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Highlights
from the Eastern Cluster of Lutheran Seminaries Board Meeting, In an historic first, the Eastern Cluster of Lutheran Seminaries held a meeting of its board of directors in three locations, simultaneously linked by video conferencing technology. The meeting was chaired by Paul Summer, who said "this has been an historic moment for us and we are grateful to have accomplished this through video conferencing." Board members quickly learned the ropes of speaking in the three way conference, voting, and communicating with crisp, disciplined speech. Cluster Business manager, Daniel Bringman, calculated that the meeting may have cost one third of a regular face-to-face meeting. Most committee and staff reports were previewed online, with discussion generated through questions. The cluster board heard that Fisher’s Net distance learning provider is entering a "make or break" year. LTSP Dean Rajashekar was cautiously optimistic that Fishers’ Net will survive if it is successful in gaining additional grant support and by enlisting additional schools. The ELCA Division for Ministry’s staff member, the Rev. Dr. Jonathan Strandjord, noted that the churchwide offices have again entered into a round of 6% budget reductions for the year. He also reported that seminaries have been protected by the division for ministry holding cuts to 2%, and in effect, through offsetting grants monies, effectively keeping the reduction for seminaries at 1%. He also noted the overall evaluation of seminary clustering, saying "what people see, they like." But there are excellent things happening that people may not see. "No one thinks that there is cost savings, although the Eastern Cluster can make the case." Cluster Executive Michael Cooper-White and Planning committee representative, the Rev. Sarah Lilja, introduced a significant potential project for the cluster offered by the Lilly Endowment’s "Making Connections Initiative." The cluster has applied for a planning grant that would lead to a major grant (potentially $3 million) that would develop stronger connections through the church to grow the number of persons preparing for church vocations. The ECLS major grant proposal, entitled "It takes a Church to Raise a Pastor," would establish a project to research, develop, and integrate the networks that form around college aged populations and sustain persons in prolonged vocational reflection. This five year, multi-million dollar proposal would "put the network to work," said LTSP President Philip Krey. "If this is seen as the seminaries’ work alone, we will have failed," he added. Colleges, camps, schools, synods and congregations were named among the members of the network. Discussion included adding church schools (primary and secondary) and military chaplaincies to the list of partners. Also mentioned was the need to research congregations producing vocational candidates to discover what the most important factors would be (i.e. pastoral models, encouragement from lay members, youth program, etc.). Still emerging are questions about what the congregational component might look like in this project. Another idea suggested a think-tank like entity that would enable leaders to consult with one another about vocational encouragement. In other actions, the cluster:
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