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Connexion intern program begins second year

Posted on by James Deaton
Young adults being trained
Young adults gathered for training in May 2024 to launch the pilot year of the Michigan Conference’s Connexion summer intern program. Elizabeth Jowski (far left) was the lead intern for the cohort of fourteen young adults who served at churches, campus ministries, and affiliated nonprofits throughout Michigan. ~ photo courtesy Lisa Batten

The Michigan Conference seeks ministry sites interested in having a young adult intern this summer. Deadline for ministry sites to apply is March 1, and the deadline for interns is May 1.

LISA BATTEN
Connectional Ministry Staff, Michigan Conference

After the successful pilot year of Connexion, the Michigan Conference’s new young adult summer intern program, we are making big plans for summer 2025. Click here to read a news article about the fourteen young adults who participated last year.

Are you a church, faith community, or nonprofit ministry that would enjoy having a young adult intern (ages 19 to 28) serve your local community through relational mission and justice work? Read on and then click the button below to fill out an application. The deadline for sites to apply is March 1, 2025.

Connexion is a collaborative program between the Michigan Conference, local congregations, and nonprofits, and young adults. Program goals include connecting young adults to communities through service, fostering meaningful peer relationships, providing mentoring and relational supervision, and cultivating leadership development.

Is this a good fit for you? Here are 10 things you should consider as a ministry site:

    1. Identify a young adult in your community who has a desire to serve or receive a young adult from another community (must be able to provide housing). Local sites act as the supervisor. Connexion program leadership through the Michigan Conference provides initial and ongoing additional resources such as a training retreat, payroll, and weekly check-ins.
    2. Provide a written job description to the intern and the Connexion program.
    3. Attend three online supervisor meetings via Zoom: March 3, 11:30 am to 12:30 pm Eastern, for a program overview; April 7, 11:30 am to 1 pm Eastern, for ministry supervisor training; and May 5, 11:30 am to 1 pm, to get ready for the interns to arrive.
    4. Be part of a mid-point check-in with a member of the Michigan Conference Board of Young People’s Ministries.
    5. Meet weekly with the Connexion intern for regular supervision.
    6. Provide needed resources for the intern to perform work-related responsibilities.
    7. Attend an end-of-summer debriefing online. The day and time will be set soon.
    8. Provide adequate support, supervision, and resources for the intern.
    9. Encourage and support the intern’s participation in the training retreat, weekly Zoom meetings with the Connexion program director and other interns, and the end-of-program celebration event.
    10. Support the intern program by paying a $500 site field share for training and additional leadership development (paid to the Michigan Conference of The United Methodist Church). The Board of Young People’s Ministries will pay the intern $15 an hour for up to 40 hours weekly.

If you’re ready to take next steps, click here to complete the application. The deadline for applying is March 1, 2025.

If you already have a young adult identified to work with as a Connexion intern, please direct them to the contact information form. Click the button below to access this form.

The deadline for interns to complete the application is May 1, 2025.

Last Updated on January 15, 2025

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The Michigan Conference