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Spring
2009 Volume 92 Number 1
MDiv ’08
“Thechurchhasaroleto play inpubliclife.”seenewPublicLeadershipConcentrationonpage 4
 
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AS I AM WRITING THIS ARTICLE,I am basking in the good feelings of having experienced the annual Pre-seminaryProject Connect Meeting where almostninety young college-age persons — of  whom fifty were prospective seminarians—and their mentors gathered at LTSP.They are the wonderful results of anEastern Cluster of Lutheran Seminaries’ program funded by the Lilly Endowmentto raise up a whole new generation of lead-ers for the ELCA. Among these promising  young persons —identified by their pas-tors, teachers, campus ministers, families,and others who are fulfilling their call toraise up public leaders for the church —are young persons who wish to serve as pastors and, increasingly, young persons who want to serve outtheir baptismal callings working in social ministry organiza-tions, chaplaincies, health ministries, advocacy ministries,camp ministries, and youth ministries.As a seminary, we have had to learn to prepare both those who will do public ministry through word and sacrament andthrough word and service. In response, we are developing anew concentration to prepare candidates who can lead publicly,competent in theology and in the specialties that I notedabove: equipped with business and administrative skills, social work competencies and more. We will be offering coursesunder the Master of Arts in Religion program as we pilot thisconcentration while a proposed MA degree in PublicLeadership is considered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Social ministry organizations and charities likeLutheran World Relief and Lutheran Immigration andRefugee Services have asked us to help in this program. We are collaborating with Gettysburg Seminary in theIntersections Institute which has received a generous grantfrom the Thrivent for Lutherans Foundation for a programthat will raise up current and future leaders for our Lutheraninstitutions. Participants will be able to obtain certificates orconcentrate in the MAR degree. The collaboration withGettysburg and later Southern Seminary in this program hasgreat promise for the church. Our roles as seminaries keepchanging for a changing world, but our missions stay the same:to prepare theologically trained leadersfor the church and the world. Our pri-mary focus will always be to prepare pas-tors for congregations, but we areresponding to the leadership needs of the whole church.To that end, we need your support astogether we all face a challenging eco-nomic future. I want to thank each of youfor your constant and faithful support.The Leadership Fund (our annual fund),for example, surpassed all expectationslast year, and this year it is dramaticallyahead of last year. This is critical to makeup for the losses in our endowment dueto the economic downturn. We have agoal of raising one million dollars in theLeadership Fund this year. We are on track to raise $750,000,and are asking every congregation in Region 7 and in our rela-tionships to take up an offering for the seminary on GoodShepherd Sunday, May 3, 2009. We have received authoriza-tion from every Region 7 bishop for this, and hope to makethis an annual event to raise up students for public ministryand support for their studies. Much of the Leadership Fund isdesignated for financial aid so desperately needed by our stu-dents. We need supporters like you to be our champions ineach congregation to make the Region 7 Seminary Sundayoffering a success.I am also delighted to announce that Larry House is back, working with us as the Director of Leadership Giving. He willbe working with Dr. Paul Brndjar, who will remain the InterimExecutive Director of the Foundation, and our talented staff asa major gifts officer in Region 7. We could not be moredelighted that Larry has chosen to return to help us to supportour mission to prepare a new generation of leaders for thechurch and the world. A friend has returned — and I thank you, dear friends.In Christ,Philip D.W. Krey
Message from the president 
ON THE COVER: Passionate healthcare advocate Marissa Harris, MDiv ’08, (in front of the PennsylvaniaState Capitol in Harrisburg), works for Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania (LAMPa, www.lamp.org)as an Advocacy Developer. To learn more about Harris and her call to public ministry, go to www.Ltsp.edu/publicleadership and read her full story as well as view a video interview.
 
alumni 
CONVOCATION 2009
APRIL 27-29SEE PAGE 10 for DETAILS and REGISTRATION!
contents 
Page 4Page 8
EDITOR/DESIGN
Merri L. Brown
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
 John Kahler
WRITERS
Louise Johnson John KahlerMark A. Staples
PHOTOGRAPHY
Gralin Hughes, Jr. John Kahler Jim RoeseMark A. Staples
EDITORIAL BOARD
Merri L. BrownLois La CroixLouise Johnson John KahlerPhilip D.W. KreyAdam Marles J. Paul Rajashekar
CORRESPONDENCE
 PS,
The Lutheran Theological Seminaryat Philadelphia,7301 Germantown Avenue,Philadelphia, PA 19119Telephone: 215.248.6311 or1.800.286.4616Email:communications@Ltsp.eduVisit us online: www.Ltsp.edu
 PS 
is a publication of The LutheranTheological Seminary at Philadelphia, andis distributed without charge to alumni/ae,faculty, staff,andfriendsoftheseminary.
© Copyright 2009The Lutheran Theological Seminaryat PhiladelphiaVolume 92 Number 1
The LutheranTheological Seminaryat Philadelphia, a school of theEvangelical Lutheran Church in Amer-ica, is committed to preparing or-dained and lay ministers of theWordas leaders for the mission of theChurch in the world.
FEATURES
SPRING 2008
New Public Leadership Concentration at LTSP
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4
LTSP meets the needs of a new generation and a rapidlychanging world.
Surrendering at Church: Alumnus’ Initiative HelpsFugitives Turn Their Lives Around
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8
The Rev. Dr. Ernest McNear spearheads a surrender initiate atthe True Gospel Tabernacle Church in South Philadelphia.He calls the initiative a demonstration of law and grace.
DEPARTMENTS
Message from the President
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Inside front coverOfferings
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2Alumni News
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10
 Alumni Convocation 2009
Faculty/Staff News and Notes
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12
 Faculty/Staff Activities
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12 Passages
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17  In Memoriam
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17 
From the Foundation
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18
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