What A Year It's Been
The year is coming to an end and what a great one it has been been for The Church Leadership Cooperative!
This past summer, we welcomed 17 young adults into The Co-op serving at six churches throughout the state of Mississippi. Work experiences for these interns ranged from engagement with college ministry, youth ministry, strategic communications, creative planning, foreign and domestic missions, preaching, and much more! Even with the many different types of work experiences offered through The Co-op, all of our interns had were impacted by the spiritual development and intentional community that this program fosters.
Don’t take it from us! Take it from the testimonies of those who served with us this year.
“I believe now more than ever that there is so much value in being invested in relationships in a specific place. I now have a greater calling to pastoral ministry and creating an environment in which all of God’s sons and daughters can feel that they belong and that they are held in the arms of God.”- Connor King, Oxford University UMC
“The journey I took this summer in participating in The Co-op was a true testament of God’s goodness.I fell back in love with ministry in a way I never have. My heart finally broke over the walls I had built about what I was capable of and what I wanted to do, and my reservations were completely canceled.” - Mary Cecil Kimbrell, Columbus First UMC
“One thing I have learned this summer is that love is an international language. Whether it is 2,000 miles away in the city of Ahuachapan, El Salvador or simply 10 minutes down the road in your local church, God’s love is evident everywhere to all His people.”-
Aggie Doddridge, Maples Memorial UMC
We’re already gearing up for another great summer and can’t wait to see who the Lord brings into The Co-op in 2020! We’re welcoming new partner churches to increase our amount of placements to nine, with locations as far north as New Albany, as far south as Ocean Springs, and plenty in between. We’ll have opportunities for students with all ranges of gifts and graces to explore what God is calling them to do with their lives!
Our student recruitment team is already hard at work spreading the word to campus ministries throughout the state. We’ve logged nearly 1000 miles of driving already this semester with much more to go as we start the new year! Each and every visit has renewed our excitement for the Co-op, and more importantly, the future of the church of Jesus Christ in here in Mississippi!
Perhaps you (or someone you know!) is in the midst of discerning what role God wants you to play in the body of Christ. Perhaps you have a desire to explore meaningful work that both utilizes your gifts while also pushing you to take on new challenges and opportunities. Perhaps you’re hungry for an intentional community that draws you into the type of life of prayer and practice that opens you up to transformation.
Sound interesting to you? Let’s have a conversation! You can learn more by heading to theco-op.com or by emailing billy@theco-op.com! We’re excited about the future of the Church Leadership Cooperative and want YOU to be a part of it.