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Peter Horn

Horn-Peter.jpgInvolvement in the CCO’s ministry through Calvary Baptist Church at Penn State University profoundly shaped Peter Horn’s views of worship and vocation.  Currently enrolled at Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, PA, Peter says that without his involvement at Calvary, his views of worship would have been very one-sided.  Working with CCO staff member Erica Young Reitz, Peter was involved with the leadership team at the church and also participated in Doulos, Calvary’s ministry to Penn State students.  He says that the community at the church offered, “Times of fellowship, worship, and food and provided a safe space for college students to come and meet and talk about faith in terms of their college lives.”

At the same time, Peter was active in a Lutheran campus ministry which he described as being more formal and liturgical than that at Calvary.  Being involved in two different communities which shared common faith in Christ showed him that there was more than one way to worship God.  In fact, he says, he learned that worship was about the entirety of one’s being during the entirety of the day.  These are lessons Peter says he has taken with him as a seminary student as he is preparing to become an ordained Lutheran pastor.  Currently serving as an intern at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Bloomsburg, PA, Peter describes the congregation’s worship style as “blended—between liturgical and contemporary.”

Peter attended the Jubilee conference in 2006 and considered it “an awesome display.”  He says that he was amazed by the widespread of colleges represented, demonstrating the expanse in which the gospel can truly be heard and truly practiced.  Peter also appreciated the experience of being surrounded by so many others his own age recognizing that, what they were going through, they weren’t going through alone.

Involvement with the CCO’s ministry at Calvary Baptist Church gave more purpose to his life as a student, says Peter.  “Going through the grind of classes and homework, there was an added bonus—doing something that had more meaning.”  Peter values the conversations he shared in leadership meetings and with other students, and the purposeful sense of being in community.  At the time he was active in campus ministry at Penn State, Peter was wrestling with his call to serve God as a pastor.  Learning to do ministry in practical ways and witnessing the kind of community that could be fostered in the church were key elements aiding in his discernment to his path following graduation.

Peter graduated from Penn State in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and a minor in education theory and policy.  Both he and his wife Rebecca are in seminary working toward becoming Lutheran pastors.  Peter is grateful for the example set by Erica and others in leadership in demonstrating love in actions, words, and deeds.  In preparing for the pastorate, Peter values those who spoke out of their experiences and modeled faithful Christian living.  “Our call is to be like Christ in every way.  Part of that is displaying love, opening our arms just as Christ did—through conversations, being able to bring people to know the love of Jesus—especially at times when it’s hard to see God in our own lives.”