Change Happens

This was read to and sent out to folks at SFTS this morning:



From: Phil Butin
Sent: Friday, September 01, 2006 11:13 AM
To: All Staff and Faculty
Subject: Administrative Transition

Dear Faculty and Staff,

For the past 11 years, Scott Schaefer has served the seminary with distinction as Vice President for Administration and Finance. He has been a crucial transitional figure across three seminary administrations, in a very challenging period of SFTS history. He has carried out his work with deep love for the seminary and the church, with faithfulness to each President he has served, with exceptional pastoral sensitivity, with remarkable helpfulness, and with deep dedication. He has been a crucial advisor and colleague in leadership to me, and has been an invaluable source of crucial knowledge and information about seminary administration during the early years of my presidency. I hold him in the highest regard.

Over the past several years, Scott and I have been in prayerful discernment over the leadership configuration that will be needed in the areas of Administration and Finance for the next decade of the seminary’s life and mission. In the course of this discernment, I have determined that new leadership will be required in order to take the seminary to the next level in the coming decade. Scott and his family have made plans to move to the Seattle area sometime this fall, as they seek God’s new calling for them in that area of the country, which they have come to love. When this time arrives, we will celebrate Scott’s stellar contributions and our gratitude for him and them in a variety of appropriate ways.

We will be in close communication with the seminary community about these plans as they develop. In the meantime, Scott intends to continue to serve the seminary as faithfully as he has in the past, working with me on a strong and intentional leadership transition. I trust that we will all hold Scott and his family in our prayers, and that each of you will find ways over the coming weeks to express your deep appreciation to him for the many incomparable contributions he has made to the seminary and its mission.

Sincerely,

Phil Butin
President

In addition, I have heard that Jo Rippert has resigned.

Leaving Church

So I flip on Fresh Air as I start to clean the kitchen and discover that Terry is interviewing Barbara Brown Taylor - one of my preaching goddesses. It turns out that Barbara has a new book out about why she stepped out of parish ministry - Leaving Church - a Memoir of Faith.

The interview is very challenging - and its online at the NPR Fresh Air site. She talks about becoming burned out as a parish minister, she talks about losing God in the busyness of church. She talks about the loss of her identity as a parish minister and there is still grief in that for her.

You can read more about the book at BBT's website.

I ordered it - if anyone else has it or is interesting in reading/talking about it, let me know.

I'm preaching this sunday and so far my theme is Rest, Sabbath, "Come Away with Me." But its only Monday, who knows what it will be by Friday. I want her book now but I'm still so cheap I ordered to arrive in a week or too...

BTW I preached last sunday at Broadmoor PC down in Daily City. This is James Kosko's internship site. He and Mary were there last week as well, their first sunday back since he graduated. I fell in love with Broadmoor pretty much the moment I walked in the door. These are sweet people - and faithful to this place and to each other. I hope they find their designated pastor soon!

James and Mary look great. James is looking a congregations around the west coast - from outside of Seattle to basically next door to Marin. Mary says there is about a total of 50 new faces on campus with 40-something in the core M.Div. class. The new folks at the Lloyd Center and Spiritual program seem to be well received - and there are rumers of a blog already started among them.

Isn't it odd to be thinking of someone else now living where we used to live? Or more to the point, living where our friends used to live?

Nine hours ahead of SFTS

It's Sunday night here on the other side of the Atlantic, and I'm settling into life in Switzerland. I arrived yesterday morning (though my luggage took a later flight) and attended worship this morning at the English-speaking Church of Scotland. The church meets in Calvin's Auditoire, a smaller building next to St. Peter's Cathedral that was used by Calvin for lectures and, I would imagine, ensuing theological debate. John Knox was also pastor here for some time. Inexplicably, the website seems to have no historical information about the church, but here's the link anyway:

http://www.churchofscotlandgeneva.com/

and there's a teeny bit of history here:

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/switzerland/geneva-auditoire-calvin.htm

I had a bone to pick with the sermon I heard this morning. It was decent in both message and delivery, but it started by claming that understanding and following God are more complicated now than in the Old Testament when things were clear. I imagine both Chaney and Coote would deny that premise.

Anyway, greetings from Geneva, birthplace of the Reformation.