Experiencing Life-Changing Opportunities

Mark Achtermann L’26 is using connections and opportunities at Lancaster Theological Seminary to make the most of his seminary journey. He is studying for his Master of Divinity degree and recently traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border. He worked with ministries focused on food and housing security, as well as environmental and immigration justice. He says the experience was transformative, giving him insight into the ways faith communities respond to pressing social challenges and strengthening his own call to connect theology with action.

“As in every age, the Church faces vital challenges today, and we must face them with the guidance of the ever-changing and changeless Spirit and the wisdom and experiences of the saints who have gone before,” Mark says.

Closer to home, Mark serves as a researcher and teacher with the Whittle Farm Project in the lower Susquehanna Valley. There, volunteers plant and harvest seven acres of sustainable vegetables, all of which are donated to local food banks. Through this ministry, Mark has been able to advance ecological theology in both theory and practice, weaving together scholarship, service, and sustainability.