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 It was early June of 1981 when I arrived as the new summer intern at First Presbyterian Church, Auburn, AL. My supervising pastor, the Reverend Coy Franklin, helped me settle into my little office and then said, “I want you to know that I am here for you whenever you need me, but I will not be looking over your shoulder every moment.” I was grateful for the trust implied in his statement, especially since I was young and inexperienced and not even sure whether I was called to ministry in a congregation at all. I sat down at my new desk in this new church and thought, “Now what do I do?”

 Columbia has launched the New Leadership Initiative to encourage students to serve year-long, full-time internships following their second year of seminary. Students selected to participate will receive a salary during the internship and a scholarship for their senior year on campus.

Entering Columbia Theological Seminary in the summer of 1978, I had a firm foundation for graduate theological studies. At Davidson College, I had taken Hebrew, Greek, and a lot of Old Testament, and I had learned to write. And, having grown up in the manse, a “p.k.” [preacher’s kid],  I had been a regular participant in Sunday School, worship, youth group, summer church camp, and various retreats.