The Eastern PA Conference Vocational Internship Program enables college-level young adults to explore first-hand their call to ministry at participating churches. During 10 summer weeks they will be exposed onsite to different aspects of ministry, while assisting the sponsoring church and earning a $3,000 stipend. Apply by May 18.

This is a great opportunity to get a close-up view with valuable on-the-ground training in ministry. Congregations and pastors who would welcome a helping hand (and an inquiring mind) during the summer could find themselves preparing a next-generation leader for the church. The church pays the $3,000 stipend, but the conference Board of Ordained Ministry reimburses one-half of it at the completion of the 10-week internship.

“The Vocational Internship Program was for me a key factor in discerning a call to the ordained ministry,” says the Rev. Bill Lentz, pastor of Lehman UMC in Hatboro. “Thirty-one years later, I look back on those days when local churches of our annual conference gave me the opportunity to spread my wings by giving me room to explore my gifts and calling for service. I have enjoyed making that same experience available to others looking for room to grow in grace as they explore the call.”

If you are interested in having an intern serve at your church, or if you know of a student who could benefit from a vocational internship in ministry, please contact the Rev. Tracy Duncan, Vocational Intern Program, at revtracy51@email.com.  Apply now, by May 18. Please download and share this flyer with potential interns and host churches.

Also, if you benefited from this program in the past–either as a Vocational Intern or as a sponsoring church–and would recommend it to students and churches, please send us a brief statement revealing what you found helpful about that experience. Write to us at communications@epaumc.org and/or to Rev. Tracy Duncan, Vocational Intern Program, at revtracy51@email.com.