Last summer I participated in “Facing Your Future” (FYF) at Calvin Theological Seminary.
Through this three-week-long program, I realized that the call to ministry can be a part of everyone’s life, regardless of vocation. I was looking forward to growing spiritually, but I found the entire experience rewarding.
Thirty-six students—incoming high school seniors and college freshmen from Canada and the U.S.—gathered at Calvin Seminary in Grand Rapids, Mich. We heard presentations from seminary professors on topics such as baptism, communion, proper uses of media, and components of the Reformed worldview.
In our small groups, led by seminary students, we shared devotions, prayer, and stimulating discussions. Each small group also planned and led a chapel service.
We worshiped in local congregations, toured the CRC offices in Grand Rapids, and discussed books on a range of spiritual topics. We spent a day in Dearborn, Mich., home of a ministry to the Muslim community.
Our group eventually split to sites in Portland, Ore.; Paterson, N.J.; and Toronto, Ontario. I was part of the Toronto group, which ministered at Friendship Community Church, a small congregation about 30 minutes from the city center.
We were involved in a transitional housing ministry for refugees, a food pantry, a community center, a day camp for children, a soup kitchen, and a ministry to people who are homeless.
We then returned to Calvin Seminary, where we concluded our experience with a chapel service that included washing each other’s feet.
These experiences challenged my complacency and frustration with the church. I came away with a renewed sense of hope that our church really can be faithful in the calling to love God and love others.
About the Author
Hannah Brenton is a freshman at Calvin College from Minneapolis, Minn.
