Milligan offers several programs to help students explore possible outlets for what they want to pursue after college. One of the more popular programs is the Semester in Ministry internship, a semester-long internship program.
However, it seems it is not popular with enough students this semester.
Semester in Ministry is a program for which Milligan is in partnership with Mountain Christian Church in Joppa, Md. Director Erin McDade stated it is an experience that helps students develop their skills and direction they want to go professionally.
Students work as full staff members/interns of the church, often working with an advisor. This relationship allows for unique opportunities for spiritual formation.
Two students, junior Jonathan Guy and senior Rebecca Pierce-Hale, were in the 2017 spring semester group of Milligan students who went. Both were able to work through the church in ways that would strengthen the majors they were pursuing.
Guy is a Bible major with a pastoral ministry emphasis, so he was able to work in small groups ministry. He was also able to find venues for preaching, leading communion and collecting offering.
Pierce-Hale is in pre-professional psychology, so she was able to work with therapy groups and even got to help create a curriculum for the groups to use.
This 2018 spring semester is not as lively for Mountain, however, as not enough students showed interest.
McDade stated she was very disappointed that not enough people were able to attend this semester and that this has happened only a couple times in the history of SiM. However, this does not mean she doesn’t have any work.
With no Milligan interns, McDade and the SiM team are still busy training new staff and refreshing older staff.
Luckily for Milligan, SiM will be coming to Tennessee on Feb. 14-16. They will be on campus the 15th and 16th in SUB7, with a Chick-fil-A info lunch on the 15th to talk to interested students about the possibility of working with Mountain for a semester.
Not only does SiM give students ample opportunities to serve through the church and expand their majors, but it also allows for the creation of some lifelong memories.
Guy remembers the exit interviews at the end of the semester. SiM mentors looked not only at the abilities of each person but also at the character of each person.
“It was the most honest thing I have ever been to,” he said.
He also laughed about the time when he “accidentally” caught the attention of a female singer at the Stardust diner in NYC, where his group was eating on a church-planting weekend trip.
One of Pierce-Hale’s favorite memories was working with DivorceCare for Kids, or DC4K. She was able to work with young kids whose parents were going through or had already gone through a divorce and got to watch a particular four-year-old have God moments almost every day.
When asked about her favorite SiM moment, McDade was at a loss for words for just one memory.
She said an ongoing favorite moment was the end of the semester retreat, which is a time of “true celebration of what the students and God has been able to accomplish.”
She hopes more students consider joining the SiM team next semester, so that God’s work will continue to be shown through the students.