Posted by Contextual Learning on 7/1/2013 12:10 AM
Every year at the Spring Cluster Meetings we have a discussion about saying good-bye to the internship congregation. This is the advice given to interns at that time. Supervisors hear all of this, but lay committees might find this advice helpful.
1. Talk openly about leaving and your feelings about it.
2. Accept invitations out, even if they were not offered before.
3. Pay outstanding debts in the community.
4. Have a farewell celebration -- accept gifts graciously.
5. Take time to say individual …
Posted by Contextual Learning on 4/1/2013 12:15 AM
In response to a student question as to whether parsonage value was taxable if provided by the church, tax accountant Mark Friesen has provided this information:
Like other fringe benefits, free or discounted church-provided lodging is usually subject to income and other taxes. To determine the fair market value of the housing provided to an intern, the church may check local newspaper listings for comparable rental properties or ask a local realtor for an estimate of the property’s rental …
Posted by Contextual Learning on 3/1/2013 12:20 AM
Pastors work in a complex financial situation. Their salary is frequently public and is approved as part of the church budget process. In addition, they have a unique standing before the IRS, both as common law employees and as self-employed for Social Security purposes. The complexities that result are often not well understood by pastors or their tax advisors, and there are specialists in the tax preparation industry who work solely with clergy.
But student interns are not yet clergy! It is important …
Posted by Steve McKinley on 10/1/2012 12:12 AM
Feedback is a constant aspect of internship. Feedback from supervisor to intern, from intern to supervisor, from lay committee to intern, from intern to lay committee. Sometimes, unfortunately, feedback leads to hard feelings. Sometimes, even more unfortunately, the fear of hard feelings leads people to withhold important feedback.
In a “Corner Office” column from the Sunday New York Times business section, Adam Bryant interviewed Andrew Thompson, the CEO of Proteus, a biomedical …
Posted by Contextual Learning on 9/1/2012 12:10 AM
Pastors and interns regularly deal with the question of how to make the best possible use of social media and defining the proper limits of the use of Facebook, Twitter, etc. Recently Pastor Keith Anderson of Upper Dublin Lutheran Church in Ambler, Penn., shared some good thoughts on this subject in his blog. Pastor Anderson is a good thinker on electronic media and ministry; we encourage you to check out this entry:
http://pastorkeithanderson.net/item/you-re-not-my-pastor
Posted by Contextual Learning on 3/1/2012 12:10 AM
Daylight Savings Time begins on Sunday, March 11. If you are one of our perfectionist interns, you will set your alarm clock for 2 a.m. when you go to bed on Saturday night, then wake up and push the proper buttons to set the clock ahead one hour. If you are a normal productive intern, you will set the clock ahead before you go to bed on Saturday night.
If you are one of those I-do-my-best-work-at-the-last-minute (meaning I-only-work-at-the-last-minute) types, you might still be …
Posted by Steve McKinley on 10/1/2011 12:17 AM
“Feedback.” This is a constant aspect of internship. Feedback from supervisor to intern, from intern to supervisor, from lay committee to intern, from intern to lay committee. Sometimes, unfortunately, feedback leads to hard feelings. Sometimes, even more unfortunately, the fear of hard feelings leads people to withhold important feedback.
In a recent “Corner Office” column from the Sunday New York Times business section, Adam Bryant interviewed Andrew Thompson, the …
Posted by Contextual Learning on 7/1/2011 12:07 AM
At the closing cluster meetings each year, we discuss saying goodbye. This is the advice given to interns at that time. Supervisors hear all of this, but lay committees might find this advice helpful.
1. Talk openly about leaving and your feelings about it.
2. Accept invitations out, even if they were not offered before.
3. Pay outstanding debts in the community.
4. Have a farewell celebration -- accept gifts graciously.
5. Take time to say individual good-byes to special people, one-on-one, before the …
Posted by Rick Foss on 6/1/2011 1:07 AM
We live in a “connected” world. CNN has “breaking news” all day and all night. Compared to the social media activity, that’s slow. I’m not aware of any intern who doesn’t have email and a cellphone, and very few without mobile connectivity 24/7.
It’s good to be connected. I hope you stay connected to friends and family, to parishioners and colleagues, and to community and global events. And I trust you are staying connected to God, as you pray, dwell …
Posted by Contextual Learning on 3/1/2011 12:03 AM
Daylight Savings Time begins the second Sunday in March, March 13, the first Sunday in Lent.
If you are one of our perfectionist interns, you will set your alarm clock for 2 a.m. when you go to bed on Saturday night, then wake up and push the proper buttons to set the clock ahead one hour.
If you are a normal productive intern, you will set the clock ahead before you go to bed on Saturday night.
If you are one of those I-do-my-best-work-at-the-last-minute (meaning I-only-work-at-the-last-minute) …