Spring Newsletter II 2008
The 1% Solution
The shortage of clergy and lay professional leaders in the church is well-documented. Currently, 28% of Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America congregations are without a pastor. As of April 2008, just over 1% of SU students (20
out of 1969) describe themselves as pre-seminary students. As a college affiliated with the ELCA, SU is proud to
play an active role in nurturing the sense of call and preparing the next generation of leaders for the church.
The class of 2008 is a wonderful example of Susquehanna’s commitment to providing religious leaders to the world.
Of the 460 graduates for the year, 5 are either enrolled in seminary or have plans to do so within the next two years.
Psychology major Jess Todd will be attending Evangelical Theological Seminary in Myerstown, PA this fall for an MA in
Marriage and Family Therapy. Seniors Mat Magera and Amy Troxell have also been accepted to start this fall for programs
in ordained ministry. Both are Religion and Psychology double majors. Magera will be moving up north after graduation
to St. Paul, Minnesota, where he will be attending Luther Seminary. Magera says that while he has definitely learned
a lot already, he is excited to get into the “nitty gritty” and further explore his call into ministry. “I want to
be able to take my education and use it to spread the Gospel message and I pray God will be with me every step of
the way,” the senior comments.
Troxell will be closer to home at Gettysburg Seminary, enrolled in a similar program. When asked how Susquehanna has
affected her discernment and decision to become a pastor, she responded, “Susquehanna continuously reinforced my
discernment process. It has a lot of ways and forums to investigate and really get into the deeper levels of your faith
life and biblical understandings, while having organizations that provide fabulous support groups through pretty much
everything you face in college. I think a lot of people here take for granted the amazing faith community that we
have at SU, but it's something lacking at a lot of universities and we are all very fortunate to have it. Without
them, who knows if I would have stayed as connected or committed to my call.”
Seniors Ruth Williamson and Sara Luley have also expressed a desire to attend seminary, but both have elected to
take some time engaging in alternate forms of mistery before going back to school. Williamson, a Religion major
and Women’s Studies minor, has committed to a year-long program called Youth Encounter. For the entire year,
she will be a member of a nationally based band known as Captive Free and will travel around the country sharing
the message of the gospel through word and song. During her time at Susquehanna, Ruth frequently provided musical
accompaniment for Lutheran Student Movement, Sunday Chapel services, and other events. She is very excited to
be taking her gifts to a larger audience next year, saying “Not only is this going to be a wonderful adventure,
but music and youth ministry have always been very close to my heart and this opportunity will be an incredibly
meaningful way to use my gifts to glorify God and help encourage the next generation of believers.” After her
tour finishes, Ruth will be applying to seminaries to continue her education. She hopes that this year of ministry
will help strengthen her discernment process and as well as her faith.
International Studies and Spanish major Sara Luley expressed a similar desire to get a better understanding of her
call as one of the main reason she decided to take part in Lutheran Volunteer Corp next year, a year-long program
of social justice work in inner-city neighborhoods that are in need of love and justice. Although she hasn’t
completed her placement process, she knows that she will be in either Baltimore or Washington DC next year. She
cites her time at SU as one of the main reasons she decided to follow a career in social justice, saying, “I
didn’t even really know what social justice was before I came here. At SU, my eyes were opened in so many ways
both through my classes and through hands-on work. My mentors at this school helped guide me and answer my
questions when I was trying to figure out what direction my life was going.” She hopes to be enrolled in a Diaconal
Ministry program within two years of graduation.
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