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Internship
Newsletter: December 2007
Shared Internship in Eugene, Oregon
One of the most unique internships offered through CLI takes
place in Eugene, Oregon, home of the University of Oregon. There
Pastor Tom Dodd has been supervising interns for a number of years
in an internship shared between United Lutheran Church and the Good
Samaritan Care Center. Nathan Mugaas is this year's intern. We asked
the two of them to describe the internship.
Pastor Dodd:
The internship program at
United Lutheran Church and
Good
Samaritan Care Center, both in Eugene, OR, has been an integral part
of these ministries for 24 years. In this shared site, the intern is
the chaplain at Good Samaritan and, in this role, provides such
spiritual services as one on one visits, classes, meetings with
staff, memorial services, and, by authority from the Oregon synod
bishop, a weekly Eucharist. Also, the intern is on call for any
emergencies which may arise.
 At
United, the intern is involved in the whole range of parish
activities from Sunday worship to co-teaching confirmation and
Sunday school to participating in various committees to visiting
members to being a part of the weekly text study of local pastors.
The time split is roughly equal with each site receiving about 25
hours of ministry from the intern. To be effective, the intern needs
to be self-motivated, able to deal effectively with two different
systems, and manage time in a way which provides for ministry in
both settings while also giving the intern the necessary
opportunities for rest and renewal. To help the intern grow into
this position, there is the support of the congregation, the intern
committee, and the supervising pastor.
In a survey of the congregation done several years ago, the
congregational members said that the intern program was the number
one ministry of the congregation. Indeed, the people of United
embrace this cooperative venture and are glad to be involved in
helping interns grow into their calling as ordained ministers in
Christ’s church.
As a final note, such a model may help develop other internship
possibilities as well where a congregation and another institution
share costs and then provide a special setting for learning and
service.
Intern Mugaas:
I am privileged to walk into a well established internship
program that is not only used to welcoming an intern, but also knows
that each intern is different. For this reason the congregation only
sets forth the most basic expectations and leaves the rest open for
the intern to shape.
My time is split half and half between United Lutheran Church and
the Good Samaritan Eugene Village (a local nursing home). At United
I am responsible for assisting in worship, preaching once a month,
team teaching Sunday School and Confirmation, attending a variety of
meetings, and doing home visitation. All of this I do under the
experienced guidance of Pastor Tom Dodd, who serves as my
supervisor.
At the Good Samaritan I cultivate relationships with residents,
participate weekly in one on one devotions, preside over weekly
worship services, lead a weekly spiritual group, am available to be
present at times of death, and carry a pager to be reached when
emergencies arise. At Good Samaritan I do not have direct
supervision, which gives me great amount of freedom but also
requires me to be somewhat self-defining in figuring out what my job
is.
Logistically here is how my compensation works: United takes care
of my housing and provides the supervisory elements of internship,
while Good Sam pays my living stipend. (Both pay 1/3 on my health
insurance)
Is Pastor Johnson the Happiest Person in Town? 
By Steve McKinley
Now I don’t know Pastor Johnson personally. Pastor Johnson may be
one miserable soul, even in this "joyful" season of the year. But
there is certainly a chance that the good pastor is pretty well up
on the happiness chart.
 The
General Social Survey conducted by the National Opinion Research
Center at the University of Chicago looked into the question of job
happiness, and found that the clergy had the highest level of
satisfaction of any group surveyed, including groups with much
higher annual incomes. 67% of the clergy surveyed indicated that
they were "very happy" with their work. Interestingly enough,
housekeepers and butlers finished second on the list, with 57.7%
proclaiming "very happiness." Right behind them were firefighters
with 57.2% being "very happy."
Shucks, only 44.79% of professional athletes were very happy. 43.89%
of physicians. 31.7% of painters and sculptors. 31.4% of authors.
22.8% of maids. 19.6% of bartenders. If you find this interesting,
check out this link.
Now, the cynics amongst us might suggest that the clergy are so into
people pleasing that they would never admit to being unhappy, but I
am unconvinced. I've spoken to a few who could paint their
unhappiness in vivid lavenders. (They must have been among the 33%
who were not "very happy.") I think that the answer is simpler and
more forthright than that. I think they were telling the truth.
Most pastors, it appears, genuinely enjoy being pastors. In spite of
long hours and low pay and high expectations and all those things we
grouse about with our spouses or our friends or each other, we
wouldn't have it any other way. What we do might not make us happy
every day, but it makes us joyful over the long haul.
I have a good friend who was a pastor when he made a bad mistake
some years ago. A bad mistake. No laws were broken as such, but he
will never be a pastor of the church again. He lived through some
tough days, but today he has a good job that keeps him on his toes
but gives him a lot more free time than he had as a pastor, not to
mention a much higher income. Whenever we talk, he makes it clear to
me that he would give it all up in a minute if he could go back to
being a pastor again.
So a word to interns and supervisors: you are allowed to enjoy this.
As a matter of fact, I think God intends for you to enjoy it. Carry
some crosses along the way, no doubt about that. Face tough days.
But if you are like most of your peers, in the long run you're going
to walk away saying that it was good.
And one last tip. If being a pastor seems too much for you, do not,
do not, take a job in a gas station. Only 13% of gas station
attendants said they were very happy. The odds are against you.
For the Lay Committee: Don't Forget the Spouse
Last month we wrote about supporting your intern during the
holiday season. Keep that in mind in December.
You might also want to think about the intern's spouse, if the
intern has a spouse. Now the days are gone for good when a
congregation could expect a pastor or an intern to arrive with a
spouse who would take on major responsibility in the congregation:
teaching Sunday School, directing a choir, something like that. The
world may have worked that way at one time, but 2007 is not that
time. Spouses today have their own interests and their own lives.
But they have been impacted by the intern and the intern's life
in the congregation. They may be experiencing some sense of
alienation because of the amount of time the intern devotes to the
congregation. Maybe the spouse is simply not a church person and has
trouble understanding all that is going on.
You cannot do miracles to solve frustrations. But you can make
sure that the intern's spouse experiences some support from the
committee, even if they choose not to be active in the congregation.
Interns sometimes come back to seminary reporting that the year was
great for them and they experienced wonderful support from the
congregation, but their spouse felt lonely all year.
It's one of those little things that can mean a lot. Do something
for your intern's spouse this month!
Keep that Paperwork Coming in!
On quiet days when no vandal hordes are assaulting the quiet,
tuck-away CLI suite in Giesy Hall at PLTS, or the third floor tower
of Northwestern Hall at Luther, the cheerful souls on the CLI staff
delight themselves with reading Learning Service Agreements, Project
Proposals, and Evaluations. The sounds of laughter fill the air.
But alas. Also woe. There seem to be those few miscreants who are
out to deny the staff their happiness. I grieve to report to you
that some interns who began their service around the first of
September have not yet submitted their Learning Service Agreements
and Project Proposals. How can this possibly be? Indeed, all of the
stalwart forces out their, interns and supervisors, should be
getting three month evaluations in by now.
Please, please do not deny us our happiness. Get your paperwork in,
that we may be delighted by it.
Blessed is the Sunset
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The Washington internship cluster was treated to a lovely
display of God's own fireworks at their October meeting. As the
sun set over Dumas Bay, the group ran outside to enjoy this
delightful gift. The photo was taken by Gettysburg intern Shawn Berkebile. |
CLI Staff Meet in Berkeley
Prior to Thanksgiving, the entire CLI Staff met at PLTS in Berkeley, Calif. Pictured left to right are: Steve McKinley,
Kate Sterner, Laure Schwartz, Sherwood Glover, Rod Maeker, Julie Josund, Elba
Selby (front), Jean Smith (back), PLTS President Phyllis
Anderson, Donna Duensing, Gary Wilkerson.
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