{"id":8620,"date":"2014-10-15T20:44:18","date_gmt":"2014-10-16T03:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/?p=8620"},"modified":"2014-10-15T20:44:52","modified_gmt":"2014-10-16T03:44:52","slug":"greater-nw-ministry-interns-god-is-doing-a-new-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/greater-nw-ministry-interns-god-is-doing-a-new-thing\/","title":{"rendered":"Greater NW Ministry Interns: “God is doing a new thing…”"},"content":{"rendered":"

In September, 3\u00a0young adults began 9 months of discernment and service<\/a> as ministry interns in different churches across the Greater Northwest Area. Over the coming months, they’ll be sharing their experiences with us. For their first post, they each share a short reflection on their experience centered on Isaiah 43.16-19.<\/p>\n

This is what God says,<\/em>
\nthe God who builds a road right through the ocean,<\/em>
\nwho carves a path through pounding waves,<\/em>
\nThe God who summons horses and chariots and armies\u2014<\/em>
\nthey lie down and then can\u2019t get up;<\/em>
\nthey\u2019re snuffed out like so many candles:<\/em>
\n\u201cForget about what\u2019s happened;<\/em>
\ndon\u2019t keep going over old history.<\/em>
\nBe alert, be present. I\u2019m about to do something brand-new.<\/em>
\nIt\u2019s bursting out! Don\u2019t you see it?<\/em>
\nThere it is! I\u2019m making a road through the desert,<\/em>
\nrivers in the badlands.\u201d<\/em>
\nIsaiah 43:16-19 The Message<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

By Ryan Scott | Ministry Intern serving at Valley & Mountain<\/a> in Seattle, WA<\/h4>\n

[dropcap]W[\/dropcap]hen I began this journey I knew there would be a lot of new things happening. A new city, new home, new job, new ministry, new coworkers; these all were exciting to think about, but challenging at the same time. New isn’t always comfortable. Even small things like not seeing my clerk at Safeway who has known me since I was a young child, to the baristas at my usual coffee shop, or the bartender at my favorite bar. All pretty inconsequential in the larger scheme of things, nevertheless, they had an impact on my life in Springfield and made leaving for something new even more challenging.<\/p>\n

\"Ryan<\/a>
Ryan Scott<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Reading the scripture from Isaiah made me realize that God isn’t a fixed sedentary figure who never changes. God says \u201cLook! I\u2019m doing a new thing; now it sprouts up; don\u2019t you recognize it?\u201d God reminds us that he is indeed an ever changing, ever adapting, being. He\u2019s making a way through the wild places for us from missionaries serving in literally wild places, to me serving in an urban jungle. This scripture reminds me that God is always doing something new. He\u2019s doing something new in the world and God is using us as agents for this change. In our willingness to step out into the world and do something new or to do something powerful we are living in the spirit.<\/p>\n

Now that I am settled in I can see how doing all this new stuff is changing me. It\u2019s giving me perspective on issues I never spent much time diving into. Working with youth in a suburban community never gave me deep insight into homelessness, gentrification, and the struggles of low income urban communities.<\/p>\n

Through this new chapter in life God has opened up doors for me that have given me new insight into the struggles of injustice and inequality in our world. Sometimes doing something new, as daunting as it may seem, can open your eyes to a new world and a new or deeper relationship with God.<\/p>\n

\n

Ryan is from Springfield, OR where he was a paraprofessional specializing in after school\/community programming and 9th grade academic support\/intervention with Springfield Public Schools and the Willamalane Park and Recreation District. Ryan was also the Youth Director for Trinity United Methodist Church in Eugene. Ryan\u2019s passion for faith and youth was sparked by serving in Boy Scouts of America as a camp chaplain and scoutmaster where he was constantly exposed to the issues youth care about. This led to further exploration of a call to vocational ministry in the UMC. Ryan now serves at Valley and Mountain Fellowship<\/a>, a spiritual community in the diverse South Seattle neighborhood of Hillman City as an apprentice minister.<\/i><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

By Rachael Phelps\u00a0| Ministry Intern serving at Audubon Park UMC in Spokane, WA<\/h4>\n

“Only 9 months?\u201d<\/p>\n

[dropcap]T[\/dropcap]he thought repeatedly crept into my mind throughout my first day visiting Audubon Park United Methodist Church<\/a>. That Sunday I attended two worship services, had lunch with the pastor and his wife, attended a church potluck, and ended the day at a young adult fellowship gathering.<\/p>\n

As the day went on, I found myself ready to sprint, settle, dive, and soak into this place that was already bringing me joy. I was all in.<\/p>\n

\"Rachael<\/a>
Rachael Phelps<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a recent college graduate, the past year of my life has been a season of lasts and goodbyes. My time as a student slowly yet all too rapidly came to a close, and I often found myself fearful of what these endings would look like. I wondered where each of my friends would end up, I wondered where I would end up, and I wished for more time.<\/p>\n

When the allotted time inevitably ran out, I sought both physical and emotional rest. After a year of tumult, questions, imperative deadlines, all culminating in the loss of the life I had built in my college town, I felt depleted and sad. I began to look for a journey of renewal.<\/p>\n

The questions and uncertainty of things to come continued, even after I had learned of my acceptance into the Ministry Internship Project, and eventually my placement at Audubon Park. I held these feelings in tension with the excitement that began to take root as my move to Spokane grew closer.<\/p>\n

\u201cA dream come true\u201d is the way I found myself describing this discernment opportunity to friends and family. I had started feeling called into ministry about two years prior, and no other words seemed to encapsulate the way I felt about this chance to explore that call full time. My excitement evolved into elation throughout my visit that first Sunday, into my first week of work.<\/p>\n

The people of Audubon Park UMC\u00a0are kind. They are welcoming, they are hospitable, they are generous. They have supported and cared for me as I have made the transition into a resident of Spokane and invited me into their church family with open arms.<\/p>\n

With each day names and faces have become more familiar. Now that initial welcoming has subsided, I have begun to settle into the daily realities of ministry at Audubon Park UMC. Wonderful things are happening here. The church runs a food bank, serving coffee and snacks to clients while they wait for their turn. Christian education ministries, music of varying styles, and increasing worship attendance can all be seen on Sundays.<\/p>\n

But there is also history. There are memories of misunderstandings and wounds not yet healed. There has been loss, mistakes made, discouragement, and frustration. There are questions that remain unanswered.<\/p>\n

As the jubilation of the initial phase of this journey began to taper off, I realized that Audubon Park UMC and I have these things in common.<\/p>\n

The realization that I was no longer in the safe confines of school came quickly when classes at my alma mater resumed without me. The sting of lost relationships resurfaced. The questioning of purpose and capability began. The things I had left behind caught up to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cForget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland,\u201d the prophet Isaiah tells us.<\/p>\n

Audubon Park and I have each been through the wilderness. We have seen the wasteland. And if we choose to stay there, if we don\u2019t look up, we might miss it.<\/p>\n

We might miss this new thing that God is doing.<\/p>\n

My first four weeks at Audubon Park UMC\u00a0have consisted of one slow, deep breath. A preparation of sorts, exhaling the old, inhaling the new. Letting go of the past, embracing the present.<\/p>\n

With readied eyes, I look forward with hope.<\/p>\n

I hope that I would leave this place with a longer list of questions than with which I began.
\nI hope to be challenged.
\nI hope to experience every opportunity.
\nI hope to be surprised.<\/p>\n

Author and singer Renee Yohe has this to say about hope:<\/p>\n

\u201cHope is believing in the process. It\u2019s not contingent on perfection or resolution. It\u2019s just that we keep believing.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Accepting this invitation, I turn these hopes over to God and choose to believe in this process. I choose to trust. I trust that I am right where I need to be, and that is enough. I trust that the God who made a way through the sea is also making a way in my life, and calling me to explore ministry.<\/p>\n

I trust that God is making all things new.<\/p>\n

May my new church family find renewed energy.
\nMay we learn and grow together.
\nMay we get on board with this \u201cnew thing\u201d at every step of the way.
\nMay my eyes and ears be attentive, may my heart be present.
\nMay I make the most of these 8 months that remain.<\/p>\n

\n

Rachael Phelps is a 23 year-old graduate of Central Washington University<\/a>, where she studied Psychology and Religious Studies. She was born and raised in Seattle, Washington and has been a member of the United Methodist Church since 2006. She is passionate about the work of the church, as it seeks to further God\u2019s kingdom on earth. She loves singing, playing the guitar, Zumba, musicals, and drinking coffee.<\/i><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

By Amanda Nicol\u00a0| Ministry Intern serving at Gresham\u00a0UMC in Gresham,\u00a0OR<\/h4>\n

[dropcap]T[\/dropcap]his past Sunday, we had a guest speaker come to preach at Gresham United Methodist Church<\/a>, the community that I am serving alongside for the duration of my internship.\u00a0 She preached on the concept of \u201cmiddle space\u201d, that space between the endings in life and the new beginnings where we often spend much of our time, watching for, and waiting on, God to move.\u00a0 These spaces in life are frequently barren and painful.\u00a0 We do not like to linger long, afraid of encountering too intimately our emotions: grief, loss, anger, confusion, joy that is also bittersweet\u2026pick your flavor.<\/p>\n

\"Amanda<\/a>
Amanda Nicol<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For me, discerning God\u2019s call on my life often feels like one long walk through middle space.\u00a0 My first post-college foray into vocational ministry came on the heels of an abrupt and painful ending in my life.\u00a0 One day I was heading very clearly in one direction, and literally the next I was forced to detour far off the path I thought I was meant to follow.\u00a0 I was quickly disabused of the narrow vision I had for my future and quite suddenly a wide vista opened up before me, overwhelming in its expanse and perceived emptiness.<\/p>\n

The landscape of discernment for me has been vast, often intimidating, sometimes blinding in its possibility, and frequently frustrating.\u00a0 Worst of all, it lacks a map, the one thing I desire most.\u00a0 To say I merrily took the blind step of trust forward that necessitated my coming to Gresham UMC is to ignore the intense fear and doubt I felt for many months beforehand.<\/p>\n

And yet, my transition into this middle space of discernment has not been entirely devoid of beauty.\u00a0 I am often overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers.\u00a0 The greatest blessing I have received in this internship so far is a community at Gresham UMC that has graciously welcomed me, a stranger in their midst, with open arms, eager to walk beside me as I wrestle with and define my sense of calling.<\/p>\n

[quote_box_left]This is a great gift that the Church can give to any of its young people, to be a bulwark of love and support in times of seeking and confusion.[\/quote_box_left]This is a great gift that the Church can give to any of its young people, to be a bulwark of love and support in times of seeking and confusion.\u00a0 Gresham has attended to my needs and is giving me a safe space where I can lean into and explore all my questions.\u00a0 And it is in leaning into, rather than running away from, the middle space that I find my God: a God who coaxes, calls, and comforts me; a God who asks me to abide in the deep questions and holds my hand as I do so; a God who points to the distant horizon and says, \u201cLook!\u00a0 Do you not see it?\u00a0 I am doing a new thing!\u201d<\/p>\n

Sure, the middle space is more often than not frustrating, exhausting, and uncomfortable.\u00a0 Many days I squint at that far-off horizon and say in desperation, \u201cLord, I do not see it!\u00a0 What are You doing?\u201d\u00a0 But I am always reminded (and believe me, I must be constantly reminded) that it is not my doubt that truly matters, but only His promises.\u00a0 Is it not wonderful, that even in the most barren of places we have the sure promise that God is present and creating something new?\u00a0 It is the very essence of His being to redeem, resurrect, and recreate.<\/p>\n

And this promise is not just for individuals, but also for the church as a whole.\u00a0 I believe the United Methodist Church (and much of mainline Protestantism, to be honest) is in its own process of transition, a transition that will have its own middle space, however long or short.\u00a0 It is in this vein that my mentor pastor, Steve Lewis, and I have been having frequent conversations.\u00a0 We talk a lot about the future of the UMC in North America.\u00a0 We agree the reality is that many congregations will look very different fifty years from now.\u00a0 Some may not even exist.\u00a0 Sometimes I share our parishioners\u2019 fears and sadness over this truth.\u00a0 Whether as individuals or communities, change is invariably challenging.<\/p>\n

Still, we are not Christians if we do not believe wholeheartedly in the promises of God, who tells us throughout Scripture not to fear, for He will redeem that which is broken and raise up that which is dead.\u00a0 We cannot know when or how exactly endings will come to pass or in what manner God will ordain our new beginnings.\u00a0 But we can most certainly be assured that there will be a new beginning.<\/p>\n

It is my most fervent prayer that, as change arrives, the Church will lean into its middle space, just as I am leaning into mine, so better to meet our God and hear what He has to say.\u00a0 The Spirit is making a road in the wilderness and we are invited to tread where we have not trod before, with glad hearts, always relying on the faithfulness of God and His promises.<\/p>\n

\n

Amanda is a twenty-something Spokane, Washington native recently transplanted to the Portland, Oregon area.\u00a0 She graduated from the University of Puget Sound<\/a> in 2012, where she was actively involved in campus ministry.\u00a0 When she is not reading too many books or watching too much Netflix, she is learning how to let herself be surprised and loved by God as she explores what it means to be called as a Christian in the world today.\u00a0 She is currently serving as a Ministry Resident at Gresham United Methodist Church in Gresham, Oregon under the mentorship of Dr. Steve Lewis.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In September, 3\u00a0young adults began 9 months of discernment and service as ministry interns in different churches across the Greater Northwest Area. Over the coming months, they’ll be sharing their experiences with us. For their first post, they each share a short reflection on their experience centered on Isaiah 43.16-19. This is what God says, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":8627,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[32,112],"tags":[107,420,419],"class_list":{"0":"post-8620","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"category-ministries-with-young-people","9":"tag-gbhem","10":"tag-internships","11":"tag-vocation"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/new-thing.jpg?fit=700%2C357&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2l75j-2f2","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8620"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8620\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8630,"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8620\/revisions\/8630"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pnwumc.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}