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Amira Pechauer isn’t just a parishioner at Hephatha Lutheran Church in Milwaukee. The 18-year-old has been honing her leadership skills to do more than just sit in the pews on Sunday mornings.
“The [Horizon] apprenticeship has given me more responsibility in church,” she said. “People look up to me as a leader and [ask] me for help when they need it. Some of my favorite things about being an apprentice are getting to work with other people—for instance, helping small children here, doing the air-quality monitoring, leading worship. I enjoy assisting with confirmation class. This [helped me] get closer to God especially, helping lead worship on Sundays and praying for people.”
Both she and LaQuon Johnson, 16, have been working on air-quality monitoring in the Milwaukee area for nearly two years, said Mary Martha Kannass, pastor of Hephatha. “This has included practical prayer and healing work for people with asthma in our church and in our community,” she said.
The two apprentices have been learning more about air quality and how it’s connected to their health. The 53206 ZIP code, which includes Hephatha, has had some of the highest asthma-related hospitalization rates and emergency department visits in the state.
The community’s high asthma burden is linked to poor housing conditions and disproportionate exposure to air pollution. A 2022 Clean Wisconsin analysis found that Black Wisconsinites are exposed to 41% more soot pollution than the state average, one of the highest such disparities in the country.
The church’s work with the apprentices on air quality led to a partnership with Love My Air Wisconsin (LMA WI), which raises awareness of how air quality impacts asthma. Kannass invited the group to share information about air quality at a table hosted by Hephatha during school events. Through those opportunities, the two organizations fostered a relationship that evolved into LMA WI working with the church’s apprentices.
Leaders for today
The Horizon Apprenticeship Program began as a summer pilot project in 2014 and proved so popular and effective that in 2025 it was launched as a year-round program.
The new model took root partly because of a $50,000 grant from the Barna Group, a research firm dedicated to providing actionable insights on faith and culture, with a particular focus on the Christian church. The grant allowed leaders to expand the program’s structure, its impact and the opportunities it provides for young people to grow as leaders in their communities.
“Some of my favorite things about being an apprentice are getting to work with other people—for instance, helping small children here, doing the air-quality monitoring, leading worship.”
The Horizon program is a leadership development initiative of the ELCA for young adults of color, ages 16-20. Apprentices serve in congregations, ELCA camps and social service organizations. They engage in real-world ministry, receive coaching and mentoring, and develop leadership skills while making meaningful contributions in their apprenticeship sites and their communities.
“The purpose of Horizon is to equip and form young leaders of color for the church and their communities,” said Cynthia Zamora, program director. Horizon interns, she said, develop their leadership skills, explore different vocations, form their faith, and build confidence and a sense of belonging in the church.
“Horizon emphasizes that young people are not just future leaders but leaders right now, contributing with gifts that are needed in their communities today,” she said.
Taking action for better air
From 2024 to 2025, Hephatha’s apprentices worked with members to build an understanding of air-quality monitoring and the health impacts of bad air quality. Apprentices continued that work, learning more about air-quality data and using tools such as TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution), a NASA program that tracks atmospheric gases. They researched asthma rates in their area and discussed the health concerns of church members. They provided an adult Sunday school group with a presentation on air quality, health and local ways to take action for better air.
On April 11, they presented a program on asthma to the Strong Baby Sanctuary group, which offers spiritual support, guidance and education to expectant and new moms. They taught the group how to use cellphones to check air quality.
“LMA WI hopes the apprentices continue this work as asthma champions to stay connected to members this summer and reach out to specific families and youth when air quality is poor to remind them how they can protect their health,” said Sarah Kroening, program manager at Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin, the umbrella organization for LMA WI.
“Being an apprentice makes me feel useful and depended upon,” Johnson said. “It’s giving me lessons about God and helping me learn more. It helps me have more knowledge about God. I’m enjoying being an assisting minister in worship service. I also help sharing things with those in need with our Strong Baby Sanctuary. It helps me get a closer relationship with God because it has me doing godly things.”
For more information about the Horizon Internship Program, download a pdf.
