Greetings! Introducing Stephanie Berkas

Before ever stepping in the doors of St. Luke's Luther Church of Logan Square, a dear friend of mine shared with me a glimpse of ministry that happens within and outside of these walls. He spoke of the community, the commitment to social justice, and the genuine welcome that he guaranteed would be extended if I ever found myself in worship at St. Luke's on a Sunday morning. In fact, he shared that in all of his time in the city of Chicago, St. Luke's is where he most experience an embodiment of accompaniment.My name is Stephanie Berkas, and I have the honor of serving as one of your Ministry in Context seminary students for the next nine months. I live in Logan Square, and look forward to the ways that my time at St. Luke's will help me to continue to plant my feet even deeper into this community.

I was born in St. Paul, Minnesota to Mark and Diane Anderson and raised in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. My younger sister, Kim, came along shortly after when I was five years old. My childhood was steeped in Lutheran tradition, as well as a love of the outdoors and all of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes. I spent my childhood mostly with my family – years filled with memories of summers at the cabin, gatherings with my extended family, and play dates with my best friend next door.

High school was spent highly involved in the youth group at my church. In my youth, I knew what it meant to be a Lutheran not by doctrine or by an articulate understanding of the Lutheran Confessions, but by the feelings of love and acceptance that surrounded me in my church life. It was my young adult life - summers at camp, involvement in campus ministry, cross-cultural engagement –that my understanding of my Lutheran faith was nurtured. I began to understand more fully that I was justified by God's grace, and that my call in this world was to love others in response to that love.I chose to attend Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota for my undergraduate studies. It was important to me to study in a place where I had the freedom and resources to explore how my faith connected with my call in life – without the vocabulary at the time, I was longing for a community that would help me to discern my vocational calling. A liberal arts degree provided me the opportunity to explore many areas of study, eventually leading me to Communications. I was also involved in Campus Ministry at Concordia, and I completed a Church Professions certificate that included various ministry courses and an internship as a Youth Director at a local ELCA Lutheran Church. My involvement not only taught me about ministry and equipped me for future leadership, but it also led me to some of the most influential relationships of my life, who continue to be "voices of yes" in my discernment. The most lasting and meaningful lessons that came out of these years were an intensely deepened understanding of my own religious tradition, an awareness of the global reality of inter-religious and diverse faith traditions, and a longing to bridge the two in authentic relationship.My college summers were spent on staff at Voyageurs Lutheran Ministries – two Lutheran Bible camps in Northern Minnesota. While attempting to affirm and provide a safe, open space for the campers, we as staff members were immersed in that same environment. Combined with the beauty of the woods of Northern Minnesota and daily swims in her mighty waters, my four summers at camp were euphoric. I spent my days engaged with the young girls in my cabin, seeking to provide them with a meaningful week at camp and an experience that would encourage and affirm them throughout the rest of their summer. Camp was also where my role as a worship leader was honed. From the logistics and details to the creative aspect of planning worship, I enjoyed the challenge of designing a worship space that was structured, reliable, creative, and welcoming.After much discernment and a Bachelor of Arts degree in hand, I embarked on a year of volunteer service in the country of South Africa through the ELCA's Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program. The application process itself challenged my trust in God and in my sense of call – as a participant, I was not able to choose my placement country, but rather was placed in a country and site after many interviews and mutual discernment alongside the Global Mission staff.I was placed in Cape Town, South Africa, living with the local Lutheran pastor and his family. For the first time in my life, I was a minority – in race, language, nationality, faith, and the identifying factors that I had always known. Besides the growth that came with my year of immersion and volunteer service, I was challenged and transformed because of my newfound sense of identity (or lack thereof) and because of the deepest trust in God that I have ever had to rely on. I taught music and art at a local elementary school, volunteered at the local Lutheran church, and helped at a non-profit organization that provided after-school programming in township communities. Within these assigned roles, I made deep, life-altering relationships with my South African community. I was stretched to partake in new, drastically different situations and experiences and engaged in issues of racial privilege, poverty, climate change, and the impact of HIV/AIDS on struggling communities.South Africa brought challenges, loneliness, and fear unlike anything I've ever experienced. In complete vulnerability, I relied on God and my local community to care of me for the year. As was promised by the program, I was not the one who was bringing expertise or skill, but was wholeheartedly the one to receive ministry and hospitality in my new setting. I found myself as the one who was fed, clothed, and shelter by a radical hospitality that I had never encountered before. I learned to gratefully accept this hospitality, and watched as my South African community – and God – wrapped their arms around me in patience and love, filing me with a true sense of grace and acceptance.To this day, my theological identity is entwined with the stories of those that I have encountered along the journey. My identity has been formed by the people and relationships that have blessed my life, and the "voices of yes" (as well as "no") that have aided in my discernment and sense of call.Upon returning to the US, I worked as a short-term recruiter for the YAGM program. My role was to travel to various colleges and universities to speak to other young adults about the program and to share about my time in South Africa. This role gave me the gift of listening ears and inquiring minds as I carefully articulated the beauty and transformation that my year of service held. I enjoyed sharing stories with the young adults, but even more so, cherished the journeys of discernment that I was invited into while recruiting. Over coffee, I listened as young people shared their call and wrestled with the faith leap that a year of volunteer service would require of them. These months of recruiting affirmed my love of pastoral care and my call to vocational ministry with young adults.After recruiting, I spent a year at home with my family. I cherished that time, knowing that it was likely my last significant time living with my parents. My husband, Nathan, and I were engaged and married within that time period, a joyous few months of reflection, planning, and quality time for his family and mine. Our wedding was perfect in so many ways. By clicking here, you will understand why I was so in love with my dress. Moreover, Nathan and I had grown up in the same neighborhood, attended the same church and eventually worked at camp together. Nathan also spent the year in South Africa (a twelve-hour bus ride down the coast), through the ELCA YAGM program. We were married on August 12, 2011, surrounded by an incredible gathering of our loved ones from our many "homes" – camp, Concordia, South Africa, and of course our biological family and loved ones. Having been best friends for years before dating, we've enjoyed these first few years of marriage, exploring Chicago, and finding comfort and joy in coming home to one another every night. We live in Logan Square with our absolutely-too-adorable dog, Parker.And now, my experiences and sense of call have led me to seminary as a part-time student at The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago – a vibrant community, committed to academic excellence as well as faith formation and Christian community. I chose LSTC because of the parallels that I anticipated would be made between my time in South Africa and my time in seminary; Chicago seemed like an ideal place to continue my engagement and learning about racial privilege, poverty, and urban ministry. My classes have saturated my life with faith – I feel as though this experience has opened me to take the time and energy to explore my understanding of faith in ways that I never have before. Seminary has given me the space, time, and guidance that I have longed for to explore questions and dive into ancient scripture, searching for the ways that it resonates in my life and the church today.Along with my theological education, I have the honor of working full-time for the ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission program. It is an absolute honor to work for a program that has transformed my life so dramatically; I absolutely love my job. I am beyond grateful for the ways that this position continues to nurture important pieces of my own story, affirm my call to ministry, and help me to find my "pastoral voice". I am challenged every day, as I shift my energy between trying to understand God's global church, and the call to be present with each of the young adults who serve as missionaries through the ELCA. Every year, as we meet and send a phenomenal group of passionate, grounded young adults, I am filled with a deep sense of hope for the future of the church and the world.As I begin to learn about St. Luke's, I would love to have a conversation with you! I value the power of narrative, and I would love to hear your story. I live in Logan Square, about a mile from the church. Thank you, truly, for your congregation's commitment to supporting seminary students and for the ways that I will be shaped by this community. I look forward to learning from your accompaniment of one another.