Cady Weidner delivers the sermon during worship at First UMC in Watertown, SD.

“Here I Am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night.” These words from the familiar hymn remind us of the stories of God calling people throughout history—including today.

One way the Dakotas Conference seeks to come alongside young people discerning God’s call is through the Elisha and Samuel internship programs. Launched in 2013, the Elisha Project invites college-aged young adults to serve as pastoral interns at a congregation or campus ministries beyond their home church, experiencing all the aspects of ministry over the summer or school year.

In 2017, the program expanded to include the Samuel Project – a similar internship model created for high school juniors and seniors to explore their calling through a ministry internship in their local church. This year’s Samuel intern was Cadence “Cady” Weidner.

“Cady was very interested in the internship before we even talked about it with her because she saw Alayna Nelson going through it the summer before,” described Pastor Bryce Blank, associate pastor at First United Methodist Church in Watertown, South Dakota, where Cady did her internship. “It became evident in her youth group interactions throughout the year that she wanted to dive deeper and explore what God might have in store.”

In her application, Cady described what she hoped to gain from this experience. “I want to experience what life looks like as a pastor. I also would like to see how to work with youth and younger kids.”

Because of the unique circumstances that came with a pastoral appointment change at Watertown First this summer, Cady was blessed to work with three different pastors on staff at the church: Rev. Jen Tyler Osterloh, Rev. Sara McManus, and Rev. Bryce Blank.

The internship also allowed her to experience a variety of pastoral duties, including helping lead Vacation Bible School, visiting shut-ins, and seeing all that goes on “behind the scenes” in a church.

“You don’t really think about how much goes into everything the church does,” described Cady.

She also had the opportunity to preach twice during the summer—an experience she discovered she enjoyed.

“I really enjoy sharing stories with people—especially in sermons,” said Cady. (You can listen to one of Cady's sermons here. The sermon begins at 25:26.)

But it wasn’t just in sermons that she found the joy of communicating the love of Christ.

“I like talking with people and giving encouragement,” described Cady. “I get to tell them they are loved and lift them up. Even in visits, you get to be there with people and encourage them.”

“It was fun seeing her confidence grow when she talked to people about what she was doing,” said Pastor Bryce.

Cady continues to discern her calling but feels she wants to keep working with youth or pastoring.

When asked what advice she would give to other students who might be considering a Samuel internship, she said, “100% do it. You will have people there to support you and help you, so you don’t have to be alone.”

If you are or know a student in your congregation who has gifts for ministry, we encourage you to contact the conference office for more information about the Samuel project experience or check out the conference website here.