God willing, I am going to spend the next 6 months as a Ministry Intern at a church in Hebburn, Newcastle! My aim for this time is that I will be equipped for mission and ministry and developed for a life of serving the church wherever Jesus calls me.
Why Hebburn?
According to the Index of Multiple Deprivation, much of Hebburn is in the top 10% of most deprived areas in the UK. Many in the community feel forgotten by the rest of England, and communities like this are too often forgotten by the church as well. This is part of the reason I have chosen to go there rather than Cambridge or London as a ministry intern. I helped with a week of church outreach there in the summer with a couple of others from StAG. I really enjoyed meeting and serving alongside people that week and could see a need and opportunity for gospel workers. After prayerful consideration, I decided to pursue this opportunity and God has opened the door for me to go.
This internship will me an experience of Christian ministry in this working class, North Eastern context, to give me an informed and realistic understanding of this ministry.
What will I be doing?
I'll have the opportunity to undertake study and training to help me develop the knowledge and skills that would be needed for ministry. I'll be spending one day a week doing a course with the North East Gospel Partnership that will focus on helping me understand, apply and teach the Bible in a range of settings.
The internship will provide a range of other opportunities including: pastoral work, mission and evangelism, youth work, schools work, leading worship, social transformation projects, and community engagement with other partners. I will be encouraged to develop my own particular strengths and interests, and the intention is for the role to have some flexibility to allow me to grow and develop.
St John’s Hebburn is an evangelical church that seeks Jesus-centred transformation by listening to Jesus' words in the Bible, speaking to Him in prayer, loving each other well as part of God's worldwide family, and blessing those around them in the community of Hebburn and the surrounding area with the good news of Jesus.
Why am I seeking support?
I think the issue of fund-raising is much bigger than just finances. Here are a few reasons I'm seeking support:
I need people who will be praying regularly for me and the ministry in Hebburn. People who support things financially are often the most invested in prayer support.
Also, I anticipate that I would have a tendency to be more individualistic about my ministry if I didn’t have supporters - and the accountability you will offer. Knowing there are people prayerfully and financially supporting me will be a powerful reminder to think am I a good steward of my time, energy and gifts for the advancement of God’s kingdom?
In our culture many of us struggle with the god of material possessions and wealth. My prayer is that asking for financial support causes people to think about how they us e and value money. Whether you choose to support me or not is in some ways irrelevant; whether you choose to support ministries God places on your heart is very relevant.
Finally, in raising support I am humbly accepting that I am dependent on the body of Christ. I am not self-sufficient in any way. Philippians 4:10-20 demonstrates how healthy it is for the body of Christ to be dependent on different parts of the body at different times, for the givers’ benefit, for the receivers’ benefit, and ultimately for the glory of God.
‘And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.’
My internship and basic living expenses are going to cost £120 / week, and I earn £38 / week from online tutoring so I will have a shortfall of £82 / week. I'll be renting a room with a family from church.