Settling In

One week into the summer term. The picture above is the building named Mezger Hall; the room you see immediately on the corner on the second floor is my room. As you probably remember from earlier posts, I am living on campus by myself while Heather and the kids are staying in Indiana with her parents. This will continue until 1 July, when Heather and the kids will join me here on campus at our apartment in "The Woods" (the married student housing complex on the west side of campus - stay tuned for a post when we move in).

This is the front view of the Chapel of Saints Timothy and Titus, viewed from the welcome center. I walk past this chapel on my way to meals every day; I worship the risen Christ with the seminary community in this chapel every day in the middle of the morning class period. (There is also a Compline service on Tuesdays and Thursday nights which is solemn and beautiful. Perhaps I will write about that on another occasion. For those of you with access to a Lutheran Service Book, it is found on page 253.)

This picture is taken from the interior of the quad to the east of the chapel. The building across the quad and pictured here is Graebner Hall. This is a nice view, but the really important feature of the quad is to the left...

Wartburg Commons! This building is the cafeteria; without Wartburg, I would starve. Although I am looking forward to Heather and the kids' arrival on 7/2 and a return to Heather's home cooking, the food at the cafeteria is suprisingly good.

This is the other great thing about Wartburg Commons: good conversation. The three seminary students pictured here are (from left) Sarah, Bill and Matt. These are all first year seminarians; Sarah is in the deaconess program and the other two are in the M.Div program. This picture was taken near the close of a two hour conversation that started over lunch on Saturday.

The picture below is Luther Tower. In side this tower is a carillon of bells. Two (and sometimes three) of the xxx bells are used to call the seminary community to chapel each day; however, in the month of June the full carillon of 49 bells is being put through its paces during the carillon recital series.