Pastor set to embark on adventure
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, May 14, 2002
Female pastors are by now common place within the Lutheran Church, and Pastor Kristin Wee of St. Olaf’s Church in Austin is one of them.
When women first were accepted as students at the Evangelic Lutheran seminars in the 1970's, they were met with skepticism from male clergy and peers.
Since having female students was a relatively new experience, the seminary Wee attended was poorly prepared for this. For instance, there was only one ladies bathroom to 10 of the men's. Kristin's husband Dan, also a Lutheran minister, had difficulty getting used to the idea of two pastors in the family.
"Very few women were allowed to do weddings or funerals even after they were ordained," Wee recalls. "People preferred male pastors.
The women (pastors) were told by their superiors, that the work was not meant for women -- it was 'too important'."
Pastor Wee's response was a plea for experimenting before passing judgement. To her, it has been a great privilege to observe people’s changing attitude since she was ordained in 1987. Within the family, things worked out very nicely, because there were in Pastor Dan's congregation plenty of teenagers, willing to babysit, when both parents had to be absent at the same time. The four children learned to cooperate and help out, and the parents' different work schedules made it possible for them to spend quality time with the family.
Pastor Wee has been granted a three-month sabbatical, and is scheduled for a month’s visit to South Africa. She is well-traveled; she has spent time in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Colombia and Switzerland.
"It will be my first time to the African continent," she excitedly admits. "We have hosted African students in our home when we lived in Iowa.
I’m really looking forward to this!"
She explains why she has such high expectations from her pending trip. Seeing the Wee's large family home, the African guests asked how many families were living there. They could not fathom having so much space for just six people. The conditions the African people live under, whether by tradition or grave poverty, are difficult for Americans to comprehend.
While in Cape Town, South Africa, next month, Wee will also visit Namibia. In Cape Town, she will be staying with Professor Peter Kjeseth and his wife, Solveig. This couple is designing a program for American seminary students and other learners and teachers for insight into the culture, government, religions and economy of the people of South Africa. Pastor Wee will assist in developing this orientation program.
"I am especially looking forward to learning about the perspective the South Africans have on The U.S., about the AIDS crisis, their labor movement, and the role the church and state in nation building,&uot; Pastor Wee writes. "Ten days I will spend in Namibia, visiting Paulinum Lutheran Seminary in Windhoek and the Council of Churches," she adds.
The fact that 80-90 percent of Namibia's people are Christians, and 750,000 of the 1,600,000 people who live in the country are Lutherans, amazes her.
Wee will of course share her new experience with fellow Christians back home.
When a pastor returns from a sabbatical, "refreshed and invigorated" as she puts it, the enthusiasm rubs off on the clergy and the congregation who all want to make a difference to needy people all over the world.