2024-2025 Interns

Whewww! Day 1 feels like yesterday, and now, three months have passed. Reflecting on this internship, I’d sum it up in three words: Adventure, Growth, and Connection.

I had the incredible opportunity of shadowing Jyl DuShane, the Assistant Director of Logistics. I later stepped in to handle order deliveries while she was in Texas visiting family. This experience was truly life-giving. I saw firsthand how these logistics impact weekend experiences across all campuses and I enjoyed connecting with the inspiring logistics team (the picture captures it all).

This month, our intern class toured three different campuses, each unique in its own way. Findlay campus definitely took the prize because their hot chocolate packs were out on the coffee stands; hot chocolate is a win in my book! 😊 We, also enjoyed a retreat focused on Spiritual Disciplines, and recently, we’ve been diving into the art of crucial conversations, which couldn’t have been more timely as I’ve had to navigate one myself in recent weeks.

And today, I had the opportunity to attend a Strategic Planning workshop (organized by Mission Increase) with Bryan Dickman, Director of Finance who is also my supervisor. I can't wait to share my insights with my team and apply what I learned.

It’s been a fantastic journey overall, and I’m excited for what’s next.

P.S. Christmas is in 55 days! Of course I’m counting, it's my favorite time of year! 🎄

Oh wow, am I the only one who feels like September flew by? It’s true what they say: time really does fly when you’re having fun!

The attached picture shows what a typical Monday morning looks like for me with the incredible count team. It is a joy to work through envelopes, post entries, and prepare celebration emails. It’s so exciting to witness how God moves in the lives of givers.

This month has been quite interesting. One of the highlights was attending the GROW conference in Canton, Ohio, and sharing my learnings with some friends and my supervisor. Together, my supervisor and I are exploring how to leverage these insights to help grow and strengthen our legacy team here at CedarCreek.

I have also completed additional data integrity training and have been assigned more responsibilities, which I am enjoying.

Oh, and my supervisor tasked me with "The Maud Challenge," which is simply connecting with amazing people from various ministries and campuses to learn their stories and understand how their roles support the Church. This experience has helped bring me out of my shell, allowing me to interact and get to know the incredible people around me.

Finally, navigating several challenges this month, the series "Stronger than Stress" has been a timely reminder to take breaks and be mindful of how I respond to situations around me.

Overall, I’m excited to see what the future holds. Thank you family for your support. I am truly grateful :-)

Hello friends and family,

Wow, I can’t believe it’s already been a month since I started my internship with the Business and Administration team!

This journey has been nothing short of incredible, filled with learning and growth as I work alongside amazing, like-minded individuals. My first month has been a whirlwind of continuous learning, and I’m confident that this will carry on because, as individuals, we are meant to learn and grow - it’s second nature to us.

My typical three-day workweek begins on Mondays with the count team, where I assist with balancing accounts and providing weekly financial updates to the leadership team to support decision-making. On Tuesdays, I dive into understanding key aspects of data integrity. Thursdays are split between Finance and Data Integrity, offering support where needed. I have also had the chance to sit in meetings with members of the financial advisory committee as we prepare for the new financial year.

Two standout moments this month were attending the Global Leadership Summit for the first time and participating in Growth Track Refresh 9.0, but what truly made an impact was being part of my very first Dream Team launch. It was an amazing opportunity to align the Church's mission for the upcoming year with the Dream Team. Another significant experience for me has been reading "Making Numbers Count" with my team. We have been sharing insights during meetings and working on ways to translate complex data into simpler forms for better communication with 'non-numbers' people.

Overall, it’s been a wonderful experience, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for both for my career goals and spiritual growth.

I want to say a special thank you to my support team - those who have supported me financially, emotionally, with wisdom, and through prayer.

Your presence and support mean the world to me, and while a simple thank you may not be enough, I pray that God blesses you in a very special way.

Thank you and have an amazing day!