Elijah Collective

First United Methodist Church of Chula Vista has spent the last five years investing in the future of our young adults by providing paid internships to San Diego State University Students. These interns work in various ministry areas, some secular and some with a religious focus, with the vision of growing their skills, providing jobs, and adding a youthful touch to all things happening at our church. We believe that these young adults are the future, and we’re here to invest in them.

The Elijah Collective was created out of a desire to engage college students in servant ministry and life-changing conversations about passion, purpose, and call.

@ SDSU

Intern Positions

The Elijah Collective internship is currently set up with seven internship positions in mind. Each position will have its own tasks, learning objectives, and requirements that help develop the intern's skills and find a way to tie that into the work of the Church. At the end of the year, we aim to have each intern put together a portfolio of projects they’ve accomplished in their ministry area that can help them find a job in their chosen careers post-graduation.

Want to learn more about these ministry areas? Check out the roles and descriptions that we’ve put together for this year.

Note: This is not a comprehensive list; your supervisor may alter, add, or remove assignments as necessary

  • Our children’s ministry intern is heavily involved with our Director of Chirstian Education and helps out with a variety of children’s ministry responsibilities. In the past, this has looked like creating Sunday School curriculum, teaching lessons, planning our Summer VBS program, and supporting Children’s Ministry events like our Fall Festival.

    People who would excel in this role are those who plan to work with children, become teachers, event planners, communications majors, and similar positions.

  • Our Choral music intern works directly with our music staff to help lead our youngest choirs, assist in directing our teen choirs, do administrative work for the music program, research and implement new warmups/repertoire, and plan our seasonal choir events.

    People who would excel in this role are those with choral experience, music majors, and those who are passionate about choral music.

  • Our communications intern will work directly with our Pastor, Office manager, and graphic designer on advertisements, seasonal campaign developments, or even create strategic social media plans for our Church.

    People who would excel in this role would be communications majors, social media majors, graphic design majors, photographers, and anyone with a skill in social media.

  • Our Finance & Administration intern works directly with our Director of Finance and Office Manager to explore accounting software, prepare monthly financial statements, perform administrative tasks, create the following year’s budget, and more.

    People who would succeed in this role are business majors, accounting majors, and other majors who aim to work in a business finance role.

  • Our Missions & Outreach intern works directly with our Director of Youth, Missions, and Outreach to explore organizational partnerships, create informative media (videos, articles, etc.), organize outreach/service opportunities, and spread awareness of all social justice topics.

    People who would excel in this role are sociology majors, anthropology majors, social work majors, women’s studies majors, LGBTQ+ studies majors, Chicano studies majors, Africana studies majors, and similar roles which aim to serve people and strive for equality.

  • Our Modern Worship Intern works alongside our Music Ministry team to assist in music scheduling/planning, research/song selection, writing/composition, leading modern worship music, and assist in leading our Crossing Modern Worship Band.

    People who would excel in this role are those who seek to be professional musicians, music majors, Christian musicians, and those who are skilled musicians.

  • Our Youth Ministry intern works directly with our Director of Youth Ministry to lead youth group activities on Wednesday and Sunday nights, manage digital communications, organize fundraising opportunities, and develop a curriculum for youth.

    People who will excel in this role are those with a passion for working with Christian youth of any educational background.

Monthly Campus Conversations

Campus Conversations are a vital part of this internship program. In part, these gatherings allow interns to lead in their own community. Additionally, these gatherings help to build a bridge between the church and the SDSU community. Finally, Campus Conversations create a safe and intentional space for your peers and other college students to explore the intersectionality of identity, purpose, passion, and call.

Note: These gatherings may touch briefly on faith but are designed to be inclusive of students across all faith/religious backgrounds and belief systems.

The Intern Experience

When you’re interning at FUMCCV, you’re welcomed to the team with an orientation that gets you settled on our campus. You’ll meet with your intern cohort and the Program Director each week to develop and check in on goals that push you closer to your professional goals. You’ll gather over a meal with your friends each month at our Campus Conversations to talk about things that really matter to college-aged adults, like budgeting, learning to cook, F.O.M.O., and body image, to name a few. You might join in on our annual International Mission Experience in Ensenada, MX, where you help build homes for those experiencing homelessness

Explore Purpose in Ensenada

FUMCCV sends a multigenerational mission team to Ensenada, Mexico, each January over the MLK Jr. holiday. Over the course of the long weekend, the church builds houses for families that are in need of safe, secure, and long-term housing. The interns of the Elijah Collective, and additional SDSU students, will compose a college team for this international missions experience. This team would be led by the five interns and include 10 additional students from the campus conversations that have been recruited by interns.

We believe this to be an important part of the internship experience because as Christians, we understand that God’s call on our lives is often borderless. Regardless of whether one is called into international mission work, we understand that we all are called into mission. We also believe that community is built through experiences like these, not only with one another but also with our siblings across the border.

Cost: FREE for SDSU students connected to the E.C.

Location: We meet at FUMCCV and caravan to Ensenada, Mexico via 15-passenger vans. students are welcome to leave their cars in the church parking lot for the duration of the trip if they would like

Other: All meals, transportation, and supply costs are covered - students are welcome to bring extra spending money for street tacos (highly recommended) and/or local shopping. YUGO will also accommodate any dietary needs/restrictions, let us know.

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