So Far...

Here’s the update so far.

The guy I met with on Monday night and liked so much was from Chagrin Falls, OH (the Cleveland area).

I then met with one person yesterday. He’s from Johnstown, PA. I thought he was a nice guy, but I don’t think I could work with him very well. He’s my first, “Please don’t send me here” thought.

I then met with three more people today. The first was from St. Clair Shores, MI (the Detroit area) and while I thought there were some neat things happening at the church, I was not impressed with the guy as a supervisor. So he’s a no for me too I think.

The next guy was from Jamestown, NY. I really liked him and thought there were some really good things going on at his congregation. I think Jamestown could be a good match.

The third and final guy I talked to today was from Richland Hills, TX (the Ft. Worth area). I have mixed feelings about him and his site. I thought the congregation sounded kind of neat... definitely a new experience for me (it’s big, and it’s busy). I also thought he was a good guy, could maybe work with him. But I also think his idea of how internship would be is a little too contrived. I’m not sure I’d get a real sense of parish ministry while on internship there. I understand that his model is to try to stay out of the ditch that a lot of interns wind up in, that is to be pigeonholed into doing something to serve a need the congregation has rather than allowing them to experience a variety of things. But, I think, by trying to stay out of that ditch, he has gone too far to the other side of the road and wound up in the other ditch. I don’t know. A lot of people I’ve talked to think it sounds like an excellent model and there are definitely some neat things about it. But I just feel like I would be allowed to be the intern even though that’s very clearly the intent. It’s kind of ironic actually... so there’s the mixed feelings.

Anyway, I have one more meeting left. I meet with the guy from Portland tomorrow. I’ve heard nothing but good things about him... but I also think everybody wants to go there. So we’ll see. I’ll provide another update later in the game.

Kate