Program Membership Information
Internship Programs that receive the benefit of membership in the Episcopal Service Corps are in agreement with the vision statement of ESC.
ESC programs are at least nine months in length and adhere to the following practices:
- Intentional Christian Community
ESC believes that interns grow through living with other Christians while trying to practice the ancient ways of the faith intentionally, including eating and praying together. This communal lifestyle is counter-cultural, and in some ways monastic. Through this experience, interns come to a deep understanding of how their actions affect others. Communal living is an attempt to live out Jesus' commandment to love neighbor as self in a literal and intentional way. - Service of others in solidarity, promoting justice through community
Through non-profits, parishes, or both, interns work alongside the people in their neighborhoods. Jesus was just as likely to spend his time with a poor leper as he was a temple leader. Therefore interns practice this lifestyle as a means of promoting a more just and sustainable world. Global ideals are brought about through local action. The action of living in solidarity is sacramental. It is an outward visible sign of God's inward spiritual grace and love for the world. - Deepening of spiritual awareness and vocational discernment
Throughout the experience in each of the programs, interns are asked, “Where is God in all this?” Through different methods, from spiritual direction, to Eucharist, to Bible Study, to journaling, interns are invited to reflect on their experience, to build a capacity to spot God in their daily lives, and develop a language to articulate their experience of God. Often interns go on to pursue advanced theological education. ESC provides interns with a base of life in prayer that sustains them in their future ministries. - Simple Living
The slogan "Live simply so that others may simply live," is often attributed to Ghandi, and it effectively describes what ESC means by simple living. Simple living promotes trust in God for providence, and not in the world or self. - Hosting Episcopal parish and/or other relationship to an Episcopal entity
The traditions of the Episcopal Church/Anglicanism function as a starting point for these programs. Interns from other Christian traditions or faiths are welcomed, but the Episcopal Church is the primary conversation partner. The church is an agent of transformation for the interns, but the interns also transform the church through their commitment to justice and peace.
The benefits of membership include but are not limited to the following:
- Recruiting via the common application, website, publications, and recruiting trips to campuses by the Executive Director, other program directors, and/or alumni
- Community of support around program directors
- Share knowledge, new tools, and best practices
- Retreats for interns and continuing education for directors
- Working with ESC for financial sustainability