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	Youth ministry interns (from left) Michael Knoll, Steven King, Natalie Vanatta and Cristin Canaday will spend the summer learning the nuts and bolts of running a parish youth program. Photo by Chad Senuta

Youth ministry interns look forward to a busy summer

By Melodie Woerman
Editor, The Harvest

Four college students are spending their summer learning how to minister to young people, thanks to the third year of the diocesan summer youth ministry intern program.

Participants are:

• Cristin Canaday, a student at Kansas State University and a member of St. Michael’s, Mission;
• Steven King, a student at the University of Kansas and a member of St. Margaret’s, Lawrence;
• Michael Knoll, a student at Kansas State University and a member of St. Margaret’s, Lawrence; and
• Natalie Vanatta, a student this fall at the College of the Ozarks after two years at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a member of St. Michael’s, Mission.

The four will receive a small stipend for their work at a variety of youth events. They each attended and provided program support for the three weeks of diocesan summer camp in June and will provide leadership for two other programs: MissionPalooza, an urban ministry program for teens in July run in conjunction with Episcopal Community Services in Kansas City; and Happening, a weekend spiritual retreat for high school students in early August.

They are working under the direction of Youth Missioner Chad Senuta, who created the summer youth ministry intern program and oversees their activities.

Senuta, on the diocesan youth web site, describes the reason for an intern program. “We believe this internship is a powerful instrument of spiritual formation as well as a wonderful opportunity for vocational discernment. We need more faithful, committed and talented leaders in both lay and ordained ministry. This internship seeks to equip and send a young disciple into the ‘harvest field’ of youth ministry.”

Firsthand look at ministry
The four also will spend time meeting with adults who serve as youth ministers in parishes around the diocese, allowing them to get “a firsthand account of what youth ministers in our diocese go through every day,” according to Vanatta. They also will study two books that deal with developing youth ministry programs in congregations.

This is Vanatta’s second year as a summer youth intern; the others are newcomers to the program, although Knoll’s older sister, Katie, was the first summer youth intern two years ago and now works full-time as youth minister at St. Thomas, Overland Park.

All four college students have been active for years in the diocesan youth program as participants, peer ministers and members of the Youth Commission. Some also have been camp counselors and youth delegates to diocesan convention.

Their deep involvement with the youth program has spurred the four toward this program. Canaday said she is glad she can contribute something to the program that “helped me get through middle school and high school.” Knoll agreed. “The youth program has always given so much to me that it is great to get the chance to give something back.”

Vanatta, Knoll and Canaday all say they see some kind of intentional ministry to youth in their future, either as a full-time youth minister or in combination with another career. King said he isn’t sure what job he wants to pursue but believes the intern training still will be an asset to him.

“It will teach about ministering to others, and that can and should happen no matter what I do,” he said.