Meet Sean Weston: ECM’s Administrative Assistant
Just six weeks into his time at ECM, Sean is already making a big difference in the day-today operations of ECM. He is very quickly organizing everything in sight—the office, the
website, the campus pastor, the financial records, the database and the ECM Board of Directors! Gifted in many areas, he is handling ECM’s office chores, plus bookkeeping, publicity
and promotions, social media, database management and managing tenants—all on a very
part-time basis. That’s because Sean will be entering his second year of seminary studies
this fall, while also serving as the licensed minister of the Congregational Church in Onaga.
After spending his first year at Union Theological Seminary in the Big Apple, Sean returned
to the Little Apple this spring in order to pursue his theological education in a seminary program more focused on preparation for pastoral ministry. He will be taking a couple of
courses this fall as a student at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City. A
graduate of the University of Kansas and an alumnus of the residential covenant community
at KU’s ECM, Sean brings a love of Kansas, a keen mind and a deep appreciation and understanding of ecumenism to his work here. A long-time resident of Manhattan, Sean is a
member of the First Congregational Church UCC. Be sure to welcome him to ECM!
Spotlight on Leadership: Emily Ellenberger
Emily was a “three-year starter” on the ECM Leadership Team before graduating this
past spring with her bachelors degree in Agriculture Business and accepting a position
with Land O’Lakes. During her time at ECM she was co-coordinator of Community
Service, where she volunteered and organized other students to volunteer at the Second
Helping meal at First Congregational Church UCC for members of the community in
need. Emily also participated in the 2014 ECM service-learning trip to Ecuador. Of
that experience she writes, “One of the projects I worked on in Ecuador was the ‘clean
water’ project which provided running water to their schools and some of their homes. I also enjoyed working
with the children in the community and sharing with them the importance of environmental cleanup on their
beaches. I feel like I made a positive impact on their personal lives and they have definitely made a positive
impact on my life as well. I gained life skills that will help me in my future career and help me grow
personally…. I enjoy volunteering because I love to help people when they are in need and encourage them to
feel fulfilled once we are done volunteering. It fills me up with joy to see them happy. “
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ECM Garden Team
With encouragement provided by a generous gift from Steve and Karen
Hummel, and passion for gardening and sustainable landscapes provided by
a group of very engaged ECM students, the ECM Gardens are gradually
beginning to take shape at ECM’s new home and annex on Sunset Avenue.
Let by Matt DeCapo and Steve
Mossberg, the students and
other gardening aficionados, a
wetland garden is being developed on the south side of the
property, along Hunting Avenue, with a kitchen garden planted in the
green space between the buildings beginning to produce. Future plans include developing memorial, prayer and raised bed gardens, as well as redeveloping a beautiful wildflower garden along the north side of the annex,
initially developed by long-time resident, Ruby Weik.
Vocational Exploration Interns Assist with
Summer Daycamp in Riley
As part of our ongoing exploration of vocation funded by
the Lilly Endowment, Inc., ECM collaborated with the
First Presbyterian Church of Riley, Kansas and Fairview
Presbyterian Church in June through two daycamp internships. Recent K-State Family Studies and Human
Services graduate , Michael Shode, and K-State Social
Sciences senior Kelsey Chalmers served as assistant
counselors for Heartland Presbyterian’s traveling daycamp which visited Riley June 15-19. Through their
help, nearly 45 young people deepened their faith
through Bible study, the arts, and of course, lots of
fun! (picture of the daycamp attached - Michael Shode,
back row, third from left - Kelsey Chalmers, second row,
second from right.)
ECM Announces Fall Theologian-in-Residence, Linda Kay Klein, September 9-10, 2015
Expanding the idea of what it means to be a theologian and how we discover our life’s work,
ECM will host Linda Kay Klein, September 9-10 for a variety of student and community
events, including a public talk titled “Writing the Story of You” on Thursday evening, September 10. Klein has spoken widely to college and university audiences as director of the
Work on Purpose program for a New York-based organization called Echoing Green
(www.echoinggreen.org), a global social entrepreneurship nonprofit that unleashes next generation talent to solve the world’s biggest problems. She has served as the program’s lead
researcher and is the lead author of the Work on Purpose Curriculum on which faculty and
staff from over 150 colleges, universities and nonprofits have been trained. She recently left
Echoing Green after signing a with Simon and Schuster to write a book about the interviews
she has conducted with young women raised in the evangelical Christian church on sex, gender, and sexuality. Collaborating with faculty in Leadership Studies and the College of Business’s Social Entrepreneurship program, we anticipate that hundreds of K-State students will
have an opportunity to listen and learn from Klein. Her presence among us is made possible,
in part, by grants from the Lilly Endowment, Inc. and the Kansas Bible Chair of the Christian
Church in Kansas to assist young adults in the process of discerning their vocation.
Open House Ushers In New Era for Ecumenical Campus Ministry at K-State
Over seventy-five persons braved triple-digit temperatures on the afternoon
of Sunday, July 12 to celebrate the official opening of the new ECM Campus Center at 904 Sunset Avenue. Judging by the laughter and good fellowship enjoyed by sharing cookies donated by several bakers from our supporting congregations, spirits were as high inside and the temperature was outside! The 5,923 square-foot building houses two 4-bedroom apartments and
one entire floor dedicated to ministry activities. The apartments are full and
students will soon be moving in to begin living in “covenant community,”
where tenants agree to be involved in the campus ministry and covenant to
support one another in their intellectual, spiritual and moral growth. ECM
also purchased the house next door to the north at 908 Sunset Avenue.
Known as Ruby’s House, it is currently home to another four ECM students.
Save the Date: ECM Dedication Service, Sunday, September 20, 4:00 p.m.
Summer Happenin’s at ECM
What do you get when you mix fresh garden produce, 25-30 hungry college students and a set of African drums? Read Food Dinners, summer-style! Students are happily settling into their new kitchen (pictured below, center), which allows for a lot of socializing to go on while preparing the meal. When 20 European students showed up at K-State for a cultural exchange program, Mauricio Caldera brought them to ECM, where he knew they would be welcomed. This group, along with some ECM regulars (pictured
below, left) stayed afterward one recent evening to enjoy some drumming and dancing. Samuel Becker began offering acroyoga
(pictured below, right) earlier this summer to bring students together to have fun, and to promote wellness and creativity.