Hear reflections from Elizabeth Witmer, Maddie List, and Caleb Schrock-Hurst, about exploring ministry this past summer with the . What might exploring ministry look like for you?

Elizabeth Witmer, a junior social work major, was at Faith Mennonite Church in Minneapolis. In addition to leading worship, visiting a terminally ill church member, preaching, planning and attending actions and workshops with a local immigrant-led organization, attending protests, and various other activities, Witmer said that she enjoyed being within walking distance of “anything I want do” and being “well connected to causes and actions I’m passionate about.”

Maddie List, a senior Bible and religion major from Arlington, Virginia, was in a summer service program called Ocean City Beach Project run by the Coalition for Christian Outreach for students who want to develop further as campus leaders. List and 30 other participants lived together,  attended classes, participated in Bible studies, led worship, and engaged in faith-based discussions in small groups. They each also had jobs in Ocean City, where they practiced discussing faith with coworkers.

Caleb Schrock-Hurst, a senior English major, was at New Hope Fellowship/Nueva Esperanza of Alexandria (Virginia). In addition to making pastoral visits, playing guitar in the church’s worship band, preaching, attending a young adult Bible study, “reading a lot more scripture and theology than I do on a regular basis,” and working on a variety of projects, Schrock-Hurst traveled with pastor and supervisor Kirk Hanger to visit member congregations from Mexico to Philadelphia.

In this closing chapel of Spiritual Life Week, Vanessa Sandoval (senior), Kristina Showalter (Custodian with physical plant and student), Ron Shultz (professor in Education Department), and Maddie List (sophomore), share how questions, doubts, transitions, fears, and unsettledness shaped them and caused them to grow. They share how these experiences changed how they think about God and what they learned.

In this first chapel of Spiritual Life Week, Vanessa Sandoval (senior), Kristina Showalter (Custodian with physical plant and student), Ron Shultz (professor in Education Department), and Maddie List (sophomore), share about times they experienced questions, doubt, transitions, fears and unsettledness in life. They will share more on Friday as well.