Wow! What a summer it has been. Our interns have been working hard to ensure the progress of Grace Church’s mission: to develop all people into fully devoted followers of Christ. Through the Greatest Gift Christmas Offering, our internship program can be funded. Thank you for your generosity! Our interns have grown in their experience in each of their roles. Here’s what their summer looked like:
Pastoral Intern: Taylor Bennington- As the pastoral intern I was exposed to a wide variety of ministry opportunities that centered around the spiritual care of others. On an average week I’d be teaching in an ABF, greeting folks on Sunday, writing for Every Day with God, and studying theology. What I love about the internship experience at Grace is the focus isn’t on short term results. Instead of performing stereotypical “intern duties” like grabbing coffee for your boss, the internships at Grace are designed to help young leaders develop the skills needed to influence matters of eternal significance in people’s lives. The hands on ministry experience, Biblical knowledge, and leadership principles that we learned this summer will have a lifelong impact on the way we lead and minister to people. These are opportunities you simply don’t get in other summer internship experiences. Grace Church- thank you for this incredible opportunity. What a blessing this summer has been!
Worship Intern: Jeremy Lun- My primary responsibility was to prepare for Sunday worship. I was in charge of preparing all the tracks, managing guitar pedalboards, main stage synth sounds, setting up and tearing down stage sets, and communicating with volunteers on our worship teams. When Sunday rolled around, I would be a support member on either the contemporary or SMC bands (filling whatever position was needed) or I would lead worship and direct the practices. A huge part of my job was leading worship with the Grace Students band and helping them with their next steps to develop as worship leaders.
This internship gave me a taste of what it’s like to be in worship ministry in the local church. Through the intern study with Dave Lawson, I learned what a true spiritual leader should look like. I also learned how to embrace my creative side without fear of criticism and learned that the most rewarding ministry is the kind that invests in people. In the future, I would love to serve in ministry of some capacity. I have discovered that ministry and kingdom work is definitely a passion of mine!
Communications Intern: Elise Kern- This summer, I was given the opportunity to write blogs, create interaction on Grace Church’s social media, and even invite businesses to the Global Leadership Summit (GLS)! This summer the Lord taught me how to surrender. Surrender all I am to Him because He knows the plans He has for me (Jeremiah 19:11). I may have a goal but He determines my steps (Proverbs 16:9). I am excited to see all of the hard work and preparation of the GLS come to fruition. I will continue using what I learned this summer in areas of communication and ministry in the future, wherever the Lord calls me!
Video Intern: Blake Stoller- During my internship I assisted with the production of videos for the church. These projects were used in Sunday mornings as well as in Grace Students. I enjoyed creating the videos for the mission trip celebration dinner! In my internship I learned a lot about leadership and how to become an effective leader. I also learned a lot more about producing videos. I will continue what I learned from my ministry by focusing on making more meaningful interactions with people.
Creative Arts Intern: Tyler Ullman- This summer, I assisted Ben with the creative elements for the services, including chalkboard art that related to the series, a new stage set and a storage closet makeover! I loved sharing a spoken word with the traditional service that really resonated! The biggest thing that I learned in my internship was doing ministry in a complete different structure than I was used to… I loved every second of it! I will use what I learned by always going into ministry with an open mind and letting God lead, guide and direct as He pleases!
Grace Students Intern: Darin Phelps- I was given the opportunity to develop and continue relationships with middle school and high school students on mission trips and beyond. I got to disciple students with the goal to help them see Jesus in a new, fresh way. I also had the privilege of speaking every other Sunday to middle school students! I had so many opportunities to learn how to disciple and mentor somebody as I met with them on a regular basis. It is so cool seeing how the next generation is going to lead and it’s even cooler to know God wants to use me as a leader to help develop the next generation now and in the future!
Grace Kids Intern: Dominic Mariano- This summer I had the chance to serve on Sunday mornings in Grace Kids with ages 2 all the way up to 6th grade! I also had the chance to be a leader at Merge Camp, Soccer Camp, and be on the stage team for Grace Kids Camp! On Sunday nights, I served at Grace Students. It was amazing to see kids give their lives to Christ and pray with them!
I have learned a lot about what its like to work in a church full time. I worked on curriculum, leading volunteers, and the behind the scenes work for the summer camps. Being available and present for people is one of the most important things I learned this summer; whether it’s a last-minute funeral or hospital visit or even just taking a call from someone who needs to talk. I learned how to be flexible with my time and work so that I could be present in people’s lives.
**The internship program is funded through the Greatest Gift Christmas Offering and above and beyond giving toward Leadership Development. If you’re interested in helping to fund next summer’s interns, you can give on our main giving page and choosing “interns” from the drop down menu below.