Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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PALM CONTINUED ROM PAGE 1 Lutherans were cut 9 percent from the national church last year, and the local synod cut the min- . istry 6 percent. Thompson said there’s a good chance the ministry could take another 15-percent cut next year. With Lutherans paying $15,000 a year for rent and secre tarial work, denominational iden tity is getting a closer look. “You can’t take a 30-percent cut and survive very long,” said Thompson, who is serving as Lutheran campus pastor on an in terim basis. “The feeling of the board is it would be better to look around campus and see signs say ing, ‘Lutheran church welcomes you’ instead of PALM.” That board consists of some of Columbia’s Lutheran leaders who are interested in the campus min istry. The Lutheran board is part of the PALM board. WAYS OF WORSHIP While the reasons for the split are mostly financial, there are some theological differences as well. Just compare bulletins from past church services at PALM and you can see a difference. The Methodist services are full of singing and a more laid-back style of worship. The Lutheran services have about three hymns and spend most of the service in re sponsive readings. “Lutheran worship is more for mal, a little stiffer than Methodists,” Thompson said. “Some kids like that because it’s a tie to home” The main theological difference deals with works. Thompson says the main tenet of Lutheranism is justification by grace through faith — basically that you don’t have to do good things to get to heaven. Thompson says Methodists place a little more em phasis on works. The way PALM is set up now, students feel the line is blurring between what’s Methodist and what’s Lutheran. “People talk about PALM in stead of what it is,” Thompson said. “They don’t know what the acronym stands for.” IMPACT ON STUDENTS For the students of PALM, the decision isn’t so easy. At Sunday night’s worship service, about 20 students gathered in the wood paneled sanctuary for the weekly worship service — some Lutheran, some Methodist and some neither. Thompson led this week’s service, which was more Lutheran-oriented. Andy Ferris, a first-year history student, grew up in Sebastian, Fla., with his parents and sister. He attended the Methodist church with his family every now and then, but started going regularly when he was old enough to drive. He doesn’t consider himself Lutheran or a Methodist and said the possibility of a split has creat ed a lot of confusion. “It seems like one of those things that happens in the back of a dark room, and then they come out and tell us about it after they made the decision,” he said. When the Lutherans leave, which leaders say will be some time next year, Ferris said the hardest part will be deciding which ministry to stay with. He said he’s made friends of both de nominations, and while he said he won’t base his decision on the peo ple, it will just “make it that much harder to deal with.” Laura Hunter, a fourth-year bi ology student from Roswell, Ga., was raised in Roswell United Methodist, a church with several thousand members. She came to PALM because she knew the for mer Lutheran campus pastor and decided to check it out. She said the small group atmosphere made the organization attractive. Two years later, Hunter was elected PALM co-president, a po sition she still holds. She serves on the Lutheran side of the PALM board, however, and was part of the discussion for the Lutherans to leave. “My first reaction was to say no, we don’t need to do that, this is a great organization,” she said. “But the Lutheran students on campus felt this was not serving Lutheran students on campus as well as another model might do.” One of those students is Ben Springer, a first-year international studies and religious studies stu dent. From Batavia, 111., Springer was raised Lutheran and was hes itant about joining PALM because of the Methodist partnership. At the Feb. 15 meeting, Springer said while most students were up set, he was the only one to voice his support for the decision. “Lutheran students will have something distinctively theirs and hopefully unlike me won’t be hes itant to get involved because of the Methodist cooperation,” he said. BUDGETING FAITH Lutherans are not alone in their financial woes. Methodist Campus Pastor Tom Wall said their budgets have been cut 70 percent the last 10 years. While the Methodists of PALM don’t pay rent on the building — it’s owned by The Wesley Foundation, a part of the Methodist church — Wall said Methodists still pay a hefty amount for maintenance. With insurance rising for cler gy, Wall said sometimes money has to be cut that would normally go to programs. “You get to the point to think how can we continue if not given more money,” Wall said. “We just have to step out in faith and see how God will provide,” he said. LOOKING AHEAD When the group does split the question will be where the groups will end up. The Methodists moved into the Pickens Street building about 1960. The Lutherans joined shortly there after and have been there ever since. The Lutherans are considering several options, but will probably settle on a congregational model, where they would use the facili ties of a local Lutheran church for considerably less than they are paying now. “If you can rent a nice place for $3,600 a year, why pay $15,000?” Thompson said. Hunter said the goal is to even tually move to a house-church model, where the Lutherans would buy a house close to campus to have activities and worship ser vices and for student leaders to live there. For the Methodists, the plan is to stay on Pickens Street. The only question is will they be able to maintain it with the loss of the Lutheran funding. “Financial considerations will dictate that,” Wall said. “The Methodists hope to be right along living here.” ROM ELM TO PALM A split would bring an end to the ministry partnership that at one time had three participating de nominations. For about 15 years, the Episcopalians were a part of the ministry, known as ELM. “The Episcopalians left, so we had to find a new tree,” Wall said. The organization started out of necessity. In the late 1940s, the Methodists operated mainly out of Washington Street Methodist church. In about 1953, the Methodists moved to a house on Pendleton Street to be closer to campus. The Lutherans and Episcopalians were also located on Pendleton Street, at about the same time the university started building the Pendleton Street Garage. USC started buying up land, and the Methodists were the first to leave. The Lutherans soon followed suit, and they moved in with the Methodists. The Episcopalians joined them in the late 1970s but did not officially in corporate as ELM until 1980. “I think back then there was a stronger ecumenical spirit,” Wall said. “We serve one Lord, so we can do this together.” When the Episcopalians left in 1987, the ministry became Lutheran and United Methodists Campus Ministry.lt officially be came PALM in November of 1990. While PALM will be dealing with splitting up, the ministry part of the organization is still go ing strong. A group will be head ing to the Dominican Republic Thursday to do some construction work over spring break. They also work at a soup kitchen on Tuesday mornings and tutor students in an after school program on Mondays at the Village of Hope and Thursdays at St. Lawrence Place. “We hope that people will read our lives,” Wall said. “Your life may be the only Bible people ever read. It makes the most sense to people if you are living what you believe.” Students and leaders insist the talks about splitting up are not on bad terms. Thompson and Wall said the theological differences alone aren’t enough to split the or ganization. “The reason is always money, which is sad,” Thompson said. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu PHOTO BY MORGAN FORD/THE GAMECOCK Methodist campus pastor Tom Wall, right, and Lutheran campus pastor Bob Thompson, left, talk to PALM students Sunday. I Sponsored by: * * * 1 & , ' ',v„ r. ’/ • V.C-'/ v* ■ ''o</ For more information or special assistance call 777-7130 or visit www.sa.sc.edu/cp Event subject to change. Paid for by student activity fees * 3/1 Carolina Productions hosting Margaret Cho @ Koger Center Starts at 8pm (doors open at 7) 3/1 & 3/2 Table and Signing of Anti-Drinking and Driving Pledge Cards, Desk Area Outside of the Grand Market Place, I Oam - 2pm 3/2 Signing of Pledge Cards, Wellness Sponsored “Fit Stop,” Celebration of Strom Thurmond Center’s I st Anniversary, 4pm - 7pm, Strom Turmond Center Rotunda 3/3 Distribution of Safe Spring Break Survival Kits, Resource Fair, and Carnival on Greene Street I lam - 3pm (Tsunami Slide, Handwriting Analysis, D.J.,free snacks) 3/4 Table and Signing of Anti-Drinking and Driving Pledge-Cards, Desk Area Outside of the Grand Market Place, 10am - 2pm