Thursday, October 29, 2009

The scales tip toward Fort Wayne again

As I continue looking at the different seminaries and communities, the scales are tipping back toward Fort Wayne.  This is one of those decisions that is not based on scholarship, quality of the seminary, or anything like that.  Call me unspiritual, but here's what I'm seeing.

The St. Louis area is relatively expensive for living, particularly housing.  Though there are married student apartments on the seminary campus, and those are a good deal, there are some problems inherent in living there.  First and foremost, it requires selling our current house at just the right time.  That's a pretty risky endeavor in the best of times, and especially risky when the real estate market is not precisely a seller's market.

I also see that the tuition in St. Louis can add up to about three thousand dollars a year more than in Fort Wayne.  If I knew a substantial difference in the quality of training in St. Louis as opposed to Fort Wayne, this would be a pretty minor factor.  Yet my strong suspicion is that the difference is primarily related to the cost of living, how much the different seminaries have to pay their faculty and staff, and the size of the endowment funds.  Both faculties seem to be outstanding.

While we were interested in an agrarian type of property, maybe it isn't time yet.  So we're back to looking at and thinking about a house that we can afford to purchase in Fort Wayne.  Are we open to St. Louis as well?  Yes, but in Fort Wayne we can find a house we can afford probably within a 10-15 minute drive of the seminary.  We are even likely to find a place with a big enough yard we can have more of a garden than we have in Huntington.  A step in the right long-term direction.  I just don't expect that to happen in St. Louis.  I've seen the area where the seminary is located.  I've sat in the traffic near the seminary.

Keep praying for us and encouraging us.  We're in need, that's for sure.

--
Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogspot.com and http://alex-kirk.blogspot.com


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