A Note From The Oldest Intern

Hello! I’m Rachel and I’m the oldest intern this year. I want to encourage anyone feeling a nudge to apply, but especially anyone who might be feeling like they are “too old” or that it’s “too late.” My answer to that, to quote my dearly departed grandmother is Hogwash.

I’ll admit it. I feel a little weird at times, being in a group with young people most of whom average about half my age. I’ve more than once had to wrestle to the ground the worry of what others may think of me, interning at my age, but you know what? I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. Here’s why I would strongly encourage you, even in your golden years, to apply for this internship.

Regardless of your age, you have something to offer. Yes, you will be on the receiving end of an incredible experience and will gain knowledge and have access to amazing opportunities, but you will also bring something wonderful to the table. I’m sure all of my fellow interns would agree that the greatest benefit of this internship is the people you encounter and if you apply, you will BE that person to others. If you long to get to know others and be known, apply today.

Even if you have a Ph.D., you have something to learn. I love learning new things and the topics we’ve been taught over the course of these several months have been phenomenal. So many of these things I would have LOVED to know at a younger age and I’m grateful to see my fellow interns get this knowledge and wisdom so early in their journey. It will change the trajectory of your life if you let it.

You will gain real experience in ministry. I can’t promise you that you will never have to bring anyone coffee, (in fact my group had to stop and get the coffee for a church planting conference in Detroit that we had the honor of attending) but the bulk of your time will be working alongside a mentor and you will be able to contribute to the Kensington mission: to see every[one] transformed and mobilized by Jesus! Depending on your specific internship, you might organize and execute an event, go on a life-changing mission trip or lead a small (or large!) group of people closer to the heart of Jesus. This year, one of our interns was able to use her artistic abilities to create graphics and branding for a major event.

The culture of cooperation and mentorship at Kensington is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced, and as I mentioned…I’m no spring chicken. I’ve had lots of experiences! If you know anything about Kensington, you know how highly they value openhandedness and when it comes to our leaders, their time and talents are no exception. This internship allows you access to decades of experience and hard-earned wisdom through a variety of leaders and ministries.

You will leave this internship with a greater understanding of who God created you to be and what He planned in advance for you to do for the Kingdom! There are many tools that help us understand our unique wiring and that knowledge quite literally translates to power. As you discover who you truly are, you gain greater clarity and momentum to pursue your destiny.

You will fundraise and not die….if you’re intimidated by the thought of the fundraising, you’re in good company. Take it from me, unless you count selling candles and cookie dough, I’ve never had to fundraise for anything! It was scary but I knew God was calling me to it and I chose to obey. My husband wisely predicted that God would teach me great things through the process of fundraising. Big things. And He has. He’s shown up in a major way. You will have help throughout the process, so please do not let the fear of fundraising rob you of this opportunity.

I truly believe that you would be hard pressed to find another program like this with the caliber of leadership and training available. I do not regret pausing my life for a year to do this program. I didn’t fully understand God’s purposes for this year of my life, but as always, He knew what He was doing, and as I near the end of it, I see more and more ways He has used this time to equip and empower me for what’s next. Whether you plan to work in ministry or just want to be equipped to live a powerful life of influence wherever God has you, this program will do just that.

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Applications are open! Apply at kensingtonchurch.org/intern
– Internship goes from August through May
– Internship can be 20 or 40 hours per week
– High School graduates and older may apply
– 1.5 hours of classroom training per week
– One hour of mentorship group time per week
– Balance of week spent in hands-on ministry training