Synod Vitality

Posted on May 22, 2019 by megganmanlove

The Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod Assembly met in Boise May 17-19 and one of the best parts of Assembly was sitting at the Synod Vitality Coalition table. Coalition team-member Pastors Matt Erickson and Meggan Manlove presented on the hopes and dreams of the Coalition Friday evening. It was a pleasure to listen over the next few days as people told us about the exciting ministries happening across our synod. Continue reading →

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Podcasts and History

Posted on May 15, 2019 by megganmanlove

I came late to the world of podcasts. I still have not listened to Serial. In some ways I am an unusual podcast fan. The selection of radio stations in my hometown of Custer, SD was minimal. On the other hand, my parents and I took many car trips to Minnesota and Colorado and along the way we listened to amazing tape recordings by The Mind’s Eye: children’s classics from Heidi to Treasure Island along with the Baby Snooks Show. We also listened to tape recordings of A Prairie Home Companion. Continue reading →

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Storytelling – Congregational Renewal

Posted on May 8, 2019 by megganmanlove

Our sabbatical task force at Trinity did something wonderful, in my opinion. We sketched out congregational renewal activities which will mirror what I am doing on sabbatical. In this blog post I am also listing our guest preachers, who will, consistent with the theme of storytelling, be sharing their stories. Continue reading →

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The Table at Buffalo Alice

Posted on April 30, 2019 by megganmanlove

The first congregation I served is preparing to celebrate an anniversary and they asked me to share some memories from my time there. That had me thinking about the entire experience of first-call, including the group of colleagues who walked with me through those six years.

“We have a call for you in a rural congregation about an hour south of Sioux City.  There is this great group of pastors that gets together every Friday for pizza in Sioux City.”  That is what I remember from my first conversation with the Western Iowa Synod Bishop’s Assistant.  Western Iowa was not my first choice of geographic locations for my first call as a Lutheran parish pastor, but the people of that rural congregation and those Friday afternoons made it a great first call. Continue reading →

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Ministry in Daily Life

Posted on April 24, 2019 by megganmanlove

Pastor’s Column for May, 2019 Epistle

Dear Friends in Christ,

In May, we are lifting up ministry in daily life. In truth, this is what we do all year long. There are many quotes out there on the internet falsely attributed to Martin Luther on vocation and calling. Here is something we know Luther said about work, whether the work of the prince or the work of the laborer: “The prince should think: Christ has served me and made everything to follow him; therefore, I should also serve my neighbor, protect him and everything that belongs to him. That is why God has given me this office, and I have it that I might serve him. That would be a good prince and ruler. When a prince sees a neighbor his neighbor oppressed, he should think: That concerns me! I must protect and shield my neighbor…The same is true for shoemaker, tailor, scribe, or reader. If he is a Christian tailor, he will say: I make these clothes because God has bidden me do so, so that I can earn a living, so that I can help and serve my neighbor. (Sermon in the Castle Church at Weimar). Continue reading →

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Giving Thanks Easter Monday

Posted on April 22, 2019 by megganmanlove

Thankful on this Easter Monday for everyone who

served as a lector,

washed hands or feet on Maundy Thursday,

played an instrument,

lit candles,

served Holy Communion,

stuffed a plastic egg with candy,

made deviled eggs,

vacuumed,

polished,

cleaned the sidewalk,

filled a soap dispenser,

made the coffee,

set the tables for Easter brunch,

prepared the altar for Easter worship,

greeted,

ushered,

made guests feel welcome,

joined us for worship.

Everything always comes together because we have amazing volunteers.

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Storytelling-My Renewal-Preview

Posted on April 17, 2019 by megganmanlove

“What makes your heart sing?” That’s the question everyone is asked when they apply for a Lilly Grant to fund his or her sabbatical. For me the answer was stories–novels, a story by a parishioner or friend or family member, a podcast, a movie, or the stories of scripture. That helped me think about the adventures I wanted to have during my 14-week sabbatical (July 1-Oct. 6).

Where can I hear better stories than Ireland? (There’s even more to why I chose Ireland but I’ll save that for a future column). My friend Joy and I are going to see the Book of Kells and Dublin Writers Museum, then head to County Claire and the Aran Islands where we will hike from bed and breakfast to bed and breakfast for eight days. We will spend a few days in Galway, in the middle of the International Arts Festival (hopefully we’ll get to visit Moth and Butterfly) and end in Limerick, home of Narrative 4, a nonprofit that uses storytelling as part of the peace and reconciliation process.

Three weeks of August I will be at the Monastery of St. Gertrude’s Spirit Center in Cottonwood, Idaho, saying the daily office with the Benedictine sisters and reading and hiking.

At the beginning of September, my friend Jennifer, her daughter/my goddaughter Celia, and I will spend a few days seeing the Anne of Green Gables sites on Prince Edward Island, Canada.

My last trip will be to the home I grew up in outside of Custer, SD. A family friend, Pastor Larry Peterson, has dedicated much of his ministry to the Lakota people and with him I will spend some time on the Pine Ridge Reservation and the new Woyatan Retreat Center in Rapid City.

– Pr. Meggan

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Spring in Many Forms

Posted on April 10, 2019 by megganmanlove

Pastor’s Column for Trinity Lutheran Church, March 2019 Epistle

Dear friends in Christ,
I love this time of year. I love that the days are getting longer. I love the season of Lent—the journey, the ritual, the disciplines, the hymns in minor keys. I love preparing for the great three days—Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil. Taken on their own or collectively as one continuous worship service, they remind me of why we keep trying to live as faithful disciples. The commandment Jesus gives on Thursday (and then demonstrates with foot washing) inform so much of the servanthood embraced by Trinity members. The story of the crucifixion and the veneration of the cross on Good Friday remind me of what resulted in Jesus’ bringing in the new reign of God and of God’s great love for the world. The Vigil on Saturday ties us to all of God’s people through the reading of scripture and the sharing of the Lord’s Supper.

 A Palm Sunday at Trinity

While I give thanks for the great Triddum and its place in the liturgical year, this year I also give thanks for time spent with the new members we will officially welcome on Easter Sunday. Our three sessions together during Lent reminded me of some of the gifts of our ordinary Sunday worship. In particular, people new to our tradition recognized two things. In our tradition, Holy Scripture is a living breathing word that is interpreted each week in our particular context. The cross and resurrection are the interpretive lens we use to interpret everything else in the Bible. The second part of the Sunday assembly lifted up by new members was our Prayers of Intercession. Turn to page 105 in the front of Evangelical Lutheran Worship and you will see the pattern we use each week: for the church universal; for the well-being of creation; for peace and justice; for the poor, oppressed, sick, bereaved, lonely; for all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit; for the congregation. Praying those prayers weekly is transformative, I was told. Indeed. Sometimes I want the people of Trinity to be assured that they can speak with God without beautifully worded prewritten prayers. And yet I know for myself that hearing our prayers of intercession together each week has shaped my personal prayer life. I loved getting to know our new members during our time together after worship in March and I anticipate them enriching our community in the months and years to come.

Peace, Pastor Meggan

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Sabbatical: Frequently Asked Questions

Posted on April 3, 2019 by megganmanlove

When is it? Pastor Meggan’s send-off Sunday will be June 30. She will return to the office Oct. 7 and to worship Oct. 13.

Who will preach and preside and care for the congregation? Vicar Mia Crosthwaite will be with us through July. Retired Pastor John Hergert will be with us every Sunday and one other day each week August through Oct. 6. Vicar Mia and Pastor John will of course both be on call for pastoral emergencies, hospital visits, and funerals.

How is this being paid for? Vicar Mia’s internship is being covered by a Synod Share Fund Grant, a gift from Luther Seminary, and monthly contributions from her home congregation, Shepherd of the Valley, Boise. Pastor John’s compensation, funds for Pastor Meggan’s travel, and honorariums for the congregational renewal activities will be paid for by a grant from the Lilly Foundation.

Why a sabbatical? From the Eastern WA-ID Synod’s compensation guidelines workbook: This time away from the congregation is to renew a pastor’s energies and vision. It is an excellent investment in the congregation’s future. In a sabbatical, the congregation gets many of the benefits of a fresh start without the additional expenses of a new call process and lost momentum frequently experienced in calling a new pastor. It also provides the benefits of a longer-term pastorate in the parish, since studies show that a sabbatical often extends a pastor’s stay within a parish. Usually this time away is after a pastor has been in the parish for four years or longer. By advance budgeting, monies are set aside each year to cover the expenses. During a sabbatical leave, the congregation pays full salary and benefits to the pastor on sabbatical, plus the expense of pastoral supply during the period. Our Synod has a sabbatical policy and our staff will be happy to help you set up a sabbatical policy for your congregation.You may not realize it, but the vacation and sabbatical packages are powerful symbols of love and respect for a pastor and these offerings are well noted during the process of calling a new pastor. They are also powerful symbols of health and vitality for a congregation. Both congregation and pastor benefit by the use of renewal and recreation time.

So Pastor Meggan is not discerning a new call? No! I, Pastor Meggan, love this congregation and want to continue serving in this place. I have several friends in our synod and around the country who were able to stay in their calls longer because of the new energy gained during their sabbaticals.

More questions? I will try to answer them in future Sabbatical Columns.

 

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Desert, Art, and Transcendence

Posted on March 30, 2019 by megganmanlove

This has been one of those vacation weeks when my mind is making fun continuous connections. I flew to Arizona to spend some time with my parents. My mom and I took a mini-trip to Tucson. I have been reading Dr. Andrew Root’s book Faith Formation in a Secular Age. I just finished the fist half of the book. The book has me thinking a lot about transcendence. Our first full day in Tucson was spent in the desert. We went to Sabino Canyon in the Coronado National Forest and then visited Saguaro National Park East.

It does not matter how much I understand biology or geology or any of the other sciences. I find life in the desert to be miraculous. And I could not get enough of the amazing Saguaro Cactus.

Our second full day in Tucson went in another direction–visual art. We went to the University of Arizona Art Museum and discovered that it is home to the 26-panel altarpiece of the Cathedral of Ciudad Rodrigo, Spain, by Fernando Gallego and Maestro Bartolomé and their workshops (1480s). Then we zipped across the courtyard and discovered the Center for Creative Photography. The Center has a comprehensive permanent collection by Ansel Adam. This spring their special exhibit is “Richard Avedon: Relationships.”

We ended the day at DeGrazia’s (1909-1982) Gallery in the Sun.  Two of DeGrazia’s prints hung in my bedroom as a child and it was wonderful to learn the story of this son of Italian immigrants and hear (through an audio recording playing in one gallery) him talk about painting the Stations of the Cross. The emotion in his voice was remarkable.

 

I do not have a brilliant take-away from these encounters but they were all reminders of how important both the natural world and the visual arts are for me when in comes to understanding this world we inhabit. Both the natural world and visual arts help me see our interdependence and the sacred. Finally, it was powerful, less than a month before Holy Week, to see the different portrayals of Jesus’ life and death, works separated by 400 years and and the Atlantic Ocean.

 

 

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