The following post is from Jordan Mallory, a student at Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University and one CBF’s Collegiate Congregational Interns (CCI) at First Baptist Church in Tallahassee, Fla. This blog is included as part of a series of posts from CCI-ers sharing about their summer experiences.
What can I say about my time so far as a CCI intern?
The hours are long. I’m in a town that might as well be a foreign land. I’m doing things that absolutely terrify me. I’ve slept in two different churches in a month, and I wish that someone would address the very weird trend of First Baptist churches having communal men’s showers in their activity centers, while their women’s have walls and curtains. I absolutely love it (other than the communal showers).
This is my second time as a CCI intern, so I kind of knew what to expect. Last time, I was a recent college graduate clueless as to what my next step would be, and here I am three years of seminary later trying to figure out what my next step will be!
In a society that ridicules people when they fail at something, trying something new can be absolutely terrifying, but every good preacher has to preach that first sermon. CCI gives not only that safe place to preach but also a network of people preaching, teaching and exploring new ministries all over the country for the first time along with me.
De-glamorizing the pastoral life by allowing a temporary glance behind the wizard’s veil can work wonders in knowing if your gifts actually fit the churches that desperately need them.
When I arrived in Tallahassee and in the first few weeks following, I was on information overload. So many people, names and faces overwhelmed me. I mean, they loved me to death. I’m an incredibly extroverted person, but I’m horrible with names and that tends to cause problems when you meet hundreds of people in a weekend. I was happy to hear that I would primarily preach on Sunday nights to a much, much smaller group of senior adults.
The size was a relief, but I thought to myself, “They will have heard a million sermons in their lifetime and will tear me apart!!!” The first Sunday that I was to observe the pastor proved my expectations wrong. Some of the senior adults invited me to dinner with them, and I downed almost a pot of coffee trying to keep up with them. It was a connection to a part of the Church that I had never experienced before. It was my first communion with them.
It might not be the typical bread and wine, but sharing a meal as Christians changes the way people relate and enjoy each other. I started to become homesick a week or two into my time here, but I did not miss the place I came from. Instead, I missed the regular communions that I had every Friday night over pizza.
Sunday school is awkward if you’re new and so are services (not as awkward as a communal shower). But put a few pizzas in a room of young adults and barriers begin to fall. The food may be different, but the general idea rings true with any age group. My greatest realization that I’ve had this summer is the importance of these types of communions.
Finally my night came to preach, but because I had shared a meal with some of the Sunday night group, I shared a bond that melted the stress of getting in front of them. Someone pointed out the beautiful stained glass window of Jesus that would be standing behind me and with a joking warning said, “Be careful, Jesus is watching over your shoulder.”
Instead of panic, I remembered our time around the table, the laugher, the stories and the joy of Christ that I found there. The stained glass wasn’t there as a threat or a guardian of the pulpit ready to smite the unprepared novice but instead a gentle reminder of the communion we share in Christ.
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