One of the principal aims of the Leadership Fellows Program (LFP) is to cultivate and strengthen participants’ potential for leadership. According to Krista Johnson Weicksel, her participation in the LFP did that and more. Below are some of her reflections on what she learned from the program and how it helped form her.
On Confidence:
“I think what I gained most was confidence. I don’t remember all the topics of the workshops, but I do remember feeling challenged. I don’t remember all the church leaders we met, but I do remember feeling heard and respected as a young person in the life of the church. I remember being encouraged to take a leap and volunteer as a Global Mission Intern in Israel/Palestine with Global Ministries, and I continue to be so grateful for that experience.”
On being mentored as part of a cohort:
“What I remember most is the people. I remember HELM staff who supported and challenged us. I continue to be grateful to mentors I was connected with who continue to be important people in my life. I remember my Leadership Fellows cohort and even today we continue to cheer each other on virtually.”
On how it shaped her sense of call:
“Being a part of the Leadership Fellows Program helped me to articulate a call to lay ministry through peacebuilding. At a time when it felt like there was a choice between working through the church by pursuing ordained ministry or studying Peace Studies and pursuing a career in a more secular realm, the HELM Leadership Fellows Program helped me to understand and articulate a calling to work with conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and advocacy as a ministry and to confidently pursue leadership within the church.”
On the experience of consistency during a time of transitions:
“The Leadership Fellows Program was really helpful as I pursued a somewhat disjointed ‘tapas platter’ of undergraduate studies, starting off at Ball State University, joining a Washington Semester at American University and in Northern Ireland, transferring to Chapman University to further pursue Peace Studies and spending my final semester studying in South Africa. The HELM Leadership Fellows program was one of the only constants in my undergraduate education and helped to connect a young student with wonderful mentors in these different places. I am very grateful for that!”
After eight years working as Peacebuilding Coordinator in with the Mennonite Central Committee’s Planning, Learning and Disaster Response Department, Johnson Weicksel currently serves as a Global Advocacy and Education Consultant for Global Ministries. She says of her current work: “After working in the Anabaptist world, I’m really excited to have a chance to do this work within my own tradition.”
The HELM Leadership Fellows Program is for undergraduate students who are part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Click here for more information.