Another Year Begins!

The Lutheran Campus Ministry and the Lutheran Student Movement greeted another academic year with a flurry of activity.

Move-In Day

August 15 (which should have been observed as the Feast of Mary, Mother of Our Lord) was "Move-In Day." 24,500 students, the largest student body to date at WVU, descended upon the campus with cars, vans, trucks, and trailers. Attempting to be helpful, and not opposed to making a little money at the same time, the LSM offered up its services by providing valet parking at the Lutheran Campus Chapel. The LSM also sold hot dogs and cold drinks from the portico of the chapel. Compared to previous years, however, the gridlock in front of the chapel and the demand for parking was not as great as in previous years. Still, the entire project broke even and there is a stockpile of hot dogs and sodas to ease us into the term.

Lemonade Stand!

"Lemonade Stand" served 37 gallons of lemonade to roughly 750 thirsty students, faculty, and staff. An annual event, the two day Lemonade Stand is sponsored by the LSM and LCM as an act of pure hospitality. The lemonade is provided free of charge, and, unlike the other commercial and religious "freebies" found on campus each year, there are no sign-up sheets, contracts, or forms. This year's sweltering temperature and humidity, helped make the Lemonade Stand a welcome sight the first two days of the term. Several students helped staff the stand, and one of the members of St. Paul Lutheran Church provided homemade cookies.

Fall Fest on the Portico

As the first day of Lemonade Stand drew to a close, returning LSM members and friends got to talking about the evening. "Why not sell hot dogs and drinks tonight?" So, with dusk descending on the campus, the turkey fryer was fired up, and the coolers were brought out. More fun was had than food sold, but fellowship has its own rewards. An off hand comment about "wieners for the wasted" drew some laughs, but, when displayed on a large piece of paper, sales shot up.

Requiem for Decatur "Steve Jackson" Butler

A member of the homeless community in Morgantown, Steve Butler had become a fixture at the Lutheran Campus Center. After a brief hospitalization, Steve died of cancer. The Lutheran Campus Ministry conducted a funeral liturgy for Steve on Wednesday evening, August 20. Throughout the day, Steve's remains lie in state in the Chapel of Christ the King for public visitation. The service was well attended. Several area clergy participated, and townspeople of nearly every walk of life paid their respects. In memoriam.

Road Trip Pilgrimage to Pitt

Our semester Pilgrimage to Pitt was conducted September 28, 2003. Setting out in the early afternoon, our caravan stopped first at the Penn Brewery for Oktoberfest. There, we feasted on German food and enjoyed the music of Alpenglow.

Following our mid-afternoon repast, we headed across town to Homestead, PA, where we attended the opening weekend of Luther. What a film! We give it two thumbs up.

The evening was closed with compline at Heinz Chapel, a wonderful worship experience with music provided by the Pittsburgh Compline Choir--for some samples of the music, click here). Held in the gothic Heinz Chapel, it's about as Medieval as it gets around here. Compline is a ministry of the Lutheran University Center (Greater Pittsburgh).

Requiem for Vaughan Suppa

To mark the first anniversary of Vaughan Suppa's death, a requiem mass was held at the Chapel of Christ the King on Saturday evening, October 18. A gathering of students, friends of Vaughan's from Camp Luther, assembled to remember their friend and to mourn. Memorial gifts which have been received in Vaughan's name have been used to by furnishings for the Old Parsonage porch. The Old Parsonage is being renovated to serve as a "Luther House," and intentional Lutheran residential community for students. The porch will be more than a mere entry way; it will be a place to relax, talk, study, eat, and recreate. When renovations on the porch are completed, a dedication of the furnishings will be held. In memoriam

Reformation Daze 2003 Wrap Up

Reformation Daze 2003 is behind us, and we can with great certainty say, "the best yet." For a recap of the most exciting Reformation Daze thus far, click here.

Chaplain Completes Service at St. Paul

Chaplain Riegel completed five months of service as interim pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church (Evansdale), Morgantown, WV, on Sunday, November 9. Pastoral vacancy is never an easy thing on a congregation, but this vacancy posed extra challenges. The previous call terminated when both pastor and congregation accepted the report of the Synod Consultation Committee. The congregation's vote was 52-46, a very narrow margin. During the vacancy, Chaplain Riegel conducted Sunday worship, taught an adult study on First Corinthians, covered emergency and shut-in visitation, and discharged some administrative duties. Soon after the interim period began, heavy rain resulted in multiple flooding incidents of the church basement. On Sunday, November 23, the congregation threw a surprise reception, thanking him for his five months of service as interim pastor. The Rev. Brian Bennett began service on Monday, November 10, as an intentional interim for the next two years.

The Pool Boys Join Us for Theology on Tap

The Pool Boys joined Theology on Tap at the Blue Moose this past Monday night. They had performed at St. Paul Lutheran Church (Evansdale) that Monday at 7:00 PM. Following the concert, one of the band members asked about Theology on Tap, having noticed the campus ministry calendar on the church's bulletin board. All enjoyed an evening which was kicked off by the question, "How do we understand the Old Testament statements which sound like polytheism?"

Great War Liturgy

In observance of Veterans' Day, the Lutheran Campus Ministry held a public worship service on November 11, at 7:00 PM, using the liturgy found in the Army and Navy Service Book (1917). This liturgy was used by Lutheran chaplains serving with the American Expeditionary Force in W.W.I. Some may remember that Veterans' Day was originally Armistice Day, the celebration of the end of the Great War. We revived this liturgy at the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom and used it throughout the remainder of Spring 2003. As far as we know, we are the only ones using it. You can download a copy of the liturgy from our site.

The Rev. Wanda Childs Visits

Sunday, November 16, we were pleased to welcome The Rev. Wanda Childs, pastor of St. Luke Lutheran Church, Beckley, WV. Pr. Childs preached at the 7:00 PM mass and joined us for fellowship and compline as well. Not only did this provide an opportunity for regulars at the Chapel of Christ the King to hear someone else, it also provided ab opportunity for students from Beckley to touch base with their pastor mid-semester. Pastors interested in visiting the campus ministry and catching up with their student parishioners, should contact Chaplain Riegel.

Bennett Installation

Sunday afternoon, November 30, The Most Rev. Dr. Ralph Dunkin, Bishop of the West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod, installed The Rev. Brian Bennett as the intentional interim pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church (Evansdale). Pr. Bennett is a recent graduate of Southern Seminary. His undergrad is from Oberlin. He did four years of graduate studies in Physics at Penn State University. Pr. Bennett worked with us here at the Chapel throughout the first semester. Katy Bandy, Matt Losh, Amelia Payne, and Kevin Shon, four active participants in the campus ministry, attended the installation. Chaplain Riegel preached.

Thrivent Giving Plus

The Lutheran Campus Ministry has enrolled in Thrivent's Giving Plus program. Thrivent members can make charitable contributions to enrolled agencies and have their gift matched on a 50% basis. When a Thrivent member gives $400 to the Lutheran Campus Ministry, Thrivent matches the gift with an additional $200. For more information about this program, visit our "Supporting LCM@WVU" page.

Thrivent Financial Services for Lutherans, the recent merger of Lutheran Brotherhood and Aid Association for Lutherans, is a fraternal benefits society which offers a wide range of financial services to its members. As a fraternal benefits society, it is obligated to convert profits into further benefits for its members. One of these benefits is Giving Plus.

Sue Tucker Bids Farewell to the Organ

Sue Tucker retired from the organ bench on Sunday night, December 7, after nearly 22 years of service to the Lutheran Campus Ministry at WVU. Tucker was originally employed by the Chapel Council in order to fill the need for consistent, quality music. During those 22 years, Tucker played nearly every Sunday when the university was in session, plus providing special services from time to time. During the evening mass, Tucker was asked to leave the bench and stand before the congregation as Chaplain Riegel publicly thanked her for her faithful service. Special prayers of thanksgiving and Godspeed where then included in the Prayer of the Church. At the conclusion of the mass, the congregation quietly listened to Tucker's postlude based on Freu Dich Sehr, which was followed by applause--something unusual in Lutheran worship. A reception then followed in the undercroft at which Tucker was informed that another event--of a musical nature--was being planned for the Spring to allow for a more appropriate celebration of her ministry.

Chapel a Spiritual Haven Last Fortnight of Term

Chapel worship attendance reached 100 during "dead week," the week before final exams. Students, faculty, and staff participated in nightly compline, Wednesday sext, and two masses. "We offer more the last fortnight of the term," explains Chaplain Riegel. "The prayer offices are especially popular." Compline, the last prayer office of the day, provides a restful, contemplative way to wind down after the stresses of the day. Sext, a very short monastic style liturgy, is prayed at noon, thus providing a midday break. "Next year, we'll offer sext daily," says Riegel. "People ask for it and are visibly disappointed if it is not offered." Riegel reports that worship attendance tapers off dramatically towards the end of exam week as students leave town.

Prayer was not the only thing taking place at the chapel. The undercroft (lower level) became a second home to some students as they worked on papers or studied for exams. Hot beverages and snacks were available, and more than one sleepy student discovered how comfortable the new couch is. As students finished exams, the atmosphere changed to one of fellowship, celebration, and/or commiseration.

"I actually blessed a car," reports Riegel. Two students were setting out for western Canada on Friday. Riegel blessed the car in the context of the suffrages liturgy for travel. "Next term, I'll have to figure out a way to provide this for everyone."

PayPal and Credit Card Donations On-Line!

The development function of the Lutheran Campus Ministry at WVU enetered the electronic age late in the first semester. Establishing a PayPal commercial account, the ministry can now accept on-line contributions from PayPal clients. This commercial account, also allows the campus ministry to receive credit card donations using any of four major credit cards. "PayPal was selected because it is a fast becoming the standard for consumer level electronic banking and it has an easy to use interface. We also hope that on-line contributions will prove appealing to the next generation of supporters, a generation more inclined to click a button while surfing the web than digging out the check book, cutting the check, addressing and stuffing the envelop, and finally posting it." This commercial account also features a "sunscription" service which allows the contributor to establish a regular auto-debit from their account. More information about these convenient options plus other ways that you can support the Lutheran Campus Ministry at WVU can be found by clicking... Supporting LCM@WVU

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