Ministry In Context

As a "middler," (or second year Master of Divinty student) at LSTC, I have a Field Education requirement called "Ministry In Context," which consists of ministry and pastoral observation for 7 hours a week in a local church, and a monthly class. My "MIC" church is St. Andrew Lutheran in West Chicago, IL, a western suburb of Chicago. St. Andrew suffered a fire to their church building a year and a half ago, and have been very resilient in the rebuilding process. Their concept of "church" being broader than the church building is particularly inspiring. St. Andrew now worships in a elementary school gym. They have worship in both Spanish and English, and another student and I have been primarily involved with the Spanish speaking worshiping community. We help with the weekly first communion classes. I help playing guitar for worship. We will also have opportunities to preach and assist in worship. This hands-on ministry experience has allowed me to put to practice what I'm learning in the classroom. It has been great for my pastoral formation, and is affirming my call to ministry in the Latino context.