The schools are located on the north side of the greater Chicago area, with one in Chicago, two on contiguous campuses in Evanston adjacent to Northwestern University, one in Deerfield, and one in Mundelein.
The activities of the NCTI are under the direction of a board of directors whose officers are elected biennially. From its beginning the NCTI has emphasized the importance of student representation on its boards and committees. The NCTI sponsors two academic courses each year.
A three-hour fall seminar, The Church and Its Mission, explores the views of several major Christian communions on this theme. Meetings will be held on Wednesday, October 1 (7:00-9:00 p.m.), and on the weekends of October 17-18 and November 7-8 (from 4:00 p.m. Friday until 4:00 p.m. Saturday). Further information can be obtained from Sister Sara Butler, M.S.B.T., Coordinator, at MS; phone: 847-970-4868.
In January each member school of NCTI observes the Week of Prayer for Christians through activities appropriate to its own tradition. Exchange of pulpit speakers has proven enriching for the schools.
The spring seminar, also offered annually as a three-hour course, has addressed various theological themes in Christian spirituality and practice. The seminar has focused on the diversity of ways in which Christians of many traditions understand prayer and life in the Spirit. In its present format the seminar includes two overnight, intensive retreat experiences on the campus of Mundelein Seminary (1998 dates: April 17-18, 24-25). Registration for the seminar is limited. A minimal fee is requested of student participants. Further information regarding the Prayer and Life in the Spirit seminar can be obtained from Professor John Weborg, Coordinator, at NPTS, phone: 773-244-6231, or from Professor Mary Katherine Deeley, NCTI Executive Secretary; phone: 847-446-8223.
The purposes of the cluster are to (1) promote academic cooperation among the schools in Hyde Park; (2) foster dialogue and scholarship among its faculties through support of discipline groups and interdisciplinary colloquies; (3) develop support for academic programs through cooperative student services, recruitment, and language programs; and (4) aid in communication and planning among the member institutions.
The Hyde Park Cluster of Theological Schools is administered by a committee consisting of the chief academic officers of the six schools. For 1996-97 the chair of this committee was Ralph W. Klein of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago; phone: 773-256-0721. The chief executive officers of the cooperating institutions serve as an advisory board to the committee, especially in areas related to institutional planning.
All students and faculty of ACTS schools are invited to participate in the WMI without registration charges. Inquiries regarding WMI should be addressed to the Chicago Center for Global Ministries, 5401 South Cornell Avenue, Chicago, IL 60615; phone: 773-363-1342; fax: 773-324-4360; e-mail: ccgminstry@aol.com.
Africa. LSTC offers to students on a yearly basis overseas exchange opportunities in Africa. For more information contact Richard Bliese at the CCGM office, 773-363-1342.
Appalachia. The CCGM-sponsored course Cross-Cultural Quarter will focus on the dynamics of cross-cultural ministry within an ecumenical setting. The centerpiece of the course is a three-week trip to Appalachia August 28-September 20, 1997. Preparation and debriefing sessions are also part of the course, scheduled for August 21-22 and September 23-25. For more information, contact Stephen Bevans or Richard Bliese at 773-363-1342.
Eastern Europe. LSTC periodically offers students internships in Eastern Europe. For information contact Connie Kleingartner, LSTC; phone: 773-256-0746.
Germany. The Collegium Oecumenicum in northern Munich, Germany, offers LSTC students the chance to live and study for up to a year among a community of 50 students from Germany and other parts of the world. Students do their academic work at the University of Munich. Students may register for the winter semester (November to February) and/or the summer semester (May to August). Students from other ACTS schools who are interested in this program should contact Reinhard Hütter, LSTC; phone: 773-256-0760.
Ghana. The CCGM-sponsored course Cross-Cultural Quarter will focus on the dynamics of cross-cultural ministry within an ecumenical setting. The centerpiece of the course is a three-week trip to Ghana August 28-September 20, 1997. Preparation and debriefing sessions are also part of the course, scheduled for August 21-22 and September 23-25. For more information, contact Stephen Bevans or Richard Bliese at 773-363-1342.
Greece. CTU offers the study tour "Churches of Paul" to sites of early Christian communities in Greece June 28-July 11, 1998. Sites to be visited include Athens, Corinth, Philippi, Thessaloniki, Vergina, Meteora, Delphi, Corinth, Mykonos, and Delos. In addition to the study of archaeology and early church history, biblical study will focus on St. Paul and Acts of the Apostles. For more information contact Barbara Bowe or Marianne Race, CTU; phone: 773-753-5355.
Israel. CTU offers a program in Israel June 12-28, 1998, as an opportunity to reflect prayerfully on the Scriptures in the Holy Land. Orientation to biblical sites and reflection on Scripture are led by a member of CTU's Department of Biblical Literature and Languages. For applications, contact Marianne Race, CTU; phone: 773-753-5355. CTU will offer a second Israel program May 27-June 17, 1999, as a three-week intensive with guided exploration of biblical and historical sites. A prerequisite for the seminar is B 475, History and Archaeology of Israel. Participants receive three quarter credits for the trip. Application forms are available from Marianne Race, CTU; phone: 773-753-5355.
Japan. M/L can arrange special exchanges to Tsakuba University in Japan. Knowledge of Japanese is required. For more information, contact Ian Evison, M/L; phone: 773-753-1326.
Middle East. LSTC and Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding jointly provide short trips each year to various sites in the Middle East (including Israel, Palestine, and Turkey) for the purpose of studying Muslim-Christian relations. For more information, contact Richard Bliese at the CCGM office; phone: 773-363-1342.
South Dakota. The CCGM-sponsored course Cross-Cultural Quarter will focus on the dynamics of cross-cultural ministry within an ecumenical setting. The centerpiece of the course is a three-week trip to the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, August 28-September 20, 1997. Preparation and debriefing sessions are also part of the course, scheduled for August 21-22 and September 23-25. For more information, contact Stephen Bevans or Richard Bliese at 773-363-1342.
Sweden. Under an agreement between LSTC and the University of Uppsala, LSTC students may study at the University of Uppsala on a full-time basis for a year; courses are offered in English. Students from other ACTS schools who are interested in this program should contact Ralph Klein, LSTC; phone: 773-256-0721; or Richard Bliese at the CCGM office; phone: 773-363-1342.
Syria/Jordan. CTU offers the study tour "Christian Origins in the East: Syria/Jordan" June 16-19, 1999. Students will visit sites in Syria, Jordan, and, if possible, Lebanon, that reveal the origins of early Christianity in its Greco-Roman context, already highly developed on the eastern edge of the Roman Empire. Sites to be visited: Damascus, Apamea, Ebla, Palmyra, Jerash, Mt. Nebo, Madaba, Petra, and Amman. For information, contact Carolyn Osiek or Marianne Race, CTU; phone: 773-753-5355.
In addition to the instruction provided by their own faculties, MTS and LSTC invite outstanding Hispanic theologians and ministerial practitioners to their campuses to expand the resources available and to reinforce the identity of the Hispanic Ministries Program.
There are eight core courses in the program: Biblical Interpretation from an Afro-centric Perspective; The History of the Black Church in North America; Black Theology; Ethical Implications of Ministry in the Black Church; Preaching in the Black Church; Pastoral Care in the Black Church; Black Spirituality; and Community Leadership. Workshops, lectures, fellowship occasions, and a mentoring program constitute the formation element of the program.
All students who are enrolled in the Hyde Park Cluster of Theological Schools are eligible to participate in the full program. The core courses are open to all ACTS students. Hyde Park students may, with the permission of the academic dean of their school, use an African American resource course to meet required course distribution.
For more information, contact Michelle Bentley, Coordinator, M/L; phone: 773-753-3198.
The summer program runs for 10 weeks, full time (mid-June through late August), and the yearlong program for 30 weeks, 15 hours per week, in coordination with the seminary calendars; an intensive 11-week format is also available during the academic year. Applicants should complete the standard ACPE application, have an admission interview with a CPE supervisor, and meet with the director of the program. Applications submitted by December 20 (for the summer) or May 1 (for the fall) will be given first priority. There is a $25 application fee. For further information contact Barbara Sheehan, S.P., Director, ACTS Urban CPE Program, c/o CTS, 5757 South University Ave., Chicago, IL 60637; phone: 773-752-5757, ext. 266.
Inquiries about the center should be directed to Roy Larson, G-ETS; phone: 847-866-3960.
CCGM serves as a focus point for these areas of ministry by coordinating course offerings, offering a forum where concerned faculty may meet to discuss these issues, and providing a locus for new research efforts in these areas of globalization. At a time when theological education is becoming more international and multicultural, and the world itself manifests simultaneously a new concern for particularity and greater possibilities for communication, the work of the Chicago Center for Global Ministries embraces these paradoxes and complexities as the location for training ministers for the twenty-first century.
For additional information, contact Stephen Bevans, Director, or Richard Bliese, Associate Director, at the CCGM office at CTU; phone: 773-363-1342; fax: 773-324-4360; e-mail: ccgminstry@aol.com.
ACTS faculty and students are invited to attend lectures of interest or to become involved as scholar-participants in any of the cycles. For more information, contact Kenneth Vaux, Director; phone: 847-866-3887.
The core curriculum of six courses supplements the individual requirements of the D.Min. degree of each of the participating schools. Together they contribute to the program objectives of (1) creating a community of discourse around educational ministries that brings various denominations into a dialogue about their common challenges and possibilities; (2) providing religious educators with time for reflection on theological and educational methods for the practice of ministry as well as methods for research; and (3) making accessible the rich resources of Chicago theological schools for research and instruction related to educational ministries.
Core courses will be team taught as one-week intensive courses in June and July. These courses are open to students registered in this program, other D.Min. students, and others by permission of the instructors only.
The courses for 1998 are Theory, Models, and History of Religious Education and The Congregation as Learning Community. Application forms for admission are available from the participating schools. For additional information contact Elizabeth Caldwell, phone: 773-947-6329; or Susan Harlow, phone: 773-753-3195.