Theological Summer Intern: Martha’s Vineyard, MA
The Martha’s Vineyard Campmeeting Association, a religious nonprofit organization, is seeking a Summer Theological Intern to help us with our Spiritual Life programming in the 2022 season. This is a full-time paid position that includes housing. The ideal candidate is a person of faith with strong spiritual, organizational, interpersonal, and computer skills.
Dates: June – August or early September, 13 weeks (Slight flexibility as to start and end dates)
Hours: 40 hours/week, including Sundays
Pay: $13.50/hour
Housing: Housing is provided on our grounds: a simple room with bath and kitchenette, with access to a shared outdoor grill and picnic area, with parking.
About Us:
Since its official incorporation in 1868, and in an informal capacity since 1835, the MVCMA has been fulfilling its mission to hold religious services on the island of Martha’s Vineyard.
Originally Methodist, our services are now interdenominational, and, in addition to our own services, currently our historic iron Tabernacle is being used by several other local congregations, to accommodate their need for open-air worship during Covid-19.
As one of the few remaining summer camp meetings, which were a widespread phenomenon of religious revivalism in the 19th century, the MVCMA holds significance in American religious history. Our 34 acre grounds are a National Historical Landmark. While for many decades, the participants in our Campmeetings gathered in hundreds of tents, we now reside in Victorian Gothic “gingerbread” cottages, many of which date from the 1870s.
We are a community consisting of the residents of these tiny cottages, and we welcome visitors to our summer programs. Each summer we host weekly worship services as well as cultural and community events.
Location: Oak Bluffs, MA, on the island of Martha’s Vineyard; a few minutes’ walk from the beach, ferry, harbor, and shops.
Application Process: Please send cover letter and resume to SLMVCMA@gmail.com.
Job Description:
• Assist in managing our Sunday services (one weekly) and those of visiting churches (typically three each week). Serve as a welcoming representative of MVCMA at these services, provide oversight of the Covid-19 safety protocols, coordinate the volunteers, and strengthen our relationship with the visiting congregations. Oversee the transfer of the livestreamed services to our website and YouTube Channel.
• Work to grow attendance at our services and programs through creative use of media: oversee Spiritual Life events on MVCMA website, YouTube Channel, and Instagram; coordinate advertising with local papers and websites; distribute event posters; and expand our media reach.
• Edit weekly church bulletins (one per week).
• Develop a “Good Shepherd Program,” ministering to residents who are in need of friendly visits, focusing on those residents facing illness and physical and emotional challenges.
• Greet the guest preacher and spouse as they arrive on the island each week. Serve as a liaison with them, growing the relationship between MVCMA and these visiting clergy, and ensuring they have a positive experience.
• Provide informal outreach to residents, growing relationships among neighbors, connecting them with our programming, and connecting them with one another.
• Oversee the creation of a schedule of weekly Bible studies and actively participate in them, with a focus on welcoming newcomers. These Bible studies may be led by the visiting preacher or by the intern, at the discretion of each preacher.
Applicant Requirements:
• Strong faith and the desire to share God’s love by ministering to needy individuals and by growing bonds among neighbors
• Graduate work towards an M.Div. or related degree; intention to enter the ministry strongly preferred
• Strong social confidence and interpersonal skills, such that welcoming visitors, reaching out to isolated people, and connecting them with others comes naturally
• Caring acceptance of community members of diverse needs, political opinions, beliefs, and identities; humility and a commitment to build bridges across political and personal divides
• Organizational abilities
• The ability to work independently; the energy of a self-starter who shows leadership and initiative
• Social media and computer skills
• Writing, editing, and proofreading abilities; the skills necessary to help produce advertisements and bulletins for our worship services
• A commitment to helping our community adhere to Covid-19 protocols
• Ours is a small residential community, and the Intern’s interactions, on and off the job, will be a reflection on our organization. High standards of personal behavior, including adherence to Covid-19 protocols, and cordial, warm interactions with neighbors, will be expected, throughout the period of employment.
Additional Information
• MVCMA is a National Historic Landmark. We have our own seasonal Cottage Museum and community tours, and are in the process of organizing a database of our historic archives. A person with an interest in American religious history would find this position particularly interesting.
• If the intern prefers to do the computer aspects of this job not in our office but remotely, on island, that may be an option.