Our Interns And Who We Are Called to Be
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:6-7
Friends,
Our summer interns are here! This summer the entire church has 8 college–aged interns helping us build bridges to Christ, compassion and community. In the Student Ministry we are fortunate to have 4 of those 8. These 4 interns decide to give us their entire summer to work long hours, often behind the scenes, in order for us to let students, leaders and parents know that they are fully known and fully loved by God.
They come from within our own church and also from different states, completely new to our church. They come ready to work and learn. Often, they are interested in working in ministry full–time post college and they use the summer to discern if a ministry career is right for them. Sometimes they recognize that this type of job is not for them, and that is okay! Working in a church can be difficult and rewarding in a very unique way. We want our interns to understand every aspect of the job, so they are prepared for the life ahead of them.
I am often reminded of Paul’s relationship with Timothy when I think of the responsibilities I owe the interns. The verses above are from a letter that Paul wrote to Timothy, in which Paul reminds Timothy to put into practice everything he had learned from him. It is also full of encouragement to keep on going – with his relationship to God and God’s people. I want to be like Paul to our interns. I want to remind them to be bold in the gift of God and to pass that gift on to those around them. To remind them that they have been given a spirit of power, love and self–discipline. So they can boldly go forth in the world, no matter what career(s) they end up choosing, and advance the Kingdom of God.
If you happen to see any of the interns around this summer, would you join me in encouraging them to be bold? Give them a high–five and speak the beauty you see in them out loud, so they can see it too. They’re doing good work, and I love them so.
Love,
Taylor Mooney