Northern Appalachia is home to deeply-rooted local cultures in a beautiful landscape. Conflicts defined by environmental and economic issues are fierce for both communities and churches. This seminar will give students an inside look and an opportunity to strategize for dealing with conflict in and around ministry. The environmental history of the landscape’s use and abuse, the shape of human cultures expressed by people of different traditions, and the history of tightly held religious patterns, will frame discussions with religious, environmental and industrial leaders from the region.
Outcomes
- Interpret ministry in its environmental and social context, using Northern Appalachia as a compelling case to understand one’s own perceptions and to frame one’s own response to issues in context
- Plan to lead ministry amid conflict over social and environmental change
- Practice prayer and contemplation for orientation and grounding amid contextual challenges, conflict and change
Strategies
- The course meets at Lutherlyn in Butler, PA, and makes day trips in the region for immersion into the ecological and social context of Northern Appalachia, framed by perspectives from ministry, theology, environmental history and religious history
- Travel as a group to places impacted by industrial activity and selected sites of environmental sensitivity, to appreciate the biotic diversity of northern Appalachia and issues of environmental advocacy and restoration
- Visits with church leaders in Northern Appalachia for views of ministry in the region
- Online presentations prior to the week of immersion! Assigned readings and media
- Discussion, assessment of learning and contemplative worship experiences oriented to grace in conflicted landscapes
SCHEDULE
| TIME | LOCATION | EVENT |
| Pre- immersion | Online | Presentations in environmental history of Northern Appalachia, Religion, Ministry and Introduction to Course |
| SUNDAY 6/7 Gathering, Expectations & Worship | ||
| PM | L’lyn | Arrivals and move in at Lutherlyn https://www.lutherlyn.com/ |
| 7:00 | Fireside Rm | Opening Introductions, Expectations & overview of schedule |
| 8:30 PM | Wrship Cntr | Gathering Worship |
| MONDAY 6/8 Stepping Into Northern Appalachian Environment | ||
| 8:15 AM | Dining Hall | Breakfast |
| 9:15-10:15 | Fireside Rm | Review and Discussion of pre-course presentations; learning opportunities in the course |
| 10:15 | BREAK | |
| 10:30 | Terra Dei | Terra Dei Tour |
| 12:00 | BREAK | |
| 12:15 | Dining Hall | LUNCH |
| 1:45 | Eberly | Hike: environment & history in N. Appalachia |
| 4:30 | Finish up hike and rest / free time | |
| 5:15 | Dining Hall | Dinner |
| 6:30 | Woodlands Studio | Pottery – ancient art, appropriate technology |
| 8:30 | Break & walk to worship | |
| Chapel Hill | Theological Debrief & Evening Prayer– GW | |
| TUESDAY 6/9 Old Growth, Oil & Ministry | ||
| 7:15 | Dining Hall | EARLY Breakfast |
| 8:00 | Van | Travel |
| 10:00-
12:00 | NWPA: Synod | Intro to small town and rural ministry in the area, & conversation with Bishop Jones and Rev Jones |
| 12:15 | Picnic area | box lunches |
| 12:45-1:45 | Drake Well | Museum tour |
| 2:00 | TRAVEL | |
| 3:00 | Hearts Content Wilderness | |
| Hickory Creek Wilderness | ||
| 5:15 | Travel | |
| 6:00 | Travel | Dinner (participants purchase own meals at restaurant) |
| 8:45 | L’lyn | Theological Debrief & Evening Prayer |
| WEDNESDAY 6/10 Allegheny Struggle & Wisdom | ||
| 8:15 | Dining Hall | Breakfast |
| 9:30-11:00 | Fireside Rm | Intro to Fracking & related issues |
| 11-12:00 | “The Power of One Voice” film about Rachel Carson
| |
| 12:15 | Dining hall | lunch |
| 2:00 | TRAVEL | |
| 3:00-4:00 | Rachel Carson Homestead tour | |
| TRAVEL | ||
| 5:30 | Dining Hall | Dinner |
| 6:30-8:30 | Fireside | TBD |
| 8:30 | Theological Debrief & Evening Prayer |
| THURSDAY 6/11 Laurel Highlands | ||
| 7:00-9:00 AM | Travel | Breakfast on the go |
| 9:00 | Bird Banding at Powdermill Nature Preserve | |
| 10:00 | Ligonier area & St. James Church with Pr. Paul Poerschke | |
| 12:00-1:30 | Lunch at church | |
| 1:30-2:30 | Travel | |
| 2:30 | F’water | Report to Fallingwater https://www.fallingwater.org/ |
| 3:00 | Fallingwater Tour | |
| FRIDAY 6/12 Returning: assessment, thanksgiving & homeward | ||
| 8:15 | Dining Hall | Breakfast |
| 9:00 | Fireside Rm | Presentation: Dark Green & Dark Blue |
| 10-10:45 | Break | |
| 10:45-11:45 | Assessment focus group | |
| 12:15 | Dining Hall | lunch |
| Assessment: envisioning next steps | ||
| Closing worship | ||
| Post-immerse | online | Assessment discussion |
READING & VIEWING
https://interfaithsustain.com/environment-religion-in-northern-appalachia-2/
Rachel Carson’s Silence by Linda Lear Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 13, 2014
https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2014/04/13/THE-NEXT-PAGE-Rachel-Carsons-silence/stories/201404130058
The Fracking of Rachel Carson by Sandra Steingraber Orion Magazine 2012
https://orionmagazine.org/article/the-fracking-of-rachel-carson
View the slide show at the same link (<10:00 minutes>
Preserving Wilderness and Wildness as Enlarging the Boundaries of the Community by Ed Zahniser at Wilderness.net https://www.wilderness.net/nwps/zahniser
The Work of Local Culture by Wendell Berry in What Are People For? N. Point, 1990: 153-169.
https://thecontraryfarmer.wordpress.com/2011/06/10/wendell-berry-the-work-of-local-culture/
Ecological Restoration and Scenes of Grace by G. Waldkoenig in Journal of Lutheran Ethics Feb, 2015
https://elca.org/jle/articles/1073?_ga=1.268990129.1377211951.1426000553
From Commodity to Community: Churches and the Land They Own by G. Waldkoenig in The Cresset
LXXVII:5 (Trinity 2013), 19-25 https://thecresset.org/2013/Trinity/Waldkoenig_T13.html
Assessment:
- Guided reflection on the immersion experience in focus group at end of immersion time
- Peer-to-peer and individual assessments throughout the immersion
- Assessment feedback from instructor on the basis of participation in the immersion
- Post-immersion online assessment discussion
Logistics: EcoTheology in Northern Appalachia
SITE
Lutherlyn is a camp and conference center of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It is in the countryside near Butler, PA, north of Pittsburgh, PA, about an hour from the Pittsburgh International Airport. Participants are responsible to transport themselves to Lutherlyn before the course and back home afterward.
ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE:
Plan to arrive on Sunday in the early evening to settle into your cabin. The course will begin with an introductory session and worship service on Sunday evening—consult the schedule for exact time. Directions are at https://www.lutherlyn.com/about/locations.html The course will end before 4:00 PM on Friday.
LODGING:
Double-occupancy lodging at Lutherlyn is provided. If you prefer single-occupancy, there is an additional fee due to Lutherlyn from the individual participant. Single-occupancy is not guaranteed but subject to availability.
Lodging is in good cabins with indoor bathrooms and electricity. Students must bring their own bedding, pillows, towels and toiletries. The setting is rustic. There is walking on uneven paths and gravel roads to get into and out of the residence cabins, to meals and to various activities. (See also “Activity,” below.)
MEALS:
Lutherlyn has an excellent dining hall where participants will receive all their meals, except a few they will have to buy at restaurants while traveling. We will choose modestly-priced places. The Lutherlyn dining hall provides vegetarian and special dietary needs—just alert us ahead of time.
ACTIVITY & the OUTDOORS:
Hiking in the woods on rough paths is a part of the course. It is athletic exercise. There are rocks, streams to cross, and the normal hazards of hiking including insects and wildlife. Sturdy shoes or boots are a must. Students should bring small backpacks, water bottles, snacks, sun screen and rain gear for hiking. One hike over three miles and another one two miles. It is essential to the content and experience of the course to go on the hikes.
Worship and other gatherings will take place outside during evening as well as daylight. If it rains, students will have to walk in the rain. You will also walk between lodgings and the dining hall—car use is prohibited in camp except during move-in and departure.
On field trip days there will be riding in a van for a few hours. The long hours plus getting in and out of a van/bus at several stops may be prohibitively uncomfortable or strenuous for some people.
CLOTHING:
Students should come prepared for being outdoors. In June the days might be hot or cool. The evenings may be warm but could be cold. Bring a jacket and rain gear, as well as outdoor clothing for both warm and cool days, as well as a backpack to carry alternative clothing, water bottles, sun screen, etc.
The guidelines on this page are subject to the rules and regulations of the camp. Lutherlyn accreditation is by the American Camp Association. Lutherlyn has a sizeable full-time staff. During the time of the course, summer staff will be in residence for their staff training. It is possible that some other retreat groups and groups of children may be in camp at the same time. However, the main summer program for children and youth will not have started yet.
This syllabus pertains to when the course was offered in 2015