News from the New England Synod Assembly, June 2003

On-line study in Maine:
A story of learning and compassion

By Elaine Hewes

The seminary's Professor John Hoffmeyer and author Elaine Hewes were partners in ministry during the time of a tragedy in Maine. Both were part of a compassionate "on-line" study community.

Elaine Hewes, a graduate of Bangor Theological Seminary who took her Lutheran year at LTSP during 1996-97, writes about how an On-Line Theology Course for Laity brought members of Maine congregations closer together, not only by studying theology but through compassionate ministry expressed to victims of a tragic poisoning episode at a congregation in New Sweden, ME. The course was led by Seminary Professor John Hoffmeyer. Hewes is pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church, Bangor, ME, and was a public school teacher for 20 years before attending seminary.

It started with an evangelism question posed to the Maine Conference by Pastor Derek Gomez, Mission Developer for the New England Synod…"So how might Lutheran congregations in Maine work cooperatively to reach out with the good news of the Gospel?"

The 20 of us gathered last Fall thought about the question for a minute or two. It’s a challenging question for any ELCA conference to ponder, but especially for the Maine Conference, comprised of 17 congregations which span a distance from Kennebunk in the southern end of the state to New Sweden in the far north, some 380 miles apart. As "geographically challenged" as we are, any question about collaborative efforts between the congregations gives reason for pause.

A few ideas did come to the surface. Perhaps the congregations in the southern part of the state, situated more closely together, could develop a "preaching station" in an area without a Lutheran presence. Or perhaps the conference as a whole could develop a Lutheran "diner/oasis/center" somewhere mid-state for tourists and travelers and Mainers alike; an oasis/diner with good food, nourishing worship, and opportunities for faith formation and growth.

Both ideas had merit. But both also seemed formidable given the other demands on people’s time, the busy schedules of conference pastors, the distances between congregations, and financial limitations. Either idea would also require a large commitment on the part of the Lutheran laity in the state to be involved, to speak about the Lutheran understanding of the Gospel, to be intentional about "going out in a spirit of invitation," and a willingness to drive and drive some more!

At this point in the conversation one of the lay persons, relatively new to her Lutheran congregation, said, "I need help if I am to share my faith or the Lutheran understanding of anything. If I’m going to be involved in an evangelism effort, I need to be equipped for the task. Right now I don’t feel like I could even begin to articulate the things central to the faith."

At which point the conversation shifted from a question of evangelism to a question of Christian education, and an idea suggested in an earlier conference meeting was raised again… "How about developing a lay academy in the state to help the Lutherans in our congregations deepen and broaden their understating of faith, theology, liturgy and history? If we’re going to ask laity to do evangelism we have to give them the tools they will need."

Again ideas were shared, some of them off-shoots of previous conversations. Maybe some of the pastors in the conference could offer six-week courses to be held on Saturdays in a central location. Maybe such courses could be offered in two sites, one in the south and one in the north. Maybe we could develop a curriculum for a two-year educational experience by which laity could work towards an "evangelism certification." Again the ideas had merit. Again the challenges of busy pastors and geographical distances and wintry Maine weather loomed large. Again what looked to be great ideas, seemed overwhelmingly difficult.

"How about starting our 'lay academy' with the on-line course opportunity offered by The Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia?" I asked. "One of my parishioners has already taken two of these courses, and she’s enjoyed them immensely. She has also spoken highly of their benefits in her own faith development and growth. Maybe the seminary would provide an opportunity for us to sign up for the course as a conference if we asked."

There were some questions about the idea, some concern that those people without on-line capabilities would be excluded from participating. Also some concern that learning on-line might be boring and limiting in its capacity to offer opportunities for dialogue, something important to faith development. But in the end we decided to pursue the idea by taking the first step of asking the seminary if they would be willing to work with us as a conference on this idea. At least we might be able to get our "lay academy" started. At least we wouldn’t have to deal with the challenges of busy pastors, of distances between congregations and the unpredictability of Maine weather.

So the question was posed to the Rev. George Keck, director of the Theological Education for Laity Program at the seminary. His response was encouraging, and together with Dr. John Hoffmeyer, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, and John Kahler (media specialist at LTSP), Pastor Keck began to work out the details of how we might offer one of the beginning courses, "Faith for Life: an Introduction to Theology," to the Lutheran laity in Maine. Word went out in late February that this opportunity was being offered to folks in our congregations, and by mid-March there were 17 people signed up from nine different congregations spanning the length and width of the state. Eight of the participants were from the three small congregations in the northern most part of the conference; Faith Lutheran in Caribou, Trinity Lutheran in Stockholm and Gustaf Adolph Lutheran in New Sweden.

Those participants able to do so met for a little "kick-off getting to know you" gathering at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Augusta on March 30, although a severe mixture of rain, sleet and snow prevented many from coming. But the eight-week course on "Faith for Life" was off and running as people logged onto the seminary web-site on April 1 to find a greeting from Dr. Hoffmeyer and excellent instructions about procedures and computer protocol from John Kahler.

Through the readings and questions posted via e-mail weekly by Dr. Hoffmeyer, participants shared responses, thoughts, ideas and questions with Dr. Hoffmeyer and with one another. And while a couple of those who began the course realized early on that learning on-line was not for them, the majority of folks expressed surprise and gratitude for the rich opportunity afforded them by the course. Charlotte Bickford from Emmaus Lutheran in Falmouth said, "I’d never imagined that I’d be able to be in dialogue with a professor from a seminary about matters of faith." And Connie Mancevice from Redeemer in Bangor said that she was pleased to learn that "doing theology" was not just for professors. More than one participant said, "I’d never considered myself to be a theologian, but Dr. Hoffmeyer says that anyone who thinks about matters of faith and tries to grow in their theological understanding is a theologian… Wow! That includes me!"

Other responses include the following: From Barbara Aiken of Faith Lutheran in Caribou…. "I am enjoying the reading assignments we are given each week. They give me some in-depth things to think about. They allow me to expand my knowledge of the work of the Church and my beliefs as a Lutheran." From Charles Sykes of Trinity in Stockholm…. "I am taking the course because I am interested in what is considered to be ‘theology.’ I find the course is making me think deeply about my beliefs… I am enjoying the discussion board and reading other students’ responses. I would certainly take another course." From Joanne Parsons of Redeemer in Bangor…. "My evaluation of the course is good…. I enjoy reading the different sessions and the answers and comments of the other students. Yes, I would take another course."

Perhaps it would be enough to simply end the story here, and say that many people in the Maine conference are already looking forward to taking an on-line course from LTSP in the fall on reading the Bible. Already I can say that the story is about both evangelism (that’s what the on-line folks are hoping to prepare themselves for) and about Christian education. That’s a pretty full story in and of itself. But in this case, there’s more. Because unexpectedly, about halfway through the course, the story also became one of tragedy and pastoral care, as 15 people from Gustaf Adolph Lutheran Church in New Sweden were poisoned when they drank arsenic-laden coffee during the fellowship hour after church. Two of the people most seriously affected were participants in the on-line course, and most of the six other participants from northern Maine were connected to some of those poisoned. The entire community was in shock. Normal life stopped as people tried to cope with the media frenzy and feelings of loss, anger, grief, and fear.

As news of the tragedy reached around the world, Pastor Keck and Dr. Hoffmeyer consulted about the remaining weeks of the course. How should they proceed, they wondered, given that the entire Lutheran community in Maine was reeling from the events at Gustaf Adolph? What they decided to do is what makes this evangelism, education, on-line story also a tale about pastoral care…. Julia Adler, one of the on-line participants and sister-in-law to one of those most seriously affected by the arsenic (also an on-line learner) puts it this way, "When news spread about the poisoning, Professor Hoffmeyer posted a message on-line regarding the situation and offering prayers for our congregation. At some point in time, I can’t remember when, I went on-line and gave a brief update of the GA members. I felt I could not leave my fellow classmates in limbo, not knowing what was happening in our lives. As a result of both events (Professor Hoffmeyer’s message and my update) several on-line classmates sent e-mails via the course expressing concern, extending support, and holding us in prayer. It was a time of sharing and caring!"

(I can also say that it meant a great deal to the on-line learners that Professor Hoffmeyer stopped the course for a week after the tragedy to give them all a little time to catch their breath, to pray and grieve and support one another. All of us in Maine connected to the seminary could feel the prayers and caring from that community on our behalf.)

So that’s the story. Except to say that as dean of the Northern Maine Conference, as coordinator of the on-line course on behalf of the Conference, and as the primary pastoral care giver for the people of GA during their stay at Eastern Maine Medical Center, I have learned that The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia is about more than equipping pastors for ordained ministry. It is also about equipping the whole people of God for the sharing of the good news of the Gospel. It is about embodying the Gospel in Word and in deed. It is about extending the love and grace of God even to the farthest reaches of Northern Maine.

We in the Maine Conference have begun our long-term project of creating a lay academy with the best partner possible, LTSP. And we look forward to continuing this relationship in ways both on-line and off!