The Chapel - Communications Intern
Spring 2018
This semester I have been working on an internship at The Chapel, a multi campus church. The internship started mid-February and goes to the end of June, as a communication intern I have primarily been working out of their CrossPoint location that is located in Getzville. There is also a location in Lockport and a location in Cheektowaga, the Cheektowaga campus currently meets in the Regal Theater located in the Galleria Mall but is in the process of renovated a new space in the old Movieland 8 Theater, the renovated space will be turned into a church.
As an intern I work approximately 20 hours a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Sundays. I work closely with Brandon McClinsey who is the only communication staff member. Working with him I have learned how to prepare weekly slides that are broadcasted on Sunday mornings at all the campuses. Most often than not we have to create or edit old slides and or make new ones then input them into a software called propresenter that then broadcast to a remote desktop at each location. I have also learned how to create content for the churches website and app, every Thursday we are emailed information for the weekly bulletin and I’m tasked with inputting the information into software used to run our website and app. In my time since I have also learned more about video production, although this is not what I do on a day to day basis, there is only one guy that creates and edits video content so Brandon and I often help out at shoots setting up equipment and checking lighting, angels, sound and whatever else may be needed. One other task that I tend to do weekly is come up with social media post, I love being able to have the freedom to choose what content and message we want to share on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. I have learned through this what times are best to post throughout the day and how to use a software called Buffer. This online website allows you to create post for all three social media pages at one time and you are able to schedule when you want the content to be shared. Weekly I come up with a list of ideas and graphics to go along with the ideas and present them to Brandon and get either the go ahead or not. More often than not Brandon and I take photos to go along with the content.
Brandon has also come up with a social media guide that he uses when new people join the volunteer communication team that serves on Sundays. This guide was a great help when I first started, it essentially was like an AP Style Handbook but his version. I was a part of the volunteer communications team before interning as a photographer. It has been great being able to transition into more of a leadership role on the team as an intern as well. We use a program called Slack to communicate with the people who serve on this team and as an intern Brandon had given me more of a role in leading this team. I create weekly schedules for the volunteers, type up Sunday plans (plans detailing what we are looking to accomplish) and tend to be the go to person for questions. This role has also taken on somewhat of an administration side with being the go to person for the team to connect to. There is three different types of roles on the volunteer communication team and they include: photographer, social media/stream operator and storyteller. Before becoming an intern I was a photographer but since becoming an intern I have also been working on social media on and the live stream on Sundays. On Sundays the social media/stream operator monitors the Facebook live comments and usually creates a post that day as well as start/stops the live feed that goes to Facebook and the recording of the service.
One other awesome part since becoming an intern is even just the spiritual growth that I have gained. A big part of the internship besides learning skills for a future career is also the spiritual side of things. It’s great to work closely with Brandon and even Pastor Jon and Christa Yak (the women in charge of me and the other intern) as they invest in our lives. During the course of the internship we are required to read four books and write two-page response papers on them. I think this is a unique opportunity because not all internships are like this, sometimes as an intern you are seen as a shadow and do not get to do much or learn much even about people. Here at The Chapel everyone I work with wants to know more about me personally and wants to invest both spiritually and personally into my life. Another unique opportunity that I am currently doing is while reading a book on spiritual leadership the other Intern and I have been tasked to set up ten meetings with other spiritual leaders that works within the church outside of out worship and creative arts department. While interviewing I got to know more people within the church and even just see what these leaders look for in not only a spiritual leader but a leader in general. I have learned so much by doing these interviews and I would recommend to anyone doing an internship to interview people they don’t regularly work with to know more about them and to see what they look for in a leader.
Overall I have loved my experience so far at The Chapel and I have even applied for a full time position with the church for after graduation as an administration assistant. I’m excited to see where the rest of the internship takes me and to see where my future goes from here.