Graced to you and peace…
In just three short weeks I will receive notice of who has been assigned to St. Mark as our Parish Intern for the 2010/2011 church year. Beginning in June or July, a new person will be ministering among, with and to us. But no matter who the person is, man or woman, younger or older, that person will not fill Pr. Heroff’s departing shoes. And s/he is not meant to!
Instead, engaging an intern to be among us for a year offers wonderful opportunities for us to both be a teaching and learning community. Each internship candidate will come with her/his own unique experience bank and will use those experiences while here. But being part of a congregation and leading it require different skills. Our focus on Word and Sacrament links us to the whole people of God. Yet our congregation also has a particular personality, is located in a particular place, and has specific needs; those factors make ministry here unique.
Here, in this setting, then, our intern will learn to plan and lead worship. S/he will work with our musicians and with me to design orders of service, choose hymns, select preaching themes and create an environment in which God’s gathered people, the congregation, will be drawn into God’s presence.
Our intern will have the opportunity to teach at WOW, FaithWalk, SHINE!, Bible study and Adult Education. While there will be resources to use for preparation, designing a curriculum within a church setting may be a new and important learning experience.
But perhaps the most important opportunity our intern will have is to get to know you, the people of St. Mark. During homebound and hospital visits, church social events, committee meetings, and one-on-one conversations, you will teach her/him, in ways both bold and subtle, how to witness to the God you have come to know and love. You will teach her/him what it means to work together for the sake of His Body, The Church; you will teach how God’s people struggle and pray together; and, from you, our intern will learn how prayer guides our ministry.
In the weeks to come, please pray for our intern, that s/he may grow in strength and wisdom while at St. Mark; and pray that this be a year in which a new church leader is molded for service.
Blessings! See you in the pew!
Pr. Linnea
