LTSP

New Students, Fall 2001

Stand and Deliver

Crystal Schrader learned that she couldn't run from the Lord’s call to seminary. "Near the end of my high school years, I began to sense a call to ministry," Crystal said. She received great joy and peace as a member of Christ Lutheran Church, in Des Moines, Iowa. During those years Crystal feared that she wouldn’t be a good pastor. "I came up with a variety of reasons why it would be a horrible idea. I couldn’t sing, I feared having to preach and I would have no clue as what to tell people in a counseling session," she said.

"Then I learned about Lay Ministry options and got very excited," she said. "I learned I could do something in the church and not have to be ordained. I decide on the Associate in Ministry route for my life. I headed off to Central College in Pella, IA., to major in elementary education."

Despite her interest in elementary education, she quickly discovered that she didn’t want to spend the rest of her life teaching. She began to speak with a variety of clergy members in the religion department at her college for guidance. "I spent a lot of time in prayer, again finding myself with a sense of a call to ordained ministry," she said. Through help of a support network, Crystal conquered her fear that had previously prevented her from answering God’s call to ordained ministry. In the spring semester of her sophomore year, she became a religion major.

Crystal selected LTSP for its strong academic reputation. "I find the environment to be rich in culture through its diversity," she said. She believes this experience will broaden her horizons.