One of the greatest joys of campus ministry is hearing all the amazing things our alums are up to. In honor of the Episcopal Service Corps (ESC) opening their 2020-2021 service year applications, I asked one of our alumni who is currently serving at one of their sites to give us an update. ESC is a network of young adults ages 21-32 serving through locally organized intentional communities that are dedicated to: Serving others in solidarity, Promoting justice in community, Deepening spiritual awareness, Discerning vocation, and Living simply. We’re proud of you Isabel!
My name is Isabel, and I am currently a Johnson Service Corps Member (JSC) in Chapel Hill, North Carolina! When I was considering what to do after graduation, I wanted a job that would give me rich firsthand experience in the nonprofit sector, but a program that would act as a good transition from undergrad to grad school and I found the Episcopal Service Corps. When I first applied, I had the option of sending my application to many locations throughout the US, and ended up applying to the cohorts in NC and NY. Every cohort is different in its structure, location, stipend, and focus. I ended up accepting an offer from the Johnson Service Corps because of its focus on social justice, size (11 members), and location (Chapel Hill-Durham).
As a member, all housing and basic food expenses are completely paid for, so that all I end up spending my stipend on is eating out, recreational activities, and gas. We spent our first two weeks in NC doing different trainings and visiting sites in the area to better understand ourselves and the cities in which we live! Some of the trainings included the Enneagram and conflict resolution. Everyone in the program was placed in a different nonprofit in the area based on their interests and experiences, and I now work at East Durham Children’s Initiative (EDCI) in Durham. We all work four days a week at our partner organizations, and spend every Friday from 9-12 doing some sort of training together. I have already learned so much at my job with EDCI and have made such good friends with the members in JSC! If you have any questions about the program or Episcopal Service Corps, let me know and we can chat.
Do you have an alum you’d like to hear from? Email StAsAtUK@gmail.com with the name of the person you’d like to spotlight and I’ll reach out to them.
St. Augustine's Chapel 