Internship Week of December 4th

        Sunday was my last at my internship parish. It was a great day. The congregation said a prayer for me, led by the rector; they wished me well and said they would keep me in their prayers. It was a moment when I felt the Holy Spirit at work, and knew that I was where God wanted me to be at that occasion. They were having their annual St. Nicholas Fair after the service; which was a fantastic opportunity for me to have some fellowship with the parishioners I have spent the last 12 weeks with. They all wanted to know where I was going next, what I would be doing, and hoped that I would come back to visit. I was sad because I’ve grown fond of the people I’ve met there and the experiences I’ve had were amazing. At the same time, I feel that this is the right thing; that my time here is done at least for the foreseeable future. So I found myself wondering if I would be able to come back and visit. I would like very much so to visit, but I don’t yet know if that is the appropriate thing to do. I mean that in the sense that, I’m moving forward from my internship parish. It was never intended to be a permanent place for me, but rather a place for me to grow and learn. If I were a priest at my internship parish leaving to go to another position, would returning to my former parish be possible? Not realistically. I would be involved on Sunday mornings and during the week, and sometimes a clean break is what’s best for all persons involved. These are the things that I will continue to mull over during my transition back into my home parish. I’m excited to delve into things at my home church again, and to see what my experiences can bring to my home congregation.

Internship Week of November 27th

            I had my final meeting with the rector at my internship this week. We talked about how the I think the internship went, what I learned, and where I see myself at this point. It has been an unbelievably positive experience, and she has been an amazing mentor. She fully supports where I see myself right now, and thinks it is the right decision for me.

            

            We discussed what I see myself doing when I return from my home parish, and I mentioned that I would like to do some adult education type classes. Since my home parish is so small, there really isn’t the forum for adult Christian formation like there is at my internship. I’m not going to attempt a massive overhaul, but I would like to do some things. I would like to perhaps (rector willing and congregation interested) teach a weeknight Lenten Educational program in the spring, using the book “Have a Little Faith.” If that goes well I would like to do something for Advent next year and then another Lenten Program the following spring. I hope that if parishioners enjoy the programs, they will be interested in stepping up and leading a class themselves, and we will be able to grow the adult education program that way. I learned a lot about the different ways in which to engage an adult audience from the different kinds of adult programs I attended at my internship; I’m interested to see which ones will be the most successful at my home parish.