe Frunzi joining us at 11:00 worship!!  About ten minutes before service, he will help prepare our hearts for worship by leading us in 2-3 favorite praise songs each week.  We are now starting up our Praise Team and looking for new members of ALL AGES, so please consider joining us for practice each Thursday at 6:30.  You don't have to know how to read music, play an instrument or sing.  If you have a willing heart and that still small voice is on YOUR case, too, just show up.  You'll be glad you did.  

More later... God bless!

~ Lisa