Volume 31 No.
From the Interim Director
For many EFM groups, September marks
the beginning of a new year. Such a beginning provides opportunity
for members to connect and re-connect as spiritual autobiographies
are shared, lessons are discussed and theological reflections begin.
There is a cycle, a rhythm, encountered in EFM and that rhythm can
provide comfort and security over time.
It may appear that a lot of changes
are taking place within the program. EFM has an interim director,
a new assistant director and even a new trainer in residence. In
January, the School of Theology will welcome a new dean. What do
such changes mean for EFM and for those invested in and committed
to the program? I believe the answer depends on us – all of
us – students, mentors, coordinators, trainers, program staff
and program supporters. Do we view these changes as frightening challenges
or exciting opportunities? Do we respond to change with resistance
and withdrawal, or courage and conviction? I suggest we might be
served well to examine our present situation and contemplate the
future using the familiar framework of theological reflection.
We should ask ourselves what it
is like to live in a world that may appear uncertain. We should acknowledge
the things that can go wrong. We should also take seriously those
things that get our attention and assess our thoughts, feelings,
and actions. Perhaps change will be called for by us and by others.
While asking these probing questions, I believe we will discover
the potential that awaits us. A period of transition such as the
one we find ourselves in the midst of can call out the creative energy
in all of us. Faith is often strengthened and renewed during periods
of significant change. And the writer of Hebrews reminds us that
faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things
not seen.
In the days ahead, I encourage you
to become aware of the rhythm of your life. It may be ordered by
your family and work commitments. It may correspond to the rhythm
of the daily office. Perhaps the EFM cycle of study impacts your
rhythm as well. Identify the pattern of energy in your life, highs
and lows; then remind yourself that God is present throughout. Just
as God is present for each of us, God is present for all of us. God
will sustain us through all of the changes in our lives.
Johnna Camp
Trainer in Residence
EFM welcomes Sissie Wile to the
Mountain as our TRAINER IN RESIDENCE. Wile is an EFM graduate, has
mentored for 13 years, and became a trainer of mentors two years
ago. In addition to her work as trainer, she will work closely with
the Director and Assistant Director to support the training network
and will be involved in the on-going development of the program and
its marketing.
Wile comes to us from Meridian,
MS, where she and her husband, Fred, own their own business. They
are the parents of Daniel Wile and Hailey Allin. Sissie previously
worked for IBM as a systems engineer and taught computer information
systems courses in a community college setting for eight years.
In addition to holding a B.A. from
Vanderbilt, Wile is a labyrinth facilitator and a graduate of the
Haden Institute’s program for spiritual direction. She currently
serves as a board member of the Phil Hardin Foundation. Sissie brings
a combination of wisdom and spirituality to the program, and her
gifts are a true blessing to us. If you would like to send a word
of welcome to Sissie, her e-mail address is swile@sewanee.edu
Mentor Training Schedule
"Help! I need to get to mentor training.” If
this thought has passed through your mind or out of your mouth, we
have just what you are looking for. We have on the EFM website a
published schedule of training events. We update it regularly.
What follows is a two-question quiz.
If you get both questions right you gather frequent training points
that will allow you to upgrade your seating at the next mentor training
event.
Question One:
True or False: When a mentor training
(Basic or In-service) is listed at a particular location, the mentor
training is only listed once, even if there are two or more basic
training events offered.
Question Two:
Which of these website addresses
(URL’s) will get you to the current training schedule?
A. www.ineedEFMtraining.org
B. www.cometothissiteforEFMrecognition.net
C. www.sewanee.edu/EFM/efmtraining/ntltrngsched.html
Good luck!
EFM Mentor Releases
Third Book
Cynthia Davis, who mentors an EFM
group in Albuquerque, NM, has just released the third book in the Footprints
From the Bible series. This trio of Biblical fiction novels has
been well received by laity and clergy alike. Told in first person
format, Cynthia has a gift for making the Old Testament come alive
and sing.
The latest book in the series, Miriam’s
Healing, is a story that will speak to anyone who has felt
that God does not care about pain and suffering. Miriam has to
come to terms with her doubts about God, who seems not to hear
the despair of the chosen people, and decide how to respond to
her brother who claims to be the Deliverer sent by God.
Cynthia is available for book signings
and speaking engagements. For more information, check out the website www.FootprintsFromTheBible.com.
From the Assistant
Director
I collect things, mainly books (especially
those that I hope one day to read), receipts (which I most often
forget why I saved), my past appointment calendars (just in case
I become famous and my biographer needs to know what I did when and
where) and quotations. Some might denigrate my collector’s
spirit by charging me with being a pack rat. I prefer “collector.” Of
all my collections, the most useful has proved to be my quotations
collection.
For example, in the last month I
have noticed that James Thurber has said, “It is better to
know some of the questions than all of the answers.” Or Rowan
Williams, the present Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote recently, “I
don’t think reflection is ever a luxury or an optional extra – it’s
part of being human, of being a Christian human being and what distinctive
perspective Christianity brings to the human condition.” David
Kolb, a towering figure in experiential learning, tucked this gem
into a summary paragraph in his book Experiential Learning, “Learning
is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation
of experience.”
The careful reader will notice that
a common theme runs through these recent collections. All have to
do with knowing. No doubt my attention fixed on these quotations
because of my taking a staff position with EFM. I have been involved
with the program all my adult life: first as mentor, then trainer
and the coordinator for the Diocese of Oklahoma. I have written for
the program and consulted with it, all while holding the quiet vow
that I would never serve on staff. To be on staff would mean living
once again on the Mountain (I attended the college from 1963-1967).
Indeed, God has a sense of humor! I now have a basement apartment
in Sewanee.
Present plans project my being in
Sewanee for a year while my family remains in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I
continue as Director of the Deacon Formation Program of the Diocese
of Oklahoma. I plan to work a significant number of days a month
in Tulsa. I also plan to travel to dioceses throughout the Episcopal
Church promoting and learning about the program. I see such visits
as opportunities to listen for the interests and needs church leaders
have in adult theological education. I want to listen for passionate
expressions of the educational mission of all Christians. I seek
to hear people speak their soul-deep hopes for what well-informed
and formed adult Christians can mean for the continual transformation
of church and society.
My desire is to visit as many dioceses
as possible. Wrangle me an invitation and I will do what I can to
come listen to the dreams people have for adult theological education
and its place in furthering the mission and ministry of the church.
I close with a quotation from Roberta
Bondi: “For me, theological reflection is a three-way conversation
among our ancestors in the church, my everyday experience and God.
The conversation calls me to bring the whole of who I am -- intellect
and emotion, memory and hope, action and contemplation, wounds and
prayer -- in order that I may live out our common calling to love
God and neighbor.” She gives voice to why I have come to serve
you as the EFM Assistant Program Director.
Rick Brewer
www.sewanee.edu/EFM/efmhome.html
EFMers by nature are seekers, but
sometimes we need to find the ANSWER. Do you have a friend who is
moving and would like to know if there is an EFM group in his or
her new location? You’ll find on the EFM Website the
name of a coordinator who will be able to help. Do you want to recall
an article from the spring edition of the EFM Newsletter, but you
can’t find your copy? It’s on the EFM Website.
Mentor training forms and training schedules are there as well. The
first four lessons of the text from each year and two Common Lessons
from Year C are included. This will help any student who has not
received the materials by the time class begins. There is a listing,
including pictures, of the EFM Home Office Staff. The EFM Website is
a wonderful resource, and it is continually being expanded. Add the EFM
Website to your Favorites folder, and check it often to see what
is new. If you have suggestions for additional topics that would
be helpful to you, please let us know.
E-Hint: You can capture the EFM logo for publicity use by
accessing the EFM homepage, right-clicking on the EFM logo and saving
it to your file.
Common Lesson Year
C
for the 2004-2005 Cycle
of Study
Common Lessons (CL) are so named
because they provide for common reading experiences within and among
EFM seminar groups. When one comes into an EFM group, often she or
he finds that people are reading from different texts. We call such
groups multi-level groups. Common lessons were invented to serve
three purposes. First, they provide students in a multi-level group
six opportunities throughout the year to read the same material.
Second, they each address an aspect of the common life of the seminar.
And, third, the Common Lessons provide a way for groups across the
EFM network to read the common material, much like the Common Lectionary
does for Sunday morning worship. As one of the EFM trainers says, “The
Common Lessons are the glue that holds the groups together.”
To accomplish the three-fold purpose,
we have four cycles of Common Lessons, cleverly named A, B, C, and
D, respectively. Each cycle builds around a theme. For the 2004-2005
cycle (the year we are beginning) the network is using Common Lessons
C, which keep the theme, “Our Faith in the World.” The
following rationale organized the six CL’s:
Spiritual Autobiography
- Pictures: Lesson One asks you to imagine your life as a
photo album and to look at your story in the context of family,
friends, neighbors and society. The purpose is to help you
see your life as it connects to the larger picture of the
world.
Thinking Theologically -
the Wide Angle Lens: The theme works well using the Wide
Angle Lens Method because it urges you to begin with a larger
picture, examine it closely, and then turn outward again
to the world.
Life in Christ - Liturgy
and Society: Each third common lesson provides an opportunity
for reflecting and deepening spirituality on a personal and
communal level. In Year C, the focus is on ways to relate
worship and prayer to both personal and communal dimensions.
Theological Frameworks -Theology
and Worship: The theme plays out in this fourth common lesson
by exploring the relationship of theology and prayer. The
intent is to relate forms of prayer to personal piety and
to the worship experienced in church community.
Looking into the Future
- Developing Your Personal Ministry: In this lesson we provide
material to help explore what ministry means for you. The
lesson emphasizes what it means to extend your personal sense
of vocation and ministry as an action of, in, and for your
community.
6. Closure - Our Faith in
the World: The lesson supports the closing of nine months
of work together. The focus offers ways to step out in faith
into our individual worlds, without the weekly support of
seminar gatherings.
“Yes, Virginia, there is a
Santa Claus!” or so goes the line from the film classic Miracle
on 34th Street. The goodies present in the Common
Lesson and Supporting Materials notebook are gifts for your use.
May you find in that Big ‘ol Book loads of presents!
Sewanee Calls New Dean
The Rev. Dr. William S. Stafford,
vice president and associate dean for academic affairs at Virginia
Theological Seminary, will become dean of the School of Theology
January 1, 2005. Stafford succeeds Dr. Allan M. Parrent, who has
served as interim dean since February 2003.
“We are delighted that Dr.
Stafford has accepted the appointment to be the dean of the School
of Theology. He brings outstanding experience as a priest, a teacher,
a scholar, and a seminary leader. Faculty, staff and students here
look forward to working with him,” said Vice Chancellor Joel
Cunningham in announcing the appointment.
A native of San Francisco, Calif.,
Stafford earned his bachelor of arts degree in history from Stanford
University, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He received
his master of arts, master of philosophy, and doctor of philosophy
degrees in the history of Christianity from Yale University. He has
done post-doctoral study at the University of Strasbourg and Durham
University in England.
Widely recognized as an educator
and scholar, Stafford has authored Domesticating the Clergy: The
Inception of the Reformation in Strasbourg 1522-1524 and Disordered
Loves: Healing and the Seven Deadly Sins. His articles and book
reviews have appeared in “Church History,” “The
Catholic Historical Review,” and “Anglican and Episcopal
History,” among other publications.
We look forward to welcoming Dr.
Stafford and his wife, Barbara Vail Stafford, to Sewanee in January.
THE DESERT:
SOURCE FOR A NEW AMERICAN
SPIRITUAL RENEWAL?
What’s behind the popularity
of “The DaVinci Code” and “The Passion”?
Is America in the midst of an unprecedented spiritual awakening that
is beyond the control of organized religion? That is the bold claim
of EFM mentor and author Phyllis Strupp in her new book, The Richest
of Fare: Seeking Spiritual Security in the Sonoran Desert.
Strupp believes that it is difficult
for many to gain spiritual insight into current events since neither
science nor religion presents a worldview that reconciles knowledge
of the physical world with spiritual wisdom.
Spiritual geniuses such as Abraham,
Moses, David, Isaiah, John the Baptist, Jesus, and Mohammed were
inexorably drawn to the desert. Featuring 56 color pictures and stories
of the Sonoran Desert, The Richest of Fare explores the common
ground between science and spirituality in such controversial areas
as human evolution, psychology, and war. Despite its controversial
approach, the book offers an encouraging view of American spirituality
over the past century and its role in today’s world.
Phyllis has been involved with the
EFM program since 1998. Her EFM experience has had significant impact
on her perspective and writing. Interviews, reviews, and book excerpts
can be viewed at www.desertspirituality.com.
EFM Newsletter
e-Volution
You may have noticed changes in
the newsletter format. The transformation will continue in your next
newsletter – in fact, it will most likely arrive in a different
way. The next edition will be in an electronic format and will be
sent via e-mail.
In order to make this transition
as smooth as possible, we ask that you help us update our database
by sending us your current e-mail address. Please send us your name
(as it appears on your newsletter mailing label) along with the e-mail
address to which you would like to have your next newsletter sent.
E-mail the information to:
efmnewsletter@sewanee.edu
We will take care of the rest. THANKS.
Save the Date
Next year EFM will celebrate
30 years of ministry. Mark you calendars now to gather in Sewanee
for EFM’s 30th Anniversary, June 3-5, 2005. Plans
are being made for workshops, lectures, presentations and seminars
around a variety of topics. There will be opportunities for worship,
and of course, lots of food and fellowship. Time will be devoted
to celebrate the past, examine the present, and dream for the future.
More information will be shared in upcoming newsletters, and will
be posted to the website. Save the date: June 3-5, 2005.
To view the complete
schedule of mentor
training opportunities,
visit the EFM website.
You can find us at:
www.Sewanee.edu/EFM/EFMhome.html
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