Chapel of the Cross, Chapel Hill, NC

I grew up as a parishioner at the Chapel of the Cross, and I'm now a sophomore in college. This summer I came home and worked full-time as a summer intern at the Chapel of the Cross. I guess you could say it was part of a very preliminary discernment process. I'm thinking about majoring in religion and at least considering divinity school. This summer, I wanted to learn about the inner workings of a church and about what a parish priest really does. I wanted to try my hand at a variety of tasks and get to know a different side of church.

My job certainly provided the variety I had hoped for. I looked at different Sunday school curricula and tried to judge which would be good to use at the Chapel of the Cross. I visited parishioners in the hospital, in their homes, and in nursing homes. Some of the parishioners I visited have been living eighty years longer than I have. I sat at a table on the UNC Campus and recruited for Episcopal Campus Ministry, making friends with Carolina rugby players and Campus Crusade for Christ interns who were also staffing tables. I made bulletin boards. I researched public policy networks and ecumenical social justice organizations. I went to staff meetings, to a funeral, and to book groups. On days when I needed a break, I cleaned out the attic and the Christian Education resource room.

As I did all this, I learned that keeping track of all the events that go on at the church is a full time job; that the people at this church work long, unpredictable hours; that it's hard to visit someone who doesn't know who you are or why you're there; and that the people who aren't sure who you are sometimes are the most welcoming and interesting to visit. As I visited, I heard stories about grandchildren, girl scouting, and Eisenhower, and was asked to tell stories of my own. I also learned what deacons do; and that tootsie rolls never go bad, not even when they've been hidden in Easter eggs in the attic for a year; and that there is a lot of laughter at the Chapel of the Cross.

Most of all, I learned (or was reminded) that I'm glad to have more time to think about what I want to do with my life. There is no doubt in my mind that I will be involved in the church in some way, either as a lay member or as a member of clergy, and for now, at least, that's all I need to know. Maybe I'll feel called to be ordained and maybe I won't. But I am tremendously grateful to have had the opportunity to work at the Chapel of the Cross this summer and move one step closer to discerning and articulating my call - whatever it may be.

Thank you to everyone who met with me, who let me sit in on meetings, and who found jobs for me to do. I appreciate all the support and help I received from the clergy, the staff, and the parishioners at the Chapel of the Cross. By the time this article comes out, I'll have headed back to school, and to my Minnesota church, but I'll be thinking about the Chapel of the Cross this fall, and I'll be back at Thanksgiving to see how everything is going.

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