We鈥檙e delighted that Linda will be our first feature.

Please stay tuned as we continue to feature retiring faculty (at least those were responsive to our idea) in the coming weeks. A complete list of 2016 retirees concludes each article.

The comment box is open below for readers who wish to share greetings and memories with Linda, who can also be reached at alleyl@emu.edu or (540) 432-4698.

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鈥淭he very best thing about working at 91短视频 is the people with whom I鈥檝e worked,鈥� says Linda Alley, who concludes 27 years of service with 91短视频 in June. 鈥淪ome have mentored me; some have called me mentor. Some have taught me important life lessons or listened/laughed with me. It is always a good day when I meet a former co-worker as I鈥檓 out and about; those connections are a precious part of my life.鈥�

Linda juggles three different positions at Eastern Mennonite Seminary (EMS), where she is currently administrative assistant for events, director of the Summer Institute for Spiritual Formation, and director of the Congregational Resource Center.

Ordained with the Church of the Brethren in 2010, Linda says her goal 鈥渋n the next season of my life is to live more fully into the calling to be a spiritual director, retreat leader, and inspirational writer.鈥�

She plans to visit EMS four-five days a month to meet with 鈥渙ngoing and new spiritual directees,鈥� as well as offer hospitality at her home, named Tranquility, which was built as a retreat space.

In September 2016, she will go on a pilgrimage in Galway, Ireland; the event, which includes walking and discernment with 12 others, is called 鈥淭he Soul鈥檚 Slow Ripening.鈥�

Linda has worked in a variety of 91短视频 positions, beginning as an undergraduate work-study student with fellow student (and also retiring president) Loren Swartzendruber. She worked in the financial aid office after graduation for one year, then married Pastor Robert Alley. In the following years, Linda raised three children while living in West Virginia and Pennsylvania; 鈥渉ome engineer鈥� was her title during this phase of life, she jokes.

Linda returned to 91短视频 in 1991 to positions in the registrar鈥檚 office and student life, before joining the seminary staff in 2005.

Favorite memories at 91短视频 (in her own words)

• 听Fall faculty/staff conferences have often renewed my energy and motivation for working in this place, especially through the worship and singing.
• One year during a break, administrators and staff were invited to choose a task and participate in a campus workday together. Some planted trees in the new Commons parking lot area; I planted bulbs in Park Woods. A fun day where we ate, worked, and learned to know each other on a different level. Good community building time.
• The first Christmas holiday, when 91短视频 gave extra vacation days instead of an increase in wages. That 10 days (counting weekends) was so popular that they never went back! It is one of the many great perks of working here. I treasure the time with my family every year, a true vacation because nobody else is at the office either.

Some life lessons (also in her own words)

• 听No decision you make today is final, so don鈥檛 get uptight about making it. Life changes and you will change with it. Sometimes you will need to stop and evaluate to see if your choices still work or if God has a different call for you.
• People are more important than things, titles or firmly-held beliefs. You will be remembered forever by the way you treat those around you. Love and grace endure.
• Try to be fully present to the moment. You will miss extremely beautiful and important things if you just replay the tapes of the past or focus only on what is ahead. When you are truly present to the moment, you will find that God is present with you.

Other retiring faculty and staff

Also retiring are the following faculty and staff (position listed is most recent held): Professor Don Clymer, Department of Language and Literature, 17 years; Professor Spencer Cowles, Department of Business, 27 years; Jan Gerber, information officer, 23 years; Professor David Glanzer, Master鈥檚 in Counseling graduate program, 39 years; Professor Ted Grimsrud, Department of Bible and Religion, 20 years; Betty Hertzler, postal supervisor, 41 years; , director of the physical plant, 28 years; Professor Roman Miller, Master鈥檚 in Biomedicine graduate program, 31 years; Jack Rutt, special projects support, 17 years; and Pamela Rutt, assistant director of the education graduate program at 91短视频 Lancaster, 18 years.

And, indeed, over the course of three days, participants engaged in worship, workshops and fellowship with other church leaders, all around the theme of 鈥淥asis.鈥� The Revs. Matt and Elizabeth Myer Boulton offered the keynote addresses.

鈥淲hen we talk about oasis, we鈥檙e talking about both wilderness and refreshment,鈥� said Matt Myer Boulton, president of Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. 鈥淭here is no oasis without the desert.鈥�

That tension and duality framed the goals for the conference, which sought to provide leaders with tools for resilience in their ministries and stamina to make it through听times “in the wilderness.”

The Myer Boultons used three 鈥渟easons鈥� of the faith journey鈥攍onging, repentance and celebration鈥攖o focus their presentations. They tied the theme into the church seasons of Advent, Lent and Easter as well as to biblical texts, church history and current events, such as the recent tensions in American race relations. Points were often illustrated via video clips produced by the , a not-for-profit organization for which Elizabeth Myer Boulton serves as president and creative director.

After addressing some of the many challenges in ministry and urging the assembled church leaders to be 鈥渞esponsible鈥濃�攍iterally, the ones able and willing to respond鈥攖o the injustices and difficult places of local and global communities, the Myer Boultons also reminded the group to take time for sabbath and to enjoy God鈥檚 presence.

鈥淲e fall into the trap of creating sabbath for others but not our own,鈥� Matt Myer Boulton said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about clearing space so that you can experience the goodness of God. It restores you to your vocation. If you鈥檙e not doing that, then your life is out of balance.

鈥淚f you are not celebrating you have not received the Good News,鈥� he added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a sign of the Gospel.鈥�

91短视频 President also emphasized the need for balance in his remarks at the opening worship.

鈥淟eadership is hard, and some challenges simply will not go away,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e lead as if we were in a sprint instead of a marathon. We neglect to nourish ourselves for the long haul.鈥�

He invited the SLT participants to 鈥渄rink at the wells of renewal鈥� during the conference.

The schedule also included a plenary panel titled 鈥淚n Times Like These,鈥� which featured four people sharing openly about places in their lives where they had experienced pain, loss and/or grief and the spiritual practices and other resources that carried them through those times. An optional evening experience called 鈥淧raying in Color鈥� invited participants to experience several artistic and kinetic prayer forms as spiritual practices.

Seminar choices included topics such as 鈥淩esilient Ministry,鈥� 鈥淰ulnerability and Leadership,鈥� 鈥淧raying Beyond Words,鈥� and 鈥淎n Eightfold Path to Christian Spirituality.鈥�

Next year鈥檚 School for Leadership Training will be Jan. 16-18, 2017, in Harrisonburg.

鈥淲hen we spoke to church leaders about what they really needed at this moment, many talked about being overwhelmed,鈥� said , director of School for Leadership Training. 鈥淒ivision and contentious issues inside and outside the church made leaders feel like they were in an endless desert. They longed for an oasis, a place of rest and re-learning those practices that bring healing and hope.鈥�

The three-day conference includes two plenary sessions, seminars, worship and fellowship opportunities.

Presenters include plenary speakers Rev. Elizabeth Myer Boulton and Rev. Dr. Matthew Myer Boulton, ministers in the Disciples of Christ denomination, who use multimedia to speak about the seasons of repentance and seasons of celebration.

Elizabeth is president and director of the non-profit , dedicated to reclaiming and sharing the beauty of Christian life through film, photography, music, poetry, and ideas. Matthew is the president of , and was most recently associate professor of ministry studies at Harvard Divinity School.

Highlights from the seminar sessions include the learning about the Love Feast with Paul Stutzman, pastor of Fraternity Church of the Brethren; the eightfold spiritual path, with Gordon Houser, editor of ; music in liturgy, with Seth Crissman and Greg Yoder, of ; and vulnerability and leadership, with 91短视频鈥檚 Vice President of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies and , professor of nursing.

Registration for School for Leadership training is available online or by contacting Linda Alley, at Eastern Mennonite Seminary at 540-432-4698 or alleyl@emu.edu. Cost is $235 before Jan. 8, and $265 after Jan. 8. To register or for more information visit

Imagine your congregation shape-shifting into and out of spaces as it grows 鈥� a good problem 鈥� but one with its own stressors.

Imagine one of your most fervent members being a man who lives under a bridge and struggles with addiction, whom you affectionately call 鈥淭ony the Evangelist,鈥� because he hands out the church鈥檚 business cards among his homeless friends. 鈥淵ou gotta come and see,鈥� he said, of Ripple Church. And they do.

Think about how it would feel to get a phone call in March from the police, who found one of those business cards in Tony鈥檚 pocket. He had been sleeping in a garbage dumpster and was crushed by a compactor early one morning, later dying from his injuries.

鈥淭hree hundred people turned out for his funeral, and we鈥檙e still grieving,鈥� says Tom Albright, an Eastern Mennonite Seminary graduate who founded Allentown鈥檚 , a congregation in the of , with his wife Carolyn.

Imagine the uncertainty, the conviction, the joy, the challenge of such work.

Reviving Spirits and Hearts

Oasis. The name implies a place where thirsts are quenched and spirits revived. Each summer for two weeks, opens its doors and classrooms to pastors and church leaders seeking respite and soul care. The program is part of the (SISF), which provides training and optional certification for spiritual directors.

Director calls both programs 鈥渁 spiritual camp for adults, a truly life-giving program for many pastors who need space and support in processing their work and their own spiritual direction.鈥�

For Tom and Carolyn Albright, Oasis was a welcome opportunity to worship, to meet with spiritual directors, to enjoy the stimulation and engagement of classes without the obligation to meet credit requirements. The week at EMS was, in some way, an anniversary celebration of their past milestones: the Albrights both earned certificates of spiritual formation by attending SISF every summer from 2007 to 2009; additionally, Tom and Carolyn both earned certificates of ministry studies in 2013 and 2015 respectively.

Ripple Church: an 鈥榚xperiment鈥� in urban ministry

Those years at the seminary, beginning in 2007, also mark a time of transformation, uprooting and calling when the SISF environment of openness and questioning helped the Albrights discern their future.

The couple started Ripple Church in 2006 in their home community of Whitehall and after three years, moved with the church into the heart of Allentown 鈥� with more than 118,000 residents and a 42 percent Hispanic population, Pennsylvania鈥檚 third-largest and first Hispanic-majority city.

One reason the couple decided to live in urban ministry was a question posed by a regular attendee: 鈥淲hy,鈥� she asked, 鈥渁re churches leaving the city? Why don鈥檛 you bring Ripple into the city?鈥�

When they did, hosting weekday meetings at a community center in Allentown called , 鈥淚 felt the call,鈥� Tom said, 鈥渁nd Carolyn did too.鈥� In 2009, with the blessing of their adult children, they embarked on what was at first a conference-related ministry of the Franconia Conference. After multiple moves, Ripple lives comfortably at St. Paul鈥檚 Lutheran Church in the downtown area.

Five pastors, all of whom are bi-vocational, work with Ripple鈥檚 congregation of more than 100: Carolyn, a bilingual fourth-grade teacher; Tom, a career counselor for special needs youth at Freedom High School; Angela Moyer, MDiv 鈥�12, an occupational therapist; Danilo Sanchez, MDiv 鈥�13, who also works for ; and Ben Walter, a Biblical Theological Institute graduate who also is a house painter.

Worship in circles joins hearts, community

Tom calls Ripple a 鈥渞estorative church,鈥� a concept that he fine-tuned while earning a second master鈥檚 degree at Bethlehem鈥檚 . Speaking at the IIRP World Conference in 2013, that traditional churches measure success by how many people attend and how much money is being brought in. 鈥淚n a restorative church, though, we measure by relationships and ripples. How are relationships forming and how is that spreading out into the community? It鈥檚 a whole different way of living, working and worshiping in the city.鈥�

The church meets in three smaller groups, with pastors sharing leadership in a rotation pattern 鈥� an innovative idea that developed because of lack of space, but eventually has become the congregation鈥檚 much-beloved format. The Church of the Tables, the Church of the Circles, and the Church of the Sidewalk each have their own unique feel. Worship services begin with a simple and short message, and then move into discussion.

The Church of the Sidewalk, held on the steps in a semi-covered porch, was immediately popular with smokers and people who wanted to bring their dogs. Hosting worship here provided a welcoming symbolic place, because, as Tom says, 鈥渢he doors of church are incredibly hard to get people through.鈥� Those who worshiped at this church were a hardy and loyal bunch. When winter came to Allentown, the group turned down offers to come inside. Ripple Church bought pole heaters and blankets and carpet squares to sit on, and the Church of the Sidewalk missed only one Sunday through the winter because of snow.

During their week of Oasis, the Albrights enjoyed bike rides in the country, daily worship at Martin Chapel, visits and dinner with friends, and mentoring by spiritual directors. Carolyn took a class in sustaining practices in congregational worship, 鈥済ood because we are meeting so many different needs,鈥� she said, adding that the church ministers to many on 鈥渢he margins,鈥� such as the homeless, non-native speakers, people struggling with addiction, and single parents.

The Albrights returned to Allentown refreshed and thankful. 鈥淭he spiritual direction feeds my soul,鈥� Tom said. 鈥淪ometimes you just need someone to listen to what you鈥檙e thinking and what you鈥檙e going through. We know that self-care and discernment are important parts of pastoring and this place has been formative for us in so many ways.鈥�

鈥淥ur goal is to help church leaders and congregations become healthy sources of support for both the individuals and their family and friends.鈥�

The January 21-23 event, titled 鈥淚magining the Church as Healing Space: To Hear, To Hold, To Hope,鈥� will help leaders explore the role of congregations in providing space for those with mental illness, as well as families and friends who play a supportive role with these individuals.

Speakers will share from their personal journeys and offer ways to hold brokenness and faith in tension in the midst of the challenges of mental illness.

Michael and Joan King and Ijeoma Achara will speak Monday evening on 鈥淎n invitation to hear, to hold, to hope鈥� in a plenary session open to the public. Michael is dean of Eastern Mennonite Seminary. Joan is a counselor and senior integration consultant for the . Achara is a consultant for state and local governments and health care providers on developing recovery-oriented systems of care for those with mental health issues.

Tuesday morning, Tilda Norberg, author and founder of Gestalt Pastoral Care, will lead an experiential session on 鈥淕estalt Pastoral Care: A New Approach to the Ministry of Healing.鈥�

Tuesday morning, , professor of pastoral care at EMS, and , director of , will lead the group in a session titled 鈥淚t takes a healthy village: 5 things to know about mental illness,鈥� giving participants basic information about mental health and mental illness issues.

Tuesday evening, John Otenasek, executive director of a non-profit center for healing and recovery, will lead a panel of individuals who will share personal stories of the journey through the extreme emotional states of what our society labels 鈥渕ental illness.鈥�

Wednesday morning, Ted Swartz, founder of , will perform 鈥淟aughter Is Sacred Space,鈥� a show based on his experiences with his acting partner Lee Eshleman, who committed suicide in 2007.

Workshops will explore various aspects of the ways congregations can support individuals with mental illness and their families in healthy and sustainable ways.

Pre-registration is necessary for all events except Monday evening. For more information or to register, visit .

Spaces are filling up fast for this year’s School for Leadership Training (SLT) January 16-18, 2012 at Eastern Mennonite Seminary. Plenary speaker Walter Brueggemann, and workshops on the theme “God and Mammon: Reframing Stewardship Amidst Abundance, Scarcity and Conflict” are contributing to an unprecedented number of early registrations.

“With the economy, jobs and money on the top of nearly everyone’s mind, and a great scholar like Brueggemann, this is a timely event,” said Linda Alley, coordinator for SLT.

Brueggemann, professor emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary, is a prolific author and has written more than 50 books, hundreds of articles, and several commentaries on books of the Bible. He is also a minister of the United Church of Christ. Brueggemann has a ThD from Union Theological Seminary, New York and a PhD from St. Louis University.

“What we do with our money and how that connects to our faith is so vital,” said Alley. “Church budgets are stretched, individual’s budgets are stretched, and we often wonder how that connects with our faith.”

There will be 15 workshops and include a range of topics from living more with less, and preaching on money to faith in work settings.

Several of the workshops will be led by Everence Financial staff. 鈥淲ith our emphasis on faith and finance, this was the perfect opportunity for us to partner with Eastern Mennonite鈥� said Joseph Lapp, managing director of Everence鈥檚 Harrisonburg office.

“Sometimes it seems there is a gap between the business world and the church,” said Michael King, EMS dean. “Our hope is Christian business leaders and church leaders will converse deeply about how our handling of money flows out of or impacts our faith.”

The SLT training workshop is the collaborative work of Eastern Mennonite Seminary, the master in business administration program at 91短视频 and Everence.

Christian business leaders, stewardship and financial officers in the church, pastors and lay leaders are encouraged to attend this three-day event. Group discounts are available for multiple members from the same church, business or organization when they register together.

For more information or to register visit .

“The Spirit is real and working in many different ways,” said Linda Alley, SLT director. “What is exciting about this program is that we’ll explore all aspects of what we do and how the Spirit touches our lives.”

Plenary sessions led by Cheryl Bridges Johns, a professor and pastor from the Church of God tradition, will explore the workings of the Spirit in the church today. Johns has been part of Church of God/Mennonite interfaith dialogue.

Workshop leaders will help participants discover the work of the Spirit in various aspects of church leadership, from biblical interpretation and theology to creative arts and Christian education. Others will focus on cooperation with the Spirit in healing and on movements of the Spirit on the margins of traditional church life.

A special training session by Nathan D.(Nate) Yoder, associate professor of church history, will highlight Spirit movements within the church during the last two centuries. Dr. Yoder will describe how Anabaptist groups have interacted with Pentecostals and other movements of the Spirit.

“Nate’s presentation will not just be a history lesson,” said Alley. “He will help us see what we can learn today from these encounters with the Spirit in the past.”

School for Leadership Training, held annually Eastern Mennonite Seminary, provides church leaders with an opportunity to explore a topic relevant to life and ministry in today’s changing world. To learn more about this year’s SLT visit www.emu.edu/seminary/slt. Online registration is available, and the early bird discount ends November 30 at noon.

On the hillside a short walk up from , people of all ages and walks of life may soon be seen walking in quiet circles.

A stone labyrinth, now under construction, will facilitate students, faculty, conference attendees and visitors from the surrounding community who seek a setting for prayer and meditation.

With a $15,000 grant from the