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I had the opportunity to serve as the youth and arise intern at Irving Bible Church in Irving, Texas, located in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex. As someone who grew up in rural Michigan, I tried to avoid going to a big city in Texas for seven months as a 21-year-old. I told God “no” and tried to run like Jonah did when God told him to go to Ninevah. When I actually got there, I had a lot of peace that this was where God intended for me to be, and that while there, I would grow as a young adult who is called to ministry. The staff members at Irving Bible Church never treated me as just an intern but saw me as a co-laborer in the harvest.

There is something about the atmosphere in Wright Hall that I just love. Maybe it’s because that’s where most of my male college friends live. I just tend to see people up to some goofy shenanigans or just having some fun conversation while walking in or out of Wright. Plus, they’ve got The Dry Gentleman, where I can get a drink with a funny name for 25 cents. Although, I don’t really know what it’s like to live in Wright; the most I can do is hang out during open dorm hours, which I don’t even do that often anyway. However, I got some perspectives from my Wright "bros" on what their dorm has to offer.

Each year, the Institute for Christian Thought and Practice sends ministry students who have just finished their junior year of college on a seven-month, full-time, full-semester college credit internship called PRIME. PRIME stands for “Practical Research and Immersion in Ministry Effectiveness.” Current students and alumni of our ministry degree programs agree: PRIME is life-changing.

One of my favorite types of chapel services is when there is a student speaker. Whether the story they share is for the entire chapel or just a few minutes long, they always leave an impression on me. That made me wonder how Huntington University students applied to speak in chapel. I may have just been out of the loop or this information is not widely known to most students. So, I reached out to the Center for Spiritual Formation to learn about the process for students to speak in chapel.

Blake experienced ministry at a large church to be different than the way that he grew up. LIFEGATE is a contemporary, highly technological church that is also rooted in tradition. They record their own music but have liturgical elements placed throughout the entire service, showing the process of 2,000 years of ministry across the globe. Blake stated, “The way that you do ministry depends on the type of people that you’re trying to reach,” and LIFEGATE emphasizes this through their ministry.

As a student, I lived in Baker Hall and currently live in Roush Hall, but Livingston Hall was the first dorm I had a room. It was for a five-day summer camp right before my freshman year. I wanted to be in a dorm closer to the Quad and mailroom when I became an actual student, but Livingston has plenty to offer.

God made us social creatures, and some of us have a hobby or passion that we would love to share with others and have others share with us. The problem is, it may be hard to find people with similar interests. However, if you’re passionate about doing something in a community, nothing is stopping you from creating a club. Well, starting a club still comes with work and hurdles, but if you are willing to put in the work, here are some things to consider.

I sat down with Lydia Welch and asked, “In what ways did you grow while on PRIME?” She responded, “I cannot possibly list the number of ways I grew during PRIME. I grew most in my reliance on God’s strength and grace, being flexible, and not taking everything so seriously.” She discovered that she could thrive in ministry as an introvert. Lydia is very quiet, but when she teaches, she has a lot of wisdom and passion that comes from the relationship that she has with the Lord. She learned how to talk to people and be friendly at work by getting to know people’s names and smiling at people as they walk by, even though she is naturally shy.

We are into December, and with that comes the annual sprint to Christmas. It can be easy to get swept up in the relentless holiday tidal wave, but finding ways to turn the sprint into more of a brisk — figuratively and literally — walk will allow you to enjoy what many call the most magical time of the year.

Avery is a homebody, so traveling eight hours away from home was very challenging at the beginning of her internship. As she spent more time in full-time ministry, she saw her capabilities and how God shaped her professionally and spiritually. Avery has always made relationships a primary objective for her ministry goals. Forming relationships with students and staff members allowed her to become more outgoing, causing her to be pushed outside her comfort zone.