Tragedy can strike anytime, anywhere, as the Bethel communities in St. Paul and San Diego experienced recently. In August, 13 people died when the Interstate 35W bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River just miles away from Bethel University, and in October, wildfires swept along the California coast, threatening the area around Bethel Seminary San Diego. In a span of just three months, Bethel students, staff, and administrators in both areas faced unique personal and ministry challenges precipitated by these national tragedies.

35W Bridge Collapse

Former Seminary Professor and Police Chaplain Nils Friberg Comforts Families

By Kirk Livingston
Bridge Photos by Tim Davis

August 1 was a typical Wednesday. At 6:30 p.m., Nils Friberg had prayed to open the weekly prayer meeting at Salem Baptist Church in New Brighton, Minn., a suburb north of Minneapolis. Twenty minutes into the service, a call came that transformed the evening to anything but ordinary. About an hour later Friberg — veteran police chaplain and Bethel Seminary professor of pastoral care emeritus — crossed police lines with ID in hand to comfort families gathering for news about loved ones who may have been in the tragic collapse of the 35W bridge over the Mississippi River in which 13 people lost their lives.

The unreality of the scene overwhelmed him. "It was completely disconcerting," says Friberg. "What was solid and dependable was wiped out. Cars helter skelter. A truck burning. It was upsetting and unbelievable." He was one of four chaplains initially at the Metrodome Holiday Inn, where he launched into the ministry of presence. People who came needed to talk — and needed someone to listen.

This is Retirement?

Friberg recently retired from 26 years of teaching pastoral care at Bethel Seminary and is currently pastor of care with Salem Baptist Church. In his spare time he answers police chaplain calls (at all hours) for Ramsey County. After having taught pastoral care for so many years, he is uniquely equipped to offer emotional and psychological first aid.

In his official position as police chaplain, Friberg can neither promote nor hinder faith. But if families express a faith interest, he can extend hope in the face of a desperate situation. In such cases, he asks questions about how faith fits into their larger picture of tragedy. He'll inquire about their faith community and whether they've reached out for prayer. Generally the answer is an emphatic "Yes!" At times, Friberg offers to make contact with the pastor of their church, just to make sure of the connection.

Impact on Families

"The hardest thing to live with is when you don't know," says Friberg about the struggle as people sought news of their missing. At the bridge site, the Red Cross quickly established a procedure to help families locate loved ones: after first checking in with a police officer, families went to a desk to provide information including name and gender of the missing person, address, date of birth, clothing worn, appearance, and other facts. Simultaneously, the Red Cross received information from local hospitals and compared facts to bring victims together with waiting loved ones.

Immediately after the tragedy and in the weeks that followed, Friberg found himself counseling people from all faith and ethnic backgrounds: Somalis, Greek Orthodox, Muslims, and some with no faith heritage. All were willing to talk through their experiences and many were eager for prayer — one of Friberg's favorite tools. "People usually jump at the chance to be prayed for or to pray together," he says. "Usually I invite them to hold hands because touch is such a powerful bonding experience." There were always 35-40 people milling around the Metrodome Holiday Inn, and many families were prayed for again and again by different chaplains. "One of the really positive things to come from the time was when families of victims shared and encouraged each other," he adds.

But…Why?

This searching question pops up constantly. Friberg defers answering: "In crisis, people are not able to process theological points anyway. They often ask the question out of despair and pain. It's a visceral reaction." Though this pastor is well-equipped from a quarter century of teaching about the big questions, when put on the spot, he answers simply, "It would be wonderful to know that answer." He finds that sometimes it is better just to be present and let people know he cares. And to talk: "It's the way we process our emotions," says Friberg. "Tears and touch help, too."

Such sensitivity blended with professional skill is what makes this first responder so effective in representing God's presence to hurting families.

Nils Friberg is professor of pastoral care emeritus at Bethel Seminary St. Paul. He taught pastoral care at the seminary for 26 years before his recent retirement, and continues to serve in a long-standing role as a police chaplain for Ramsey County, Minn., in addition to his position as pastor of care at Salem Baptist Church, New Brighton, Minn. Friberg lost his wife Audrey to cancer last year, and this personal experience of loss, combined with years of caring for others who grieve, makes him uniquely qualified to understand and minister to those who are suffering.

Bethel University, just 10 minutes north of the 35W bridge, received many inquiries regarding the safety of its faculty, staff, and students following the collapse. The Bethel community is aware of one student whose cousin died, and another who lost a construction co-worker. "We're all grieving with the victims of the collapse and their families," says Sherie Lindvall, vice president for communications and marketing. "And we continue to pray for those affected.

The California Wildfires: Blazes Threaten Seminary Community but Ignite Unity

by Michelle Westlund

In late October, dozens of wildfires driven by powerful Santa Ana winds spread across Southern California, killing at least one person and injuring dozens. More than a quarter-million people were evacuated from their homes as hundreds of houses burned and thousands more were threatened. Firefighters were almost completely overwhelmed as gale-force winds gusting up to 70 mph scattered embers on dry brush in the drought-stricken region. Parts of seven Southern California counties were ablaze, including several homes and a church in the celebrity mecca of Malibu. "It was nuclear winter. It was like Armageddon. It looked like the end of the world," said Mitch Mendler, a San Diego firefighter.

Employees and Students Displaced

Although the Bethel Seminary San Diego campus was not immediately threatened, the seminary cancelled classes October 22-26. Rancho Bernardo Baptist Church, a nearby Baptist General Conference church attended by some faculty and staff members, burned to the ground. Five Bethel employees and their families joined the 250,000 people reported to have left their homes to escape the advancing fires, including Sherry Stockton, associate registrar and director of academic support services; Kent Eaton, professor of pastoral ministry and associate dean; Shirley Bunch, coordinator of business affairs and bookstore manager; JoAnn Wilmer, administrative assistant; and John Gunther, telecommuter for the Center for Adult and Professional Studies/Graduate School academic services. As news of the fires' destruction was reported, the Stockton family learned that homes were burning in the streets adjacent to theirs just one block away. Students, too, were forced to evacuate. "A great many of our students who live in North and East County were displaced," said John Lillis, dean and executive officer of Bethel Seminary San Diego.

As the winds subsided and the fires began to burn out, employees and students were finally cleared to return to their homes, and the seminary resumed some classes, although air quality was still a concern due to the large number of structures burned and the quantity of ash and residue in the air. While protective masks were in short supply in California, Bethel University's Vice President for Campus Services Bruce Kunkel, along with Bethel Health Services, were able to help by arranging the overnight shipment of 200 masks, which were then distributed to seminary families.

New Opportunities, New Unity

The disaster gave the seminary an unprecedented opportunity to minister to the surrounding area. Seminary volunteers helped people sift through the remains of their homes and purchased emergency clean-up kits that included household cleaning products and hygiene supplies. "Our student senate, under the leadership of Associate Dean Kent Eaton, was already in the process of organizing emergency response teams as a service opportunity for our students before the fires broke out," said Lillis. "That work continues and opportunities are being provided for our students to be directly involved in the recovery process."

As seminary administrators took stock of the fires' effects on their community, they were amazed to learn that no employees or students lost property in the blazes. Their hope, too, remained intact, as community members realized in a fresh way a strong sense of unity, noted Lillis. "It was very moving to receive calls from students who are sacrificing just to attend seminary, who opened up their homes for fellow students who were displaced," he said. "Caring for one another as faculty and staff, checking on the welfare of our colleagues, and praying for one another reminded us anew of the special relationship that God has given us here in the Bethel Seminary San Diego family."