Internship

I recently completed a 4 month internship (1 semester) at my church. It actually came out of the blue! One Sunday morning in June, the Family Pastor at our church handed me a piece of paper and told me to talk with my parents and think about it. When I looked at the paper, it discussed the details of a summer youth ministry internship.

 

After looking at my schedule for the summer, I came to the conclusion that doing it at that time would be too much. But I talked with the Pastor about possibly doing an internship in the fall, as I had already planned it to be a gap semester. In addition to the youth ministry, our Family Pastor also oversees global missions at our church. Since that is a passion and life-calling of mine, I asked if I could do a dual-focused internship. He agreed, and we decided I would start after Labor Day.

 

At the beginning, we determined that I would spend 5 hours in the office on Tuesdays and attend the staff meeting. I would also spend 5 hours helping with the youth on Wednesday nights, and 5 additional hours per week to potentially attend some of the middle school girls’ extracurricular activities (i.e. sporting events, plays, etc.)

 

Initially, I have to admit, I didn’t think I had enough to do! I quickly learned that some weeks are just slower than others. By the middle of my internship, I was even working overtime on occasion.

 

On the youth ministry side of the internship I did everything from assist on Wednesday nights, to planning an all-day road trip for the middle schoolers (this involved lots of research on places to go that weren’t too far or too expensive), to keeping the café stocked with food, making an oversized Jeopardy board, to creating a calendar for the year, and more.

 

On the global missions side of things, I helped communicate and coordinate with 9 missionaries visiting from Guatemala. I arranged lodging, meals, and activities during their 5-day visit. I also assisted with Operation Christmas Child in October.

 

One of the biggest takeaways I’ve had from the internship is learning how to serve in whatever capacity you’re asked. One day in staff meeting, about 30 people needed to be called about attending an upcoming membership class. Everyone else had quite a bit on their plates that day, so I volunteered to do it, even though making phone calls like that is one of my least favorite things to do. In the end, I actually enjoyed it and had a pretty good “pitch” going on! J

 

My internship was less about what I did for the church/Family Pastor and more about what I learned. I was there primarily to learn and observe the workings of a church. I really enjoyed the work in the process! I would definitely consider interning at the church again. I was especially grateful for the opportunity to get to know the staff better. I will miss seeing them every week!