Pastor Alex SchmidtPastor Alex has developed the "Building Bridges of Understanding" workshop over the course of many years, and has presented it to hundreds of people throughout the United States. Here is his story, as he writes:
"There are important events that have shaped my life, even before I was born: My German/Russian grandparents were killed in WWII and my parents w/two young daughters fled from their Russian homeland on foot, finding safety with the Allies in Germany. Several years after the war, I was born and at the age of 5 the five of us immigrated to a farm in central Washington as “indentured servants.” Significant beginnings, to say the least. While my childhood experienced the rural setting of a farm my high school years were in Seattle. From there, academically, I graduated from the U of W with a B.S. in Biological Oceanography and another in Invertabrate Zoology. ROTC provided a three and a half year introduction to the U.S. Army Infantry, as a 1st Lt. Ranger Airborne. While stationed in Germany with my wife and first child, I had a return to faith experience, changing the course of my life yet again. Resigning my officer's commission, I attended Lutheran Bible Institute in Seattle. After graduating, my family, now with two children, moved to the highlands of Bolivia for over three years, amongst the Quechua and Aymara Indians. I served the Bolivian Lutheran Church as a traveling teacher of church leaders. How does one describe such a life changing experience? Returning to Pasadena in ’80, I received a M.A. in Missiology. Preparations continued at Luther Northwestern Seminary (MDiv) in St. Paul. By now we had 3 delightful children. My first parish was in Spokane for 14 years, another life changer complicated by divorce. In 1999 I remarried, gained a "new" daughter, and we relocated to Leavenworth where I served Faith Lutheran. This congregation opened my eyes to the mandate of the Gospel to seek justice, mercy and peacemaking—in the context of non-violence. I continue to learn....." |
Pastoral Intern Ian McConnellI grew up in a small(ish) suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota, where my sister and I were privileged to have access to our entire extended family, who lived within a few miles. Throughout my schooling there, and into my college years at the University of Minnesota, I had been aware of the disparity between people who looked like me and those who didn't, but had no language to describe or talk about it. While studying at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN I had hte opportunity to work at Redeemer Lutheran Church in North Minneapolis, which turned out to be an experience that began a process of rearranging my attitudes, and shined a bright light on the biases I hold.
My wife Rachel and I moved to Wenatchee to serve at Grace Lutheran Church for a one-year pastoral internship, and found that those same disparities between people of different ethnic backgrounds here, but expressed in different ways. I am excited to host this "Becoming Bridge Builders" workshop as my internship project, and hope that through becoming more aware of the ways in which we have been shaped and formed by our families, church families, and society-at-large, we can develop the capacity to speak the language of justice and building beloved community. Indeed, building bridges of understanding between different cultures takes a lot of work and intentionality, but before that can happen, we I need to know who I am, and how I have been shaped and formed! The opportunity to work with Pastor Alex in this, his passion work, is very exciting. I have heard so many wonderful things about his "Building Bridges of Understanding" workshop from people who have participated in it over the past many years, and I am eager to be able to host it here in Wenatchee. I invite you to join in this journey of self-awareness, and also of understanding the dynamics of intolerance and racism. It's not easy work, but oh boy is it important work! Blessings to you in your desire to become a bridge builder! |