What's it like to be a seminarian here?

I was persuaded that ETSS was the right seminary for me by hearing or reading about many of its features in the year prior to my attending. The natural beauty of the campus, the friendliness of the faculty, the pass/fail grading system meant to encourage an environment for learning as opposed to competition, the hands-on training in the chapel, the attention to cultural diversity, the focus on the mission field, the care for the students’ financial well-being and the care to the formation of future priests. However, now that I have been a student at ETSS for a year I have discovered that one of ETSS’s most outstanding qualities is the sound of students’ voices.

I have never in all my life known a place where the student’s voice was heard so well and with such respect. I have heard a professor ask for helpful critiques on his teaching style. Then he actually waited quietly for replies. I have heard students discuss in class and outside of class the difficult topics facing our church today. I have seen curriculums change because students were not afraid to speak honestly about their faults – and they were heard. I have worshipped in many different ways with my classmates as we raised our voices in prayer and song.

ETSS is an example to me of what the church needs to be today. It is a place where we all respect and listen to one another – no matter our differences – no matter our status in the community. I have been able to use my voice here at ETSS. What better way to form me for my future profession?

Elizabeth Anagnostis – M.Div. Class of 2008 – Diocese of Texas

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One of the primary reasons I came with my family to ETSS and to Austin was because I wanted to be challenged and stretched. However, I did not want to be completely bent out of shape nor broken. I definitely did not want to just be affirmed in my sense of identity or faith. I wanted to grow.

As a student at ETSS I have often felt like a child who is being gently, yet firmly shaped as I am being guided through important lessons of life and faith. I have been blessed with many important life lessons – some easier than others. Yet no matter the lessons learned, I have discovered the faculty, staff and students to be a tremendously faithful and supportive community in which God is truly present.

This is a safe place to risk, to stretch and to reach out. This community has not failed in supporting me. The truth of these statements was made real during my January Term Hispanic Culture Immersion course. Our instructor continually challenged us to step outside of ourselves, our previous experiences and what we thought we knew. It was tough and it was demanding and at times a little scary, yet it was also extremely rewarding. The laughter, encouragement and guidance from our professor paired with the unconditional support from my classmates were the underlying keys to the magnitude of my experience. I was allowed to see myself and the world around me through new eyes.

I have been quite literally moved and have been changed by my experiences here. I am so excited about being part of the ETSS community and about having the opportunity to share with the larger community of Christ’s Body the love of God as it has been shared so freely and plentifully with me.

Lance Peeler – M.Div. Class of 2008 – Diocese of Oregon

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The formation journey starts with God knitting us together in our mother’s womb. In my case, I embodied the Call to Common Mission in utero – my father was an Anglican chaplain in the Royal Air Force at the time and my mother a Lutheran and granddaughter of a pastor who spread the gospel on the Polish/Russian border.

When my father heard I wanted to go to seminary, he was reluctant. From his point of view, the church needs to speak the gospel in ways understandable to those outside the church. From New Student Orientation, to cultural immersion programs during January Terms, and the Spanish immersion with the Lutherans this past summer, I have been challenged to grow in understanding of and appreciation for cultures that are not my own.

I was initially really impressed that the ETSS catalog had pictures of people in it … and not just those in graduation gowns! ETSS is a community of people who care enough to be part of shaping and forming people in their current and future ministries. During my junior year, five of us formed a study group that has discussed and debated the materials for our Bible classes, as well as become a key support group for each other. Faculty members have been present for the metamorphosis from student to teacher and preacher. Staff members have encouraged me to keep going.

Formation has happened through people, academic work, ministry at a local retirement nursing home, chapel worship, my field parish and mysteriously as I encounter the Trinity and Eucharist more deeply in this community. In one of those most wonderful holy coincidences, I was ordained a deacon on the feast of William Tyndale, a man whose single passion was to translate the Bible into the language of the people. Yes, ETSS continues to prepare me as a person who will be able to think theologically, in order to speak the gospel to a world in desperate need of the good Word.

Susanne Methven – M.Div. Class of 2007 – Diocese of Nevada

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As many adults do, I had grown away from church, yet I had the need to find out once and for all what I believe, be able to articulate what I believe, and do so unapologetically. I can always subscribe to education, so enrolling at the seminary was my stepping back toward relationship with God. Classes, with their very fine teaching and deeply thoughtful discussions, are spiritually and intellectually satisfying. Every other Saturday I get to take a big drink from that well, and I always go away both quenched and with a thirst for more. My bookshelves at home have definitely taken on new categories, and I look forward to the reading and to my classes with genuine enthusiasm.

Being a MAPM student is one of the most enriching things I've ever done. The schedule allows me to have a life by not using up every weekend, and it has been my experience that the courses dovetail beautifully with one another. I would encourage anyone who is a seeker – no matter how nebulous your spiritual formation – to consider taking some classes. You'll find people just like you, discerning and discussing lots and lots of issues. And the conversation only gets better as more voices join in.

Susan Alexander – MAPM Class of 2008 – Diocese of Texas

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It is one year ago today – August 28, 2006 – that I was evacuating from New Orleans to escape the approaching Hurricane Katrina. I left in a hurry, car filled with my most precious possessions, my pets, guitar, a weekender bag and the textbooks I’d just purchased for the new semester of graduate study in pastoral ministry. Little did I know that the future I’d discerned and prayed about was not going to happen as planned in New Orleans . The painful realization that returning to New Orleans was not a possibility offered up the choice to let go and let God or to become paralyzed by the crisis.

The process of discerning God’s call has challenged me to expand my faith and extend beyond comfort zones of trust; this time was no different. I responded to the advice of a close friend to call ETSS to inquire about being admitted to one of their programs. The Director of Admissions invited me without hesitation to come to ETSS immediately so that I could begin the fall semester on schedule. After completing year one of the M. Div. program I am completely confident that I am in the right place. ETSS is a community of people that care about each student’s formation. The faculty, administration and staff – even graduates – work together to provide the environment that exceeds academic excellence, spiritual direction and outreach initiatives and mission opportunities. ETSS is vital to the important formation of my call to the priesthood and to serving the world through the Church.

Emma Jane Conley – M.Div. Class of 2008

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Being a student at the Seminary of the Southwest has been both spiritually and mentally rewarding. The seminary itself is comprised of a Christian community, which is closely weaved such as that of a family. The seminary has a faculty and staff who are equipped to offer more than an exceptional theological education.

Many faculty come from various experiences and different walks of life, which enables them to offer a vast array of knowledge to students.

The administrative staff lends support and tremendous assistance to those in need of guidance, counseling and financial direction.

The seminary provides opportunities for its students to work so they can meet seminary and personal financial obligations.

Work-study is an opportunity afforded students to be debt-free upon their graduation.

As an African-American student, I had the privilege of sharing a part of my history with the community during last February. I was impressed by many other community members who helped make this a wonderful celebration. As a fellow seminarian said, “African-American history is not only the history of African-Americans, but all Americans.”

The campus itself is simply divine – exuding its beauty of oak trees, plants and seasonal blooming flowers. This atmosphere of calm and total serenity enhances studying and reading outdoors.

While I had many seminaries to choose from to receive my theological education, I have found that the best one for me was right in my back door. ETSS is a seminary for all Christians, where denomination and/or tradition do not play a factor in the quality of education that one receives.

Susan McQueen – MAR Class of 2007 – Baptist

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Initially, I did not expect to attend the Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest. My original plan was to go to seminary somewhere cold, somewhere north – and somewhere Lutheran. That was before I visited the LSPS campus and met the faculty – before the little school that I was not seriously considering became my first and serious choice. At LSPS I met a group of scholars who are committed to shaping pastors for service in and with the rapidly growing, yet underappreciated Hispanic population in North America . At LSPS I met a group of students who see that Hispanic ministry is not merely an option for a handful of specialists, but essential for the life of our church now and into the future – if our church is to have a future.

The location of LSPS in Austin and the Texas Southwest – with its vibrant Hispanic community – provides enormous opportunities for study, immersion and service. It also is a context where theory is put into practice. This context is enhanced by the ecumenical spirit between LSPS, its host Seminary of the Southwest and its neighboring Austin Presbyterian Seminary. This educational context is made all the richer by its close location to the University of Texas .

Though LSPS was not my first choice, I am convinced it was best choice. I am grateful to be in and share this community with the faculty, staff and my classmates. I am grateful to be somewhere warm, somewhere south and west – and somewhere very Lutheran!

Ryan Pederson – LSPS M.Div. – Class of 2009

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Seminaries are places of formation. Spiritual, academic and personal challenges are components of that formation. It does not take long as a new student to realize that this experience can feel like uneven ground. We are called from our communities, our daily spiritual practices and, for some, even our families to come to this place of formation. On this uneven ground, it becomes even more important to find a balance, to find a place of prayer and relationship. At ETSS, Christ Chapel is that place.

I did not like the chapel at first. A slice of pie of a place, Christ Chapel always seems to be pushing me somewhere. It is a sacred and powerful place to worship, where light and shadow dance with the leaves on the great live oak trees. There is an energy in this dance that never allows me to be completely comfortable.

This restful and restless place embodies relationship, sanctifies my struggle of formation and teaches me how to worship and pray on uneven ground. Maybe because of this chapel, what we do best at ETSS is model hospitality and relationship.

Finding and maintaining a strong sense of community and relationship can be elusive. This community has found that core that makes a church community a family and makes this seminary feel like home. At ETSS, it is all about relationship – relationship with God, with each other and with ourselves.

It is the kind of place one does not want to leave, but as I sit here in Christ Chapel, the energy pushes me and the cross outside the east window calls me out into the world.

Ken Malcolm – M.Div. Class of 2007 – Diocese of Virginia

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Even before I came to visit ETSS I had heard about the cross’s placement outside of the chapel to remind us that the church’s work is in the world. That one idea convinced a northerner like me that it might be worth coming all the way from Minnesota to take a look at this seminary. When I arrived and walked down the hill past the stately live oaks, I saw that the great three-armed cross dominates the seminary grounds. We not only see it from inside the chapel, we see it turned towards us from almost everywhere at the seminary – a constant reminder of grace and of our purpose in being here. The welcome that I received here was so warm and genuine that I soon knew that this seminary would be right for me. The daily community life of prayer, worship, fellowship and study combine with the tightly integrated curriculum to prepare seminarians to carry God’s message of love and grace to the world. The classes continually surprise me with their connections, building on each other to create a solid foundation for ministry. The option to take electives in Hispanic ministry enriches my education, but there are so many wonderful electives that it is always hard to choose among them.

When I decided to come to ETSS I had to make the difficult decision to leave my husband and kids to fend for themselves for weeks on end back home in Minnesota . Even with this sacrifice, I’m delighted to be here where my companions on the journey have become a temporary extended family. Like all families, we students have many differences among us. With our wide range of backgrounds, life experiences, home dioceses, ages, politics, beliefs and more, we represent the variety found in the average parish church. Our differences challenge us to forge community so we can fulfill our shared vision of the new heaven and the new earth where God has called each of us to serve.

Winifred Mitchell – M.Div. Class of 2007 – Diocese of Minnesota

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The occasion on which my wife and I “decided” where we would move our family of four for my seminary studies was a warm, bright St. Patrick’s Day. We were dining outside at the prettiest spot in our hometown. If that sounds like a too-saccharin account of an epiphany-style seminary decision, it is. In fact, our exhaustively researched “decision” almost immediately felt like too much of a compromise. We had preferred a more urban setting, a clearer engagement with the community and something a little less, well . . . familiar.

I’d previously thought of ETSS as “that far-off niche seminary for Hispanic ministries.” Though my rector pushed me to consider it, I’d not even completed my application. But soon after our “decision” we were convinced to take the kids out of school and trek 1,000 miles to Austin for a visit. What we discovered, and what has been wonderfully confirmed in our time at ETSS, was an unpretentious, welcoming community of like-minded yet experientially diverse people studying, worshipping, growing and playing together atop a strikingly beautiful city block with the cross of Christ at its heart.

Picturing ourselves here was exciting, not burdensome. Yes, Austin was a long way from home, but we sensed we could enjoy making a new home, among instant friends, in a thriving city with so much to offer. Both financial aid prospects and my wife’s job prospects looked good. Formation for ministry in a multicultural society was clearly a strength of the seminary, but broadly construed, not blinkered onto a single track. Our decision, the new and final one, was made even before we returned home. We have never looked back.

Edwin Beckham – M.Div. Class of 2008 – Diocese of Atlanta