While Lutheran Summer Music, or LSM, has been around for 40 years, this was my first year. As a social work major with an art minor and no prior experience in music, joining the LSM community was intimidating. Luckily, with an art concentration in my background, I know that art comes in many different forms, and all forms of art are enjoyable for me. Although coming into LSM, I knew little about anything musical, nor had I ever listened to ‘nonpopular instrumentals’. So I was a bit out of my comfort zone, although the mindset I had due to my artistic background helped me navigate the unfamiliar territory of music at LSM because it was a completely new world to me. Luckily, the LMS community is very welcoming, which made learning about musical culture easier. As a social work major, my major instructs me to understand and appreciate different cultures; often, this means our norms, values, races, etc. Working with LSM helped me immerse myself in a new culture without feeling pressured to know everything about it; I didn’t feel the guilt of not knowing information about music like I would with the different cultures that we speak about in my major. I feel that this has been an important part of my journey here at LSM. To learn about culture, I have been able to learn how to ask questions about it, how to be respectful, and even how to enjoy it. LSM has not only allowed me to learn about their culture, but they have allowed me to join it too. As I now sing in the chapel choir! Although I do not know how to do things such as read music or necessarily sound good (although I am learning!), they have fostered an environment that is nourishing and encouraging enough for me to want to participate, even with such talented musicians around me.

The CAPS Program through Valparaiso University allows its fellows to find internships that enable us to find our sense of calling and purpose in the wider world. Recently, within the last year or so, I have felt a calling, unlike anything I have felt before. I have had this inner yearning to discover something bigger than myself, more prominent than academics, more significant than a career. As I get older, I ask questions that cannot necessarily be answered through books or scholars, but questions that I feel can only be explored through a spiritual perspective. Although, as I get older, I have also realized how challenging it is to learn about religion and spirituality without committing to a church or denomination. This is why I decided to do my fellowship at Lutheran Summer Music. I saw this as an invaluable opportunity to learn about religion and spirituality without fully embracing a specific religious institution. I felt LSM could introduce me to some spiritual aspects of faith that I have been craving in an accessible and understandable way, as the program is created for incoming high schoolers to college students.

Through the morning and evening prayer, Sunday worship, and chapel choir, I have delved deeper into immersing myself in honoring God by exposing myself to different religious practices and perspectives. Over this past month, I have immersed myself in this. It is essential to recognize that spirituality is intensely personal for every individual. The journey I have been taking on at Lutheran Summer Music may resonate with me more than others, but it has undeniably played a role at the beginning of my journey to finding my own beliefs to find my own spiritual path that aligns with my values and convictions.

– Erica Castillo, Lutheran Summer Music

I am currently a little over halfway through my time here at the Guild. That sentence conjures up both feelings of restlessness and anticipation.

Grappling with the reality that this is the last summer of my college career (and maybe life) has been an unexpected challenge that I have had to overcome this past month. A reality that, in the scheme of things, is wildly unimportant but nonetheless a challenge I have felt deeply. At the start of the summer, I was excited to explore the vastness of the nature surrounding me. My time was often consumed with various tasks that had to be completed before Summer Programming began, so I never really had the time to dwell on this revelation. As tasks died down and a once-foreign daily routine became my new normal, I started to have more time to miss the people that I would usually fill my downtime with. While being away from those that I love has been emotionally taxing, the supportive and uplifting community that dwells within the Guild has helped ease that discomfort.

A part of the week that I have come to look forward to is arrival day. Every Sunday afternoon a new group of participants arrive at the Guild. Welcoming them into the comforting spaces that we have prepared a day prior is always a rewarding experience. While preparing those spaces it is easy to feel as if the work I am doing is insignificant or that it leaves no real impact. However, seeing the smile on people’s faces when they are welcomed into a clean room with a blessing left on their pillow, either by the Guild staff or by the participant who stayed in that room the week before, helps make turning over rooms worth it. The constant flow of new people arriving bringing their excitement and anticipation for their upcoming retreat brings a rejuvenating feeling that I am grateful I get to experience every week.

A tradition that I also anticipate each week is closing ritual. At the end of every week, participants are invited to share a piece of their time at the Guild with the rest of the group. This can be done in various ways. Whether it be placing the project that they created that week onto the center table or verbally sharing an experience/feeling that they encountered. Hearing about the healing that people come across in this space as well as the overwhelming feeling of belonging they are left with has been such a blessing to witness. Something that I admire about the Guild is its ability to hold people and meet them where they are which often provides participants with a sense of comfort.

An additional aspect of the Guild that I have enjoyed participating in is watching Richard Caemmerer’s recorded masterclass lecture series that focuses on the history of Christian Art. We have been holding a viewing of the first episode of the series in the middle of the week so participants can encounter some of Richards’s teaching, whether it be for the first or the hundredth time. I thoroughly enjoy Richard’s viewpoints as he always seems to open my eyes to a new perspective every time I have the privilege of hearing him speak. The discussions afterward have also given me insight both on the artwork that was shown as well as on Richard himself. I cherish the knowledge that I gain from these conversations.

Something that I have noticed during my time at the Guild, is that people talk of Richard and Liz with a mix of reminiscent joy and grief. Sentiments regarding them and their impact on the Guild remain constant throughout every group of participants. Recognizing this emotion in visitors has been an eye-opening experience that has revealed a great deal about the lasting impact that kindness and compassion can have. Richard and Liz are loved by the Guild community. The fact that this place – often referred to as their passion project – is still thriving, brings comfort to those who knew them. Watching people leave with a sense of peace that their friend’s and role models’ legacy is being well taken care of is an inexplicable feeling. I’m glad I am able to play a small role in uplifting the large and important mission of the Guild.

– Erin Murphy, Grunewald Guild

As I wrap up my fellowship at Shirley Heinze Land Trust, I’ve been reflecting on my experience and looking towards the future. I have enjoyed working with a group of smart, driven people this summer who have equipped me with invaluable information to advance my career. 

Through my research, I’ve written educational policy briefs on urban agriculture, water quality, conservation easements and more. I’m proud of how I’ve been able to create and execute this project from the ground up, and I’m excited to see what direction Shirley Heinze takes this work once I transition out of my role. Not enough people in Northwest Indiana know about land trusts and their vital roles in conservation and preservation, so I hope that my work helps with outreach and education in that regard.

I’ve appreciated how the rest of the Shirley Heinze interns and I have been engaged in professional development throughout the summer. We’ve had workshops and “Lunch and Learns” over topics such as grant writing, leading and facilitating community meetings, stewardship, strategic planning and more. Several of us want to continue working with nonprofits in the future, so these meetings have given us a deeper understanding of how this sector functions. The staff here have made a conscious effort to support us in our future endeavors by giving us career advice and connections. 

I’m excited to bring back what I’ve learned from Shirley Heinze to Valpo. I’ve been able to keep my writing and editing skills fresh for my roles at The Torch and the Writing Center, and the environmental policies I’ve researched will be helpful for my political science coursework. 

A non future career-related highlight of the summer was going on intern site visits. We most recently visited Lydick Bog, which just finished an expansive capital improvement project for constructing a pavilion, restrooms and a boardwalk. The boardwalk in particular seemed like a feat of engineering, as its poles rested on top of the bog in order to reduce environmental impact and evenly distribute weight. Before this project, the trail was inaccessible at times throughout the year and could only be reached by donning hip waders and hoping for the best!

The areas we serve contain a variety of conservation types such as dune and swale, coastal dunes, marsh, forest/flatwoods, lakes and more, so there’s always something new to explore. I tend to take the biodiversity in Northwest Indiana for granted, so I’ve appreciated how willing the staff has been to show us a few of the sites Shirley Heinze protects.

The last few weeks of my fellowship are poised to be plenty busy. The interns are having a “paddle day” down the east branch of the Little Calumet River. Shirley Heinze has a kayak/canoe launch at one of their sites, so we’ll follow the river into Lake Michigan! On the final day for all interns, we’ll each give a presentation about what we accomplished this summer. It will be a bittersweet day, but I’m excited to celebrate my friends’ work!

– Grace Aurand, Shirley Heinze Land Trust