Farewell Interns

FAREWELL TO OUR ’21-’22 SEMINARY INTERNS

As our congregation partners with Princeton Theological Seminary each year to host interns, we are so blessed to see them grow and flourish as they minister with us. From serving on ministry teams, to leading small groups, to participating in worship services, our interns have done an amazing job this year and we are so grateful! We asked each of them to give us the inside scoop on their experiences at Princeton UMC and where they’re headed next.

Tayler Necoechea

“My seminary experience wasn't exactly conventional because for almost half of seminary we were online. But my two years as an intern at PUMC has shaped my seminary experience for the better, and I am grateful for that. Not only did Skitch and Jenny invest into me as a growing minister and disciple, but the congregation of PUMC has truly cared for me in these past few years in ways I had never expected. Throughout my time, I have grown more confident in my preaching and pastoral abilities, and I have been greatly inspired by our congregation's willingness to say 'yes and amen' to God's call on their lives. I am truly inspired by the ministry of our congregants, and even through the most difficult points of seminary, I always felt like I could show up to PUMC just as I am, because our church reminds me daily that I am enough because God is enough.

It is one of the greatest blessings of my life to be able to say that I will be remaining at PUMC as an associate pastor, beginning this July. I have the honor of taking over our Children's Ministry, as well as Adult Formation and the Online Campus. As I had spent this last year praying to God about my next steps, I asked God to allow me into a space where I could be fully myself as I continue to grow as a minister. I can say with the absolute confidence that God answered this prayer. As I transition into this new role, I look forward to spending more time with you all as we grow in Christ, together.”

Emma Worrall

“Being at PUMC taught me a lot about community and worship, specifically the beauty of intergenerational worship. I have known this before, but every Sunday at PUMC was a reminder. It was amazing to be part of a community that had families who have been at the Church for over fifty years, those who just joined, and everyone in between. The Church is truly its people, and that was very evident at PUMC in the way that the community embraced the interns and supported us. Thank you all for everything that you did to not only further my education, but to be a community for me as well.

I still have one more year to finish my dual program (MDiv./Masters in Christian Education and Spiritual Formation). In the coming year, I will be working with the Center for Theological Inquiry as a research assistant on a research project for how the Church can better serve those with chronic illnesses.”

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“ NEW COMMUNITY ART Princeton United Methodist Church has truly been a home for GALLERY AT PRINCETON UMC me where I could be fed, grow, and thrive. The love and support I received from PUMC nurtured me enormously in accepting my pastoral identity and confidently entering my first step of ministry. The There are countless, lovely, meaningful experiences that I had through Princeton UMC during my MDiv journey: preaching God's words, teaching confirmation class, leading Worship Ministry Team, giving care calls, learning about diversity and being trained to be an anti-racist, etc. In each of these experiences, I received great love from God as well as from PUMC leaders and members.

Going through the pandemic, which brought the virus of hatred against Asian Americans, gave me particular challenges in the last two+ years. I learned that it is an indispensable yet exceptionally challenging job for a minoritized preacher to preach about her own minoritized experiences and to preach with a prophetic voice in order to initiate systemic changes. Thankfully, the diversity that PUMC valued helped me to be courageous enough to preach prophetically about my own marginalized experiences.

This journey has given me a passion to equip preachers of minoritized identities with theological foundations and preaching tools to be the ones initiating systemic changes through their preaching: how might a queer preacher preach to a non-queer dominant community, a woman preacher to a congregation that does not affirm women in ministry, a preacher with a disability to a congregation predominantly comprised of non-disabled persons, a racially-minoritized preacher to a white-dominant congregation, etc? To follow my passion, I will be pursuing a Ph.D. in Homiletics (Preaching) at the University of Toronto for the next four years. After the completion of the program and expanding my perspectives, I plan to come back to New Jersey and continue my ordination process and ministry, empowering other preachers and leaders in my new journey.

Each week and every moment at Princeton UMC has been so precious for me. I will never be able to forget Princeton UMC, and PUMC will always be my home. Thank you so much for all the love and support you have given me, and please don't forget me! Soon, after my PhD program, I will come back to NJ!

Ashley Gonzalez

“My internship has taught me so many valuable things about ministry. It allowed me to preach, provide pastoral care, create and lead small groups, care for a building, put together events, and many more things. However, the experience I am most grateful for is leading the prayer portion of Joys and Concerns during worship. This is a practice I will carry throughout my life in ministry. I am so thankful for the vulnerability that congregants expressed, the way I witnessed people mourn with one another and celebrate one another, and the challenge of not immediately trying to comfort someone or better their situation but experiencing their pain alongside them and presenting it to God, and the practice of actively listening to the prayers of others.

Beginning June 1st I will start my new position at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church (FAPC) as their new Director of Engagement. This will entail overseeing all avenues of plugging new church members into community at FAPC. I will be doing so by leading small groups, planning larger events, working on a "contemporary" worship service, and leading service projects. I am so excited for this position, for what 55 God has in store for me, and to meet my new coworkers. It has always been a dream of mine to live in New York City and I cannot believe the time has come for that dream to become a reality!” 5