Service Learning Community Fellowship Program (Hawaii)
Mission and Learning Objectives
Summary of the Service Learning Community Fellowship Program
Kailua Christian Church’s (KCC) service learning community is an exercise in preparation for the environment of ministerial job prospects in chaplaincy, local church pastorship, and international mission that participants may face upon graduating from their theological institutions. Additionally, for participants interested in international mission work, this is an enlightening environment to learn about Christianity in context of historically colonized populations.
Participants will be held in supportive discernment while they navigate their ministry direction by a community that has years of experience guiding seminarians through their pastoral calls, as well as having access to and education from a variety of professional pastors and chaplains. The declining church is the fact of life for many seminary participants' future job prospects and has a huge impact on the durability of chaplaincy careers, as the funding and support for most chaplaincy jobs comes from local church facilitation. Further, Christianity in historically colonized contexts often operates differently than Christianity in majority Western contexts, and the nature of the globalized, post-colonial world will impact future pastoral job opportunities.
Participants will live in a Service Learning Community, collaborating with ministry peers to develop pastoral leadership and voice within local church and chaplaincy contexts. The program focuses on three key objectives:
- Envisioning solutions for declining mainline churches, including contemporary worship and outreach.
- Expanding chaplaincy with Hawaii's largest homeless service organization, The Institute for Human Services (IHS).
- Exploring Christianity's role in historically colonized contexts to understand its impact on future ministry.
Weekly Commitments (35–40 hours)
- Weekly reflection dinner with the Service Learning Community and Committee.
- Monthly or on-call spiritual coaching with Spiritual Director.
- Weekly workshop with rotation of guest Pastors.
- Researching church and and its effect on social service systems; the effects of Christian colonization on indigenous and vulnerable populations, in particular common populations in Hawaii; chaplaincy to individuals experiencing homelessness, addiction, and mental illness (reading materials provided)
- Planning, advertising, and executing a community event in Kailua (details pending).
- Designing and facilitating weekly spiritual fellowship conversations with selected demographics of the congregation post-worship.
- Visiting and serving in a chaplaincy and/or social work capacity at the Institute for Human Services (homeless services)
- Both missions at the church or the shelters should intentionally integrate knowledge of cultural practices into ministry work.
- Maintaining social media presence for the purpose of advertising programs facilitated by the service learning community.
- All participants will be expected to attend and participate in traditional Sunday worship service weekly and provide a testimonial summary for the congregation at the conclusion of their fellowship.
- All participants will be expected to attend at least 1 Council and/or Deacons meeting to help provide leadership insight.
- All participants will be expected to preach for a worship service OR teach a Christian Education class for the church quarterly.
- All participants will be expected to participate in the Aha Pae’āina of the Hawaii Conference United Church of Christ and participate in facilitating the Youth Event.
- Participants will be expected to take at least 2 trainings on Hawaiian history, culture, and spirituality.
Duties may be tailored to student interests.