LEAP program to help students find God’s call

A new summer seminary program is in place at EMU. Learning, Exploring and Participating (LEAP) began last summer and is ready for another year with Richard Pannell as director.

LEAP works with high school students to give them a chance to explore pastoral opportunities. The students are exposed to theological education and cross-cultural exchange in a time when they are looking for direction in what to do with their lives.

The program takes place over a month-long period in the summer. Students from local valley churches, Hampton, VA, Lancaster, PA, New York City, and Philadelphia, PA, that demonstrate a call or a potential of a call to ministry are nominated for participation and then are invited by LEAP to join the program.

The selected participants go through an orientation, a field experience, and then a debriefing time. Last year, following an orientation on campus, the LEAP group traveled to Zimbabwe to participate in the 2003 Mennonite World Conference, spending some time in South Africa for debriefing before returning to the U.S.. This year, both the orientation and debriefing will happen here on campus, with field experiences in Nicaragua, Indonesia, Trinidad, and New York City. When the students have completed service with LEAP, they become an alumni class. LEAP hopes to maintain lifelong relationships with them, but specifically while they are deciding what to do with their lives. LEAP connects its participants with other leadership opportunities and mentoring experiences, and works with those not selected to the program to help them to continue to pursue God's call for their lives.

LEAP's goals are to work with 50 students per summer, in developing what Director Richard Pannell calls a "culture of call" throughout the church, and to create a pool of potential leaders. LEAP would like to use their website and other tools to continue relationships between the participants, the churches, and EMU. Pannell says that LEAP "want[s] to team up with as many other persons from the EMU community to foster the goals that we all have." For example, they would like to work with the social work and communications departments, admissions, and multicultural services, and try to incorporate the program's objectives with those of the university.

There are many people working with LEAP to ensure that it runs smoothly and accomplishes its goals. In addition to the seminary professors, there are group leaders-ten last year, and more this year. Denver Steiner served as director of photography and multimedia last summer. There are also persons directly involved in planning this year's particular experiences. Ann Hershberger and her husband James are working on a trip to Nicaragua (which will not likely have any additional counselors) and there are committees throughout working to develop the curriculum for that experience as well as assist in orientation and debriefing. New director Pannell has a big job as well.

Pannell was chosen for the director position by LEAP's planning committee, especially Del Glick, director of church partnerships, and Ervin Stutzman, the seminary dean. Before accepting this position, Pannell spent a number of years working with congregations, camping ministries, Mennonite mission and service agencies, child welfare programs, and other places. He acts as a point person for development of all activities and the pursuit of LEAP's goals, and he works with an advisory council made up of representatives from Philadelphia Mennonite High School, Calvary Community Church, Virginia Mennonite Board of Missions, and Eastern Mennonite Missions to implement and plan. Pannell encourages people to get involved, if not necessarily in LEAP, then in the vision for their churches. His personal vision is described on the Director Connector page on the LEAP website.

LEAP is funded by a grant given to Eastern Mennonite Seminary from Lilly Endowment Inc.'s Fund for Theological Education-Programs for High School Youth Division. This grant is distinct from EMU's Lilly Project. Grants were given to 60 to 80 seminaries across the United States and Canada to develop similar programs. These grants were given to seminaries in particular because they are a niche in the church community that has the least interaction with young people. They feel that a relationship between the seminary population and young people needs to be developed, and that seeds of interest in seminary and in ministry itself can be planted earlier this way. Students are not often exposed to or offered advanced theological studies. According to Pannell, LEAP is a way to "kick that into high gear."

While LEAP's office and main programming is administered here on campus, LEAP is organized as a part of the Seminary's Washington D.C. Office of Church Partnerships, directed by Del Glick. Church Partnerships is a joint seminary and undergraduate effort to help adults among various church constituencies to find their call as well.

Visit LEAP's website at www.leap.emu.edu for more information and a look at the Zimbabwe 2003 experience, the 2004 program, and LEAP partnerships.