Dear Friends,
Thank you so much for the check of $2,900 today from my home church, Resurrection. I've also received direct contributions of $300. And I received $535 from St. John's on Pentecost plus a wonderful reference book, The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. I deeply appreciate your support and your blessings.
I am in a panic about leaving, in that difficult space between knowing that I'm doing what I should be doing, and wishing that I didn't have to go. I think I am mourning the changes in my life even though I believe in my call. How difficult to mourn changes that I want.
I'm leaving early on Thursday morning, July 8th. My wonder dog, Ladybug, is going with me so I won't be lonely for quality company. Kathleen has promised to help me pack my little red car for me Wednesday night. She has great spatial skills. I will be online again by Sunday night I hope. Classes begin on Monday July 12th.
I'm only taking Biblical Greek this summer. Class is 8.30 to 12.30 Monday through Friday with homework plus daily quizzes. I plan to create a routine early to keep up with class and dog walkies. I've found several dog parks within walking distance from where I am staying. Thanks goodness for Google search.
Thank you, thank you Resurrection and St. John the Divine. I appreciate your support and affirmation of my call. May you experience the love I've received from you.
Anxious Nancy
Sunday, July 4, 2010
What Are the Next Steps?
What Are the Next Steps?
It is with gratitude and joy that I report to you that I have been accepted as a candidate for Holy Orders by the Commission on Ministry and the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Oregon! These two groups interviewed me on May 13 and graciously moved me to the next step on this journey to ordination. The Reverend Peter Fones, Priest in Charge at St. John’s in Springfield, kindly traveled with me to Salem and helped me manage my nerves with advice and affirmations!
I have also finished my third year of long distance learning at the Northwest House of Theological Studies [NHTS], completing 13 of the 24 courses required by the Masters of Divinity program at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific [CDSP]. I am enrolled at CDSP and my courses at NHTS will transfer. I’ve also completed three courses onine at CDSP.
A little background: CDSP is the Episcopal seminary located in Berkeley, CA and part of the Graduate Theological Union [GTU]. GTU is the largest and most diverse partnership of seminaries and graduate schools in the United States, pursuing inter-religious collaboration in teaching, research, ministry, and service. It is a consortium of 9 seminaries and 11 centers of study.
On July 8, I go to Berkeley to the Pacific Luther Theological Seminary, a part of the Graduate Theological Union, for a summer intensive class in biblical Greek for three week. After coming home on August 4, I will return to CDSP for the 2010-2011 academic year on August 27.
I will take the General Ordination Exam [GOE] in January 2011 [January 4-8]. The GOE is an examination given annually by the Episcopal Church to all candidates for ordination. The purpose of the GOE is evaluative and advisory. It assists diocesan authorities in determining a candidate's readiness for ordination and, at the same time, provides to the candidate and his or her mentors valuable guidance in planning further, continuing education. The canons of the church (Title III, Canon 8, Section 5g) require that before ordination a candidate must be examined and show proficiency in:
The Holy Scriptures
Church History, including the Ecumenical Movement
Christian Theology, including Missionary Theology and Missiology
Christian Ethics and Moral Theology
Studies in Contemporary Society, including Racial and Minority Groups
Liturgics and Church Music
Theory and practice of Ministry
Each bishop decides how GOEs are regarded. Some require a certain score on each section and some don’t pay attention to the results. Does anybody know how our Bishop Michael regards GOEs?
I hope that I will do well on the GOEs and by June of 2011, I will finish the requirements for the Master of Divinity program and graduate.
I plan to return to Eugene and complete the next step, clinical pastoral education. Clinical pastoral education (CPE) is education to teach me pastoral care and is the primary way of training hospital and hospice chaplains in the United States. CPE is both a multicultural and interfaith experience that uses real-life ministry encounters of students to improve the ministry and pastoral care provided by caregivers of all different faith and cultural backgrounds. CPE is a required part of my preparation for parish ministry. I will focus on the integration of theological, psychological, and pastoral insights into pastoral functioning for parish work. Currently Eugene and Springfield do not have an accredited CPE program. I hope to do the program at Good Samaritan in Corvallis.
After I complete my CPE, I also need to complete the SAFE church training [8 hours] and the Anti-Racism training. Somewhere in this work after June 2011, I can apply for ordination as a transitional deacon. I will serve as a transitional deacon for at least 6 months. Before I request ordination to the priesthood, I will need to update my medical and psychological evaluations and my criminal background check.
My goal is to be ordained prior to qualifying for full social security benefits! This has been a long journey! I started school in the summer of 2007. There are still two years to go. I appreciate the support I’ve received and I ask for your prayers.
It is with gratitude and joy that I report to you that I have been accepted as a candidate for Holy Orders by the Commission on Ministry and the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Oregon! These two groups interviewed me on May 13 and graciously moved me to the next step on this journey to ordination. The Reverend Peter Fones, Priest in Charge at St. John’s in Springfield, kindly traveled with me to Salem and helped me manage my nerves with advice and affirmations!
I have also finished my third year of long distance learning at the Northwest House of Theological Studies [NHTS], completing 13 of the 24 courses required by the Masters of Divinity program at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific [CDSP]. I am enrolled at CDSP and my courses at NHTS will transfer. I’ve also completed three courses onine at CDSP.
A little background: CDSP is the Episcopal seminary located in Berkeley, CA and part of the Graduate Theological Union [GTU]. GTU is the largest and most diverse partnership of seminaries and graduate schools in the United States, pursuing inter-religious collaboration in teaching, research, ministry, and service. It is a consortium of 9 seminaries and 11 centers of study.
On July 8, I go to Berkeley to the Pacific Luther Theological Seminary, a part of the Graduate Theological Union, for a summer intensive class in biblical Greek for three week. After coming home on August 4, I will return to CDSP for the 2010-2011 academic year on August 27.
I will take the General Ordination Exam [GOE] in January 2011 [January 4-8]. The GOE is an examination given annually by the Episcopal Church to all candidates for ordination. The purpose of the GOE is evaluative and advisory. It assists diocesan authorities in determining a candidate's readiness for ordination and, at the same time, provides to the candidate and his or her mentors valuable guidance in planning further, continuing education. The canons of the church (Title III, Canon 8, Section 5g) require that before ordination a candidate must be examined and show proficiency in:
The Holy Scriptures
Church History, including the Ecumenical Movement
Christian Theology, including Missionary Theology and Missiology
Christian Ethics and Moral Theology
Studies in Contemporary Society, including Racial and Minority Groups
Liturgics and Church Music
Theory and practice of Ministry
Each bishop decides how GOEs are regarded. Some require a certain score on each section and some don’t pay attention to the results. Does anybody know how our Bishop Michael regards GOEs?
I hope that I will do well on the GOEs and by June of 2011, I will finish the requirements for the Master of Divinity program and graduate.
I plan to return to Eugene and complete the next step, clinical pastoral education. Clinical pastoral education (CPE) is education to teach me pastoral care and is the primary way of training hospital and hospice chaplains in the United States. CPE is both a multicultural and interfaith experience that uses real-life ministry encounters of students to improve the ministry and pastoral care provided by caregivers of all different faith and cultural backgrounds. CPE is a required part of my preparation for parish ministry. I will focus on the integration of theological, psychological, and pastoral insights into pastoral functioning for parish work. Currently Eugene and Springfield do not have an accredited CPE program. I hope to do the program at Good Samaritan in Corvallis.
After I complete my CPE, I also need to complete the SAFE church training [8 hours] and the Anti-Racism training. Somewhere in this work after June 2011, I can apply for ordination as a transitional deacon. I will serve as a transitional deacon for at least 6 months. Before I request ordination to the priesthood, I will need to update my medical and psychological evaluations and my criminal background check.
My goal is to be ordained prior to qualifying for full social security benefits! This has been a long journey! I started school in the summer of 2007. There are still two years to go. I appreciate the support I’ve received and I ask for your prayers.
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