In a very humid gymnasium at Augustana College in Illinois, fifteen seminarians and I were ordained as pastors of the Lutheran Church in America o this date.Most of them started their parish ministries int he Midwest. I was the only one going south, to Virginia.
Of that group one I know was removed from the roster of clergy, but likely is still involved in the Church, another was the first in our denomination to die for AIDS. Since I never served in the Midwest, I have lost track of most of them, but stay in touch with one or two.
Since then my denomination merged with two others, there was a change in hymnals and
so much more, I became an US Army chaplain (today is also the 243rd birthday of the US Army! ), and I became bi-vocational, now in my 24th year of teaching.
When I started my writing (mainly poetry) career, people asked if I were a Christian writer. I hear that once in a while these days. My answer was that I was a Christian who writes. Usually that is not what people want to hear, or they become disappointed. If the person knows literature well, I add that I humbly place myself in line with TS Eliot, WH Auden, John Donne, George Herbert, and Robert Herrick.
What has appeared in my poetry are some of the places where I have served, and also some of the people. My pastoral ministry has given me unique opportunities and insights, and I am thankful to God for that and so much more!
If you have some time and are interested, please click on the link and see what I mean! Thanks!
https://www.amazon.com/Books-Arthur-Turfa/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AArthur%20Turfa
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