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The Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations unit has
been blessed with incredible interns throughout the years.
Where are they now?
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 Luke
Smetters: My internship for the office of Ecumenical and
Inter-Religious Relations (ER) awakened me to new academic and
theological pursuits. I had previously always enjoyed conversations with
my friends of other denominations, but it was not until my internship
that I began to develop a passion for the ecumenical theology. Under the
leadership and guidance of Michael Trice, my internship culminated in
producing an ecumenical resource entitled, Ecumenical Conversation
Starters.
Following my internship in ER, this passion for ecumenical theology was
further nurtured by a year long internship with the Lutheran World
Federation (LWF) in Geneva, Switzerland. During my time there I attended
meetings at the United Nations on behalf of our member churches and I
co-edited the book, Faith and Human Rights: Voices for the Lutheran
Communion, Documentation #51. Additionally, I prepared numerous
ecumenical worship services for multi-lingual and multi-denominational
gatherings.
Currently I am in my senior year of seminary studies at the Lutheran
School of Theology in Chicago, having just completed my pastoral
internship at Bethany Lutheran Church in Ishpeming, Michigan. After
graduating with my masters of divinity in May 2009, I plan to pursue a
masters degree in ecumenical studies at Bossey Ecumenical Institute in
Switzerland. My passions for the ecumenical life of our church continue
to guide me in my studies as I prepare to serve God’s church. |
The Rev. Abigail Zang Hoffman: Since I was an intern in 1999,
much has happened! I graduated cum laude from Cornell University in 2002
with a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and an Independent Major
(Society and Ethics). I also earned a Master of Divinity from the
University of Chicago Divinity School and a Master of Arts in Social
Service Administration from the University of Chicago School of Social
Service Administration in 2006. I was married in 2004 and ordained in
2007.
I am serving as the pastor of Bethany Lutheran Church in Elmira, New
York. Locally, I participate in our interfaith coalition and council of
churches. Globally, I serve on behalf of the ELCA as a Council member of
the Lutheran World Federation. I also participate in an ecumenical Lilly
Endowment program for first-call pastors under the age of 35 who are
serving churches of small membership (First Parish Project).
What stands out the most from my summer internship is the
anticipation and controversy about the vote on Called to Common
Mission at the 1999 Churchwide Assembly. It was my first
introduction to the world of our ecumenical relationships and the many
layers of ecumenical work from living out our agreements at the local
level to the official dialogues at the churchwide level. |
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David Barnes: My current internship at St. Paul Lutheran ends in
November of this year, and I'll spend the next six weeks completing a
final training tour in the Air Force Chaplain Candidate program. I enter
the process in February for a parish call. Since working at ER, I had
the opportunity to work with the ELCA's LERN Board, and I've enjoyed
several social projects with other denominations... and even leading
worship services at different churches.
My wife and I bought a small
condo in Hyde Park, south of the midway, where both we could afford a
nice place and get to know a completely different culture. I knew this
was truly an ecumenical adventure, when I was asked to pray after a
community meeting. And when my short little (appropriate) prayer was
over, it was very clear from those gathered that they just thought I was
gearing up!
Given my schedule keeping our children, ER staff was nice enough to
let me come in early to work. So on many days it was just me, the lowly
intern and seminarian, working away, when often Secretary Lowell Almen
would come in, dressed to the liturgical nines and greet me in his usual
friendly way. I really felt as outclassed as the proverbial church
mouse. |
 Becky
Sorensen: While I worked in ER I was a student at the Lutheran
School of Theology at Chicago, working on a Masters degree. I am still
there for one more year, as well as working on a Master’s in Social Work
at the University of Chicago (graduating in June 2009). Needless to say,
life has been very busy! I continue to work in the Admissions office at
LSTC where I plan the Seminary Sampler visits – a time for prospective
students to come experience our community for a few days and time for
lots of discernment of course! My most recent ecumenical involvement has
been through my summer job, working on the logistics of the orientations
for the ELCA, PCUSA, and RCA missionaries.
I will always remember the J-Term I did in Geneva with ER and LWF. It
was a great experience to help with a bit of the logistics beforehand,
and then go meet and become friends with the participants in Geneva. It
was also fun to spend time with Michael Trice in a different setting
other than the office! This J-Term is a great course that ER helps to
coordinate, and I recommend it to all the seminarians I talk to. |
 Alyce
Yorde: After being this summer’s ER intern, I am now beginning
Master of Divinity studies at the Lutheran School of Theology at
Chicago. I’ve continued on with my love of interreligious work by
pursuing an interfaith emphasis in Christianity and Islam. In September,
I hope to serve as a steward for the National Council of Churches in the
USA General Assembly gathering in Denver, Colorado. In January, I will
again take up my love of French and Theology when I travel to Geneva,
Switzerland for the ecumenism class with the Lutheran World Federation.
While in ER, my “eureka” moment came when I went to LSTC with Michael
and Erin to host Muslim delegates from the Middle East who were coming
here to learn about ecumenical and interfaith work in the United States.
Greeting people in Arabic was a joy, and at the end of the discussion, a
woman approached me and said to me, “I greet you as a fellow sister of
God. This has been a blessing.” That reminded me why I love
interreligious work, and why it is necessary: It allows us to break down
misconceptions and to see one another with a humanity that is not
portrayed on the evening news. |
 The
Rev. Nathan Allen: I have many wonderful memories of my time as the
Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations intern from October 2005-May
2006. ER put me to work right away on the Confessing Our Faith Together
Study and Discussion Guide, and once that was complete, I assisted with
Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Life (E-Life) Newsletters. However, my
favorite experience was going to San José, California to help with the
2006 National Workshop on Christian Unity. It was at San José that I was
able to work with the Lutheran Ecumenical Representatives Network (LERN)
and learn more about ecumenical work on the national level through the
workshops there.
In May of 2006, I graduated from the Lutheran School of Theology at
Chicago and was called to serve as the pastor of Joy Lutheran Church in
Tulsa, Oklahoma. Along with the call to Joy came the appointment to
serve as the synod’s LERN Representative because of my past experience
as an ER intern and my passion for ecumenism. In that capacity, I have
regularly attended the National Workshop on Christian Unity, and I
continue to work ecumenically with local congregations through the Tulsa
Metropolitan Ministry (TMM) Christian Unity Committee and the Oklahoma
Conference of Churches (OCC) Ecumenism Committee. With other members of
OCC, I helped organize an Oklahoma state centennial prayer service in
November 2007, and I have worked with a local Episcopal church to plan
Ascension Day worship in 2008 with a joint presentation by Bishop
Konieczny (TEC) and Bishop Schoenhals (ELCA) on the future of Ecumenism
in Oklahoma. I have also encouraged the congregation to strengthen ties
with our United Methodist brothers and sisters by joining with them in
social ministry programs such as “Project Transformation” and the annual
Tulsa Crop Walk. In November, I will begin a four-year term as one of
the ELCA’s delegates to the National Council of Churches of Christ in
the USA. |
 Eva
Guldanova:
Since I
left Chicago at the end of the Summer 2005 I’ve been involved in
ecumenism all the time. I worked for one year at the Ecumenical Council
of Churches in Slovakia (ECCS) as the assistant to the general
secretary. Then I moved to Geneva and studied for one year at the
Ecumenical Institute of Bossey. Upon my return, I resumed working at the
ECCS in a new position and then moved to Rome, Italy for one year.
Since the spring 2007 I’ve also been involved in the International
Ecumenical Youth Study group of the Community of Protestant Churches in
Europe – The Leuenberg Church Fellowship, on the topic connecting
ecclesiology and ethics: new challenges in social justice for the
protestant churches in Europe. At the moment I am back home in
Bratislava, Slovakia. I just returned from the wonderful year of
ecumenical studies in Rome, where I was with the Center Melanchthon (http://www.centromelantone.org/).
It’s been a wonderful experience getting to know the Catholic church
more closely and Protestants in Italy, represented by the Valdensian
church. I have been working this past year for the Ecumenical Council of
Churches in Slovakia preparing a weekly radio program about Ecumenism in
the world – bringing the Slovak audience news about what is happening in
the ecumenical movement beyond the borders of our country, information
about important events form other churches, interviews with interesting
people involved in the ecumenical movement...it’s exciting work! Along
with this part-time job I am preparing for my PhD study, which I hope to
do at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago beginning the Fall
2009.
I remember with respect and great joy the meetings with the ELCA
Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson. I think it was wonderful that he found
time, by his many duties, to meet with all the new interns and young
employees at the ELCA at the beginning of our employment. One of the
questions we asked was something like: "What he considers most important
for the churches and church leaders over the globe in today’s world?"
And he answered something like "that they would have the courage to
overcome the fear in witnessing to the faith." That answer sounded very
strange to me at that time, since I felt there was no reason for fear
for us ...but I have been thinking of it many times since then and
appreciated ever more the deep and smart answer. There is a lot of fear
all around us, even though it might be invisible in the first view.
There is a lot of violence that we are afraid to raise our voice
against, there are wars, maybe not in my country or in the States, but
these wars produce a lot of evil, and occasionally the churches and
church leaders are afraid or do not feel confident to raise the voice
against them. There is also a lot of fear within each one of us – fear
of making mistakes, of not being good enough, fear of losing something
as we are giving our selves in the service of God...and last but
certainly not least – there is fear in and of the ecumenical movement –
an invisible and unspoken but quite strong fear – the fear of the other,
the unknown, the fear of loosing identity, the fear of being changed by
the others...Everyday, all around we have to struggle with our inner
often hidden fears to live our faith faithfully. |
 The
Rev. Vy T. Nguyen: I am currently the City Coordinator for the
Lutheran Volunteer Corps in the Bay Area / San Francisco, where I give
support to volunteers and bridge relationships between local churches
and non-profit organizations. Even though I am an ordained Disciples of
Christ pastor, I find my work with the Lutheran churches very rewarding;
it makes me appreciate the ministry that we do together because the work
for justice allows us to cross over denominational lines. I graduated
from the University of Chicago with my MDiv in June of 07, and was
ordained during my denomination’s national gathering in Fort Worth, Texas.
I
remember one rainy, dark day in late November I was working at the ELCA
headquarters and I was starring out at the window watching the wind blow
violently across Chicago; trees were swinging left to right, bending
almost to a point of breaking. I was standing next to one of the staff
members near the window and I shared with her “wow, that is scary
outside.” She then turned around and said to me, “The trees are dancing,
in sync, together, and the colors on the leaves are expressing
themselves.” I am reminded of this image when we do ecumenical or
interfaith dialogue and encounter a stumbling block, and then are
reminded that a lot of the conversation is a dance, and it takes a whole
community to move together as if we are dancing in order to get over the
block. |
 This
fall I will begin a PhD program at the Graduate Theological Union in
Berkeley, CA. I will be studying Ethics and Social Theory and am
interested in Bonhoeffer and issues of justice in emerging democracies.
I received my A.M. from the Divinity School at the University of Chicago
in December. I also received a scholarship from the Women of the ELCA
and a Presidential Scholarship from the Graduate Theological Union to
support my PhD work.My favorite intern memories: working at the Ecumenical/IR Conference,
talking with Michael about the study of religion and violence,
discussing ecumenical approaches with Eileen and Zoraida, lunch walks,
working with The Rev. Don McCoid and learning about his office icon
paintings! |
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