This past September, Parkside Church welcomed the new class of pastoral interns. Affectionately referred to as the "Unholy Trinity," they are Chris Beals, Stephen Downey, and Stephen Judy (a.k.a. Farley).
All three young men are recent college graduates who have felt a calling to serve God, and as participants in Parkside's pastoral internship program, they have been given the opportunity to better determine if pastoral ministry is the right path for them.
"I was drawn to the internship because it was an opportunity to discern whether you felt that call," explains 22 year-old Stephen Downey, a recent graduate of Wheaton College who majored in Biblical and Theological Studies. "Parkside doesn't require that you are 100% sure that you want to be a pastor, so it's nice that they offer the opportunity to work on that."
Stephen Judy (who prefers to go by "Farley") agrees. "I've felt a very specific call to youth ministry, but in the few months that I've been here, my eyes have been opened to the idea that Parkside wants to train pastors who can teach and be plugged in wherever they're needed. That's really broadened my view of my calling."
Chris Beals feels that his call has been affirmed in the few short months that he has been here. "That's not to say that I feel like I've 'arrived' in my teaching skills or anything like that," says Chris, a 23 year-old graduate of Cedarville College. "But it's just that my passion has been affirmed, and I can see myself doing this, and only this, for the rest of my life."
Getting Their Hands Dirty
The year-long program, broken up into three four-month rotations, introduces each intern to Parkside's myriad ministries. In addition to working with several pastors at a time, the interns are each working towards a masters degree in Christian studies through Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
"I was pleasantly surprised at how hands-on it's been," notes Farley. "When you think of an internship, most people think of shadowing someone and just watching them. We're all very involved in our rotations and we are being asked to teach in different settings. The opportunity to be hands-on and not just watching someone do their paperwork has been very beneficial."
"[Parkside] is more of a team-centered staff," adds Chris. "It's both an internship and a mentorship situation. You have all of the guys on staff mentoring and discipling you, but then they also give you opportunities to teach in different ministries to learn and sharpen your skills. Plus, with classes, they're hitting us from different angles."
The interns also have the opportunity to travel with the church's short-term missions teams. Stephen and Chris were members of October's dental team that served in Oaxaca, Mexico, and Farley will join Pastor Scott Kennedy on a missions trip to Bolivia this summer. "I think the Mexico trip was pretty legendary," offers Stephen. "It wasn't the most fun thing I've ever done," laughs Stephen as he recalls emptying the bloody saliva containers into the latrines. "But it was definitely memorable and a highlight in that regard."
An All-Access Pass
Despite their rigorous schedules, they are grateful. "There are so many opportunities for us to see how this church works. From rubbing shoulders with all of the pastors, to attending the staff meetings and prayer before the services, it's been very interesting to see how pastors use their time, what they discuss, and how they address things," says Farley.
Chris agrees. "Instead of just accepting a job somewhere, being left to figure out things on your own, this opportunity to be around all the guys on staff and having them speak into my life has been great. And a big surprise has been the time we get with Alistair. We're going through a book with him on Mondays when he's in town. That's been shocking because we know how busy he is. We thought we'd maybe meet him over lunch sometime, but he's been very intentional about hearing our opinions and answering our questions."
The interns will also see what it's like to operate a church with a smaller on-site staff when they go through the Green Campus rotation. Stephen, who is currently in that rotaton has enjoyed his time in Green. "It's been cool going to the Green Campus," says Stephen. "I was with Adam Romans one day talking to someone about remodeling the sanctuary and then we went to a nearby neighborhood to hand out flyers for their Thanksgiving meal. You get to see a little bit of everything."
No Rest for the Weary
With so many responsibilities, there is little down time for the trio, but when they do get a moment to catch their breath, they enjoy building relationships in their new environment. Chris, and his wife, Lindsay, enjoy exploring the Shaker Heights area where he and wife are living. Farley, who is being hosted by Parkside member, Dave Myers, in Akron, spends his free evenings "trying to bounce back from the long days working in the youth rotation and getting caught up with course work." Stephen has been sharpening his ping pong skills with his host brother, Bowe Andrews, son of Julie and Cliff Andrews in Chagrin Falls.
What's Next and How You Can Pray
In January, the interns will switch rotations. Farley will move from youth ministry to Help & Hope, Green Campus, and Counseling; Chris will go from working with young adults and college students to youth; and, Stephen will move from working with the Green Campus and the Help & Hope ministries, to Transit, True Life, and Teaching.
The Parkside pastoral internship is focused on helping young men to mature and learn in their faith so that they might better determine if their call to pastoral ministry is the right path for them. Your prayers for the interns would be most welcome.
Stephen: Please pray that I might more clearly figure out during this internship what God’s vocational call is in my for the future.
Chris: Please pray that I’d grow in recognizing, and taking advantage of, the opportunities to engage with people about Jesus, whether Christian or non-Christian.
Farley: Please pray for my personal walk with the Lord to grow as its easy to get wrapped up in ministering to others and neglect personal time with the Lord. Also, pray for time management and balance between the internship, classes, and my personal life as things are very busy in all these different areas. Finally, please pray for guidance in where the Lord wants me after the internship concludes.
