Internship Program
The Horn Creek Internship is an opportunity for young adults to set apart one year of their life in a simplistic, set-apart community of believers. Our purpose is to disciple, train, and equip young adults to love God and His beauty, serve Him and others wholeheartedly, and grow in spiritual discipline.
You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.
2 Timothy 2.1-2
We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.
1 Thessalonians 2:8
Check out the Horn Creek Intern Blog!
The Need
Many young adults come out of high school and college with questions about their future and their faith. Others have a clear vision of their future, but they are just not ready to settle into a long career. Still others want to experience something different and unique, that will challenge them in their faith, expose them to new ministries, and prepare them to be strong disciples of Christ as they step into the working world. Horn Creek provides a beautiful mountain setting and a staff team of seasoned ministry veterans, excited about pouring into the lives of young adults at Horn Creek. The staff ministering to interns have many years of experience in the church in the areas of worship, teaching, youth ministry, and administration. Through their work experience, classes, field trips, and mission trips, the Horn Creek intern will learn what it means to be a servant of Christ and His people in a camp setting, as well as be personally challenged to love God with heart, soul, mind and strength. It is important to note that though the intern will work in a camp setting and learn many things about camping, our focus is not to train up future camp directors, but future lovers of Christ. We are here to see young adult’s lives changed by the gospel, by community, by service, and by living life with our staff here at Horn Creek.
What will an intern have experienced by the end of the year?
Community
Throughout the year, interns will live, work, and play alongside 8-10 other interns from all over the country who desire to pursue a deeper walk with Jesus in a camping setting. Interns will learn how to live in community, deal with conflict, and live out grace with their peers on a daily basis.
Discipleship and Spiritual Formation
Interns will be required to have a mentor, read books, attend classes on a variety of Christian topics, grow in leadership through training and experience, spend time in solitude and study, and seek to learn from a variety of camp staff in different settings. Through retreats, worship opportunities, and weekly fellowship, we also hope to come alongside our interns to encourage and challenge them to live in Grace and joy.
Camp Exposure
Interns will gain a basic understanding of the camp-wide operations of Horn Creek and Christian camping as a whole. We will study Horn Creek’s camp model as well as the models of other successful Christian camps.
Biblical Hospitality and Servanthood
Interns will grow in their understanding of what it means to live under Jesus' model of servant leadership and in the spiritual gift of Hospitality. We strongly believe we are called to offer a place of refuge, rest, and spiritual renewal to churches, families, and individuals. As a result, we want to provide spaces where our guests can feel at home, so that God can open up their hearts to his work. We desire to develop young believers who desire to serve and put others first in the area of hospitality. By participating in our ministry partner program and our summer family camp program, our interns will work in a variety of contexts to serve and minister to our guests.
Relationships
Relationships are important to Horn Creek. We believe God changes lives through a growing relationship with Him as well as others. Our internship is structured to encourage relationships between interns and staff, interns and guests, and interns with each other. There will be many opportunities to get to know our guests, and we will challenge our interns to initiate opportunities to reach out.
Furthermore, interns will interact with a variety of Horn Creek full-time staffers, many of whom have extensive ministry experience in a variety of areas including youth ministry, worship, administration and more. Horn Creek families will open up their homes and their lives to the interns throughout the year, allowing these interns to get to know many different families in a personal way.
Ministry
Ministry is at the forefront of our minds at Horn Creek. We want to see lives changed, and we desire to create opportunities for interns and staff to engage in ministry to our guests and our community. A lot of our ministry is behind the scenes, but there will be opportunities for interns to have direct ministry as well. Ministry may be a simple conversation with a guest in a dining hall, on a hike, or at the recreation center. There will also be opportunities for more direct ministry in the community of Westcliffe. Interns will be required to help with youth groups, outreach events, small groups and worship services, or with other organizations in the community on a weekly basis.
Leadership
Interns will be required to spend significant time in roles of service during their time at Horn Creek. All interns will participate in serving meals and camp cleanup throughout the year. But, we are also looking for those who display the passion, skill and attitude in hard work and service to be given opportunities for greater responsibility and leadership at Horn Creek. There is great opportunity for leadership development in the context of the Horn Creek team, and we have high expectations for all who make it unto our internship program to excel in this area. In all cases, we desire interns and leaders who seek to find their significance in their relationship with Christ, not in their job title.
Joy
Horn Creek is a beautiful place, and there are great people here. We will challenge all of our interns to fully embrace this season of life and the opportunities that abound around us. Whether it is hiking up to a beautiful mountain lake, skiing in the backwoods, sitting around a campfire, or playing board games with great friends, we will encourage the interns to seize the day and live life to the fullest.
In Addition...
For those interested in medical training, we offer 3 intern spots to be part of our camp health care department. These interns would participate in normal work with the rest of the interns, but would be on call for any medical emergencies on camp, and be trained as an Emergency Medical Responder. If you are interested in this opportunity please let us know in the interview process. You will need to get the EMR certification before coming to camp. Horn Creek will pay for this training. If you are certified as an RN, EMT, or higher you will not have to get the EMR certification.
Descriptions of Internship Elements
Work in the Field
All interns will be a part of our working ministry team, providing the service for all of our camps throughout the year. Work includes serving meals, cleaning up from meals, guest care, cleaning up the camp when guests leave, work projects around camp, hosting groups, cooking for groups, attending staff meetings etc.
Class Time
All interns will be involved in discussion oriented classes each week. Areas of focus include: Creating the Environment - Hospitality and Service at Horn Creek, Faith in the Postmodern Context, Spiritual Classics, Spiritual Disciplines, Leadership, Bible Studies etc.
Mentoring
Each intern will be involved in a mentoring relationship during their year at Horn Creek. The purpose of having mentors is for the intern to have an example and a listening ear to process what they are learning and seek advice on how to grow spiritually. These mentoring relationships are specifically formed to create a place for genuine accountability and friendship with an older individual.
Family Dinners
At different times, families and single staffers will invite the interns over for dinners, desserts, fellowship, and campfires at their homes. This will be a great time for interns to connect relationally with different full-time staffers at Horn Creek.
Retreats and Off Camp Ministry
During the year, all interns will have the opportunity to minister beyond the boundaries of Horn Creek as well as spending some time away for renewal, spiritual preparation and fun. These experiences vary, depending on opportunities that arise and the specific gifts and interests of our interns.
Community Involvement
Interns will also be required to be engaged in ministry in the local community. There are numerous opportunities to serve in this way, and this is an important aspect of the program. In the small community of Westcliffe and the surrounding valley, there is great potential for significant impact in the local church community, youth and children's ministries, and other areas within and outside of our local churches.
Summer Leadership
In the summer, the focus shifts primarily to on-camp ministry. During the summer, interns will work a full five days a week at Horn Creek. The primary focus in the summer will be to serve in Horn Creek’s summer programs, as well as play a leadership role in the lives of campers and staff. Some interns may take a leadership role as a programmer, head crew leader in a kitchen, grounds crew leader, small group leader, worship leader, etc. We will seek to match the intern to their strengths and Horn Creek’s summer needs. The Horn Creek summer staffers will also look to the interns for leadership, accountability, fellowship, and friendship as well.
Recruiting
Some interns may be given the opportunity to go on recruiting trips to colleges for future summer staffers and interns.
Requirements to be considered as an intern candidate
Typical Weekly Structure of the Intern Program
Fall/Spring:
4 solid days of working in the field (goal is 10 hours or less per day)
About a half day given to staff meeting and class
About a half day given in support of local community ministry as a part of official interns hours
2 days off for rest, fun, exploration
Summer:
5 solid days of working in the field
2 days off for rest, fun, exploration
Dates of Internship
The internship will run from August 8, 2010 – August 14, 2011
Monthly Stipend
August 9, 2010 – May 13, 2011 $450 month plus insurance, meals and housing
May 14, 2011 – August 14, 2011 $800 month plus insurance, meals and housing
Process for Application
- Download Horn Creek Internship Application Form and 3 Reference Forms.
- Complete the Horn Creek Internship Application complete with 3 references.
- Mail to:
Sara West
Internship Application
6758 CR 130
Westcliffe, CO 81252 - Give a reference form and envelope (stamped and addressed to Horn Creek) to each of your references. They must mail them directly to camp…not back to you. Good choices for references are pastors, spiritual mentors, bible study leaders, teachers, professors, employers, etc. You will need at total of 3 individuals.
- We will contact you via email to set up your phone interview. We must receive all 3 references and your application before setting up an interview.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: We are currently accepting applications for the 2010 - 2011 program.
If you are interested in more information or have any questions please contact:
Sara West 573-214-0969 or sarawest@horncreek.org.