Outer Rim Territories

Family News March 2007

PDF Format with pretty pictures: March 2007 Newsletter

Gillespie family

The Life and Times of a seminarian and his family

March 2007 edition Vicarage Approaches In what seems to be a blink of the eye, we approach vicarage! I'm sure that for most of you who will read this newsletter, you cannot believe vicarage approaches. Vicarage is like an internship for pastors-to-be. This coming summer the family will be moving to a locale yet to be determined where I will serve as a pastor’s assistant. I will serve in the capacities of pastor under this pastor. The process might seem a bit odd, especially to an outsider. Whey not just complete your education, be ordained as a pastor and serve? Vicarage is a critical part of this Seminarian’s education. Whereas the classroom gives a picture of the ideal, vicarage gives the student a chance to put the theories to the test in the frank reality of the world. On my vicarage, I hope to gain experience in preaching (about 25 times), visitation, care for souls, teaching confirmation or Bible class, and ultimately be shaped into a more complete vision of Christ’s messenger by a willing congregation and supervising pastor. The vicarage service is April 23rd at 7:00 p.m. on campus. At this service, we will learn where and when! Pray for us! Family News Luke had his first birthday party on February 10th. He’s walking continually. He loves throwing his big bouncing ball. He can manage our flight of stairs with aplomb but especially likes standing at the top or the landing and throwing things down the stairs. Gabriel is communicating verbally with greater ease. Ethan is in home school full swing. He finished his letter books this week and has moved on to math books. He can read quite a bit and read along in church today. He recognized many words. Elsie is getting eager to start school also. We found a sign language website and learned a few signs: mom, dad, brother, sister, please, thank you, more, sorry, messy, and Ethan’s favorite “home school.” Gabriel, Elsie, and Ethan have been enjoying many books. We finished the “Little House on the Prairie” series before Christmas and have read “Hans Brinker” and “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” since. We are now more than half the way through “Prince Caspian.” We are reading 2-3 chapters a day, and they would like more! Anne attended her first birth working for Doula Certification. A doula is a labor support person. It was a great experience, and she can’t wait for the next one. You can find out more about doulas on DONA.org. Academic News The winter semester is now over. I completed all my coursework under the gun during the final week. Weeks eight & nine I was fighting a nasty sinus infection. I thought I had gotten over it, and then I was socked with a stomach flu the weekend before finals! I took a couple late nights and cranked out twenty-five pages of research papers and three final exams. Even with the challenges of illness and schedule, I think I managed one of the better semesters of my time here. Miraculous! I am eagerly awaiting this coming semester. Not only is it my last before vicarage but the classes coming up have me excited! I am taking a course on Exodus with Dr. Ludwig, who has been teaching in Novosibirsk. He is a scholar on this book, and I hope it to enlighten my perspective. I am taking Pauline Epistles, my first course on the epistles. We will cover Romans, Galatians, Ephesians. Catechetics will give me proper pedagogy for teaching the catechism, instructed by “Catechism” Prof. John Pless. I have highest hopes for Theologia II: Preaching. Each year we have one “nexus,” multi-disciplinary class. Last year it was Baptism. My fourth year it is the Lord’s Supper. (Means of grace, anyone?) Lutherans are a preaching church I have high hopes to learn theory, history, rhetoric, and technique for developing my preaching! Novosibirsk The journey begins May 16th! The tickets have been purchased for Anne and I to travel to the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Novosibirsk, Siberia in May. I was going to go alone due to cost but we decided to make some sacrifices (and sell off the recording equipment) to allow Anne to travel with me. We will be gone for nearly a month. I will be taking a class on Theological Ethics. We will visit St. Petersburg, Moscow, churches in Siberia, and stop off in Germany to visit cousin Angela and Gregory and some Luther sites. Whew!