(MINNEAPOLIS) — A grant of more than $445,000 was awarded by Lilly Endowment Inc., in a highly competitive grant process, to Augsburg College’s Youth Theology Institute. The award means the Youth Theology Institute can, among other things, develop a fellowship program for youth ministers, including from multicultural and ethnic-specific congregations, and expand participation in the program among youths, congregations, and synods.

“This grant supports Augsburg’s continued commitment to intentional diversity and to modeling what it means to be a Lutheran college of the 21st century, located in the heart of one of the nation’s most diverse zip codes,” said Augsburg College President Paul Pribbenow.

“It equips young people with theological and vocational skills and helps them learn what it means to practice their faith, with its commitments to education, radical hospitality and serving your neighbor.”

The Lilly grant will allow the Augsburg College Youth Theology Institute, now in its 13th year, to:

• Develop a cohort of youth ministers from regional churches and synods, including multicultural and ethnic-specific congregations, interested in enhancing their youth ministry skills.
• Increase the number of participants from 20 in 2016 to 40 by 2019 while also strengthening relationships with attendees and their families, their pastors and churches, through ongoing opportunities following the one-week institute.
• Create a mentor program to allow college-age students to help high school students develop practices and skills for theological reflection.
• Increase connections to the four synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America that form Augsburg’s governing structure.
• Continue to provide scholarships to attend Augsburg College of $1,000 per student, per year, for as many as four years.

The next Youth Theology Institute is June 19-24, 2016, at Augsburg College. It will be directed by Jeremy Myers, associate professor of religion in youth and family ministry.

About Augsburg College: Augsburg College offers more than 50 undergraduate majors and nine graduate degrees to nearly 3,600 students of diverse backgrounds at its campuses located in the vibrant center of the Twin Cities and in Rochester. Augsburg College educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. The Augsburg experience is supported by an engaged community committed to intentional diversity in its life and work. An Augsburg education is defined by excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies, guided by the faith and values of the Lutheran church, and shaped by its urban and global settings.

About Lilly Endowment Inc.: Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family – J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli – through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly & Company. The Endowment exists to support the causes of religion, education and community development. Lilly Endowment’s religion grantmaking is designed to deepen and enrich the religious lives of American Christians. It does this largely through initiatives to enhance and sustain the quality of ministry in American congregations and parishes.

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By Wendi Wheeler ’06

Jeanette Clark ’07 and Antonio Spargo ’07 don’t know a lot of the current Day students. That’s because most of them were in high school when Clark and Spargo last attended Augsburg. So now that they are back on campus as campus ministry interns, they believe their most important job responsibility is getting to know students.

Both Clark and Spargo have been studying at Luther Seminary, and each has completed at least one internship already. Dave Wold, who knew Clark and Spargo because of their involvement with campus ministry as undergraduates, contacted the seminarians this summer and asked if they would like to work at Augsburg this fall.

“It’s like an internship but not,” Clark said. Though it is early in the school year, Clark sees her role as supporting students and helping campus ministry groups “get off the ground for the year.”

As undergraduates, Clark and Spargo were campus ministry commissioners and, as such, had duties to fulfill. Now they said they are not tied to any specific responsibilities, making them free to discover opportunities to engage with students.

Spargo said he hopes to connect with students at lunch and campus events. “The role that has appeared for us now is being the face of campus ministry to students and helping them see that campus ministry is here for them,” he said. Spargo, a former Auggie football player, is especially excited to find ways to interact with student-athletes.

Clark is looking forward mostly to hear what students want to do through campus ministry. “I want to work with students to make their ideas happen, and I’m very excited about the opportunities where faith and service connect.”

As graduate students, both know this year will provide learning opportunities for them. Clark is open to listening and learning, and she hopes to find ways to put students’ ideas into action. Because she aspires to a career in campus ministry, learning how to support students is important for her.

Spargo is glad to be back, learning and practicing in a place where he has strong connections. “There are so many great people here to learn from and young adults going from what they grew up with to what they now believe for themselves,” he said. “I want to serve them in whatever ways they need.”

Welcome back Jeanette and Antonio!

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During the January “winterim” break, several Augsburg students traveled with Religion professor Bev Stratton to Central America for REL 480: Vocation and the Christian Faith: El Salvador. First-year Katelyn Danelski reflects below on the group’s experiences.

We met with several speakers and visited different places, such as churches, a university, and a rural community, in hopes of learning more about their culture, history, and people. We primarily learned about their civil war (1979-1992) and about the roles faith and identity play in the midst of social injustice, oppression, and conflict.

Upon arriving in the country, we settled in at a guesthouse owned by a woman who fought as a guerrilla during the war. The next day we visited a church where Archbishop Oscar Romero was assassinated in 1980. Romero was made Archbishop in 1977 in hopes that he wouldn’t do much; the Catholic Church at the time didn’t want involvement with war or with the people, and Romero was the perfect man for their agenda.

Though he was what the Church wanted at first, he became increasingly involved with the people and underwent a personal transformation, becoming a leader and a voice for the people. He once said, “If they kill me I will arise in the Salvadoran people.” And arise he has. Junior Katie Gessell remarked, “For me, this experience finally brought me back to my faith…Seeing how little the Salvadoran people have along with everything they have been through, and then seeing how much faith they still had in God was incredible.”

In addition to learning about Romero, we also heard from speakers who experienced the civil war. One day we visited Suchitoto and took boats to an area where a massacre had taken place. A man who had endured the massacre spoke to us about his experiences as a child during the war, losing his family at age 9 in the massacre; he recalled memories with startling clarity.

Afterward, a woman who had also shared her experiences asked us to stand in a circle. She prayed and then told us to hug one another and say, “No more war.” She began to tear up and the whole experience was profoundly moving. Though there can be no justification for the atrocity these people went through, some redemption may be found in the impact their stories have on others. Junior Hayley Thomas responded, “Their stories were extremely powerful and the passion they had for their country and their work really inspired me to make a difference with my own life.”

Outside of hearing intense personal stories, we also visited places of national interest, such as the U.S. Embassy and the National Assembly building. We heard from deputies from the ARENA and FMLN political parities. It was shocking to learn that the U.S. supplied the corrupt Salvadoran government with $1.5 million per day for 12 years during their civil war, leading to a longer war and many more civilian deaths.

Senior Adam Jacobsen commented on how remarkable it was that the people were so open to us, as Americans, in spite of this. He said, “They really understood that our government’s decisions at the time were not our own.” Most of the people we met were compassionately able to make a distinction between the American government and the American people.

On one of our last nights in the country, in the rural area of Nueva Esperanza (New Hope), a group of young people who call themselves “Mercy” came and performed traditional Central American folk songs. Everyone’s faces lit up with joy, and some children from the community came over to listen, as well as another American group that was visiting the country. The next evening we brought piñatas to the kids and played with them. Music and play brought people together.

These experiences serve as a testimony to what all of us hopefully learned from this trip; people are people, and no matter creed, religion, or race, we are all united by a common thread of humanity. As the Salvadoran poet Roque Dalton once wrote, “…my veins don’t end in me.”

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Preseason practices—regardless of the sport—can be tough for Augsburg’s student athletes. Because classes have yet to begin, most teams are practicing twice a day in preparation for the season. The work is hard, the weather can be hot, and it certainly isn’t as much fun as playing games.

Now imagine going through two practices a day without drinking any water or eating to refuel your body between practices. That’s what Gobana and Soud are doing right now and will continue to do so until September 10.

Because in addition to being Auggie soccer players, the two are also Muslim students who are in the midst of Ramadan—a month in which the devout neither eat nor drink from dawn to dusk. Based on the lunar calendar, Ramadan moves from year to year, and this is the first time in many years in which it lands during preseason two-a-day practices.

“You never get used to it,” Soud [pictured right] said after a recent practice. “But it’s something you just push yourself to do. It’s very important for Muslims. You cherish it.”

Because of that, the two certainly live according to their alarm clocks. Each morning, they wake up at about 4 a.m. in order to eat and drink before sunrise. Gobana usually eats rice, pasta, drinks milk, water, and some Gatorade to stay hydrated. Soud tries to eat a lot of bread, some deli meat, and works to stay hydrated.

“I try to eat as much as I can,” Gobana [pictured left] said. “But that early in the morning, it’s difficult to eat.”

After the sun goes down and they have logged several miles running during two practices, they eat and rehydrate. Both, however, said that they don’t feel they can eat as much as they would like because it is as if their stomach shrinks during the day.

The physical well-being of all Augsburg student-athletes is very important. Because of the challenges of training while fasting, athletic trainers are paying particular attention to the two until the end of Ramadan. In addition, men’s soccer coach Greg Holker has made sure the two know they should sit out a drill or training if they don’t feel up to it.

Several times during Ramadan, the athletes will be in the middle of their second practice of the day when the sun sets. When that happens, they let coach Greg Holker know.

“You can’t just jump out of a drill,” Soud said. “But you definitely let the general know and he’s good to let you go get some water. Sometimes we’ll eat a banana right away.”

Despite Augsburg’s long Lutheran heritage,Soud and Gobana said they feel very comfortable here.

“I went to a Christian college in Michigan when I was a freshman (Calvin College),” Gobana said. “Me and my brother were about the only Muslims there. There’s so much more diversity here, I have a lot of Somali friends here. When you compare them, Augsburg is more welcoming.”

Soud said the rest of the Augsburg soccer players have been supportive of them and respect what they are doing.

“Some of them can’t believe we go through two-a-days without eating or drinking,” he said. “They say they are thirsty after just a little while, but they don’t even like to say it around us.”

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