Spring 2004

From the Program Director

This newsletter has a new format and a new editor. It marks a transition; a transition in my life as well as a change for the EFM program. After 25 years of involvement with EFM, beginning as a mentor in West Point, Mississippi, the time has come to retire from my full time work in Sewanee, where I have worked since 1982. I came to Sewanee to be EFM program manager in 1982 and inherited the role of being its director in 1987, so this has been the focus of my work for a long time.

As in any transition this is a time to mourn. Events are inexorably moving forward and change is present. I will miss my close relationships with EFM colleagues in Sewanee and across the globe. More important, however, this is a time to give thanks. More than any endeavor in which I have participated, EFM is a fellowship: a fellowship of trainers, a fellowship of diocesan coordinators, a fellowship of mentors, and most important, a fellowship of participants, who possess a sense of being pilgrims on that path of discovering the meaning of our faith. What has happened over these twenty-five years is the product of that fellowship. I give thanks for the opportunity to have shared it with you. It has been a great privilege and I have been truly blessed.

A time of transition is also a time to celebrate and rejoice. EFM has brought forth leadership and a sense of meaning that helps to steady us all through the various tensions that have occurred over the years and continue even now to produce troubling moments in our churches. Together with you I celebrate that we have had an opportunity to discover a deeper faith through the careful study and spiritual contemplation that is part of our work of theological reflection.

My wife, Marcia, and I will likely move away from Sewanee in the near future. But EFM folks share something in common with old soldiers in the first half of the following adage. They never die; they reflect away, and as trainers for the program, they train away.

Times of transition are times when we long for the past even as we are anxious about the future. In the meantime we are in that place of betwixt and between, a time of uncertainty but also a time of opportunity. That is where I find myself now. Having learned that education is best achieved when it is based on the joy of discovery amidst the uncertainty of the unknown, I hope to continue to be part of that process. I have faith that we discover more and are more creative when we move boldly with the love of God in our hearts and yet are unsure of what will happen next. It is more than the courage to be. It is the courage to act with the humility that we cannot know the outcome until our deeds have been accomplished and their impact becomes known. With this spirit of discovery in the midst of faithful action, I hope to continue with you in the future years to be a member of the fellowship of Christians that we have known as EFM. Thus we will persevere on that pilgrimage of education in faith that energizes our souls. We will continue to be reflective about matters of meaning in our lives through theological reflections and the implications that emerge that God’s love may be known and the world can become a better place.

Edward de Bary

From the Interim Dean

I am pleased to announce the appointment of the Rev. Johnna Camp to be the interim director of the Education for Ministry program, effective April 1, 2004. She will step in after the retirement of the Rev. Dr. Edward de Bary, who has been director of EFM since 1987 and who recommended her for this position. In making his recommendation, he said, “Johnna has a sense of what the program is about and a dedication to this work. She brings ability, know how, dedication, and energy to the program. I think we will find her contributions to be filled with grace and provide many benefits for the future ministry of EFM.”

The Rev. Camp has been the assistant director of EFM since February 2003. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Kentucky, and earned her Master of Divinity at Lexington Theological Seminary. She is an ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She has been an EFM mentor and trainer for several years.

Since the School of Theology is in the midst of a search for a new dean, this appointment will provide leadership for the program until a permanent director can be appointed. The Rev. Dr. de Bary will be available as a consultant during the period of transition.

Allan Parrent     

Interim Dean

The mountain is slowly beginning to bloom. Trees are budding. Flowers are appearing. The first signs of spring are evident in Sewanee, marking the transition from one season to the next. Winter is becoming spring. Schleirmacher said, “Everything that seems fixed and done with is only a point of transition.” And so it is in life.

The School of Theology is in a state of transition. The search for a new dean is ongoing. The director of EFM is retiring. Within the context of the larger church life, one might wonder if there is any stability to be found. Yet ministry continues. Students continue to enroll in EFM. Mentors continue to engage. Trainers continue to inspire. Spring’s promise of new life is manifest.

As we face the future together, with all of its uncertainty and excitement, I hope we can continue to reflect theologically on the changes we encounter. The changes we are facing need not be experienced in isolation. We are a community. We are a community that faithfully seeks meaning. We share a rich history for which we can give thanks. And we can step into the future with anticipation for the blessings that await us. As we continue the EFM journey, I pray we will remain open to God and to one another. I pray we will use the tools and resources we possess. And I pray we will remember, from time to time, to stop and smell the roses.

–Johnna Camp

Some of you may be aware that the Common Lessons and Supporting Materials are referred to by some as BOB (the big ol’ book). What you may not be aware of are all of the incredible resources for individuals and groups that are included in the CLSM. Perhaps your group might want to have a CLSM scavenger hunt. See who in the group can find a third-century Eucharistic liturgy. Who can find the “feeling wheel” or a guide to listening and framing questions? There is lots of information on the theory and model of theological reflection that gives great insight into the methods used. Each EFM student and mentor has a wealth of resources at her/his disposal. So the next time you’re stumped and don’t know where to find an answer, ask yourself, “What about BOB?”