Calling 21 is administered through the Virginia United Methodist Conference Young Adult Local Church Summer Internship Program.
Shenandoah University hosts and trains the interns during an orientation each summer. Calling 21 is a conference-wide, grass roots, congregation-based, youth-focused approach to the Virginia Conference’s emerging culture of call. During the summer, college students from across Virginia are placed in church internships. These students spend a summer immersed in the life of a local church, not their own, discerning God’s call into church leadership. They are trained on the Shenandoah campus.
On entering the program, I was sure that my place was in the ministry somewhere. I knew I had a calling, but I was unsure what it was…One of the most compelling parts of this program is that no one pressures you about your calling. They are there to talk about it with you, but the choice is truly yours.”
The Shenandoah University Institute for Church Professions initiated the program in Virginia, Calling 21 in partnership with the Virginia Conference Board of Ordained Ministry, The Fund for Theological Education, the Virginia Conference Cabinet, and the Calling 21 Host Congregations. The program exceeded expectations in its first two years. It proved to be a valuable experience for the interns, pastors and churches. The program continues this year with Shenandoah University once again being the place of intern training.
For more information about Calling 21 contact:</br />
(540) 535-3546 | spirituallife@su.edu
1460 University Dr. Winchester, VA 22601