Reflections of a Ministry Intern

This summer I had the opportunity to work as a ministry intern at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Yellowknife. Going in, I didn’t know what to expect in terms of both the work I would be doing and the environment in which I would be living. What I found was a welcoming and friendly church community that was supportive of me in my role as the church intern.

I went up north in order to discern if God was calling me to ministry. My studies are more geared to the academic side of theology, so it was my first time working in a church; while I was there I felt like I was in the right place and doing the right kind of thing. The job involved leading morning prayer services, preaching, and praying with and for the church, and in doing so I felt like I was serving others in the small way that I could. The clergy gave me guidance and training, and the congregation was very encouraging, complementing my sermons and sometimes even inviting me into their homes for dinner. Overall, it was an enriching experience that taught me a lot and pushed me to grow in faith, learning to trust in God’s guidance in my work and daily life.

Coming from the south, I had never been to the Canadian north before, and coming from a big city, I had never lived in a sparsely populated area like the NWT before. I came to appreciate the small-city charm of Yellowknife, and I even got some chances to see what life is like in more rural areas, like when Nick Kigeak and I went with On Eagles’ Wings to put on a Bible camp in Behchoko. My only regret is that my time in Yellowknife was cut short because of the wildfire evacuations. Taking everything into account, it was certainly a summer that I will never forget, and I’m grateful to the diocese for the opportunity.

Scott Mason is currently a PhD theology student at Wycliffe College in Toronto. The Canada Summer Jobs program funded his internship, as well as Grace Park, an MDiv student from Wycliffe who interned at the Cathedral.