First English Summer Ministry Interns Support Our Tenants In A Unique Partnership During COVID-19
First English Lutheran Church
supports the
Summer Intern Ministry
for young adults ages 18-25. The vision of this ministry is to provide opportunities for emerging men and women to gain a deeper understanding of service in the community and vocation in the church.
In past years, the interns have been involved with many social activities in Linwood Commons. Our tenants looked forward to the weekly visits of the interns. Due to COVID-19 and the need to social distance, we have become creative in how our tenants can build relationships and connect with this amazing group of young people. Intern
Noah Lichosik
has written about his 2020 COVID-19 "Buddy" experience with 2 of our tenants. We hope to share other stories of this partnership in the future.
Hello! My name is Noah Lichosik and I am one of the interns at First English Lutheran Church. This is my second summer working as an intern and even with things being much different this year, it is a great experience. Last year our intern group visited Fox Valley Lutheran Homes once a week and spent time with anyone willing to join us. We played card games and a lot of Mexican Train dominoes (which became a favorite game for many of us).
This year, due to COVID-19, we have had to make adjustments to keep others safe. We were contacted by Lynn Ann at the beginning of the summer about the idea of staying connected with some residents of FVLH through telephone conversations. We all jumped at the opportunity. Ten tenants at FVLH signed up to be a part of this new Buddy program. I was lucky enough to be assigned two different Buddies.
I've had the opportunity to speak with Ozzie and learn about his life and all the great stories he has. Not many people can say they were a photographer for the President of the United States. I've also talked to and met in person (while practicing social distancing) with Jerry Heins. Who would have guessed that becoming a chemist for a paper company would allow you to travel the world? Both of these gentlemen have lived extraordinary lives and have such great perspectives on the world around them.
In my life I have always looked up to my elders, but I never had a chance to truly interact with my own grandparents before they passed. Whenever I am given the chance to hear stories of the past or pick the brain of someone who has seen so much, I do not take it for granted. The time we are given to interact with our new buddies was a great experience not only for me but for all of the interns. On behalf of all the FELC interns, we would like to extend a thank you to our Buddies for their willingness to speak and meet with us this summer.
â