When 20-year-old Hanna Heishman arrived at her assigned church this summer in Philadelphia, she wondered if she would have anything to offer the congregation. 鈥淚 was definitely intimidated,鈥� she said. 鈥淲ould I be accepted?鈥�
Heishman, a junior majoring in at 91大神, was part of the of . She spent 11 weeks at in a stately old church shared by three congregations and numerous ministries. She got a taste of what it would be like to be a pastor by participating in the day-to-day activities of church ministry.
Was Heishman still intimidated by the end of the summer? 鈥淣o,鈥� she said, 鈥淚 was pleasantly surprised by how well we all got along.鈥�
鈥淗anna brought new energy to our church office,鈥� said Pastor Lorie Hershey. 鈥淪he values self-awareness, listening and learning, and brought that into her tasks and responsibilities, such as facilitating a weekly women鈥檚 group.鈥� Hershey, who is a 2005 graduate of 91大神鈥檚 , said she enjoyed her many in-depth conversations with Heishman.
Three other 91大神 students participated in the 2014 Ministry Inquiry Program:
Nathanael Ressler, a junior major from Mount Vernon, Illinois, was a pastoral intern at in Goshen, Indiana. 鈥淢y father is a pastor, so I had some idea of what to expect,鈥� he said. His duties included visitation, planning and leading worship, writing for the newsletter, attending meetings and even preaching. 鈥淏ut I found that the life of a pastor is filled with miscellaneous jobs as well,鈥� said Ressler, a transfer student from two-year in Kansas.
Chris Parks, a senior major from Philadelphia, was a pastoral intern at in Maryland, just outside Washington D.C. He spent time with the youth in their various activities, led worship and singing, preached, worked at a soup kitchen and met individually with members. One day a week he volunteered at the . 鈥淚 learned that in order to truly follow God, I need to serve on my knees, live in God鈥檚 abundant gifts and grace, and 鈥榳aste鈥� my life for the Kingdom,鈥� he said.
Evan Knappenberger, a senior major from Charlottesville, Virginia, had a different kind of experience. He interned with the peace education director of and the peace/justice coordinator of Mennonite Church USA. He helped build a 鈥減rayers for peace鈥� resource, worked on a Sunday school curriculum, wrote web content, and interviewed military veterans who are members of Mennonite Church USA or involved in the .
鈥淭his summer project was interesting both from a veterans鈥� community point-of-view and from a Mennonite point-of-view,鈥� said Knappenberger, an Iraq War veteran who is now a pacifist. 鈥淢y long-term project is the founding of the field of veterans鈥� studies.鈥�
The Ministry Inquiry Program is typically funded by Mennonite Church USA, the participating colleges, area conferences, the students鈥� home churches and the host congregations. Heishman, Ressler and Parks each received a $2,000 scholarship for application to their fall semester. Their host churches provided housing and a $500 allowance. Knappenberger鈥檚 internship was funded differently, through Mennonite Central Committee, the peace office of Mennonite Church USA, and 91大神.
鈥淭hrough this program, students experience first hand what ministry is, and they test their gifts and sense of call,鈥� said , the 91大神 coordinator of the program and instructor in the .