In 2015, the United Thank Offering (UTO) Board launched the Julia Chester Emery internship program for young adults in honor of the countless women who served as UTO missionaries. The 2021-2022 internship will be a collaborative effort between The Episcopal Church’s Reconciliation, Justice, and Creation Care team (RJCC) and the Johnson Service Corp House (JSC), a part of Episcopal Service Corps, located in Chapel Hill or Durham, North Carolina.

“The UTO Board is so excited to continue to deepen our relationship with the RJCC team by working together to provide this unique internship which we hope will encourage a young person to think critically about creation care, justice, race, gratitude and help us grow in new ways from their ideas and questions,” shared the Rev. Canon Heather Melton, staff officer, UTO.

As a part of their work with RJCC, the intern will support programs such as Sacred-Ground: A Film Based Series on Race and Faith, providing input on the development of materials for youth and young adults. They will work with staff on the Racial Justice Healing Inventory, the Episcopal Asset Map, and gain experience with grant processes both through UTO and Becoming Beloved Community in addition to collaborating on new initiatives for UTO. The intern can also choose projects of interest to them and their future. The hope is that the RJCC team and this internship will build skills, build capacity, and build resumes.

“We’re excited about this partnership and believe that it will be a wonderful opportunity for a young adult. Through JSC you will live in an intentional community of your peers, deepen your faith by learning new spiritual practices, and receive training on a variety of social justice topics. Our program will provide a supportive environment to make this internship a deeply meaningful experience,” said Andrew Hudgins, Johnson Service Corp Program director.

Storytelling, through writing, is a key focus of this internship. Successful applicants will enjoy writing and be excited about telling the stories of what Episcopalians are doing to address racism, justice, creation care and gratitude. They must also show a willingness to participate on a team. Applicants need to be proficient in Microsoft Office programs, collaboration software, and social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Due to the pandemic, travel will be limited to attending the 2022 General Convention.

People of color and women are strongly encouraged to apply.

The internship includes housing at one of the Johnson Service Corp houses, travel costs for General Convention, a monthly stipend, trainings and intentional mentoring, and begins mid-August, 2021.

To learn more about the Johnson Service Corp, visit https://johnsonservicecorps.org.

To learn about the work of the RJCC team visit https://www.episcopalchurch.org/ministries/racial-reconciliation/, https://www.episcopalchurch.org/ministries/creation-care/ or www.episcopalchurch.org/uto

For additional information, contact Melton, 212-922-5130.