Bishop Claire Burkat and LTSP President Philip Krey sign the lease agreement that will bring the Synod office to the Seminary this fall. Dr. Addie Butler, president of the LTSP trustees, Rev. Larry Smoose, and Synod Treasurer Dick Reimet look on.
Sporting broad smiles, Bishop Claire Burkat and President of the Lutheran Theological Seminary of Philadelphia, Pastor Phil Krey sat side by side as they signed the official agreement for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod to relocate to the seminary in December 2008.
“The move is a tool for mission so God’s grace will flow through us,” said Burkat. “It has already uplifted partners we could never have imagined, she said referring to the City of Philadelphia who has agreed to pay for the plaza outside the synod office.
“We are going ‘back to the future,’” said Dick Reimet, the synod treasurer, “back to when Henry Muhlenburg purchased 49 acres in Philadelphia to serve as the site of a Lutheran Seminary and a Church Center.”
What made this move possible was the decision of the City of Philadelphia to rebuild parts of Germantown Avenue. This revived previous dreams of the synod to relocate back to the city. The move will increase access to the Synod offices and enhance office and meeting space for synod staff and other synodical and regional leaders. The cost of the renovation will not exceed three million dollars with the Synod paying half. The Seminary agrees to pay no rent for seventeen years.
Opportunities abound for individuals and congregations to join this partnership. Information will be shared in a June 2008 mailing that will highlight these possibilities.
“Together we can do it far more than any of us could ever do alone,” said Pastor Larry Smoose.
“To God be the glory, always and in all ways,” said Burkat.