Paid Summer Internships!

Interested in applying your eco-stewardship skills this summer? We are offering four paid internships hosted by faith-based organizations throughout West Virginia. (We are also offering a week-long, hands-on program from May 16-23, see earlier post.) Those interested in becoming Eco-Stewards interns are encouraged to apply now for internships, which begin May 24 and last for 8-10 weeks depending on the site. There will be ongoing supervision and community building opportunities for each Eco-Steward intern. Interns will receive a stipend of $200 per week and housing will be provided by the host location. The deadline to apply is April 25.

About the Four Internship Sites:

1. The West Virginia Ministry of Advocacy and Workcamps (WVMAW) and Montgomery Presbyterian Church are located Montgomery, West Virginia. WVMAW is a Christian ministry supported in part by the Presbyterian Church (USA) that offers the opportunity for discipleship by partnering with those in need whose lives have been devastated by natural disasters or by the disaster of poverty in areas of West Virginia. This Eco-Stewards intern will serve both WVMAW and Montgomery Presbyterian and their related missions. For WVMAW, the intern be involved with many aspects of the workcamp ministry – from greeting volunteer groups, introducing them to the home owners, helping with construction and teaching, making sure the work site is cleaned daily, keeping materials onsite, and volunteers busy, etc. At Montgomery Presbyterian Church (where the workcamp groups stay), the intern will be the “responsible adult,” making sure lights are out, water is not wasted, care is given for facility, work with adult leaders to keep youth in specified areas, lead debriefings as directed. The Eco-Stewards intern will have the opportunity to lead worship as desired, and participate in worship activities. In addition, this intern will dedicate time to Montgomery Presbyterian’s community ministry working with youth in the direction of life skills, alternatives to at risk behavior, stewardship of resources, responsible citizenship. The community ministry is a partnership with other Churches in the Montgomery area and the building a program to serve area youth is a passion of Pastor Joan Stewart and others in the area.

2. Fayetteville Presbyterian Church and the Town of Fayetteville are situated on the rim of the New River Gorge National River where tens of thousands of visitors and staff come each summer for whitewater rafting, rock climbing, bird watching, and other outdoor pursuits. Under the supervision of the outreach ministry team from Fayetteville Presbyterian, the Eco-Stewards intern will minister and outreach to the outdoor community through eco-stewardship and community building projects including extending a community garden onsite. In addition, the intern will sit with local youth each Saturday morning at the Farmer’s Market as they sell produce and be responsible for organizing other community outreach events at the Church (possibilities include an earth stewardship Bible study, community dinners with produce from the garden, etc.). The Eco-Stewards intern will also work with the Presbytery of West Virginia Stewardship of Creation Ministry Team as a “Roving Reporter” traveling to visit faith-based organizations throughout WV currently engaged in projects to preserve, protect, and restore the Earth’s resources. This will include other intern projects and congregations in the Presbytery of WV. The reporter will interview people involved, take photographs, and gather data for newsletter articles and blog posts that will recognize the accomplishments of congregations and encourage other congregations to take action.

3. The McGraws/Ravencliff Food Bank Garden is a project of the Church of God Prophecy in Ravencliff, the Eco-Stewards Program, the Friends of Milam Creek, and the Rural Appalachian Improvement League, which seeks to provide fresh produce in season for the McGraws/Ravencliff Food Bank and engage community volunteers in helping their neighbors. The project will consist of a vegetable garden tentatively planned for the Milam Creek Park which will be cared for by volunteers and whose produce will be donated directly to the McGraws/Ravencliff Food Bank. The Eco-Steward will be responsible for organizing volunteers to put in a community garden which will provide fresh produce for the McGraws/Ravencliff food bank. The Eco-Stewards intern should have excellent interpersonal skills and flexibility. Knowledge of gardening is a plus, but is not required. However, the Eco-Steward should be ready to work in the garden side by side with volunteers. The Eco-Steward will need recruit and organize the volunteers to plant, tend, and harvest the garden during the growing season.

4. The Bluestone Camp & Retreat internship will be comprised of two experiences. The first half will be spent on location at Bluestone Camp & Retreat, serving during the time Summer Camp is in session. As a part of the staff, the intern will work in three areas. (1) Food Service — researching options for supplying Bluestone’s food Service with foods grown and raised locally and report a cost/benefit analysis to management. (2) Program — develop and implement an eco-education strategy that can be worked into the camp experience. (3) Facility Improvement — work with maintenance staff and volunteers to help Bluestone progress toward becoming a more eco-friendly facility.Bluestone Camp & Retreat will provide room, board, and the appropriate designated portion of the stipend. At the conclusion of the Bluestone Summer Camp, the intern will spend four weeks at the First Presbyterian Church in Hinton, WV under the supervision of Pastor Barbara Romfo. The focus in Hinton will be addressing ways that the Presbyterian Church can implement plans to be more environmentally sensitive in their day-to-day operations. Tasks will include researching “greener” options throughout the church (such as: cleaning and paper supplies, recycling options, and energy audit/upgrades). The intern would take responsibility for presenting his/her findings to the Session and the congregation. He/she will be available to meet with other interested churches in the area to share her/his findings and encourage good eco-stewardship. The intern will be interfacing with the community program run by the 4-H/ Extension Service; he/she will help with area projects the Extension Service/ 4-H has in place.

For more information about Internships, read here: Iternship Site Descriptions

To download an application form, click here: 2010 Eco-Stewards Program Application