Our Diocesan Interns and Mission Apprentices celebrated their year of service at a gathering at St Matts Burley on Wednesday, July 8.
The gathering brought together the interns, Mission Apprentices, people from their churches and their friends and families to mark the end of their time with us, commissioning the interns and second year Mission Apprentices to go out into the world.
All were welcomed by the Revd Simon Walters, Diocesan Intern Lead, who after a time of sung worship praised the interns for successfully completing this year as one part of a lifelong journey with Jesus.
The interns then shared stories and highlights of their year, as they have got stuck into all aspects of church life during their time on the scheme.
One area highlighted was the Monday training sessions, where the interns gather to learn and grow together in their faith.
The fun had and variety of topics covered in these sessions were particularly praised.
Interns also shared how the scheme had boosted their confidence, letting them feel able to get involved in church and life in ways they hadn’t previously.
Each intern shared a highlight from the year, which included the theology studied, the people on the scheme and the residentials they had the chance to take part in.
The interns thanked their supervisors for all their work supporting them and gave out gifts.
After another time of sung worship, the Ven Andy Jolley, Archdeacon of Bradford, spoke about the role of our Mission Apprentices, who thanks to strategic funding from the national church get to work in churches to help reach underrepresented communities.
The Mission Apprentices then had a chance to share the highlights of their year, looking at what they have been getting involved in, the training they have done and the growth in themselves they have each seen.
The Mission Apprentices also thanked their supervisors with gifts for all their hard work.
Revd Simon also thanked the hub leaders who have supported our interns and Mission Apprentices, including the Revd Dave Monck, the Revd Derek Jones and the Revd Amy Berry, as well as Katharine Greathead, Interns Administrator.
The Rt Revd Anna Eltringham, Bishop of Ripon, thanked all the interns and Mission Apprentices for all they have done over the last year.
Bishop Anna shared about her experiences as a pastoral assistant after finishing her A Levels, before reflecting on the story of Mary and Martha and what our interns and Mission Apprentices could learn from it.
Bishop Anna ending by saying: “You have done a beautiful thing, and I wonder what many more beautiful things God will gave you do in your lives.”
The interns and Mission Apprentices were then presented with certificates and gifts marking their year, before being sent out by Bishop Anna with a commissioning prayer.
The event ended with a final time of sung worship, where God was praised for all He has done for our interns and Mission Apprentices this year.
If you are interested in finding out more about our Diocesan Internship Scheme, or being a Mission Apprentice, please click here.