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Highlights (thus far) |
eNewsletter LaunchedIn the never ending quest to improve communications, we're switching our e-mail announcements to Yahoo! Groups. With this "list-serve" system, we hope to provide a convenient way for you to receive up to date information about the Lutheran Campus Ministry at WVU. This is an annoucements-only service. Only posts sent from the LCM@WVU office will be sent. We promise that there will be no chain letters, inspirational spams, or jokes sent via this service. Signing up is easy (and so is unsubscribing). Just fill in the box and hit [return]. If you would like more information about service, click here. Oh, you don't have to be a Yahoo! member to take advantage of this service. |
ELuM EucharistThe bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Churches of West Virginia, the Episcopal Church, and the United Methodist Church celebrated an ecumenical service of Holy Communion in Wesley Chapel on the campus of W.Va. Wesleyan College, Buckhannon, this morning (Jan. 19, 2008), marking the first such joint eucharist on the territory of the state.Grad student and pre-seminarian Rebecca Grate served as Lutheran Bishop Dunkin's assistant and offered the prayer of the day. Also in attendance were Chaplain Riegel, Pastor Bennett, and student Jared Lee. IV Hosts "Back to School Bash"Our friends in Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship held a "Back to School Bash" in the Lutheran Campus Center, Friday, January 25. Beginning at 8:00 p.m., a large gathering of students filled the undercroft for games, food, and fellowship. Three video gaming systems were in constant use, while other students played cards, board games, or just mingled. The evening ended around 1:00 a.m.. |
Two Panels in One Night
Chaplain Riegel sat on two different panels in the Mountainlair on
January 31. The first panel, sponsored by the WVU Sierra Student
Coalition as part of the coalition's day-long "Focus the Nation" event,
dealt with questions of faith an the environment. Representatives
of the Jewish
and Muslim communities were also part of the panel. Later that
same evening, Riegel at on IV's "Christianity MythBusters"
panel. Representatives from the Presbyterian and CMA churches as
well as an IV alumna also participated. |
Fastnacht Day! Transfat Free Fun for Everyone!
Fastnacht Day (known us Shrove Tuesday among the "English") was festive
despite the rain. A steady stream of guests visited the undercrof
of the Lutheran Campus Chapel to enjoy those little lumps of
heaven fried in
lard--yes, my friends, lard! While the rest of the world
worries about transfats, we revel in our organic frying medium.
Brotzeitteller (meats, cheeses, bread, etc.) was also served up at the
luncheon. Several remained around the table into the
mid-afternoon, enjoying conversation and good company. The only
downside to the whole event is the smell of lard still lingering a week later. One of the things being added to the "Building on Strength" capital campaign is kitchen ventilation. Even a few windows would help. |
The Lenten Pilgrimage to Pitt was undertaken by several students and a
few other friends of the campus ministry. In total, 21 attended
compline at Heinz Chapel. Most carpooled from WVU, departing
campus at 6:00 p.m., but three freshmen joined Chaplain Riegel for a
full day, starting out at 8:00 a.m.. Their day started with
Sunday School and mass at First English Lutheran Church, Wheeling,
followed by a stop at Sarris' Candies. Once in Pittsburgh, they
visited St. Anthony's Chapel in Troy Hill to tour the second largest
relic collection in the world and attend Stations of the Cross.
From there it was over to Oakland for dinner and to visit with the Pitt
LSM president. Following compline, the group was given a tour of
the newly renovated Lutheran University Center in Pittsburgh. |
Chaplain Completes Medical EthicsChaplain Riegel joined, for the second year, the team of facilitators for the Medical Ethics course in the WVU School of Medicine. Small group discussion amongst the second year medical students is an important part of the course. In the small groups, case studies are presented and discussed by the students with the facilitators present to assist, moderate, and challenge. Combined with his continued service on the Institutional Review Board, which oversees research on human subjects, Riegel attempts to fulfill ecclesiastical expectations that clergy of the ELCA advocate for justice in the world. |
SBH Sung Lenten Sundays
Sunday night mass at the Lutheran Campus Chapel was more harmonious this
Lent. Marking the golden anniversary of the publication of the Service Book and Hymnal, the last worship resource in ELCA Lutheranism to employ the "Common Service"
of 1888, the Schola cantorum led the singing in 4-part harmony. No other liturgy in American Lutheranism has been so
enduring, remaining the standard liturgy until the 1977 publication of
the Lutheran Book of Worship. While the Common Service has its own merits in matters of form, the SBH
might best be remembered as the last worship resource in ELCA
Lutheranism to employ 4-part harmony singing in the liturgy. LBW
opted for monophony, believing that the musical abilities of the
members of the church had so degraded that harmony singing could no
longer be expected. |
Gregorian Complines Chanted
Holy Week is considered one of the great solemnities in the Christian year. Palm Sunday kicks it off, and the Triduum
of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil concludes it.
Unfortunately, too many churches ignore Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, and
Holy Wednesday--not at the Lutheran Campus Ministry at WVU! Each
of those early weekdays in Holy Week, folks gathered at the Chapel to
pray sext (midday prayer). the highlight, however, was the
chanting of compline in Latin, using the venerable Gregorian chants of
the church. Each of the nights, at 8:00 PM, the night office was
prayed. For
interested folks unfamiliar with Gregorian chant (or those simply
wanting a refresher), a short "crash course in chant" is offered at
7:00 PM. This is the third season that the Schola cantorum, our early music ensemble, has led the office. For more information on the Schola, click here.
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Disaster Response: N.O.
Our Lutheran Disaster
Response Collegiate
Corps (LDRCC) team sent to New Orleans returned safely Sunday, March 30. Eleven students under the
command of Jon Zettlemoyer
on Saturday morning, March 22, to engage in on-going
H.Katrina recovery ops over spring break. |
Seminary Recruiters VisitRecruiters from three of the eight Evangelical Lutheran Church in America seminaries visited Thursday, April 3, meeting with six students over dinner. If you are considering church vocation or a life as a religious scholar contact the Chapel office for more information. |
Synod Day at WVUSunday, April 20, was "Synod Day at WVU." Visitors from local congregations enjoyed touring the Luther House and the Chapel itself. Grillmaster Jason Felici grilled up some dogs and burgers, and all were well fed. A larger than usual crowd sang the Service Book and Hymnal liturgy with gusto at the 7:00 p.m. mass. We'll be planning another one for sometime next academic year. |
Disaster Response Banquet
The Lutheran Disaster
Response Collegiate
Corps (LDRCC) held a gala "End of Grant Banquet" on May 2 to celebrate
a little over two years under the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Youth Leadership Initiative Grant. |
Chaplain Lectures on SanctificationChap. Riegel has just returned from the three-day 26th Annual WV LARC (Lutheran-Anglican-Roman Catholic) Conference where, as the Lutheran presenter, he delivered two lectures on sanctification. The first, titled "Sanctification Unsanctified: Intra-Lutheran Debates in Historical Perspective," traced the history of the on-going conflict among Lutherans related to the doctrine of sanctification. The second, "On Piety and Politics: The Sanctification of Church Politics," shared some of Riegel's work related to defense of church politics as an arena of sanctification based upon theological anthropology. |
Commencement Weekend!A baccalaureate mass will be held Saturday, May 17, at 4:30 p.m., in the sanctuary of the Chapel of Christ the King (a.k.a., the Lutheran Campus Chapel). Col. Mike Lembke, Senior Chaplain of the Army's Corps III, will be the preaching. All are welcome.Two compline services are also scheduled for 10:00 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday nights of commencement weekend. As of this evening update, Chap. Riegel has already participated in both the US Army and the USAF commissioning ceremonies, giving the invocations at each. |
