Summer Conference on Pastoral Theology

Being the Church in the Pacific Northwest
Theologically Rich, Sacramentally Grounded, Socially Engaged

Summer 2007, 2008, 2009

brochure and registration form

June 18-21, 2007
One Time Location: Dumas Bay Retreat Center, Federal Way, Wash.
"Being the Church in the Pacific Northwest: Delving Into Identity and Ministry in this Place"

SUMMER THEOLOGICAL CONFERENCE SPEAKERS
Dr. Samuel Torvend is Associate Professor and Chair of the Religion Department at PLU. He holds degrees from Wartburg Seminary (M. Div.), Aquinas Institute (M.A.), and Saint Louis University (Ph.D.). Dr. Torvend teaches courses in the history of Christianity and historical courses on the environment, food and hunger, the visual arts, and women reformers in Christianity. In all of these courses, his interest in the relationship between Christian insights or practices and a culture's social, economic, and political systems continues to engage students in the power of religion to shape public life. His current research focuses on the origins of social welfare in the Lutheran reformation of the sixteenth century and Martin Luther's use of the visual arts to promote reform in Germany.

Dr. Patricia O'Connell Killen is provost and dean of graduate studies at Pacific Lutheran University. Killen co-authored the grant that funded PLU's Wild Hope Project which works across all segments of the university to make the university a more intellectually rigorous, world-engaged, and developmentally astute context for students, faculty, and staff to reflect on questions of meaning, value, and vocation. Killen directs the university's pilot Center for Religion, Cultures, and Society in the Western United States, which works to increase understanding of the dynamics of religion in building healthy and sustainable communities. Born and raised in rural western Oregon, Killen received her bachelor's degree from Gonzaga University in theology and religious studies, and her master's degree and doctorate from Stanford University with degrees in Religious Studies-American Religious History.

Rev. Martin Wells graduated from West Anchorage High in 1967 and from the University of Denver, 1971. Martin enrolled in the University of Puget Sound Law School where he was awarded a Juris Doctor degree in 1976. He passed the bar exam in Alaska that summer. Having sensed a call to ministry, Martin enrolled at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, CA. In 1979 Martin married Susan Briehl (M.Div, PLTS, 1981). He was ordained in November 1981. From 1986-1994 Martin and Susan served with Pr. Dan Erlander as University Pastors at Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, WA. In 1994 Martin and Susan were called to the position of Executive Director, Holden Village, with partner Janet Grant. Martin was elected Bishop of the Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod, ELCA, in June 1999.

Dr. Dale Soden is Professor of History at Whitworth College, Spokane, Washington, specializing in American intellectual history, Pacific Northwest history, and American religious history. Dale received his undergraduate degree from Pacific Lutheran University. He went to Whitworth in 1985 after teaching at his alma mater as well as at Oklahoma Baptist University. He is the director of the Weyerhaeuser Center for Christian Faith and Learning. During the last few years, Dale has worked with students on both video and audio documentaries. Soden's writing has focused primarily on topics related to religious influence on public life in the Pacific Northwest.

Dave Ross was born in New York and started his broadcast career at the age of 15. After graduating from Cornell University, he worked as a reporter at WSB in Atlanta before moving to Seattle to join KIRO Radio in 1978 as a news anchor. He started hosting his own talk show in 1987, and began a daily commentary on the CBS Radio Network in 1993. He also substitutes regularly for Charles Osgood on "The Osgood File." He has been married to Patti for 31 years. They are active in the Roman Catholic community in Seattle.. They have two daughters - Caitlin who attends Gonzaga and Emilie who is in the Peace Corps in Niger (West Africa).

Rev. Susan Vanhoy Burchfield, an ELCA pastor, has served parishes in Cape Town, South Africa; Denver, CO; and Portland, OR; and currently at Immanuel Lutheran in the rapidly changing Seattle neighborhood of South Lake Union.

June 16-19, 2008
Pacific Lutheran University Campus
"Being the Church in the Pacific Northwest: Reclaiming Faith Practices for a New Millennium"


June 2009
Pacific Lutheran University Campus
"Being the Church in the Pacific Northwest: Fostering A Public Voice on Critical Issues"

For more information and to sign-up for future direct mail and e-mail updates and registration material, call Rev. Julie M. Josund, Director, Institute for Clergy and Congregational Renewal; or Rev. G. lee Klutgh, Director of Congregation Relations, PLU at 253-535-2373; crel@plu.edu