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Dr. Letterman holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics, Cornell University; and M.A. in Linguistics, Syracuse University; an M.Div. , Northeastern Seminary; and a B.A. in English, Roberts Wesleyan College; in addition, she holds an advanced Certificate in Formative Spirituality from the Epiphany Academy of Formative Spirituality. Pittsburgh, PA, where she also serves as an adjunct faculty member. Dr. Letterman was ordained through Covenant Church of Pittsburgh, 2004. Dr. Letterman's current pastoral ministry at Community of the Savior Free Methodist Church provides an ongoing context for her interests to serve the church through the seminary academy. She regularly serves as a retreat leader and workshop leader in local churches. Dr. Letterman's research interests include the intersection of spiritual formation and theology; formative influences of language; formative treasures of the early church and what they have to offer the contemporary church; and the interrelationship between what the church has traditionally conceived of as "spirit" and the "body." Dr. Letterman's ministerial focus includes a special interest in serving as a bridge between various Christian communities and formation traditions.
For many of us, “waiting” has negative connotations. Waiting in line at the grocery store, waiting on hold as we call for a needed service or medical appointment, or waiting for a test result … the list goes on and on. Often, such waiting is accompanied by frustration, irritation, or impatience.
I’ve had the privilege of attending ten of the eleven Northeastern Seminary women’s retreats at the Abbey of the Genesee. Each year, I experience the deep peace of the Abbey grounds, nestled in the wide-open beauty of the Genesee River Valley, and the rich fellowship with a group of fun, wise, kind, godly women who gather together there for a day to step out of our normal routines and enter the rhythms of rest that make retreats so nurturing. Each year, the experience is wonderful, but different from all the others. This year was no different.
“Do you tell the truth?” That was the theme the Northeastern Seminary Women’s Retreat with Marlena Graves this April at the Bethany House at the Abbey of the Genesee. The sun was shining, the air was brisk, and all the women who gathered came humbly open to discern together what God might be wanting to say to us in our various seasons of ministry and life.
