Why are we here? What is my purpose in life? Who am I and how do I show up in the world? These are a few of the very big questions that we ask around here, in the Division of Calling and Spiritual Life, at Valparaiso University, at the Institute for Leadership and Service, in the church.
I admit, there are days when these questions are a little too big for me, to the point of being incomprehensible or illogical. In fact, the older I get, the less I profess to know, as Anne Lamott points out in her recent essay on knowing less and less every year.
What to do when we look around at society? What are we supposed to do with a refugee crisis that is sending thousands of people into our cities and towns every day? What are we supposed to do with wars that find their way to our streets and campuses? What purpose can we find in climatic events that destroy homes, livelihoods, and political stability?
Does the concept of Christian vocation stand up to these deep challenges?
Jennifer Grant Haworth provides helpful direction in her chapter entitled “Discerning God’s Call,” in the volume On Our Way: Christian Practices for Living a Whole Life, edited by Dorothy C. Bass and Susan R. Briehl. Haworth does not suppose that living into our callings, or vocations, will somehow solve all of the world’s problems, or tell us which path to choose after graduation. Rather, she describes vocation as a “call from God to love and grow in love – with self, others, and God” (p. 37).
We can do this through a centuries-old Christian practice known as discernment. Here is how Haworth describes the practice:
“Through individual reflection and conversation with others, the Christian practice of discernment invites us (1) to pay attention to our daily experience and what it stirs in us; (2) to reflect on what we notice there, sorting and sifting in order to understand what is leading to greater life and love and what is not; and (3) to take loving action on what we have learned” (p. 41).
Susan L. Maros, for her part in her book Calling and Context, reminds us that this process of discernment has to do with work that God is already doing in the world. We are listening for this transforming work, and looking for how our own experience and formation equips us to be a part of God’s work.
It turns out that this process of vocational discernment is not so much future-oriented as it is a practice of being in the present moment, of paying attention, reflecting, and then acting when the Spirit urges. We also consider our past formation, understanding that God is preparing and equipping us all along to meet the present moment.
Recently, a group of Lutheran Christians in Valparaiso that I know discerned that they will support a Venezuelan refugee family who is trying to make their way to the United States. For now, this support meant lending two names to a document of “US Contact Persons.” While sitting in the meeting where this was decided, I was struck by how the group relied on their past experiences, knowledge, and formation, and how they carefully listened to God’s voice in the wider situation and in each other, telling them that they are ready to take on this challenge.
A different group, with a different past, would not come to the same conclusion. Yet this group has had past formation through helping other refugee families, through visiting Central America and hearing refugee stories firsthand, through their connections with agencies and individuals in Valparaiso who know how to help make things happen for folks in need.
This group had prayed for a chance to serve in their own community, and had prayed for a chance to help refugees, and God provided the opportunity. They still don’t know when or even if the family will be able to make it to the United States, but they are living out their calling in the moment, responding to promptings of the Spirit, making the next small step in faith toward an unknown future.
Sometimes (most times!) those big and lofty questions of calling and vocation point us to exactly where we are, to some unexpected and yet usually obvious (in hindsight) answer of where God is already acting. Much like the song by Will Todd sung by the Valparaiso University Chorale at Christmas at Valpo this past weekend:
“Shepherds, called by angels,
Called by love and angels;
No place but a stable.
My Lord has come.
Sages, searching for stars
Searching for love in heaven;
No place for them but a stable.
My Lord has come.
His love will hold me,
His love will cherish me,
Love will cradle me.
Lead me, lead me to see him,
Sages and shepherds and angels;
No place for me but a stable.
My Lord has come.”
In our Division of Calling and Spiritual Life, we are currently accepting applications to our summer fellowship program called the Calling and Purpose in Society (CAPS) Fellows Program. This is an opportunity to live out a calling in the moment, but also to practice the steps of discernment and deep listening, to learn about situations in the world that require attention and response. The experience will prepare students to approach future issues of calling and purpose with tools of reflection, community, and a responsive attitude.
If you or someone you know are interested in the CAPS Program, you can find more information on our website, or write to us at lead.serve@valpo.edu.
-by Deaconess Kat Peters, M.Ed., M.A., Assistant Director of the Institute for Leadership and Service
Students and faculty will gather at several locations across campus this week to celebrate Día de los Muertos, a Hispanic cultural tradition honoring loved ones who have passed away. The kick-off event will be an evening of crafting and pozole, a traditional Mexican soup, from 6-8 p.m. on Oct. 30. The Valpo community also had the opportunity to submit photos of their loved ones to be displayed on commemorative ofrendas, Spanish for offerings, on the second floor of the Christopher Center Library, Harre Union, Loke Hall and the Gloria Christi Chapel Nov. 2-8.
How is your breathing today? When was the last time you took a deep breath? 
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.
I am currently a little over halfway through my time here at the Guild. That sentence conjures up both feelings of restlessness and anticipation.
I am about two months into my summer internship at By the Hand Club for Kids, which has been gratifying. Unfortunately, my time here is quickly reaching its ending point. I am enjoying my time so much that Interning here is flying by so fast and does not feel like work! 
I’ve been lucky enough to have had plenty of great experiences these past few weeks working with the Care Coordination Team of Heartland Alliance Health! For some highlights, I’ve assisted in organizing outings to Lincoln Park Zoo and the Chicago Botanic Gardens, which were successful and offered fun, community-building activities to participants and staff. I’ve worked closely with one particular case manager in dividing up some of her weekly tasks involving participants, and have formed connections with participants while supporting them with attaining resources such as entrance into our program, public benefits, bus cards, medical care, and disability parking permits. I’m refining my administrative skills, especially by practicing case-noting, and am noticing an increase in my comfortability levels with directing my own tasks.
For the past few weeks I have been working with Heartland Alliance’s Vocational English Language Training Team. So far this position has been very eye opening for me and has helped me reflect on my future. In my first week it was all about observation. I was tasked with watching various classes ranging from Level 1, the lowest level taught, all the way up to their higher level courses. Each teacher had their own way of teaching with some using similar resources and others making their own curriculum. I tutored in high school so I had a small experience doing that but I had never experienced teaching at this scale before. At this point I wasn’t sure what my job here would look like or how this position would affect my future goals but I was willing to go along for the ride! As the weeks began to progress, I went from observing to actually assisting the teachers and tutoring a few students myself! I was participating in classes everyday of the week and tutoring three days a week up until our break. I didn’t know that similar to other types of schools and classes, ESL programs give their students a break for a few weeks before starting classes again for the new year. While this was a well deserved break for the students, it took place at a difficult time for me because I was just starting to get the hang of teaching. I was really getting used to my routine and getting to know each student in the classes I was working with but now this would be put on pause. I still needed to fill my time with something so I have been tasked with handling administrative work, continuing my tutoring with students who still want additional help, and participating in registering new students. I have also been completing my tutoring training in the meantime as well so I should be able to get a certificate for it by the end of this month. I think all of these current experiences have allowed me to seriously consider the different career paths I have thought of and things that I would like to have in a work environment.