OPENING DAY

by Doug Roland

2010 at the seminary did not end well, except for the collective relief that a difficult year was over. In the final 2-3 weeks there was an accumulation of matters from the complete failure of a some seminarians to clean their apartments to a coordinated effort to subvert a presentation on issues surrounding aging, simply because the seminarians were upset at its timing. The seminary closed with a worship service though many had already left. Yet, it was a year of learning, especially for the staff, and hopefully for seminarians. Some things would have to change.

After a long semester break, the staff trickled in to prepare for year 3 of the seminary's existence. The full time staff reported along two new members. One is a highly competent academic assistant who would shoulder the load of handling schedules of all sorts, attendance records, room assignments, keys to the new lecterns, and other things. Her Germanic background will serve her well in keeping it all straight. The other is a lecturer from Cape Town and is well-acquainted with many of the people here. He brings a highly developed sense of humor, dedication to the church, and deep sense of grace. It was quickly apparent that his presence would make a significant difference at all levels of the seminary. So, two were added to our number of 8 full time staff. It was inevitable that the character of the group would not be the same.

The seminarians came later, all 90 of them. That's up from 77 at the end of 2010. They included about 50 returnees, and a combination of 40 new faces made up of Methodist probationers, students from other denominations and private students. Like the full time staff, a drastic change was poised to launch. In a major way, the seminary had taken a sharp turn in a different direction before the first hymn was sung. How this would play out as we reconvened was unknown.

The seminary officially re-opened Sunday, Jan. 23 the way it closed, with a worship service. As the seminarians arrived, we received smiles, handshakes and hugs from many. My first clue that something was different could not have been predicted from the demographics described above. Last semester, there was a seminarian that never looked directly at me, much less said anything to me. A day or two before the opening, she was on campus and, as we were about to pass each other, she stopped, held out her hand and said "Hello, Doug." Now, three weeks into the year, she always speaks to me. But back to opening day.

In one of the large outdoor common areas, six to eight of the returning seminarians stood in a shady spot and began to sing a little. The informal chorus grew as as more arrived. This went on for nearly thirty minutes until they finally filled the open space, voices reverberating off the surrounding seminary buildings. Then, without a command, they sort of "lined up" into a loose formation and walked to the chapel in a slow, celebratory cadence, bringing with them the joy of their songs. It brought to mind the psalmist directing us to " . . . come into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise. . ." It wasn't planned. It just happened.

The service itself was electric from the entry to the exit. It was a day of joyful anticipation.

Since that day, seminarians have come up to me to say that it's a different feeling from last year, a new spirit. And it is starting to show up in other ways. In Cheri's last blog she alluded to the workbook we developed, not as a constant assignment but to direct seminarians to take seriously their field experiences and reflect on how they affect their lives and ministries. The first week of field eduction is complete and the first reflections turned in. Let's describe the result this way: we suddenly had around 80 reflections/reports to read before Tuesday. So, we peeked at a few, then could not put them down until we had finished reading and marking all of them. They met, and in many cases, exceeded all our hopes and expectations.

It's early yet, but there is tangible hope that these experiences in the field will become a part of seminarian transformation as people and as ministers. Still there are no laurels to be worn. This, like many successes, is temporal. It only opens the door to more possibilities. Yet we continue to be confounded and surprised at the amazing grace that blesses each of our days. May it be so for all of you.