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Last updated: January 31, 2008
Gayle Schlenker
Seminary Intern
It is almost impossible for me to believe that I have been serving here at Clifton for a year and one half, with only one half to go. A strange thing happens when you worship with a group of people every Sunday...they become like family! I remember feeling like such a stranger when I first arrived last fall, but “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Mat 25:35), and I could not be more grateful. Pastor Lynn has graciously included me in most Sunday services, for the “Children’s Time,” or intercessory prayers, or for reading scripture, and also in weekly staff meetings. In addition, some of my other duties are described below.
Spring 2007:
I preached my second sermon, and my small group from my home church (Providence Presbyterian), and my son, newly back home from 4 years in the Army, all came to hear it, which made it both nerve-wracking and exciting. But, I learned that John Wesley said “a preacher must be devastated by the text before ever lifting a hand to the congregation,” and so, now I know that it is actually a good thing to be nervous before every sermon. I also preached once over the summer.Our Covenant Discipleship (CD) Group continued to meet weekly, and I led the Women’s Bible Study group through The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. I think the opinion of the group was that nine weeks talking about the wiles of the devil and his understudies may have been a few weeks too many! It is a great book, but, perhaps, better read over a shorter time span.
I also led my first retreat as 15 women went to Meadowkirk on a beautiful April weekend to talk and pray with one another about “Getting First Things First.” The book that helped me the most with this was A River in the Desert, by Ellen Shepard, and we had a wonderful, refreshing spiritual retreat.
Fall 2007:
The CD group continued to meet weekly, using Traveling the Prayer Paths of Jesus, by John Indermark as our guide, and we are still finding that very helpful and uplifting. I taught the Wesley Ministry Network class, Simply Christian - Why Christianity Makes Sense, based on N. T. Wright’s book of the same name. Francine Maestri and I were co-leaders of the class on Sunday, and I taught it also for the Tuesday morning Bible Study.Spring 2008:
I will be leading the weekly women’s Bible study on the book of Ruth, and continuing to use Indermark’s book mentioned above for the CD group. I am also looking forward to helping with some of the classes for confirmation, and getting to know the confirmands. I will probably preach 2 more times, and hope to attend a Session meeting and some other committee meetings to gain some knowledge of Clifton’s working committees.Then, I cannot believe it, but my 2 year internship will be over. I love the giving spirit of this church, and the entire congregation and its leaders and staff members have been so gracious and patient with me that I will remember you always with deep and heartfelt gratitude. I wish you all God’s grace and peace in your continuing ministry with one another.