TRINITYADVANCE
14
Faculty
Compiled by Mark Jackson, Professor & Chair of Children, Youth & Family Studies
News Norma Aamodt-Nelson, Affiliate Faculty in Music, was the featured organist for a Feb. 24 Hymn Festival at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Port Angeles, Wash. She was joined by the church’s choir, as well as Trinity’s Concert Choir (under the direction of Michael Miller) and Chamber Ensemble (under the direction of Stephen Marshall-Ward). A unique part of the evening was celebrating the church’s newly rebuilt pipe organ, which includes pipework from Trinity’s former campus chapel in Issaquah. Tucker FitzGerald, Professor of Visual Communications, partnered with Tumble Me Productions, a Seattle arts organization, to provide pro bono branding and design for
their latest show, “New.” He’s also provided no-cost branding and design services to The Christian Closet, a counseling service in California. The Rev. Erik Samuelson, Campus Pastor and Director for Spiritual and Vocational Formation, has been invited to serve on the advisory board for the Fund for Theological Education, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting future Christian leaders, pastors, and theological educators. He will also serve as co-chair for the May 2013 biennial gathering of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Organizing for Mission Cohort. Beth Elness-Hanson, Professor & Chair of Biblical Studies and Intercultural
Studies Program Director, will present a paper at the May 2013 Regional American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature conference at Seattle University. Her piece is titled “A Safari (Journey) Toward a Fusion of Horizons: The Generational Curse of the Decalogue Through a Maasai Conceptual Paradigm Lens.” Stephen Marshall-Ward, Professor & Chair of Music, spent much of January at San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral with his doctorate in sacred music supervisor, Bishop David Stancliffe, former Anglican bishop of Salisbury, England. His doctoral project was approved and he plans to complete the program through the Graduate
Theological Foundation this summer. Tom Johnson, Interim Academic Dean, serves on the board for Whidbey Island Theological Studies, which provides quarterly programs on biblical and theological topics. In addition to Johnson, seminar leaders have included two Trinity affiliate faculty, Jan Fekkes and Marty Folsom. Karen Buehlmaier, Affiliate Faculty in Business, was recognized with a Lifetime Membership Award by the FBI Seattle Citizens Academy Alumni Association in recognition of exemplary service to the FBI, Seattle communities and our nation. Buehlmaier will receive the award in Washington D.C. in April.
Good news for the entire neighborhood Written by Rev. Erik Samuelson, Campus Pastor
I’ve considered Everett to be “home” since I was five years old, and I have a deep love for this community. So being called as Campus Pastor at Trinity has been a bit of a homecoming for me. Everett, as a city, has been in transition for most of my life. The downtown was transformed decades ago (and not for the better) when the new suburban mall drew much of the business and culture away from downtown. In the past 15 years that has been changing and an urban renewal is taking place. It’s exciting to know that Trinity Lutheran College—and our location right in the heart of the city—is part of this rebirth of art, culture and community. There is also a sense of spiritual re-awakening being felt across Christian denominations here. God is up to something in Everett, and we get to be a part of it. I’m filled with joy as I see the students of Trinity slowly working their way into the culture and fabric of my hometown. The
YMCA, just a block from campus, might as well be Trinity’s own gym, with a constant stream of students working, volunteering and exercising there. The public library, Schack Art Center, sporting events and concerts at the Comcast Arena, parks, coffee shops, and other various places that the people of Everett gather always seem to include members of the Trinity community. And it’s exciting to see our students rolling up their sleeves to give socks or bus tickets to the homeless, serve in churches, work in non-profits, volunteer in local schools, and the countless ways that Trinity students give back to this community that has become our home. I once heard someone say that when a person receives the Good News of Jesus and becomes a Christian, that new reality should be Good News not just for their family, but for their neighbors—and in fact their entire neighborhood, whether there be any other Christians there or not. That is certainly true for our Christian college. Like leaven in a loaf, this college community is responding to the call of God and finding ways to participate in and be a blessing to the Everett community. Through word and deed the Good News of Jesus is spreading through our students to our community in concrete ways that make a difference. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us next!