(January 12, 2000)--First, a few words about Pastor H. William Bixby of Lansdale, PA. Energetic. Bright. Effusively eager. A theologian with an evocative language style. Sprinkle in gobs of hearty laughter and natural charm. Bill Bixby loves the Lord, and he loves how the Lord is alive in today's youth.

No wonder young people flocked to Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lansdale to fill crew rosters for the Appalachian Service Project, or to fast in order to educate the congregation about the needs of others. No wonder they would eagerly sign on to act in a Youth Sunday drama, or just plain hang out on Sunday evenings to console and support each other.

Now, Bixby is opening a new chapter as Director of Theological Education with Youth, a new venture co-sponsored by The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, Wagner College, and two Lutheran camps, Bear Creek in Pennsylvania and Calumet in New Hampshire. Made possible by a $500,000 grant from the Lilly Endowment, the new three-year initiative has two strategies planned.

The first one will invite 28 talented high school scholars to a summer academy scheduled for July 15-29 this year on the Staten Island, NY, campus of Wagner College. The two-week program will involve the scholars in an integrated program of community-building, theological reflection and recreation. Afterward, Bixby will be engaged in follow-up at each scholar's home congregation. The objective of this first strategy, Bixby notes, is "to encourage the scholars to fall in love with theology as a way of embracing the matters of real life. If, after the academy encounter, the young people decide to embark on a professional journey in the church, that would be wonderful. But especially important is to empower the young people to live out the influence of the loving Lord in ways that might not happen otherwise."

The second strategy will involve a Seminary faculty member in exchanges with Counselors in Training (CITs) at Bear Creek and Calumet this summer. The faculty member will lead the CITs in theological reflection upon life issues.

"This Lilly partnership gives the church a place to offer so much to today's youth," Bixby states. "It says that youth are not simply blank slates, or people with troubles. Rather, it says they are already brimming, faithful people who live thoughtfully and who need to be taken seriously. It's a recognition that baptism empowers our youth to be saints and sinners free to live with the power God entrusts to all of us. They are not apprentices. They are living out their faith passionately."

Bixby says the Seminary's program is one of 26 like it starting up across the nation, and that such efforts recognize the church's desire to be more actively involved in influencing young people earlier in their development.

"It's appropriate for a seminary to be doing this, and this program is going to involve some mutual leavening," Bixby remarks. "This mutual meeting place will not only influence young people, but it will also change the Seminary. I doubt very much that faculty members involved in it will teach quite the same way afterward."

In recent weeks, the Seminary has been seeking young people to be considered for the program by soliciting nominations from pastors, youth leaders, bishops, camp directors and other leaders in Region 7 of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Nominees will receive applications in January, and in March, the scholars for the first academy will be selected.

Pastor H. William Bixby's background is as a parish pastor with responsibilities for youth and stewardship. During the last five years at Trinity, he catalyzed the growth of a youth ministry and catechetical program to serve 250 youth in a church with about 5,600 baptized members. Along the way, he expanded the youth ministry outreach to sixth and seventh graders, nearly doubled participation in the Appalachia Service Project and invigorated the high school youth program. He also forged a lively metropolitan ministry partnership in cooperation with the youth of Iglesia Luterana Nueva Creacion in Philadelphia's Tioga section. Ordained in 1986, Bixby has also served as a pastor and Youth Ministry director at Christ Lutheran Church, Levittown, PA, and at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Red Hill, PA. During his career he's been a stalwart in supporting youth programming in both the region and on the territory of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod.

Bixby is a 1985 graduate of The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. In 1975 he earned a B.A. from Colgate University, majoring in Spanish and English. He was awarded a Master of Arts in Religion from Colgate with Distinction in 1980. Bixby is married to Sandra Baur Bixby, a teacher/advisor for Germantown Friends Middle School in Philadelphia. He's the father of three daughters, Rebecca, 18, Kelly, 15, and Katherine, 12.

"What I'm hoping will happen," says Bixby of the scholar nominating process for Theological Education with Youth, "is that the leaders we've contacted will take just 15 minutes to love the Lord and the church by thinking about young people they can recommend injecting into this exciting program. We promise a potent experience. It's a way of extending the call to follow, the same way Jesus called out to fishermen by the sea to become disciples."