Lilly Project
Willamette University
900 State Street
Salem, Oregon 97301
503-370-6213 voice
First United Methodist Church
600 State Street
Salem, Oregon 97301
http://www.salemfirstumc.org/
Church History and Description
Our church is the First United Methodist Church in Salem, Oregon. It was the first Protestant church established west of the Mississippi River and was established by Jason Lee in 1841. The building that we now occupy was built in the late 1880's. This history is rich and impacts our understanding of who we are. We see ourselves historically and spiritually linked to the City of Salem and we want to be a part of the city's well being.
Because of our downtown location, our congregation is not a neighborhood church. We pull people from all over the Salem/Keizer area. We are also becoming increasingly diverse economically and generationally. Diversity is one of our values and goals. That diversity includes sexual orientation. We strive to include all people in all circumstances in life.
We have a membership of 710 and constituents numbering 250. We have four worship services on Sunday - three in the morning, one in the evening. We have tried to make them distinct for the purpose of meeting different needs. The 8:30 a.m. service is geared to be less formal and more casual. There is a praise service at 11 a.m. in MICAH, the building next door to the historic sanctuary. It has an excellent band, beverages and snacks and is much more informal. The other 11 a.m. service is the traditional service with a large chancel choir, bell choirs, and children's choirs. The evening service is at 6:04 and is aimed at being an alternative style of worship; more interactive, more relational. It is held in the basement of MICAH and is called The Underground.
Intern Responsibilities
We envision a ten-week internship beginning in June and continuing through August. The dates are negotiable.
We have four areas of ministry in which we would invite an intern to participate.
The first is to assist our Director of Congregations Helping People, Carol Stoebig. Carol works 25 hours per week and is responsible for helping those who are in need. We have a large number of people who come to us for financial and systemic aid. Carol directs them to resources in the community and advocates on their behalf when they hit snags. We average 60 people a week who come to us for counsel. Carol needs help with paperwork and conversational preparations. An intern would be asked to talk with people who are waiting, gather important information from them, and could sit in with Carol as she assesses the needs of the person seeking her help. She is also willing to take the intern with her to the various shelters in town. It might also be possible for the intern to work a few hours a week in one of the shelters for the homeless if he or she would like to do that.
The second emphasis is with our youth. We would like the intern to help our youth director lead programs. There are both mid-high and senior high youth activities. During the summer our youth activities are focused on the Youth Mission activities. The intern would be utilized as someone to help build the team during the month of June. The intern would also be asked to participate in projects.
The third emphasis is spiritual formation. The intern would assist with Vacation Bible School, which is scheduled sometime in August, as well as help with Sunday School. Reverend Susan Boegli will direct the week of activities for elementary aged children and the intern could be utilized in the event planning and preparation and would be asked to participate in its implementation.
There would also be a fourth expectation and that is to be willing to be involved in the general life of the church. Worship and visitation would be two specific areas in which we would like to see the intern participate. We would hope that this person would be willing to go with the pastors or our Minister of Visitation, Gary Onstot, to see our elderly and/or those who are ill. We would also hope that an intern would serve occasionally as a worship liturgist, do some children's sermons, and perhaps preach an adult sermon once during the ten weeks. We would encourage the intern to be involved in all our of our services so that his or her worship experience could be broad.
Given the variety of these roles that are being offered, we would find it hard to define a typical day. Our expectation is that in a 40-hour week, an intern would spend one half of his or her time in the area of youth work. The other 20 hours would be spent working with the homeless or economically handicapped, visiting and preparing for worship and Vacation Bible School.
Supervision would be shared. The Reverend Sue Owen is the senior pastor and would be responsible for this person's overall performance and satisfaction in this role. She would schedule weekly sessions with this person to probe theological and ecclesiastical issues. She would also be willing to read a book with the intern during the summer for further theological discussions. The intern's vocational interests and goals could guide us in the selection of the book.
Supervision would also be given by the other staff members to whom the intern relates. Reverend Sue will be on a mission trip to Kenya during some of June and July and the primary supervisory relationship would fall to Reverend Susan Boegli during that time.
We see ourselves as a staff who are guided and led by our vision:
"To be a body of believers who are involved in the work of changing lives, transforming the community, and renewing the church."
We are a people who have a deep and provocative faith in Jesus Christ. We believe that Jesus envisioned a godly world and has asked his followers to bring it into being. We believe that he has provided us with an alive Spirit to empower us in this work and a vessel for encouraging each other in the midst of the effort called the church. We are excited about being Christians and we are eager to further the Reign of God. An intern would be a respected and welcomed member to this committed endeavor.
We would hope that this experience would aid the discernment of a call to professional ministry. The varied aspects of this role would prove helpful in such a decision.
Gifts needed
- A genuine and growing desire to know and serve Jesus Christ
- A sincere love of people of all ages, expressed in a respectful attitude and in the ability to listen
- An ability to be flexible and innovative with time and schedule
- Dependable and responsible
- Willingness to work as a team member; skills in community building would be valued
- Socially aware and interested in issues of justice
- Good sense of humor
- Good judgment and common sense
Logistics
We would be willing to look for a possible home site if that was necessary.
Driving would not be required, but would be desirable.
June 23 - August 29 would be the suggested dates.