by Kate White

This summer I interned at the Indiana United Methodist Conference Center with the Rev. Dr. Daniel Gangler, director of communications. My interest in strategic communication and my faith background in Methodism made the internship the perfect fit for my summer experience. Not only did I gain professional experience, but a broader understanding of where my spirituality is rooted and opportunities available for communicators within the church. Also, my special ties to these causes helped me to create a more meaningful experience for myself. I almost feel overwhelmed from my whirlwind of a summer, but I’m so excited to share with you all of the insight that I’ve gained.
The first day on the job is always interesting. I set out my professional intern attire the night before, packed my lunch, rose bright and early, double-checked my GPS, allowed extra time for the commute (including Indianapolis construction!) and stepped off the elevator fifteen minutes early, bright-eyed and eagerly anticipating the unknown. Surprisingly, the first day was highly uneventful –unless you count that I left my headlights on all day and had to traipse back up to the third floor business suite to sheepishly ask my new boss to jump my car. So embarrassing you could crawl under a rock, right? Only, not so much. The incredible things that faith can do for you.
My first week or two seemed so “uneventful” because I felt amazingly comfortable –almost too comfortable. Working in a faith environment can affect your mood, work ethic, how you interact with others and ultimately your outlook on life. I found myself fitting right in because, well, I did. My boss and the rest of the staff understood the Church’s concept of “radical hospitality” and took every effort to make room for the new intern. I didn’t have to worry about my mistake of leaving my lights on because my faith told me not to worry and my co-workers reassured that it happens to the best of us. I further felt a sense of belonging at work and compatibility with the mission because I’d already been involved with The United Methodist Church for twenty years, an odd concept for a not quite 21-year-old to contemplate.
While The United Methodist Church wasn’t a foreign concept for me, I found that there was a whole lot more that I didn’t know. For instance, the organizational structure of the church extends far beyond my congregation and our pastors and their superiors. Without getting too technical, let’s just say that The United Methodist Church is a global powerhouse with several committees, global initiatives, annual meetings, active laity, various clergy and a thirst to continuously improve “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” As you can imagine, an organization that large requires a vast amount of communication to keep the ball rolling.
To fulfill the church’s needs, there are communicators at the national, conference, district and congregational levels. Mediums include:
• publications like magazines, newsletters, mail, email and bulletins;
• electronic media such as projector screens for hymn lyrics, mission photos, YouTube videos, sermon outlines, and congregational responses;
• tools for real-time interaction like video-conference calls, live web-streaming, social media and Skype;
• and resource archives like online databases, websites, search functions and physical district resource centers.
Most communication teams are comprised of editors, writers, designers, and photographers/videographers. Thinking realistically, which nonprofit has a budget to bolster their own media team? Most communication tasks fall to the clergy and laity. This is not all bad because those closest to the subject matter tend to be the best sources of information. Nonetheless, communication is not just slapping words on a page for mass consumption. Trained communicators must provide resources and advice to enable others to communicate effectively to further the goals of the church.
So where did this intern come into play? I mainly worked with my boss scouring the national news and reformatting it to be used at the state and congregational level. This meant hours of consuming information and proof reading. With my help, congregational leaders stayed informed at the state level and became gatekeepers for their own congregations. I also became the in-house expert on social media, giving pointers here and there about tweeting and blogging. In addition to editing, I reported about long-term recovery after the March 2 tornadoes in Henryville, developed and maintained social media platforms, executed a social media campaign for the Indiana annual conference, pitched the conference events to local media outlets and contributed to a 16-page bi-monthly newsletter. I knocked out most of my bucket list, but a few things remained: writing a reader for radio and observing the church lobby for government legislation. I guess that gives me something to shoot for next summer!
Aside from my time in the office, I took advantage of my summer and my resources by contacting local church officials and asking questions, attending various congregations throughout Indianapolis, and enrolling in a Methodism course, all the while building relationships with other believers. Those experiences were just added little bonuses that helped me grow in my faith and provided context for my work in the office. I wasn’t just communicating for the sake of communication, but for a larger cause. A cause that carries my personal faith and its likeness for the transformation of Indiana and the world.
In the future I hope stay involved with Meridian Street United Methodist Church, just a few blocks from Butler’s campus, and help establish a Methodist group on campus. As far as communications in the church, who knows! This internship has given me a good foothold and taste of the opportunities that await. I think I’ll leave the rest in God’s hands.