"Kim Hampton Chosen as 2010-2011 Ministerial Intern" Memo by Rev. Thomas Schade

Rev. Schade announces that Kimberly Hampton has been chosen as the 2010-2011 Ministerial Intern. Ms. Hampton is a student at Earlham School of Religion in Richmond, Indiana, a Quaker seminary. She is expecting to graduate in 2011.

Ms. Hampton is a 1997 graduate of Texas Women’s University in Denton, Texas.

Ms. Hampton began her involvement with Unitarian Universalism in St. Louis becoming active in the First Unitarian Church of St. Louis. She has been lay member of the Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship for over 10 years, and served on their national Board of Directors from 2000-2008. During that same period, Rev. Schade served on that board and he and Kim became friends. Tom was one of many ministers who urged Kim to pursue a theological education and become a minister. Ms. Hampton now also serves on the General Assembly Planning Committee, a national elected body that organizes the Unitarian Universalist’s National Convention, the General Assembly, every year.

Ministerial Internship is a learning opportunity for the developing minister, and consequently, it is important that their learning experience is directed at meeting their goals. Ms. Hampton lists as her learning objectives:

First, I would like to learn more about the administrative side of the ministry. I am getting a bigger glimpse of it now that I am taking a Church Administration class, but I want to see how this is applied in a parish setting.

I haven’t had the opportunity to spend much time with children lately, so I would like to learn about the depth and breath of Religious Education options available to Unitarian Universalist congregations.

Another thing I want to learn is how one goes about giving pastoral care in a parish setting.

Finally, I would like to learn how good my preaching skills are in front of an audience that doesn’t know me as well as other audiences.

First Unitarian Church of Worcester is an excellent place to learn these aspects of ministry, and the long relationship between Tom and Kim predict success in the learning environment.

Kim also writes:

I am a native Mid-westerner, born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri and currently living in Richmond, Indiana (right on the Indiana/Ohio border). However I consider myself a transplanted Southerner; my father’s family is from Mississippi and my mother’s family is from Alabama. I also consider myself a Southerner because I went to college in Texas (in Denton, 35 miles north of Dallas-Ft. Worth).

I have been in or around Unitarian Universalism fifteen years. My home congregation is the First Unitarian Church of St. Louis and I am currently a member of the Church of the Larger Fellowship.

For the past two-and-a-half years I have been a student at the Earlham School of Religion, the oldest Quaker seminary in the country.

I have a number of friends in the Northeast (my best friend lives in New York City) and New England (Vermont and Maine mostly). And I have a number of UU connections in the greater Boston area (heavily at the Winchester Unitarian Society, but also in other places).

I love reading, and my not-so-guilty pleasure is Harlequin romance novels. Rest assured though, I read in just about any subject. I also write, not much as I want, but I have lots of outlines for projects.

I am looking forward to being in Worcester and getting to know as many of you as I can.

Help is Needed.

An Intern support committee has been formed, composed of Christy Clark, Sue Stafford and Wendy Innis. The committee helped read through the many applications and helped Rev. Schade make the decision to offer the position to Ms. Hampton. If you are interested in helping our intern, discuss being on the intern committee with Rev. Schade.

Kim will be starting work on August 16, 2010. Before then, she will need to find a suitable living situation here in Worcester. If you have any information about an economical apartment that would be good for a low-paid intern, please contact Rev. Schade as soon as possible.

Same for a car. Kim does not now own a car, now and would need one to be effective here. Any information that can help?