Join us for the 2023 Vine Deloria, Jr. Theological Symposium!

The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago is pleased to announce the 2023 Vine Deloria, Jr. Theological Symposium taking place from Monday, November 13th to Wednesday, November 15^th 2023. This annual event is a tribute to the legacy of LSTC alum Vine Deloria, Jr., a distinguished figure in educating others about the lives of Native Peoples in America and their place within the Christian church. The focal point of this year’s symposium is Native American Sovereignty, and the program includes an array of thought-provoking events. On Monday, November 13th, Bishop David M. Wilson, a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, delivers a Service of the Word. Stacy Leeds, the first Indigenous woman to serve as a law school dean, delivers a lecture in the evening. On Tuesday, November 14th, a panel discussion on Native American Sovereignty featuring Fawn Sharp, President of the National Congress of American Indians, and Dr. Aaron Payment, Vice President of Tribal Relations and Learning for Kauffman and Associates, promises to shed light on this critical topic. On November 15^th, we invite you to join us for worship with LSTC’s Dr. Linda Thomas presiding and LSTC alum Vance Blackfox preaching. Blackfox, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, serves as Director, Indigenous Ministries & Tribal Relations at Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The symposium stands as a testament to Vine Deloria’s enduring influence on those who advocate for Native American rights and cultural representation within the church and society at large.

Further details of this year’s events include:

Monday, November 13, 11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m at the LSTC Chapel

Worship, Service of the Word – Bishop David M. Wilson, preaching.  Bishop Wilson has served as episcopal leader of the Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church since Jan. 1, 2023. He is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and holds the distinction of being the first Native American elected to serve as a bishop in the history of The United Methodist Church. He is currently working with the denomination on a task force to research the denomination’s role in Native American boarding schools. The board operated boarding schools in the past, along with the United Women in Faith national organization.

If you are joining us for worship online, please use the following Zoom link: https://lstc-edu.zoom.us/my/lstc.chapel. You can also use the meeting ID: 262 918 4120. You will be placed in a virtual waiting room until the worship service begins.

Monday, November 13, 6 p.m at the LSTC Chapel

Lecture by Stacy Leeds. Stacy Leeds is the Willard H. Pedrick Dean and Regents Professor at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University. She is a scholar of Indigenous law and policy and an experienced leader in law, higher education, economic development and conflict resolution.  Leeds was the first Indigenous woman to serve as a law school dean. She was dean of University of Arkansas School of Law (2011-2018) and the inaugural Vice Chancellor for Economic Development, University of Arkansas (2017-2020). Leeds was and administrator and professor at University of Kansas and University of North Dakota, and a William H. Hastie Fellow at University of Wisconsin. She is an elected member of the American Law Institute and a recipient of the American Bar Association’s Spirit of Excellence Award. Leeds prioritizes public service at the national and local level Some of her service positions include being a former Cherokee Nation Supreme Court Justice and former Chair of the Cherokee Nation Gaming Commission. She is a founding board member and treasurer of the Foundation for America’s Public Lands and serves as board vice-president of Native Forward Scholars Fund (formerly American Indian Graduate Center).

If you are joining us virtually, you can do so via the Zoom link here on November 13, 2023 at 6pm CST: 

 https://lstc-edu.zoom.us/j/82754566648
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system. https://lstc-edu.zoom.us/webinar/tZYqcu2tqD0sHtwknAD9lrsuPpeGax6Y21Oz/ics?icsToken=98tyKuGqqT4uH9KTth2PRpwQB4_4LO_wpiFdgrdKlxHEJ3lfcBDjBvJHFbNnRuGC

Tuesday, November 14, 6 p.m. at the LSTC Chapel

Panel discussion with Ms. Fawn Sharp (pictured above left) and Dr. Aaron Payment (pictured above right).  The panel will focus on Native American Sovereignty.  

Fawn Sharp serves as the 23^rd President of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), the oldest, largest, and more representative American Indian and Alaska Native tribal government organization in the country.  President Sharp was elected in 2019 and is the third woman to hold the position of NCAI President

Ms. Sharp has held numerous leadership positions including Trustee for Grays Harbor College, Governor of the Washington State Bar Association, and Vice President and Founding Member for the National Intertribal Tax Alliance.  She has conducted lectures and publications all over the United States.

Since graduating at the age of 19 with a Bachelor of Arts from Gonzaga University in 1995, Sharp has also received certificates from the National Judicial College at the University of Nevada and from the International Human Rights Law at Oxford University.

Dr. Aaron A. Payment currently serves as Vice President of Tribal Relations and Learning for Kauffman and Associates ~ a Native woman owned company serving tribal nations and contracts that support tribal nations. His KAI work portfolio includes the White House Counsel/ BIA Native American Language Revitalization project, the BIA Renewable Energy Acceleration Deployment Initiative, the American Indian College Fund Capacity Building Project, and several tribal and federal visioning and strategic planning initiatives. 

Dr. Payment has over 33 years’ experience working in American Indian student retention at the collegial level and in elective tribal leadership roles.  

Aaron credits Vine Deloria’s mentoring, advice, and role modeling as his primary motivation for pursuing and eventually attaining his doctorate degree.

If you are joining us virtually, you can do so via the Zoom link here on November 14, 2023 at 6pm CST: 

https://lstc-edu.zoom.us/j/82754566648
   Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system. https://lstc-edu.zoom.us/webinar/tZYqcu2tqD0sHtwknAD9lrsuPpeGax6Y21Oz/ics?icsToken=98tyKuGqqT4uH9KTth2PRpwQB4_4LO_wpiFdgrdKlxHEJ3lfcBDjBvJHFbNnRuGC

Wednesday, November 15, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the LSTC Chapel

Worship, Service of Holy Communion – Vance Blackfox (pictured above left), preaching; Dr. Linda Thomas, presiding (pictured above right).  Vance Blackfox, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, serves as Director, Indigenous Ministries & Tribal Relations at Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  An LSTC alumnus, he is the Founder & Director at Other + Wise, the Former Director of Communications at National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition and the Former Director of Communications at Native Americans in Philanthropy.  Vance has been an integral part of planning and facilitating the Vine Deloria, Jr. Theological Symposium at LSTC over the years and we are delighted to have him as the preacher for worship this day.

If you are joining us for worship online, please use the following Zoom link: https://lstc-edu.zoom.us/my/lstc.chapel. You can also use the meeting ID: 262 918 4120. You will be placed in a virtual waiting room until the worship service begins.