Augsburg University is a university of the. Our commitment to helping our students and our world thrive is rooted in the university’s Lutheran theological heritage, particularly its understanding of vocation. This theological understanding of vocation can best be summarized with these words from Martin Luther’s The Freedom of a Christian (1520).

“. . . we should be guided in all our works by this one thought alone—that we may strive and benefit others in everything that is done, having nothing else before our eyes except the need and advantage of the neighbor.”

What is vocation?

The origin of the word “vocation” is the Latin word vocatio, which means “calling.” One way to think about vocation is as your calling or those things in life you just can’t not do because they are so important to you and integral to your life and values. In order to understand this word more fully, it is important to briefly look at the context in which it arose and the person who gave the word importance.

Martin Luther was a 16th-century German monk who became the leader of what is known as the Protestant Reformation, or the movement that broke off from the Roman Catholic Church during the early 1500s. Luther’s theology of vocation was one of the key ideas that caused this split.

During Luther’s time, the church taught that people could earn their salvation and God’s favor by doing good works. These good works were often in the form of donations to the church or buying indulgences—slips of paper intended to lessen the punishment you or your loved ones would receive for your sins. In this context, the church often used “vocation” to refer only to those who were fully committed to the religious life, such as monks, nuns, and priests. In this viewpoint, the purpose of vocation was to serve the church or to serve God by serving the church. Martin Luther flipped this teaching on its head.

According to Luther and the other reformers, everyone has a vocation. Luther’s argument was that we do not need to earn God’s favor; it is a free gift given to us, not something we need to purchase through the church. Therefore, vocation should be directed toward serving the neighbor, not serving the church or God. One of Martin Luther’s interpreters, Gustaf Wingren, said, “God does not need our good works, but our neighbor does.”

From this perspective, our vocations are the ways we do God’s work by serving our neighbors in all the ordinary roles we play in life. Luther identified three main areas of life where we live out our vocation: within the family, through our work, and in civic life as engaged citizens. It is in these ordinary, daily, mundane roles that we live out our vocations as students, roommates, employees, partners, parents, siblings, offspring, friends, and neighbors. If the work we do in these roles brings about healing and wholeness for others, then it is considered to be our vocation. According to Luther, this ordinary, mundane, daily work was just as sacred as the work done by monks, nuns, and priests. Luther’s thoughts on vocation brought God’s work and spiritual meaning into the daily tasks of our lives—how we study, how we work, how we shop, how we drive, how we parent, how we befriend, etc.

Vocation serves as a corrective against a culture that values wealth, possessions, and status above all else. It frames our lives as an act of service rather than a rat race toward status. College is not only about earning a degree to get a job; it is also an opportunity to learn what you have to offer in service to the world. Our careers are not only sources of income, but opportunities for us to use our unique gifts to make our world more just and sustainable for all living things. Our vocations are the way we will all work in collaboration with one another to heal our planet and our collective lives.

Why does vocation matter today at Augsburg University?

The centrality of our collective well-being or thriving (particularly among those who are most vulnerable) is a central focal point of higher education within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and at Augsburg University. Therefore, you could say the purpose of a college education is to (1) develop the mindset and skills necessary to discover what our neighbors need in order to thrive, and (2) develop the mindset and skills necessary to pragmatically meet those needs. Every single discipline at Augsburg University—including literature, business, history, sociology, philosophy, economics, theater, political science, etc.—can and will increase our ability to “benefit others in everything we do.”

How do we explore vocation at Augsburg University?

One does not need to understand or even subscribe to the Lutheran theological origins of vocation in order for it to be useful in their life. Our goal is for every student, faculty member, and staff member at Augsburg University to have a deeper sense of how they are called – uniquely inspired, equipped, and empowered to help our world thrive. Therefore, you will hear the word “thrive” more often than you will hear “vocation” these days at Augsburg.

Augsburg University’s vision statement proclaims “we educate students to thrive in their lives.” Every student graduating from Augsburg University will understand what it takes for them to thrive, for their communities to thrive, and for our world to thrive. Our students thrive when they are actively expressing the unique ways they are inspired, equipped, and empowered to create a more just and sustainable world.

Vocation is our commitment to thriving—our own personal thriving, our neighbors’ thriving, our community’s thriving, and our planet’s thriving. Thriving is never something that happens in isolation from others. We thrive in community, we thrive as community, we thrive with community. I am only thriving if you are also thriving. We are only thriving if they are also thriving. Thriving is always something we do together.

THRIVE is an acronym that breaks vocation down into various components that help us understand our vocations more clearly. Traits – Health – Responsibility – Inspiration – Voice – Empathy

Our vocations are the ways in which we incorporate these components into our philosophy of life, our daily work, and all the various roles we play. The Christensen Center for Vocation is committed to helping every member of our community learn to thrive by exploring these six components through high-impact learning, storytelling, mentorship, and community. Through these efforts, we cultivate the imagination and practices that lead to more just, sustainable, and thriving lives and communities.

You can learn more and support this work at our website: The Christensen Center for Vocation.

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Thank you, Gretchen!

Gretchen has led the Confluence for the last two summers and has stewarded this program incredibly well. She is most grateful for the relationships and connections she has made with folks in and outside of Augsburg.��

But Gretchen won’t be going far! Starting in September she’ll be joining the Riverside Innovation Hub here at Augsburg University as their Certificate Programs Development Specialist. In this new role she’ll be responsible for researching, developing, and implementing educational programs for congregational members, community leaders and the Augsburg young adult community under the Riverside Innovation Hub.

Celebrating The 2025 Confluence

The Confluence 2025 is in the books! It was a fabulous week filled with learning in and outside the classroom, new friendships, and personal insights about ourselves and the communities we come from and live in.��

The week was a celebration of difference and the way our differences bring us together. Our participants and Augsburg student mentors spoke four different languages and hailed from six different countries and nations. They came from seven different congregations in Minnesota, Iowa and Texas and six Christian denominations. They identified as queer and gender fluid, differently abled and neurodivergent. In all of these differences they made space for each other’s voices, experiences, gifts and growing edges. They connected through laughter and games, prayer and singing, deep listening and conversation.

We took more steps towards being a fully bilingual program thatwelcomes both Spanish and English speakers. This work was possible through the ministry of Pastor Yesenia Morales Bahena who served as our onsite language and cultural interpreter in the classroom and in worship. Pastor Yesenia also translated many classroom and worship materials before the program began. Thank you Pastor Yesenia for helping us expand the reach of the Confluence and explore its depth.��

At the Confluence we think of vocation as the confluence or intersection of God’s story, the world’s story and our personal stories. Every day we explored these three different stories with hugely gifted team of teachers, professors, pastors, storytellers and community leaders. As we studied each story we asked participants to consider the themes and spaces of resistance and resilience. We asked them: As you learn about God’s story, the world’s story and your own stories, what are the people, places, biblical stories, poetry, music and art that gives you life? – that strengthens your resilience and supports you in following God’s call? At the same time, what breaks your heart? What are you called to resist and work against?

At the Confluence, we learned about the God of life who defeats death. We learned that God stands with people and communities struggling to live on the margins. We learned that God calls us to resist the death-dealing practices of the world and to fill up our cups with joyful and serious resilience. We learned that we are never alone and we are always in community. God calls us to build communities where all people are seen and heard, valued and respected – and each of us has a role to play in building up that beloved community.��

Many thanks to all the people in and outside of Augsburg who helped make this week happen: Professor Jeremy Myers (Executive Director of the Christensen Center for Vocation), Pastor John Schwehn (Augsburg Campus Ministry), Lucus Carlson (Augsburg Campus Ministry Pastoral Intern), Professor Chris Stedman (Augsburg Department of Religion and Philosophy), Dr. Jimmy Hoke (Biblical scholar, teacher and writer), Pastor Yesenia Morales Bahena (Nokomis Heights Lutheran Church), Jim Bear Jacobs (Healing Minnesota Stories), Jenean Gilmer (Sabo Center at Augsburg University), Alyssa Schwitzer, Kent Goodroad and company (our fabulous musicians), Nate Crary (Christ the King Lutheran Church), Grace Porter (Immanuel Lutheran Church), Sarah Runck (Mt. Olivet Careview Home) and our Augsburg student mentors who brought the magic: Stephen Nushann, Klaus Solko, Danielle Roberson, Michelle Kulah and Tegest Asmare.

A special thanks to Shannon Obey and Brittney Brown in Augsburg Events, Augsburg Catering, and the Department of Public Safety, who made all the behind the scenes details happen.

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The flow of this process begins with accompaniment – which is listening in relationships and in our neighborhoods without an agenda but simply to hear our neighbor’ hopes and heartaches. Teams spent a good portion of the fall and winter focused on this artform, seeking out listening posts in their neighborhoods, doing prayer walks, inviting neighbors to one-to-ones and simply bringing curiosity to the geographical places near their churches.��

Next they began wondering about those stories alongside of their core theological convictions – we call this artform interpretation. Through the winter and spring teams asked the questions: What do the things we believe to be true about God have to say about our neighbors’ stories? What do our neighbors’ stories have to say about the things we believe to be true about God? Many of them began sharing these insights with other leaders in their congregations.��

This most recent gathering on a warm evening in June marked our fourth large group gathering and the midway point of our intentional learning relationships together around this neighborhood-oriented work. We spent time reflecting with one another about what we have been learning so far in accompaniment and interpretation. We shared encouragement with one another around the challenges and impact of this work. We also introduced a third artform – discernment. This is a communal process of listening for the nudge of the Spirit towards the right next faithful step, given what we have been learning so far from our neighbors’ and God’s story.����

During our evening, teams moved through a liturgy of discernment together, which is just one of thousands of ways a community might practice discernment together. Congregational teams will be creating space for intentional discernment over the summer months – setting aside dedicated time to ask: Given what we’ve heard…who is God calling us to be? What is God calling us to do? Who is God calling us to be in relationship with? This is not a step towards making a decision about a new ministry or programming. Perhaps things like that will evolve in time. Rather discernment is a step towards more intentionally listening for the Spirit’s voice – pleading and nudging – already active among us. And in this listening for the Spirit, clarifying what is most important for us to be paying attention to right now.

As we move along this learning experience together, we are also learning (or perhaps remembering) how important it is to have companions along the way. We have encountered many challenges and struggles over this year together – as congregations, as individuals, and as a people living in uncertain and heavy times. We have experienced and witnessed the bad news facing us and that of neighbors near and far. The daily weight and intensity of this bad news makes the call to be neighbor that much more obvious, urgent and exhausting. These times are making even more apparent our need to reconnect the threads of our shared humanity and weave together more trustworthy communities of belonging.��

The weight of bad news – ours and our neighbor’s – is exhausting to carry, often making it difficult to imagine how we will rise to what is needed of us to show up differently. To reconnect. To heal. To reconcile. To trust. More and more, our RIH community is convinced that the only way to move forward with the urgency of our current moment and the weight of this current reality, is to do so together.��

This summer, each congregational team will gather with someone from our RIH team to practice discernment together – wondering about the invitation to participate in and proclaim good news in our particular places. We will be wondering together: what is the Spirit’s invitation to engage in good news in Brooklyn Park? In Robbinsdale? In the Minneapolis neighborhoods of Longfellow, West Phillips, East Harriet, Steven’s Square, Bancroft and Diamond Lake? In Plymouth? In the St. Paul neighborhoods of Mac-Groveland and Phalen Payne?

While there is no shortage of challenges to navigate – there is also no shortage of love and good companions for the journey. Together we are blessed to be leaning into God’s love for us and our neighbors, joining in the slow, necessary work of being neighbor and investing in more whole, connected and flourishing communities.����

The post An Evening of Discernment by Kristina Frugé appeared first on Bernhard Christensen Center for Vocation.

One such organization is Augsburg’s neighbor – the Minneapolis Area Synod! While our efforts are distinct, both initiatives seek to create learning communities of congregations exploring their call to be neighbor, rooted in the particularities of their faith traditions. These tandem projects also allow additional opportunities to learn from each other about this work.��

Please enjoy this contribution from our partners at the Minneapolis Area Synod – Nick Tangen and Maya Bryant – who are leading the synod’s Thriving Congregations work called, “Faith Practices & Neighboring Practices.”��

Update from Faith Practices & Neighboring Practices

“The first service one owes to others in the community involves listening to them. Just as our love for God begins with listening to God’s Word, the beginning of love for other Christians is learning to listen to them.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer –�� Life Together��

Our Faith Practices & Neighboring Practices learning community launched in September 2021 with a retreat at the Graduate Minneapolis. Since then, our three regional cohorts have been meeting monthly to share a meal, and explore and experiment with the practices that sustain our relationship with God and with our neighbor.��

We’ve explored spiritual practices like praying the Psalms, lectio divina, and group spiritual direction. And we’ve experimented with one-to-ones, stakeholder mapping, intercultural development, and storytelling. Now, as we approach the summer, each of our congregations is preparing for a neighborhood listening campaign where we’ll have the opportunity to build relationships with our neighbors and hear the stories of the folks who share community with us.��

This summer of listening will help frame our conversations and learning in the fall as we seek to respond to the stories we hear and the relationships we build. What does it mean to be neighbors in the place where God has placed us? How can we reject patterns of toxic charity and white saviorism? What does it look like for us to become communities of practice, rather than networks of programming? These are just a few of the questions we will be exploring over the next six months.��

We are excited to see what emerges from the one-to-ones, house meetings, and other gatherings that happen in and around the communities we are at work in. We continue to hold the Riverside Innovation Hub team and participants in our prayers, and hope that you do the same. It is a blessing to be in this work with y’all.��

Peace!

The Faith Practices & Neighboring Practices Team
Nicholas Tangen
Maya Bryant

The Thriving Congregations Initiative

If you’d like to read more about other efforts by faith-based organizations around the country who are involved in this initiative, please visit the Thriving Congregations Initiative website at��

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Accompaniment is the first artform of the Public Church Framework. It is the movement out into the neighborhood to hear the neighbors’ stories. In this movement, we learn to engage and listen to the neighbor for the neighbor’s sake. We’ve simplified and categorized accompaniment into four layers, or four different practices to hear the neighbors’ stories. This blog post dives into the fourth layer of accompaniment, a relational one to one.

A One to One Relational Meeting

What is a One to One?

A one to one is an intentional, curiosity-driven conversation with someone you want to know, or get to know more deeply.�� The primary purpose of a one to one conversation is to build or deepen relationships. Some of the secondary purposes of a one to one include, uncovering their interests and values, gathering information, and more clarity about themselves.

A one to one is:

• A conversation with another person for an agreed upon length of time
• Getting to know the other person and being known
• A chance to go deeper in conversation
• A way to understand what someone cares about and why

A one to one is not:

• An interview with rapid one-sided questions
• A date or sales pitch
• A recruitment device with a set agenda
• Surface level small talk
• A opportunity to preach to or convert someone

Why do we do a One to One?

There are many reasons “why” we do a one to one relational meeting. One core theological reason is that we believe in a God who is relational and a God who created humans in God’s image. To know another human more deeply, is to get a glimpse of a fuller picture of who God is.

Practically speaking, another reason for why we do one to one meetings, is because they are effective ways of getting to hear the neighbors’ stories first hand.

How do we do a One to One?

A one to one could happen in a varitety of ways and locations. Below is an outline of the key ingredients to a one to one realtional meeting.

1. Plan a time to meet.

When you are inviting someone to meet with you, introduce yourself, explain why you want to meet with them, and ask if you can have 45 minutes of their time.����Make it clear that you are coming to hear their ideas, and not to sell them on anything.

2. Prepare for the conversation.

Think about what you might already know about the person, and what you want to know about this person.

Prepare some thoughts about how you want to introduce yourself.

Brainstorm, or choose, which types of questions you’d like to ask them.

Here are some example questions:

• What is your vision for a loving, good world? Who do you see making that happen?
• What brings you joy? Hope?
• What keeps you up at night?����
• What kind of church do you want to be a part of ?��
• What kind of community do you want to be a part of?
• What do you love about this neighborhood?

This handout from the Episcopal Church has many more question suggestions that are context specific:

3. Conversation

When you gather for your conversation, introduce yourself and explain why you are there. Begin with a few simple question to develop a relaxed conversation.

Pay attention to what the person seems interested in and excited to talk about. Ask follow-up questions about these things. Listen for things that could lead in to a longer story.

You may find that you and the person you’re visiting with have things in common, feel free to acknowledge those similarities and share briefly about yourself to build trust and connection, but always return the focus to your partner. The person visited should speak about 60% of the time together. People are often flattered, and honored to share about their experiences.

4. Closing

Be respectful of the person’s time and end at the previously agreed upon time. Take a moment to jot some notes down afterwards. It is better to take notes after than to take notes during the conversation. Think about what they shared with you and what you learned about them.

To learn more about a One to One Relational Meeting, check out this helpful or this more detailed .��

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Geoffrey Gill

Geoffrey Gill began his ministry to youth as a youth leader for Faith Tabernacle Church, in Minneapolis. From there, he has worked with youth within the community in a variety of capacities, including working with the Youth Advisory Council for National Youth Leadership, and starting “Helping Young Men” a�� nonprofit mentorship group at Central High School in St. Paul.

Geoffrey is a graduate of Augsburg University in Minneapolis, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in youth and Family Ministry. He is a certified Master Life Coach from the Best Life Coaching Society, in Fargo, ND.

Along with private coaching clients, a consulting partnership, healing and restorative justice circles, Geoffrey also works with teenage boys, who are in recovery for substance abuse.

Geoffrey is a man of God, a mentor, coach, educator and father of a wonderful son, whom he considers his number one investment, and the fire of his legacy.

Jennifer Starr Dodd

For over twenty years, Jennifer Starr Dodd has been committed to building community vitality by connecting with and empowering others to be the change that they would like to see around them. Through relationship, Jennifer has been successful in this goal by turning ideas into attainable goals for the populations she is serving.

Having worked with at-risk children, youth, and young adults for 15 years, Jennifer masterfully intersects education, experience, and environment �� to promote awareness, understanding, and opportunity.

Jennifer shared her expertise in curriculum development and implementation when she served as a Teacher’s Assistant at Saint Paul Public Schools, and when she facilitated a wide range of academic and enrichment classes for school districts located in Apple Valley, Rosemount, Eagan, Farmington, Lakeville, Hastings, and Washington County for REACH With Me, an educational company that merged education with enrichment to help students develop a passion for learning.

When REACH With Me closed its for-profit standing in order to better realign with the needs of underrepresented communities, Jennifer co-founded Reaching Up Ministries, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to “create hope, help, and opportunities by bringing community members together to respond to the local needs of youth and families”.

Serving as the Chief Operating Officer, Jennifer coordinated food distribution and procurement with local businesses, churches, organizations, and schools to distribute lunches to 525 youth and families in need in Dakota County. Her work also involved mentoring high school students enrolled in AP classes while also training them to be tutors to elementary and middle school students in Reaching Up’s district-wide free after school Homework Help and enrichment programs.

Also during this chapter, Jennifer continued her service for young people and families in need by sitting on the ERD (Eliminating Racial Disparities) for Youth Committee in Dakota County. She also oversaw JDAI’s (Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative) endorsed Community Coach Program, an initiative developed to cultivate relationships with paroled youth and help them navigate steps toward health and moral wholeness.

Most recently, Jennifer served as the Homeless Youth Liaison and Foster Care Connections Coordinator for Roseville Area School District. After the vicious and merciless murder of George Floyd, she decided to step away from her position at the district to be a Community Bridge Builder and further advocate for the oppressed. Our Village Reunion was formed in September of 2020, where equally-valued people gather for mutual aid as well as caring, renewal, and relationship.

Currently, Our Village Reunion is pouring into 150 families every week by meeting their needs in the wake of the uprisings and the economic wreckage caused by the pandemic.

Jennifer is married to the love of her life Jia, and is step-mom to five vivacious children ages 14-25, and co-parent to their two cute cats, Sherlock and Serena.

Amanda Vetsch

Amanda joined the Riverside Innovation Hub team in August of 2018 as an Innovation Coach where she spent a year learning alongside of two local congregations and seven other young adults. From June 2019 – November 2020, she worked as the Communications Coordinator with the Hub while she finished up her M.A. in Theology with a Concentration in Justice and Reconciliation from Luther Seminary. She now works with the Hub as the Congregational Coordinator, which includes communications, facilitating a learning cohort, event planning, and general coordinating.

Prior to working at Augsburg, she lived, played, and learned in Rwamagana, Rwanda as a volunteer with Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM), studied Biology at Viterbo University in La Crosse, WI and grew up in Minneapolis, MN.

During her time as an Innovation Coach, she learned a lot of things and is most grateful for the opportunity to teach and grow with people as they experimented with the Public Church framework. Her favorite part of the work is Accompaniment and the various ways it takes shape, but her most favorite is meeting with people over coffee, or hanging out at coffee shops, or really anything that has to do with coffee.��During her time as communications coordinator, she learned TONS about effectively communicating, managing systems, and investing in learning relationships. She’s excited to continue learning and growing with this next learning community.

When she isn’t working, she is likely playing volleyball, hanging out with family, and friends, exploring the great outdoors, watching Netflix or reading.

Amanda is grateful for the opportunity to work alongside of faith communities as they discern how to live out their values and theological commitments in their geographic neighborhoods. She is hopeful that the work we do together can contribute to healthy, just communities where everyone can thrive.

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AYTI Mentors joined Orientation Leaders, Strommen Center Peer Advisors, AugSem Leaders, and more in a semester long class for credit that served as their leadership training for their job as AYTI Mentors. In this course all students worked to develop knowledge and skills utilizing the Social Change Model of Leadership Development. This model helps students understand their individual values (consciousness of self, congruence, and commitment), the values of the group (collaboration, common purpose, and controversy with civility), and societal and community values. The class training also focused on topics such as identity, intersectionality, anti-racism and dismantling white supremacy, brave space, disability as difference, and becoming interfaith allies. All students were able to complete the Intercultural Development Inventory and reflect on the ways in which they show up as leaders in all spaces and places.

AYTI Mentors will build on this leadership training to create and lead devotions, facilitate small groups, engage in learning sessions with participants, and help lead worship with high school students as they engage in theological exploration during the 2021 institute.

We are very much looking forward to this summer’s youth theology institute and the theme, “AND IT WAS VERY GOOD: Affirming and Advocating for Sexual and Gender Diversity in God’s Creation”. You can learn about the 2021 theme on our website here. In the meantime, join us in welcoming this year’s student leaders for the Augsburg Youth Theology Institute!

CARLI VINCENT

Name, Pronouns, Year at Augsburg, Major/Minor

Carli Vincent (they/them/theirs) 1st year, Biochemistry major

What do you love about Augsburg?

The thing that I love most about Augsburg is that it is a small close-knit community in a big city. As someone who grew up in a small town, I really appreciate the smaller campus and class sizes while getting to reside in the heart of Minneapolis. Even after one year of primarily online classes I have been able to make connections with teachers and classmates. I have also been able to find a solid community of friends despite the pandemic.

Why are you excited to be an AYTI Mentor?

I am super excited to be an AYTI mentor this summer because I am so jazzed about this year’s theme as it’s near and dear to my heart. I also attended AYTI as a participant when I was in high school, and it was super formative in my faith journey.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I spend a lot of my free time learning random skills, playing video games, camping, and spending time with my family and friends. I like to play music on the tuba, trumpet, guitar, or ukulele.

Favorite bible verse and why?

John 11:35 “Jesus wept.” This is my favorite bible verse because it’s the shortest verse in the bible and it’s one of the most powerful for me. Even though Jesus knew that Lazarus would live again he still felt the pain of losing a friend. This lets me know that even if I know something will work out, it’s okay to feel pain, anger, and or sadness in that moment.

LORPU SUMO

Name, Pronouns, Year at Augsburg, Major/Minor

My name is Lorpu Nueka Sum (she/her/hers), I am a first year student, my major is Computer Science.

What do you love about Augsburg?

Something that I love about Augsburg is how supportive the community is. The staff and teachers are always there whenever you need them. Coming to Augsburg is one of the

few best decisions that I have ever made in my life so far.

Why are you excited to be an AYTI Mentor?

I am really excited about being an AYTI Mentor this summer. I am excited to meet new people and come together as a community to grow in our faith and build a positive bond.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Somethings that I like to do in my free time are: reading, long walks, biking, or listening to music. Sometimes I watch movies and sleep.

Favorite bible verse and why?

I honestly don’t have a favorite Bible verse, but growing up, I have always loved . I loved it because it is the longest bible verse that I can remember without opening the Bible, and it also gives me comfort when I am reading it.

BRE ROSEMAN

Name, Pronouns, Year at Augsburg, Major/Minor

Bre Roseman (she/her/hers), 3rd year Junior, Management Information Systems doubled with Economics

What do you love about Augsburg?

I love that the Augsburg community is diverse in cultures. I also liked that the school is small, so it’s easier to get to classes and that there aren’t a ton of people here and that the class sizes are super small compared to other schools.

Why are you excited to be an AYTI Mentor?

I’m excited to be a mentor this year because I want to help other individuals find where they fit in the bible and even learn to trust the church again. I want others to know that just because they had a bad experience with church doesn’t mean all churches are that way.

What do you like to do in your free time?

In my free time I like painting, drawing, reading, and singing. I also enjoy doing more spiritual things like tarot readings for my friends too.

Favorite bible verse and why?

My favorite bible verse would be because it reminds that even in the dark times when it seems like everything is against you, you can run to the Lord, for they will protect you.

AARON PUENT

Name, Pronouns, Year at Augsburg, Major/Minor

Aaron Puent (he/him/his), Sophomore, Religion major

What do you love about Augsburg?

The entire reason I came to Augsburg is because I wanted a small, close knit community.�� Add the big city around us, and I feel like there are no limits as to what I can do.�� The campus is easy to navigate, and it doesn’t take too long to get from place to place.

Why are you excited to be an AYTI Mentor?

I am excited to get to know how other people live their own faiths, especially in the different forms of worship.�� I also think this is an important theme for people to discuss, and working through this with fellow students should prove to add to my own theological understanding.

What do you like to do in your free time?

If it is nice outside, you can be sure to find me out running or playing tennis (but I love all racquet sports and will never turn down a challenge at ping pong).�� I enjoy hiking and biking as well.�� On a rainy day, I like to do some creative writing or crossword puzzles.

Favorite bible verse and why?

One of the most important Bible verses to me is , in which Jesus says, “I give you a new commandment: love one another.�� As I have loved you, so that you also should love one another.”�� This can be found in other places in the Bible, but I find it central to my personal theology.�� Jesus showed love to people regardless of their actions and personalities because they were people created in God’s image.�� Therefore, I should do the same.

GRACE PORTER

Name, Pronouns, Year at Augsburg, Major/Minor

Grace Porter (she/her/hers), 4th year, Theology and Public Leadership with a concentration in Youth Studies, Minor in Music

What do you love about Augsburg?

I love so many things about Augsburg, but the main thing is that it feels like home and that everyone feels like family. I was really able to find my place doing the things that I love, and it was so amazing to find people who also loved those things! I have also created personal relationships with faculty and staff, they are people who are welcoming and loving and are wanting to know you on a personal level.

Why are you excited to be an AYTI Mentor?

I am excited to be an AYTI Mentor for my third year because I love AYTI! I love learning and growing in relationship with the many amazing young people who attend, they are so passionate and have a need for this community, just like I did. I love being apart of a program that encourages young people to follow their passions, and teaches them that they are important right now, even though they may feel insignificant.

What do you like to do in your free time?��

In my free time I like to spend time outside and with the people that I love. That has been tough during COVID, so I also watched a lot of Netflix and did a lot of crafting and coloring during my time inside. I also love music, and spend a lot of time with my voice, and guitar, ukulele, or piano!

Favorite bible verse and why?

My favorite Bible verse is “God is within her, she will not fall. God will help her at the break of day.” I even have it tattooed on my arm! This verse reminds me that no matter what I am going through in my life, God is always within me, giving me strength when I feel like I have nothing left to give.

RENEE CHRISTENSEN

Name, Pronouns, Year at Augsburg, Major/Minor

Hello! My name is Renee Christensen (she/her/hers). I am finishing up my 2nd year at Augsburg, double majoring in Clinical Psychology and Theology and Public Leadership, which is a really long way of saying I’m incredibly passionate about mental illness and religion!

What do you love about Augsburg?

There are SO many things that I love about Augsburg. During the Covid-19 pandemic, I really saw and experienced how the Augsburg community came together. We found ways to connect. The professors were so lenient as we all figured out this new world that was our college experience. I mentioned this earlier, but I also LOVE the community that has been built at Augsburg. The faculty, staff, professors, and students make this community feel like home.

Why are you excited to be an AYTI Mentor?

I was a 2018 participant at AYTI and it’s actually the reason I came to Augsburg! I am SO excited to be a mentor this year because I love seeing young people grow and develop into who they are. My experience at AYTI as a participant really shaped my life and my faith. I hope that I can be a part of someone’s journey as they discover who they are.

What do you like to do in your free time?��

In my free time, I love spending time outdoors, spending time with my family, reading, singing, and cuddling with my cats! When I’m not at Augsburg, you’ll most likely find me curled up with my cats and a good book!

Favorite bible verse and why?

My favorite bible verse changes day to day! However, my all time favorite would have to be “ Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged. The Lord, your God is with you”. I find strength in this verse because it’s a great reminder that even if you feel alone, God is walking beside you. It’s definitely not easy, at times it feels impossible, but this verse is a great reminder for me.

The post Meet the 2021 Youth Theology Institute Mentors appeared first on Bernhard Christensen Center for Vocation.

Angels sing “Hark!”, or at least the herald ones do. The church’s problem is that we’re singing Hark! in all the wrong places. We’re harking up the wrong tree. And Christmas is the best time for Dad Jokes.

⁸ In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ^9��Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ^10��But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: ^11��to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. ^12��This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ ^13��And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’ ()

These shepherds living in the fields were considered too unclean for worship in the temple. They were considered lowly peasants for sure, but their profession was also part of the problem. The religious structures of the time made it impossible for them enter God’s house.

So, it’s a pretty big deal when these lowly, dirty shepherds are the first to hear the announcement of Christ’s birth. These angels are harking up the RIGHT tree. When God makes Godself public and moves into the neighborhood, God wants the shepherds to be the first to know. The shepherds – the ones not allowed in the temple – are the first ones invited to God’s new home.

The distance between the temple and those living in the fields is only getting greater. The chasm between the church and those who are systemically cast out is only getting wider. The pandemics of COVID, systemic racism, and economic strife are felt intensely by so many right now. There are multitudes living in the fields this winter in our communities. God crosses the threshold into the lives of these who are living in the fields. The angels’ Hark! is for those living in the fields.

The good news for those of us hanging out at the temple harking up the wrong tree is that this good news of great joy is for all people (verse 10). It’s as if God knows the privileged ones will hoard the good news of great joy for themselves if they receive it first. And it will never find its way to the fields. But, this good news of great joy will truly be for ALL people if it is the lowly ones receive it first.

The Christmas story is a story of God becoming public, becoming incarnate, moving into the neighborhood. It is a story of this good news of great joy being made known publicly. We no longer need to hark up the wrong tree. The journey into to the fields with our neighbor is a journey to which we are called. When you arrive you will encounter your neighbor and the good news of great joy they share with you will leave you speechless. Your only word will be Hark!

May the incarnate Christ meet you where you are this Advent and Christmas – in the fields or in the temple – and draw you into that good news of great joy that offers the kind of hope that turns our world upside down.

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After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way.��Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin,Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples.^��Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.��Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.��Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.”��He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish.��That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea.^��But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards��off.��When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread.��Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”^��So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn.��Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord.��Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.��This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.��John 21:1-14

I originally picked this reading because it’s one of my absolute favorite stories in the bible. It’s one I often go to to remember my “why.”��

Why I continue to show up everyday, why I do the work that I do and study the things that I study, and why I continue to hold on to a Christian Tradition and belief system that has a found itself so interwoven with white supremacy and cis-hetero-patriarchy that it sometimes hard to see, hear, and feel the gospel through all those layers.��

This story has 2 of my favorite things about the Gospel message:����

• It’s got enoughness and it’s got food.��
  • it gets at “enoughness”�� in that’s its a post-resurrection occurrence and in the huge haul of fish, more than they could even draw in
  • And food –�� it shows us how simple and sacred it is to share a meal together. Also, I really love breakfast and the image of sitting on a beach eating breakfast with Jesus. How wonderful is that?��

I’m being honest, I picked this reading in the hopes that, if I picked something�� that I was already pretty familiar with, it would be super easy to just slap a sermon together. As it turns out, that wasn’t the case. And I probably shouldn’t just slap something together up here.��

So as I sat with the text I just kept coming up with more questions. The questions ranged from silly to complex, like:��

• Did a resurrected Jesus’s body really need to eat breakfast, or was he preparing it for the disciples?��
• Why did Peter put his clothes on to jump into the water? And why was he naked?��
• Where did the fish that Jesus was cooking before the disciples came to shore come from?��
• Did fisher people usually sit together and eat breakfast after being out at sea?��
• Did people on the shore usually call out to the fisherpeople and tell them where to fish or was this a weird Jesus trust thing?��
• And my biggest question, what does it mean to practice enoughness or�� a theology of abundance in the season of lent?��

While all of those questions would be fascinating to wonder about, I’m going to spend this time on the last one.��So first, let me explain the pieces of that question that might be confusing and then I’ll wonder about it with you all.��

What do I mean by enoughness?��

I mean the belief that there is more than enough, that through God’s promises, we have more than enough, we are more than enough, and we can hope for a better tomorrow. I see this enoughness as a core theme throughout the whole biblical narrative, God shows unending generosity to humankind. I see it in the stories of God providing manna while the Israelites were wandering in the desert, I see it in the parables that Jesus told, especially in the story of the workers who all worked a different amount of time and got paid the same at the end of the day, and in the story of the resurrection. Death is real, and it isn’t final.

And if none of the biblical references made it any clearer, What might a theology of abundance look like in our context today:�� It’s trusting that we only need the resources we will use, we don’t need to hoard hand sanitizer or soap.

So now that we have a better idea of what I mean by abundance, what do I mean by Lent?

��In many mainline Christian Traditions, we are currently in the season of Lent. That means, throughout the year, we follow the story of Jesus and right now we are at the part of the story before Jesus’ death and before Easter. This season is a time to prepare for Easter, to repent, and to remember. Many people do this by fasting. Sometimes that means fasting from food, sometimes it means fasting from something, or maybe it means adding a new spiritual habit thing in. One example is from the ELCA Young Adults is to fast from single use plastics.�� This season is a season that is often somber, quiet, and simple. The invitation at the beginning of the season, on Ash Wednesday, is to remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.��

How do we hold both of these things at the same time:��

• A belief in abundance and enoughness��
• In a season of remembering and repentance����

Here are two ways I think we can do that.��

First, remember. Remember that there is enough. I can fast from hoarding. I can fast from fear. I can fast from hopelessness. I can fast from all of those things because I believe in a God that has, does, and will generously provide for humankind.��

Second, Repent. For me, I’m going to be better repenting�� if I am rooted in God’s promises of enoughness. What does that mean? While clinging to the promise that I am beloved, I can be more open to repenting from the ways in which I have caused harm. In the ways I haven’t always been kind, the times I caused harm to the earth when there were less harmful options, the times I talked over someone else, the times I didn’t listen,�� the times I consciously or unconsciously assumed my white body was more important than a black, brown, or indigenous body, the times that I remained complicit.��For me, if I’m not rooted in a promise of enoughness, the invitation to repentance might actually end up as a trip and tumble into a deep pit of guilt and shame and that’s not the point of repentance. Repentance is to turn away, it is NOT to turn into myself, but to turn away from the ways that I have caused harm and remember that as a beloved Child of God I am called and freed to live in repariative ways that bring good news to my neighbor.��

And these two examples are on the individual level, what might it look like if our communities, cultures, and countries remembered and repented? So I will leave you with that, for you, What might it look like to embody a belief of enoughness in a season of remembering and repenting?

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