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Fall 2006
Highlights

Lemonade Stand: All Time Record!

To the best of our knowledge, we set an all time record for Lemonade Stand this year: 1650!  That's right, 1650 cups of lemonade were dispensed on the first Monday and Tuesday of Fall 2006.  That breaks the record of two years ago when just shy of 1000 cups were served.  The Lemonade Stand is a long standing outreach event of the Lutheran Campus Ministry.  There lemonade is served up at no charge as a way of saying, "Welcome to WVU."

30+ Brave the Heat at Festive Mass

The Lutheran Campus Ministry held its annual festive mass for the start of the academic year on Sunday, August 27.  Pr. Brian Bennett of St. Paul Lutheran Church presided at the altar.  Chap. Riegel preached, rooting his sermon in the Johannine text for the evening with a little Plato thrown in as an interpretive axis.  A special feature of the mass was the blessing of students, faculty, and staff.

9-11 Remembered

WVU had several events planned in remembrance of 9-11.  Rather than competing, the Lutheran Campus Chapel remained open from midnight to midnight on 9-11 for prayer and meditation.  The canonical hours were prayed during that time.

WVU's Student Government Association scheduled a 24-hour vigil for the "Wall of Remembrance" outside the Wise Library (which is directly across the street from the Chapel).  Given the Chapel's proximity to the "Wall," it made sense to remain open.  The LCM@WVU also provided drinks and rest rooms for the Army ROTC cadets that stood honor guard throughout the SGA vigil.

Brot und Bier for the "Golden Mouth"

Wednesday, September 13, the feast of St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church, was marked with a Brot und Bier, featuring The Rev. John Teitman.  Teitman, a graduate of The Citadel and the Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg, has a passion for the famous preacher, theologian, and bishop, and lead a stimulating conversation on the timelessness of Chrysostom's writings and sermons.  The formal portion of the evening concluded with compline at 9:00 PM.

For those unfamiliar with Brot und Bier, it is an evening of conversation facilitated with meats, cheeses, and bread (in a sort of German way).  Of course, there are beverages, but state law is observed.

Pilgrimage to Pitt

The Lutheran Campus Ministry made its annual Pilgrimage to Pitt on September 17, in conjunction with Cannosburg's Oktoberfest.  Of course, there was a stop at Sarri's Candies in Cannonsburg for ice cream.  Compline, the highlight of the evening, was prayed in Heinz Chapel (University of Pittsburgh) at 8:30 PM. 

Theology on Tap Concludes

Part of the life of campus ministry is the ebb and floe of programming.  Theology on Tap, the flagship educational program of the LCM@WVU for nearly five years, held its final meeting Monday, September 18.  After several years of strong attendance and interest, significant decline in participation in Spring 2006 and Fall 2006, indicated that the program had served its purpose and could now be put to rest.  "We'll discuss for some time what caused the decline, but, in the end, we'll have to decide where we go from here," said Chap. Riegel.  "Fides quaerens intellectum has been a hallmark of this campus ministry.  How we might best live out that maxim is a crucial question."

Ministry Participants Critique Education Study

September 30, six campus ministry participants, representing faculty, staff, and grad students, gathered for "Discussion & Dessert" focussed on Our Calling in Education, a draft social statement of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  The lively discussion was peppered with significant criticism of the document.  There was no criticism of the fine apple cobbler served up by Jenny Bangsund.

Social statements provide guidance to members of the church, congregations, synods, and agencies.  In addition, they guide the work of the lobbying offices of the church.  Whenever the ELCA prepares a social statement, broad participation of the membership is sought.

Wheeling Visits

Sunday, October 8, The Rev. Paul Schafer, pastor of St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Elm Grove, Wheeling, WV, was our guest preacher at the 7:00 PM mass.  Pr. Schafer brought several members of St. Mark's with him to join in our worship service.  Jana Jarrett, a WVU frosh and member of St. Mark's served as  assisting minister.  Jason Felici, a WVU junior and member of St. Mark's was lector.  Prior to mass, a pizza party was held in the Chapel undercroft with our guests from Wheeling.

Cross FireCross Fire

Serving Ghana, Nigeria and the United States, Cross Fire presented cultural programs with cross-cultural and contemporary Christian music during a four day visit to Morgantown.

For the college-aged, a young adult night was held at the Lutheran Campus Chapel, on Friday, October 13, at 7:30 PM.  Appropriate for WVU’s homecoming, 2006 alumna Jana Melpolder was on the team.

A family night for all ages was held at St. Paul Lutheran Church, on Saturday, October 14, at 6:00 PM.  Cross Fire also participated in the 11:00 AM worship service at St. Paul on Sunday, October 15.

Youth ministry specialists since 1965, Minneapolis/St. Paul-based Youth Encounter sponsors six Captive Free teams that travel in various regions of the United States, three community-based teams serving in the United States and Australia, and five international teams ministering in the United States and overseas each year. Youth Encounter is an evangelical Christian organization that offers relational youth ministry resources including over 50 junior and senior high youth events around the country. To find out more about Youth Encounter, its ministries, and information about Cross Fire’s visit http://www.youthencounter.org/teams/team_detail.asp?Team=XF.

Requiem Compline

A requiem compline was prayed on Wednesday, October 18, 9:45 PM, in memory of Vaughan Suppa.  Vaughan, a participant in the campus ministry, died a few years ago while a student at WVU.

Reformation Daze! 2006

The Reformation is just too much fun to celebrate for only one day...so, we take a week.

Historic Liturgy

Reformation Sunday, Oct. 29, was observed with the Common Service, an American Lutheran liturgy from 1880, at 7:00 PM, continuing our tradition of using historic liturgies on Reformation Sunday as a way to honor the work of Lutheran reformers throughout the ages.  We've used Luther's German Mass, Muhlenberg's colonial era order of service, and Schmucker's Civil War era liturgy, among others.  Using the Common Service, we continued in our historical progression to the latter part of the 19th century with this first great liturgy of Lutheran liturgical renewal.

Presbyterians to Learn about Lutheranism

The WVU Presbyterian Student Fellowship invited Chap. Riegel to speak on Lutheranism at their Tuesday night meeting.

The Wurst Dinner on Campus

The Wurst Dinner on Campus was held Wednesday, Nov. 1.  A large crowd of two dozen enjoyed those tasty little bags of mystery served with potatoes and sauerkraut.

Visitation of the Graves

Visitation of the Graves was held at the HSC, Thursday, Nov. 2 (All Souls' Day).  This brief prayer service provided an opportunity to remember the dead.  A Requiem Compline was held at 9:45 PM at the Chapel.

WelchMcDowell Mission

Torrential rains pummeled southern West Virginia in 2001, flooding Welch, WV, and many other communities nestled in the valleys of the region.  The LDRCC (Lutheran Disaster Response Collegiate Corps) conducted a planned deployment to the McDowell Mission, Welch, WV, to participate in on-going recovery efforts.  Eleven students from WVU were joined by five IUP students and one IUP staff person the weekend of All Saints' Sunday (November 3-5, 2006) in the first deployment of the LDRCC to include students from a school other than WVU.

Split into two work crews, one crew (pictured) cleared away debris from a landslide which affected the local school.  Meanwhile, the other crew performed various tasks related to repairing a local home.

135+ Attend Chapel for St. Nicholas Vespers

We've estimated that the Chapel can seat 120.  Now we've proved it.  At 135-140 worshipers, the St. Nicholas Vespers, held on December 6, brought in what might be the largest worship attendance in the history of the Chapel--we are attempting to verify, so, if you know anything to the contrary, contact us.

As an Advent offering for the whole community, the Schola cantorum lead the gathered worshipers in the Latin evening prayer service, using Gregorian chant.  The liturgy was a cooperative venture between interested Lutherans, Anglicans (Episcopalians), and Roman Catholics in the Morgantown area.  Fr. John Rice, St. John [Roman Catholic] University Parish lead the litany.  Fr. Kirk Haas, Trinity Episcopal Church canted the lesson.  Chaplain Matthew Riegel, Lutheran Campus Ministry, chanted the opening and closing versicles.  Designed as participatory service, the congregation was encouraged to join in many of the chants.  A diaglot worship bulletin provided the music as well as an English translation.

The Chapel of Christ the King was decorated with new oil lamps and wreaths.  A full sheet from a Medieval choir book, loaned by Connie and Stephen McCluskey, served as an altarpiece.  Following the liturgy, the congregation, of various traditions, walks of life, and ages, enjoyed refreshments prepared by members of St. Paul Lutheran Church.  That evening, some were already asking when the next Latin service would be held.

Final Fortnight

The final two weeks of the term are a time of increased activity at the Lutheran Campus Chapel.  Weekdays of dead and exam week, twice daily prayer offices were held along with nightly Ten-Chow.  Sext, midday prayer was prayed at 12:00 N rather than the usual 12:30 PM in order to better fit the exam schedule.  Compline, night prayer was prayed at 9:45 PM.  Ten-Chow was held at 10:00 PM.

Chaplain serves Anglicans at Kingwood

Chap. Riegel complete a long-term supply at St. Michael's Episcopal Church, Kingwood, WV, in late december.  For three months, he preached and presided at mass.  In addition, he taught an adult study on political ecclesiology prior to the morning mass.
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