College Student Serves Mission Church

By Mary Beth Coudal
6/2/2009

Rebekah Swineford, a Spanish and international communications major at Asbury College, is working as a summer intern at Rising Hope United Methodist Mission Church in Alexandria, Virginia . Ms. Swineford is a member of First United Methodist Church in Bradford, Pennsylvania.

"I believe that God has called me to a life of service in the church. This internship position will allow me to fulfill this call now and empower me to continue serving in the future, as I learn to be the hands and feet of Jesus," Ms. Swineford said.
 
Rising Hope, where Ms. Swineford is serving, is a United Methodist Mission Church serving the homeless and impoverished in Alexandria and surrounding area.  The mission of the church is fulfilled through meeting practical needs - food and clothing ministries, as well as meeting spiritual needs - Bible study, Recovery groups, children's ministry, and noon-day prayer.  She works to empower people who have little income with food and clothing distribution and childrens' summer activities.
 
Ms. Swineford is one of nine college students who have been selected to participate in this special summer of service through the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. Other 2009 summer interns and their place of assignment are:·     
 
  • Ashita Elanko from Virginia will be an instructor at the Asian Women's Resources Center in San Francisco, California. She will mentor the children from the Chinese community who attend the summer program.
  • Joy Harrison from New England serves as the Assistant Summer Camp Instructor at North Rampart Community Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. She will help youth develop study skills and self-esteem.
  •  Ilunga "Raissa" Kiboko from Iowa is also serving as an Assistant Summer Camp Instructor at North Rampart Community Center, in New Orleans, LA.
  • Nichol Luebrun from California-Pacific is working at First Grace Community Alliance at New Orleans, Louisiana. As the Hagar's House Summer Intern, she will organize, manage, and assist with donations to the women's shelter.
  • Saul Montiel from Desert Southwest is tutoring children in English at Amor y Paz Iglesia Metodista Unida in Winchester, VA. Working with the Ninos de Dios program, he will teach recreational activities and healthy eating habits to kids.
  • Jeannette Nez from Texas serves in the Upper Sand Mountain Parish in Sylvania, Alabama. She will help with summer camp activities and volunteer teams who visit the eight churches that make up the Upper Sand Mountain Parish.
  •  Joseph Riddle from North Alabama ministers to children from the Cherokee community. He will also help organize the volunteers who visit Cookson Hills United Methodist Mission in Cookson, Oklahoma.
  •  Paul Turner from East Ohio will work at Travis Park United Methodist Church Corazon Ministry in San Antonio, Texas. He will be a part of the supportive community for homeless people at the center, giving hospitality and hope.
Before embarking on their summer internships, the young people gathered at the end of May at Stony Point Retreat Center outside of New York City. The young adults, a diverse group socio-economically, racially, and ethnically, met one another; shared their faith stories and heard about the wide-range of work of the Board of Global Ministries. Upon completing their assignments at the end of July, they will return to New York City for several days to share their stories and experiences as summer interns.
 
The Global Ministries summer program offers short-term mission service for young people from and within the United States. Popular in the 1980s and 1990s, the Summer Intern program went dormant in 2000 when the mission board shifted its focus to longer-term, multiple-year mission opportunities for young adults. It was revitalized last summer.
 
"Working in new, often unfamiliar environments offers young people opportunities to experience first-hand how mission functions in a world of diversity," said Rev. Field-Rabb, youth and young adult ministries executive at the mission agency. "Each placement involves some element of social justice, which allows interns to become engaged with the church in action in eradicating injustice."
 
Summer interns are between the ages of 18 to 25 and have completed at least one year of higher education. They receive a $2,500 stipend, the cost for travel to and from their place of assignment, and room and board. In exchange, they agree to tell the story of their summer internship, their encounter with social justice, and their witness to their faith through The United Methodist Church.

For more information on the Summer Intern Program, contact Suzanne Field-Rabb at SFRabb@gbgm-umc.org