Programming

All-Community Read

The Lutheran Center invites St. Olaf Community members to join in our All-Community Read for Fall 2022: Mni Sota Makoce and Follow the Blackbirds by Dakota author and Minnesota Poet Laureate Dr. Gwen Westerman. Her book Mni Sota Makoce is a history and celebration of the Dakota people through their deep connection to this land. Learn more about Dr. Westerman and the All-Community Reads here!

“What Nourishes You?” Monthly Meal Conversations

The Lutheran Center hosts monthly meal conversations for staff and faculty on what nourishes them and contribute to their well-being. Each meal features a St. Olaf staff or faculty member who responds to the question “What Nourishes You?” Each month features a different speaker. See below for our past and future speakers this semester!

• March 1st at 12:00 pm – Norma Charlton
• March 23rd at 8:30 am – Peter Carlson Schattauer
• April 18th at 8:30 am – Louis Epstein
• May 9th at 12:00 pm – Michon Weeks – RSVP

Student Interreligious Circle

In partnership with College Ministry, the Lutheran Center established the Student Interreligous Circle, made up of students from a variety of traditions including Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and Humanist. These students explore with one another how their own religious/non-religious identities inform how they live and how learning more about other identities inform, challenge, and enrich their understanding of who they are individually and as a member of a diverse community like St. Olaf.

Fellowships

Student Interfaith Fellows assist the Lutheran Center in working to deepen campus understanding of the role that religious identity plays in many people’s lives and of the importance of interfaith (including non-religious) education and cooperation on campus and beyond. Fellows plan interfaith events for the campus community, deliver chapel talks and serve on the Lutheran Center Steering Committee, among other duties. Meet our 2022-2023 Interfaith Fellows!

Internships

The Lutheran Center partners with Rev. Kelly Chatman and the new Center for Leadership and Neighborhood Engagement (CLNE) to offer summer internships to St. Olaf students. Based in North Minneapolis, CLNE is a faith-based organization working to network and equip individuals and communities to authentically engage their neighbors with compassion and cultural competency. Internship positions include community-based research, community gardening and youth development. Hear about the experiences of our 2020 summer interns.

Conference on Worship, Theology, and the Arts

The Conference on Worship, Theology and the Arts (CWTA) offers professional development, spiritual nourishment and networking opportunities for people engaged in congregational ministry. Pastors, church musicians, artists and lay leaders from many denominations and congregations of varying sizes participate in the conference, which is hosted at St. Olaf. The conference offers ideas and practices that participants can readily incorporate into worship in their own congregations.