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HISPANIC MINISTRY SUMMER TERM AT THE LUTHERAN SEMINARY PROGRAM IN THE SOUTHWEST

CANCELED: May 24-June 11, 2020 in Austin, Texas

The Hispanic Ministry Summer Term at the Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest (LSPS) is designed for ELCA seminary students to develop leadership skills in Hispanic Ministry and build a network of colleagues who share this commitment.

Week 1, Intensive I, the LSPS Spanish Language and Hispanic Ministry intensive.
Week 2, a week-long seminar with Dr. Jay Alanis.
Week 3, Intensive II:  Mision en Comunidad/Mission in Community with The Rev. Rubén Durán, Director for New Congregational Development for ELCA, as the main presenter

  • Wartburg Theological Seminary will grant 3 Master of Divinity credits to students successfully completing the course, which are transferable to the student’s own seminary. Arrangements can also be made to take the first and/or third weeks as a 1 credit course.

Objectives:

  • To increase capacity for doing Hispanic ministry
  • To develop strong cross-cultural awareness and ministry skills
  • To engage in Hispanic ministry in congregational settings
  • To improve facility in Spanish language
  • To avoid cultural violence in mission development
  • To build a cohort of colleagues preparing for Hispanic ministry within the church

Schedule:

May 24 – May 29: Participation in LSPS Spanish Language and Hispanic Ministry Intensive.
May 29: Orientation Day for seminarians.
May 29 –May 31: At practicum sites in Texas congregations.
June 1 – June 3: Seminars in Austin on the campus of the Seminary of the Southwest
June 4 – June 7: At practicum sites in Texas congregations.
June 7 – June 11: Participation in LSPS Mision en Comunidad/Mission in Community Intensive.

Costs: (estimated)

Tuition is $2,985, which includes an administrative fee of $300.
Tuition is $1300 for Week 1(Intensive I) or Week 3 (Intensive II). Students who enroll for both Weeks 1 & 3, the tuition is $2600.
Full scholarships are available to cover the total tuition cost of the summer term for ELCA students.

NOTE: Students are expected to pay their own transportation, housing, and meal expenses. Normally, students are expected to have access to a car for the duration of the summer term.

Two housing options:

  1. A local hotel:  $800.00 (double room), or $1680.00 (single room).  Plus an additional $350 for the weekend practicums in a Texas congregation. A non-refundable deposit of $250 is due by April 30, 2020.
    OR
  2. Arranged housing with a local family in their home.  $300 for three weeks.  These stays are arranged by LSPS with families who live close to the public bus stops when possible and do not include meals.  Plus an additional $350 for the weekend practicums in a Texas congregation. A non-refundable deposit of $250 is due by April 30, 2020.

Student cost Summary:

A. Tuition. $2985, cost is covered by WTS for ELCA students
B. Housing, paid by student
1. Local hotel, $800 double/$1680 single
2. Arranged housing, $300 payable to the family upon arrival on Sunday.
C. Practicum weekend, all students, $350 ($250 deposit due by April 30, 2020.
D. Meals and transportation are the responsibility of students

Registration: 

The seminary students interested in the Hispanic Ministry Summer Term will complete a Discovery application and provide a letter of good standing from your academic dean before they register for the course.

Click here to register.

Fill out the Discovery application form in its entirety. After clicking “Submit Form,” you will be taken to a payment screen to pay for the housing deposit. If paying by credit card, complete the payment form, making sure to select the $250 “LSPS Summer Term Deposit payment.” If you prefer to pay by check, you can mail your $250 deposit payment to:

Learning for Life
Wartburg Theological Seminary
333 Wartburg Pl
Dubuque, IA, 52003

Testimony from Previous Students:

The Summer Intensive in Hispanic Ministry was not only about learning the language. The experience was more about learning the culture. I can now see the world with a new lens. I learned about the “other” by living with them, worshipping with them and becoming “familia”.   Cindy Robles, Hispanic Ministry Summer Term

…I have repeatedly found myself challenged to identify, process, and to reflect upon subconscious and previously unidentified values and beliefs.  Thinking deeply about these issues (internalized oppression, systematic injustice, and the reality of the plight of the differently documented immigrants and refugees seeking asylum) and participating in a variety of cross cultural experiences has enhanced my understanding of Christian vocation, reaffirmed my own commitment to servant leadership, and increased my resolve to move beyond the narrow confines of my own culturally-conditioned comfort zones by advocating for justice, speaking truth to power, and having the courage to confront cultural violence.   Jon Brudvig, Hispanic Ministry Summer Term

I noticed two themes important in doing Hispanic ministry: listening to someone’s story, and slow is fast. A month later, I have now heard so many stories that I am not the same person I was. Each host family that I stayed with and each congregation we worshiped in has stretched me and pushed the limits of my comfort zone and challenged preconceived notions I didn’t even know I had.   Maggie Berndt-Dreyer, 2014 LSPS Hispanic Ministry Summer Term