Latvia 1975: Women, you can be pastors! Latvia 1994: Women, your services in the church are no longer needed!

Following my interview with Pastor Carrie Smith, my Luther Seminary friend, Deanna, and I had an opportunity to meet a woman in ministry from Latvia. Dace Balode, a Systematic Theology Professor, University of Latvia, was visiting the offices of the Evangelical Church of Jordan and the Holy Land (ECJHL). Bishop Munib Younan invited us to into his office where we discussed the current situation for women pastors in Latvia, among other things. When I told Dace I have wanted to meet a woman in ministry from Latvia, she replied, “Well, I guess you just had to come to Jerusalem!"

Since 1975, women in the Lutheran church in Latvia had been ordained; however, Bishop Janis Vanags, of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lativa (LELB), halted all future ordinations of women 20 years ago. Now, it is very rare for a woman to be ordained unless she wants to serve in another country.

There are denominations that have never ordained women. That is one issue; but it is quite another to understand why one person would take away women’s ability (who have pursued a theological education) to respond to God’s call as leaders in the church. Maybe I need to be like Michael Moore — and show up at Bishop Vanags' office - cameras rolling - and see what he has to say. In the meantime, I am praying for him and the women desiring a call to the Office of Word and Sacrament in Latvia.

Photo from left:  Conversation at Lutheran Church of Redeemer in Jerusalem’s Old City. Luther Seminary Mdiv. student Deanna Bassett, Dace Balode, Latvia, Janet Karvonen-Montgomery, Pastor Carrie Smith, Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem.


Universal Languages: The Gospel and a ball

Two quarters of college Spanish in 1985 helped a little. As I have traveled, language is often a barrier in communication. I wish I spoke Finnish. I wish I spoke Icelandic. In Guatemala, I learned how a bright orange soccer ball transcends languages. A ball speaks volumes: to a two-year-old who pats it happily as he is held in his mother’s arms, to a spunky seven-year-old girl with more energy than she knows what to do with to a 30-something-year-old dad who still thinks he’s got game.

Having filled two suitcases with as many flattened soccer balls and basketballs as I could fit, I had visions of giving balls out to children in school settings. No one was more surprised than me when the opportunity presented itself to hit the court with the women on retreat from their families and homes. These were women ranging from ages 17-60, several toting babies in blankets. The skirts and the sweat did not stop us from bonding through a ball. Each of the 16 left with a pink striped basketball and a smile.

From Guatemala City of seven million people to the northwest rural Cooperativa Maya Itza, the balls were a hit. They brought joy. They allowed for play, and interaction that may not have otherwise happened. 

Hoping to leave all of the balls in Guatemala, Maya Itza was the last stop. “How many balls do you have left?” Pastor Karen asked. “Twelve.” She smiled. “There are twelve families in this church. There will be one for each family. You had the right number.”  Recalling a phrase from deep in the caverns of my brain, I smiled at Pastor Karen and said with a hint of sarcasm, “Que coincidencia!” (What a coincidence!) She smiled.

There are times when you know that there is more at work in life than random chance and coincidence. While you cannot explain it, you know that it is Holy. 

His Name is Jesus

Inglesia Luterana Agustina Guatemala (ILAG) President Karen Castillo asked me to preach to the rural community church in Maya Itza. As the conclusion to the sermon, I highlighted one of the songs we sang that day. It was numero catorce (#14) in their songbook.

In English:

I have a friend who loves me.

You have a friend who loves you.

We have a friend who loves us.

His name is Jesus.

 
 

Women leaders in the church: Go!!!

Maybe you have had a lot of experience with women leaders in the church. Maybe you have never seen a woman pastor. Women are rising in the ranks of leadership in many denominations. Some may ask, “Why is this still an issue?” Some may be ambivalent about gender issues in the world and in the church. Some clearly believe women are not authorized by Scripture to preach and teach.

I believe God created male and female in God’s image. Yet, there are still barriers existing for women in ministry in 2015. These barriers often make it more difficult to pursue one’s call to ministry- even diminishing the opportunities for women pastors to serve fully and freely.

God’s call comes to all people. Stay tuned to hear the stories of women who have heard God’s call and have followed it.

Jodi Hogue is the pastor of Humble Walk Lutheran Church in St. Paul. Interviewed at the Iceland Pastor’s conference, she spoke of the strong support she feels in ministry from her colleagues, congregation, friends, and bishop. She is enthusiastic about her call, while also acknowledging the pay gap for women in ministry.

 
 

Iceland: Women fully participating in leadership roles in civic, church and family life.

When I checked into the Radisson Blu Saga Hotel in Reykjavik, one of the first things I heard is how Hillary Clinton had stayed there prior to announcing her presidential candidacy. The hotel staff informed me Clinton had come to the country to learn more about Iceland’s election of a woman president. Vigdís Finnbogadóttir held the office from 1980-96.

 

Our bicycle tour guide, Egil, told us about seeing the beloved former president just a couple of weeks earlier in August when a lovely sculpture of Iceland’s first female representative, Ingrid Bjarnsson, was unveiled in the city square. Former President Finnbogadóttir, now 85, greeted the public from a second story balcony while dedicating the bronze in front of the crowds gathered.

 

What must it be like for the girls and women in Iceland to have seen women hold the highest office? It is not out of the ordinary, according to the many. One female pastor shared that while she was growing up, she thought the president was supposed to be a woman! Now, the bishop of the Lutheran Church of Iceland is a woman for the first time.

 

In August, more than half of the country’s Evangelical Lutheran pastors of Iceland gathered for a conference. Pastor Guðni Harðarson, an organizer for the annual conference in Reykjavik, studied at Luther Seminary. Guðni and I connected through our mutual classmate Rev. George Timlak of Cameroon. He graciously invited me to attend the gathering featuring author Nadia Bolz-Weber and St. Paul’s Jodi Hogue.

 

It was fabulous! Through Guðni, I interviewed Bishop Agnes M. Sigurðardóttir, the first woman ordained in Iceland, Audur Eir Vilhjalmsdóttir, and Arnfriour Guomundsdottir, ‪the first woman to teach theology at the University of Iceland to name a few. These influential women have and will continue to shape pastoral leadership in the country.

Shared leadership. Mutual ministry. Possibilities for all.  Inspiration for the future.

 

 

 

Eyjafjallajökull

Iceland has a high concentration of volcanoes. When Eyjafjallajökull erupted in April of 2010, it halted air travel for 10 million travelers in 20 different countries. The dispersion of the volcanic ash (see global map) caused the largest disruption of air travel since World War II. The airspace over northern Europe was affected for three weeks.

Many Icelanders attempted to help me, however, I still cannot pronounce this word that means “island-mountain-glacier.” I have the t-shirt and I’m working on it!

 
 

Finland

August 6-29

August 6, 2015
My family of seven and I left for Scandinavian vacation to introduce our children to the places of our ancestral heritage: Finland for my father’s side, Sweden for my mother’s side, and Norway for my mother-in-law’s side. It was our first trip with Sonja, our new daughter-in-law, who enthusiastically shared her previous Norway experience and heritage with us. Spending several days in Iceland on both the outbound and return trips was a bonus. 

The trip also marked the beginning of my explorations for the Graduate Preaching Fellowship (GPF). In each country, I began contacting several of the country’s first female Lutheran bishops, pastors and theologians, with varying success. 

August 22, 2015  
Starting in Finland felt right—but how do we start? Our niece, Sarah Browne, joined the family in Helsinki to participate in the fellowship. But first, the kids taught Sarah and me a new game called “Bonanza.” It is a silly game of bean trading and counting. Our laughter, banter, and color-coded cards attracted the interest of a man passing through the hotel lobby who asked us what game we were playing. Thanks to Dave and Sonja, our family plays a lot of games together. (Who knew rock-paper-scissors could be so intense.) 

 

August 23, 2015
The family portion of the trip ended in Helsinki. It was an early Sunday morning, Matt’s 19th birthday, when I sent the six of them off on a 4:30 a.m. airport shuttle. “Mom, don’t rush home – I like having the car to myself,” said Sophie, 16. 

Emotions built with each hug. By the sixth hug and kiss, I was a mess. Eyes blurred with tears I stood on the sidewalk, waving. Behind me, the hotel security door had shut and locked, unbeknownst to me. In my robe, I turned back to the hotel, sensing the cool air for the first time. Stunned, eyes cleared, I knocked frantically, summoning the front desk clerk after a few minutes. 

And so, the GPF began on this Sunday morning. 

Several hours later, Sarah and I attended Sunday worship at the iconic Helsinki Cathedral. This beautiful white Russian design with the light blue domes is located in the keskusta, the center of the city near the harbor. Coffee hour in the lower level Crypt yielded a connection with two women who led worship that morning: Anne, a seminary student and Tiina, an ordained Lutheran pastor. They would become our first interviews, conducted at the offices of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. 

A pastor for 19 years, Pastor Tiina Silvo, shared her call story, along with the joys and challenges of ministry. Here, she shares how the gospel message is central to her life.

 
 
 
 



Uppsala, Sweden

Interested in hearing stories about church history, I was surprised to learn some surprising Karvonen family history. My Minneapolis cousin informed me that our family tree included pastors in Finland as far back as the 1600s. This was news to me. This line of pastors were from a north central Finnish community called Pudasjarvi. They traveled to Uppsala, Sweden to attend the seminary.

Here are my four kids outside one of the campus buildings at Uppsala, University.

 

Pride

Reykjavik Gay Pride parade is the largest festival in Iceland attracting over 100,000 people. It’s widespread acceptance and participation is a way of saying, “in Iceland the whole nation will help you enjoy the freedom of being and celebrate who you are.” Families, children, and elderly line the parade route. All around the city, including at City Hall, the rainbow flags fly high. Streets are painted with rainbow colors. It is apparent from the conversations that this festival is a highlight of the summer for the mainstream population. As we stopped in a various shops and restaurants, we were invited to join in the festivities. And we did.

 

One pastor stood at the doorway of the church, dressed in a white alb with a rainbow lei around his neck. Waving two rainbow flags in one hand, he used his other hand to make the sign of the cross in the form of a blessing to those who passed by. Many GLBTQ folks have been rejected by the church and have been told to change their ways. This pastor smiled, waved the flags and blessed all of the people who passed by the church door.