Shortly after beginning my first year at Concordia Seminary in Saint Louis, Missouri, I was assigned, like all seminary students, to a local congregation for what the seminaries call "field work." During my time at seminary, Immanuel Lutheran Church in Crystal City, Missouri, and Hope Lutheran Church, Saint Louis, Missouri, provided this pastor-in-training with ample opportunities to put my studies to work; teaching Bible classes, serving in worship and occasionally preaching.

Field work has been and remains an important aspect of seminary training for men preparing to enter the Office of the Holy Ministry. Over the years, congregations in the Fort Wayne and Saint Louis areas have provided seminary students the opportunity to gain important parish experience before and even after their year of internship or vicarage.

A summer music internship offered by a sister congregation sparked the idea of a summer internship here at Saint John's. After reaching out to Concordia Theological Seminary and Concordia Seminary last year, both seminaries welcomed the idea of Saint John's offering a summer internship for a seminary student who had finished his first and was heading into his second year of seminary.

Last November, Concordia Seminary provided the name of a student interested in a summer internship. After some fine work by our internship committee (Wil Shimoda, Ron Young, Del Fredin, Ruth Seiler and Tom Miles), the committee recommended first year seminarian Ben Vanderhyde to be hired as our summer intern. On April 30, the congregation voted to approve this recommendation.

Growing up in the Denver area, Ben is a native Coloradoan. He is a member of University Hills Lutheran Church, where his father, Rev. David Vanderhyde, serves as pastor. Ben is a graduate of Concordia University Wisconsin, where he majored in Parish Music. Ben and his wife Grace, a graduate of Concordia University Nebraska, welcomed the birth of their first child, Larson, on March 31 of this year.

As a musician who plays both piano and organ, Ben will serve as our summer organist. He will also gain some parish experience helping with various aspects of pastoral ministry, including Vacation Bible School, teaching adult Bible classes, assisting in hospital calls and home visits and preaching a sermon or two.

Ben will be installed as summer intern on Sunday, May 28 during the Divine Service. A reception for the Vanderhydes will follow the service down stairs in the Large Fellowship Hall. We welcome with joy the Vanderhydes to Saint John's!

Rev. Shawn Nettleton is Senior Pastor at Saint John’s Lutheran Church. You can reach him in the church office, by email at nettleton@StJohnsFC.org or at 970-305-2420.