Full-time Paid Ministerial Internship - Juneau, Alaska

A full-time paid ministerial internship for 12 months with three congregations in Juneau, Alaska is available beginning this summer. Later start date and nine-month internship applicants will also be considered.

Aldersgate United Methodist, Douglas Community United Methodist, and Northern Light United Church, a union United Methodist/Presbyterian (USA) congregation, are collaborators for this internship. A focus of the internship is youth ministry. Additionally, there will be significant opportunity for worship leadership and preaching, as well as the chance for the intern to work in other areas of ministry depending on her/his interests. Each congregation is committed to cooperative ministry as well as providing distinctive opportunities and learning environments for the intern.

Areas of Intern Responsibility
 
Youth: Working with lay leaders from the three congregations, the intern will lead the cooperative youth ministry.
Duties:

• Plan and organize fellowship, study, and service activities for middle and high school students from the three churches. This will include regular Sunday evening meetings and events scheduled at other times. Could include a mission trip, and camping experiences at the local United Methodist Church Camp.
• Ongoing assessment of effectiveness of program and implementation of changes if needed. (E.g. middle school and high school youth currently meet in combined gatherings; this may need alteration as group grows.)
• Help plan and assist with Sunday morning education opportunities.

Worship Leadership: The intern will have regular opportunities to preach and will participate in weekly worship. The intern may also assist with Sunday morning Christian education.
 
Other areas depending on intern’s interests: Among the possibilities for other involvement are (not an exhaustive list):

• Helping develop a young adult ministry within and beyond the sponsoring congregations;
• Adult education. The intern could teach an evening or Sunday class on a topic of his/her interest at one or all of the churches;
• Campus ministry at the University of Alaska Southeast;
• Emergency food ministry. Douglas food pantry, weekend food bag program at Northern Light and Aldersgate; summer lunch programming; community wide coordinating efforts.
• Hospital chaplaincy. Volunteer chaplains rotate visitation and on-call responsibilities at the local hospital;
• Homelessness ministry. The three congregations are active with the Glory Hole, an emergency shelter in downtown Juneau;
• Youth advocacy and education in the community with organizations such as the AWARE Domestic Violence prevention program or Planned Parenthood;
• Camping ministry. The United Methodist Churches in SE Alaska own and operate Eagle River United Methodist Camp that is located in the Juneau area. If the intern is in Juneau for the summer there will be opportunity to serve on a camp staff. The camp can also be used for retreats during the school year;
• Organize a community wide Vacation Bible School;
• -Interfaith Council. Faith communities engage in ministry coordination, community involvement, and public policy advocacy on issues of shared concern;

Compensation: Negotiable. The congregations are committed to providing a stipend that will be adequate for living for a year in Juneau.
 
Supervision: For the purposes of seminary field education requirements, Northern Light Pastor, Phil Campbell, will serve as the supervisor.
 
Phil has been pastor of Northern Light United Church since September 2010. Before moving to Juneau he was on the faculty of the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. At Iliff, he directed the field education and justice and peace programs and taught in the areas of leadership, racial justice, peacemaking, and church polity. He now continues as part of the Iliff Adjunct Faculty. Prior positions include campus ministry, college chaplaincy, directing an interfaith agency, and two previous pastorates. He has a D. Min. from the Pacific School of Religion with a research focus in multiracial/multicultural community life. He has served in numerous denominational, ecumenical and community board capacities. He serves under appointment through the Alaska United Methodist Conference (a missionary conference) and has clergy standing in the Northwest Coast Presbytery. His ordination is in the United Church of Christ.
 
Desired qualifications and application process: Experience and/or interest in youth ministry; interest in collaborative ministry approaches; openness to new learning and growth; a sense of adventure! To apply, send cover letter and resume, including names and contact information of references, and dates of availability to: Phil Campbell, 407 W. 11th St., Juneau, AK, 99801, nlucpastor@ak.net. Electronic submission preferred. Review of applications will begin immediately. Position open until filled.