The schools are located on the north side of the 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, September 29 (7:00-9:00 p.m.), and on the weekends of October 22-23 and November 5-6 (from 4:00 p.m. Friday until 4:00 p.m. Saturday). The weekend sessions are held on the campus of Mundelein Seminary, and a minimal fee is charged. For further information call Sister Sara Butler, M.S.B.T., at MS: 847-970-4868; or Richard Carlson, at NPTS: 773-224-6227.
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 (2000 dates: TBA). Registration for the seminar is limited. A minimal fee is requested of student participants. For further information regarding the Prayer and Life in the Spirit seminar, contact Professor John Weborg, Coordinator, at NPTS, phone: 773-244-6231, or 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 1999-2000 the chair of this committee is William R. Myers, of Chicago Theological Seminary; phone: 773-752-5757. 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. CTU offers a cross-cultural quarter in Ghana. For more information contact Richard Bliese at the CCGM office, 773-363-1342.
Caribbean. G-ETS offers a study tour, Religion and Culture in the Hispanic Caribbean, January 5-21, 1999. For information, contact Marti Scott, G-ETS; phone: 847-866-3956.
Chicago. CTU offers a cross-cultural quarter in Chicago. Phone Richard Bliese at CCGM, 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.
Israel. CTU offers a program in Israel June 5-18, 2000 and August 4-17, 2001, as an opportunity to reflect prayerfully on the Scriptures in the Holy Land. A portion of each day is given to orientation to biblical sites as well as visiting sites and a portion is reserved for prayer and reflection. The program is directed by Barbara Bowe, RSCJ and Marianne Race, CSJ in 2000 and by Carolyn Osiek, RSCJ in 2001. For information and application forms, contact Marianne Race, CTU; phone: 773-753-5355; e-mail: mrace@ctu.edu.
Israel/Jordan. CTU offers a program in Israel and Jordan June 1-20, 2001. This study tour is a three-week intensive with guided exploration of biblical and historical sites directed by Barbara Bowe, RSCJ. One may receive credit for this course (B 502) by taking a prerequisite, History and Archaeology of Israel (B 475), offered in the evening during the spring quarter. The study tour is offered at the end of the spring quarter in odd numbered years. For information and application forms, contact Marianne Race, CTU; phone: 773-753-5355; email: mrace@ctu.edu.
Israel/Sinai. CTU offers a program in Israel and the Sinai June 28-July 18, 1999, as an opportunity to reflect prayerfully on the Scriptures in the Holy Land. Half of each day is given to orientation to biblical sites and the other half to visiting biblical sites for prayer and reflection. The program is directed by Barbara Bowe, R.S.C.J., and Marianne Race, C.S.J. Information and application forms are available from Marianne Race, CTU; phone: 773-753-5355; e-mail: mrace@ctu.edu.
Malta/North Africa. CTU offers the study travel program Early Christianity in Malta and North Africa August 10-22, 2000. The program is directed by Carolyn Osiek, RSCJ. For information and application forms, contact Marianne Race, CTU; phone: 773-753-5355; e-mail: mrace@ctu.edu.
Mexico/U.S. border. The CCGM-sponsored course Cross-Cultural Quarter is designed to prepare for cross-cultural ministry within a global environment. The centerpiece of the course is a three-week trip to the Mexico/U.S. border. Preparation and debriefing sessions are also part of the course. For more information, contact Stephen Bevans or Richard Bliese at 773-363-1342.
Middle East. CTU offers an extended program of study and guided exploration of biblical sites August 24 - November 14, 2000 (same approximate dates annually). Course work concentrates on the history and archaeology of Israel in a variety of Old and New Testament traditions. A six day reentry program conducted at CTU concludes the on-site program. Participants earn 12 graduate hours for the travel program, which includes Greece, Turkey, Israel, Jordan and Egypt. Apply in January for the following Fall quarter. For information and application forms, contact Marianne Race, CTU; phone: 773-753-5355; e-mail: mrace@ctu.edu.
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; or Harold Vogelaar, phone: 773-256-0755.
New Mexico. G-ETS participates in a January intensive course for seminarians through Plaza Resolana, Santa Fe. The course includes an introduction to cross-cultural work and an introduction to the Hispanic, Native American, Anglo, and African American presences in northern New Mexico. Contact Kathleen Jimenez, Plaza Resolana; phone: 505-982-8539.
Pine Ridge/Rosebud. CTU offers a cross-cultural quarter at the Pine Ridge/Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. Preparation and debriefing sessions are also part of the course. Phone Stephen Bevans or Richard Bliese at CCGM, 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.
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.
For more information, contact Michelle Bentley, Coordinator, M/L; phone: 773-753-3198.
The summer intensive program runs full time from mid-June through late August, and the yearlong program for 30 weeks, 15 hours per week, in coordination with the seminary calendars. 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.
The center was established in 1994 to enhance the news media's coverage of religion and the religious dimension of other issues. It trains both journalists specializing in the coverage of religion and religious leaders interested in acquiring media skills. A dual degree program enables students to tap into the resources of both the participating schools.
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 Richard Bliese, Director, or Daniel Rodríguez-Díaz and Charles Walter, MCCJ, Associate Directors, 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 or Stephen Long, Directors; phone: 847-866-3887.