Our Seminary Interns
Above are pictures of our four seminarians and books that have helped form their spiritual lives (see below for more info about each book). All these books will be available in the HPC Library (located in the education wing) on Sunday! Check them out.
Andy Hall - Student Pastor for Programming
Andy Hall is a second-year Master of Divinity student at Princeton Theological Seminary. After earning his bachelor's and his JD from the University of Arizona, Andy passed the bar and practiced law for six years, primarily in the field of immigration. Most recently, he served as a chaplain intern at Princeton House Behavioral Health, where he provided spiritual care to adults struggling with mental illness and addiction. After seminary, Andy hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and become a pastor and a professor. He is happily married to Chelsea, with whom he co-founded an anti-human-trafficking nonprofit called Southern Arizona Against Slavery. They have two sons--Isaiah (6) and Amos (3). Andy is ordained as a deacon and as a ruling elder in the PC(USA), and is also a candidate for ordination as a teaching elder through National Capital Presbytery.
One book that has had a significant impact on my faith was Peter Rollins' How (Not) to Speak of God. Rollins counsels a distinctly postmodern humility with respect to our theology--or, as he puts it, "believing in God while remaining dubious concerning what one believes about God (a distinction that fundamentalism is unable to maintain)."
Lauren Ghighi - Student Pastor with the Hopewell Youth Collective
My name is Lauren Ghighi. I grew up in Dallas, Texas where I lived with my parents, one younger sister, and a few cats. Yes, I’m a cat person. I am a life-long Presbyterian whose involvement in the church and the youth group as a child drew me towards the ministry I pursue today. I attended Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina for my undergrad where I majored in religion and education. I enjoy running, hiking, camping, and most things involving natural creation. My love for cooking and baking comes from my Italian grandparents, and my love of plants and gardening comes from my aunt and uncle in Kansas. Family is very important to me, and I look forward to becoming part of this church family as well!
Wresting with Rest was formative for my spiritual journey because it reshaped how I view and practice rest and Sabbath. Sabbath and rest are gifts, not something we can ever deserve, but as a form of grace given to us by God. This concept is counterintuitive to how we view rest as a society, particularly in the culture that young people exist in, but it is important to reorient rest and give ourselves the grace to Sabbath.
Ruth Amadio - Student Pastor for Church Administration
My name is Ruth Amadio! I am a second year MDiv/MACEF student at Princeton Theological Seminary, and a member of HPC. I am so excited to be interning at HPC this year and learning more about the administrative work of pastoral ministry, including learning about church finances, planning meetings, and more. Before coming to seminary, I majored in Psychology and Conflict Management at Kent State University in Ohio. I grew up near Akron, Ohio and have been enjoying getting to explore New Jersey. In my free time, I love listening to or making music, cross stitching, or hiking. I would love to hear suggestions for good hiking trails around the area! I am so excited to learn from this church community over the next year!
About the book I chose: I read Everybody Always by Bob Goff during college as part of my role as a student leader of the college ministry group I participated in. While reading this book, I began to realize that ministry can manifest in many different ways, at times you might not expect. I discovered just how important my majors would be for pastoral care, and how interested I was in practical theology.
Emily Knoth - Student Pastor of Children’s Ministry
Hi, y’all! My name is Emily Knoth and I’m a 3rd year student pursuing a dual degree (a Masters in Divinity and a Masters in Christian Education and Formation) at Princeton Theological Seminary. I’m from Springboro, Ohio, but spent 5 years in Columbus, Ohio while pursuing my undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education and then while completing my first year at the seminary (digitally, of course). I love going on runs, meeting new people, reading, and eating ice cream. I’m passionate about the spiritual lives of children, being a good neighbor, and intergenerational learning. I can’t wait to continue to get to know everyone this coming year!
Jan Richardson’s Circle of Grace is book of blessings that has shaped my spiritual journey as it taught me how to bless myself and others as a way of connecting myself to God. It has been a consistently reliable resource for me as I often find myself feeling scattered or overwhelmed, and need to find a way to re-center.