Neighborhood Ministries Summer Internship Information 2007 

Thank you for asking us about the summer opportunities here as an intern.  I am going to describe our internship in this email and will look forward to hearing back from you because you might have more questions.  Regardless, I would like to hear what you have decided to do, because I will need to stay in touch with you as the time gets closer.

Some of you may have looked at our web page.  This is always a good place to start, especially if you know very little about our work.  The mission of this place, our convictions, the multiple programs are all described.  Please take time to know us, to understand how and why we do what we do.  It will help you in understanding the scope of our very intense but life changing summer programs. 

Here are the particulars of a summer internship:

THE SETTING

Phoenix is hot, and in the summer really hot.  Over the past 18 years we have done aggressive ministry in this heat.  We have the advantage, as do the children.  We are acclimated. Despite this intensity we have the best experiences of the year together and look forward to this time every year.  Our ministry events begin early in June and barely break for more than a one week rest and finish up early in August.  I can say with many people resonating with me, that this summer, should you decide to serve here, will radically change your life. 

OUR WORK

The summer ministries are a combination of preparing for the programs and doing them.  Once you arrive, you will jump right in.  You will be working daily with a team of people all of whom are summer staff.  This team becomes like family to you, and you will stay in touch with them for years to come.

For the first few weeks you are sharing the day with a morning training time, then “jobs” which is our word for the preparation work doing the details of the program prep, and then getting out into the community, going into homes and getting kids registered for the different programs.  Here it really helps if you know Spanish or want to.

Once Jr. High Kids Club (150 kids) begins, the programs are pretty much back to back.  A week interval follows this first camp (where you are working like crazy to get the next program ready), then Kids Club (550 kids) for two weeks, we rest a bit, then comes a week in Mexico, and then a week in the mountains of AZ, a beautiful respite in the cool pines.

These programs are high energy.  During program weeks you live with your co-workers (up to 80 with Kids Club).  All programs are lots of work, and are very spiritual.  In the middle of the summer, you begin to feel as if you have been here all your life.

THE TRAINING

It is important to us that you leave us at the end of the summer having grown in your faith, your understanding of God’s grace, your awareness of His heart for the poor and a beginning in the development of a healthy urban missiology.  You will be reading, will participate in class sessions, journal, interact, and have experiencial opportunities where you will be stretched in your thinking.  We also pray a lot and practice precious times of extended prayer.

DATES

The summer internship begins May 24 and ends August 3.  You can come early, if you would like.  For those of you who are not through with school that early, we will make special arrangements for you.  If it is feasible, because you live close enough, all summer interns attend an urban youth training in Azuza, California.  uywi.org (May 18-20)  We pay for your registration and housing but not your travel expenses to the conference.

WHERE YOU LIVE AND WHAT TO BRING

          We make arrangements for your living here.  Like I already mentioned, for quite a few of the camps, you will be living on site.  The rest of the time you will live with a ministry family or in one of our intern homes.

          You’ll bring summer clothes, lots of sun screen, a few warm clothes for the north, and then what you would love to have, things that are personal.  You will be in the Word a lot and so your Bible and other books are essential.

HOW YOU GET STARTED

1.     TWO REFERRALS – Once you have decided that this might be something you want to do, send me a short reply, following this send two written referrals from someone who knows you well and represents the caring authorities in your life.  Do this right away.  Your referral letters can be sent to me email:  kit.danley @ nmaz.net

2.     FUND-RAISING – Then I will send you an example of a fund-raising letter.  You are raising $2,000.00, all but $200.00, you get back at the end of the summer.  (This $200.00 is your spending money, $100/ month) Your fund-raising is for you, so that you will not spend a long time with us, for no remuneration.  My challenge to you is that your letter be in the mail by Feb.  And that you send 40 or so letters.  You can pull off photos from our web page to add to your letter.  There are all sorts of references to the summer programs on our web to quote.  When you get this far, I will walk you through this process in detail over the email.

 WHO ELSE SENDS SUMMER INTERNS HERE

1.     Food for the Hungry

2.     Nehemiah Urban Ministry, Inc.

3.     Navigators

4.     Local Phoenix churches and ministries

5.     And hopefully some of the entities that you represent!

How does this sound?  I hope I have covered the basics and you get the picture of what this very powerful summer internship offers.  We are always prayerful about our summer team.  We are praying for you.

So, I hope to hear from you soon.

God Bless you,  

Kit Danley
President
Neighborhood Ministries
1918 W. Van Buren St.
Phoenix, AZ   85009
kit.danley @ nmaz.net
602-252-5225