Matthew Bader, Dakota Wesleyan University junior, has been actively involved in DWU Student Ministry Council, serving as a youth leader at Mitchell First United Methodist Church and serving the Dakotas Conference in a variety of ways. For a while now, he’s felt like he might be called to ministry, and he’s looking forward to exploring that call this summer.

Bader is one of five young adults, college students, who will spend ten weeks this summer participating in a hands-on learning experience through the Elisha Project. Each intern will be assigned to a host church and paired with a clergy mentor at that church.

Bader will intern at Canyon Lake United Methodist Church in Rapid City, South Dakota. “I feel called to ordained ministry. I look forward to exploring different areas of ministry and working with someone to help me further define my call,” he said.

The Elisha Project, now in its fourth year, aligns with the conference’s desire to create a culture of call that actively encourages young adults to explore how God is calling them to build the kingdom. Last summer, Natalie Buck, a junior at the University of North Dakota, spent the summer at Grand Forks Wesley UMC as an Elisha Intern.

The five interns will begin their journey by gathering at Annual Conference, June 8-11 in Sioux Falls, SD. Each intern will spend June, July and August at his or her host church and gain experience in a wide variety of ministerial contexts. All 2016 interns will have the opportunity to:
 
• Preach and/or lead a Bible study or devotional
• Plan worship
• Be involved in a social justice or outreach ministry
• Observe leadership governance at a host site
• Provide pastoral care
 
Earlier this spring, college students and local churches were invited to apply to participate in the Elisha Project for the summer. A team of clergy and laity selected interns and host churches from the pool of applicants. Interns will receive a $3,000 stipend, $1,500 of which will come from the conference’s Board of Ordained Ministry and $1,500 of which the host church is expected to provide.

Bader doesn’t know exactly what his internship will look like, but he’s particularly interested in experiencing all areas of ministry because it will help him discern his call. He also feels strongly that he is headed to ordained ministry but is unsure of what specific areas of ministry God is calling him. 

“I have already started looking at seminaries.  I really need to figure out what is the best fit for me.  I am hoping my summer experience will give me some guidance,” he said.
 
Rev. Eric Grinager, pastor at Canyon Lake United Methodist Church, said his congregation applied for an intern partly out of a desire to give back. “We are looking forward to a young person having a good experience in our church so they want to be serving God, especially in our conference,” he said.

Grinager, who will be Bader’s clergy mentor, said that Bader will get a wide variety of experiences while at Canyon Lake UMC.  He will have an opportunity to be a liturgist, possibly give a sermon and will be involved with worship planning. Bader will be involved in helping to start a new worship service at Canyon Lake UMC called “Waffle Church.” This service will target marginalized persons, especially families. The service will be held on Saturday morning and involve food, worship and fellowship.

Canyon Lake UMC and Grinager are excited about learning and gaining new insight from Bader. “I hope he will bring new ideas, inspiration, and new energy to our church,” Grinager said. “We are hoping to draw from him as much as he gets from us.”

At the end summer experience, Deb Kjerstad, Director of Leadership Development, will gather summer interns and clergy mentors to recap their experiences and give feedback on the program.

“This will be a learning summer for us,” said Kjerstad. “We hope the recap at the end will help us understand how we can improve the Elisha Project for future interns.”

The Elisha Project is an initiative of the Dakotas Annual Conference (DAC) of The United Methodist Church Board of Ordained Ministry to identify, encourage, and support young people who are exploring a possible call to ministry.  Internships are available in the summer, fall and spring.  The fall internship deadline is June 1 for students wanting an internship experience beginning in September while they are in college.  Churches seeking a fall intern are also invited to send in a commitment form by June 1.  Go to this link to find the application materials.

Interns and host churches

The Summer 2016 Elisha Project interns—along with their host churches, their schools and their home churches—are:
 
Mathew Bader
Interning:  Rapid City Canyon Lake UMC with Rev. Eric Grinager
School: Dakota Wesleyan University
Home church: Pierre First UMC
 
Elizabeth Hult
Interning: Brookings First UMC with Rev. Theta Miller
School: South Dakota State University
Home church: Brookings First UMC
 
Morgan Mundt
Interning: Sioux Falls Asbury with Rev. Kip Roozen
School: University of Sioux Falls
Home church: Asbury UMC
 
Larissa Ruff
Interning: Lehr / Napoleon UMC with Rev. Sarah Herman
School: Valley City State University
Home church: Lehr Zion UMC
 
Emily Shelton
Interning: Spearfish UMC with Rev. Scott McKirdy
School: Black Hills State University
Home church: Laurel UMC (Montana)