By Sandra Dorsainvil and Kristin McAtee 

Many of us recall the first years of adulting where the world was ablaze with possibilities. It was also full of anxiety as we worked to discern which opportunities to follow. The StudentServe program has been a wonderful place for young adult Baptists to consider the opportunities of mission and ministry. This summer internship program of CBF has long been a great place for young adults to learn more about themselves and the call of God on their life. 

In 2024, 16 young adults entered this process. It was a year of transition with a new name, new leadership and several new young adults. For leaders and the young adults, it was a time of exploration, both of individual calling and the call of God for StudentServe. Where would God lead us on these new paths? 

One can assume that preparing a team of adult seminarians and college students to serve for a summer or a semester internship would be a walk in a park for experienced ministry leaders. No such luck. It takes preparation, prayer, planning, conversations and receiving God’s vision as well as attending to logistics. Rev. Kristin McAtee from Spring Creek Baptist Church in Oklahoma City and Rev. Sandra Dorsainvil, Ministry Coach and Retreat Facilitator, Founder of CONNECT-SD.COM were contacted at different times for different purposes.  

I, Sandra, was contracted by Rev. Laura Ayala, Director of Global Mission, to provide emotional and spiritual preparation. I applaud that Ayala put a high value on preparation of these student interns before the start of their service time. Many hours of reading, planning, praying, researching, making inquiries went into my preparation process. Each team being prepared is different even if the over-arching topics to be covered are the same. The How, What, Why and When are carefully crafted with God.   

I, Kristin, was called to provide spiritual care during the internship weeks. The preliminary conversations with CBF Staff enabled us to gage the pace of the in-person retreats and number of zoom meetings to be held. These preliminary questions enabled us to gain greater understanding of this newer program. In a way, one can say that as ministry leaders, we were going through a parallel process of our own emotional and spiritual preparation as well.  

We learn from the young adults. They teach us new ways of encountering God, new ways to invite others to encounter God. Their passion inspires us and reignites our own flame. We thank God for the chance to know them and walk alongside them for this short time. 

The young adults were all gifted in many ways. One of the joys for me, Kristin, of working with them over the past several years is the reassurance that the future church is in amazing hands. They worked hard. They prayed and talked and discovered. As always, some feel a call to ministry and others recognize it isn’t their path. But all of them have a broader view of what God is doing in the Church and the world. All said “yes, use me Lord” with open hearts and open hands, to be sent and be immersed in various ministry settings. 

 This experience is a gift to help young adults focus their gifts and calling, and in that process, to become better future church members and leaders. As ministry leaders responsible to plan and deliver informational content, our hearts were also open to God’s call, to go and serve in-person in a remote area in Troy, N.C. and in Greensboro, N.C. as well as on zoom platforms. All very different and unique in-person settings and gathering platforms on this new journey of Godly preparation.  

Some of the student interns served in houses of worship, some served online and others served internationally alongside field personnel in various ministry capacities.  

We, Kristin and Sandra, had not met before 2024, yet as sisters in Christ we both embraced the ministry of presence and how important it was to communicate and respond to questions students were bringing to us. God placed us both as ministry co-leaders for such a time. We both trusted the divine plan. We both witnessed holy transformations before our eyes.   

Jeremiah 29:11 “¹¹For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,” was the scripture that undergirded all our encounters. The formats of our interactions addressed varying learning styles. We went from information sharing (inductive style process), to contemplative quiet practices, to praise songs, student-led devotions, BINGO-type game and challenging interactive exercises to unpack how students were to meet God in the various places they would serve.  

We also dared to look at fears and challenging situations students could encounter, and strategies to tap into to amplify their voices. Students were asked to honor ethical story telling in what they saw when asked to share. There were key points God had called me to convey: work for students to remain God-centered and not consumer-centered, for students to be anchored in God’s Word and for students to be stewards of peace, mercy and love with genuine and compassionate intentionality. The TED Talk video from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and assigned reading materials from Spitters, Ellison, Fikkert and Corbett enhanced the experiential and heart learning. As you see preparing a team of young adult seminarians and college students to serve for a few weeks locally or internationally, is not a simple walk in the park. 

I, Sandra, witnessed siblings in Christ exhibiting care and compassion for one another during vulnerable moments. Students were allowing the Holy Spirit to guide them into places that might have been uncomfortable at first. They trusted the process, and trusted God to show up. God showed up in many ways for connections and engagement to be lived. What a blessed sacred journey to have been a part of! What a blessed journey to have seen the image of God along the way.  

Give thanks with me, Kristin, for the young adults. Give thanks for the leaders of StudentServe, Ayala and Zulma Zabal-Rivera. Give thanks for the leadership of Rev. Sandra Dorsainvil, a gifted retreat leader and trainer. Give thanks for the hosts who created individual experiences for each young adult. And give thanks to CBF for their commitment to young adults and to helping them discover where God is moving in their lives. We give thanks for all holy connections. 

Rev. Sandra Dorsainvil, Ministry coach and retreat facilitator at The Center for Career Development and Ministry, and Rev. Kristin McAtee, Associate Pastor, Spring Creek Baptist Church