Equipped for Ministry: Reflections from Baylor Church Music Internships
The first Church Music Forum of the academic year featured a time of reflection from senior Church Music students William Booth, Eva Parker, and Bronwen Kirby. Over the summer, each student served in a four-week internship in a church music ministry, fulfilling their degree requirement for an internship that develops practical skills and pastoral leadership. Their experiences served to inspire the Baylor Church Music community alongside the joy of gathering together at the Forum.
William Booth served at Sugarland Baptist Church (Sugarland, TX), where he worked with the choir, orchestra, and praise team under Clint Kimmel. During his time there, he was given the opportunity to lead an entire service, and he shared that leading the service with the orchestra provided valuable experience and training in new facets of worship leadership. He is especially proud of his work and of the American Sound Concert, a profound time of worship and patriotic celebration. William expressed deep gratitude for the welcome, kindness, and care of the people at Sugarland Baptist Church and felt blessed by the ministry in which he engaged!
Eva Parker engaged in the music ministry of First Baptist Church (Waco, TX) alongside Andy Muskrat, with whom she is proud to have worked. Her work at the church included regular involvement with Sunday morning worship, the choir, and the music library. She was given her first opportunity to conduct a choir, a new experience she is grateful to have gained alongside exposure to more traditional styles of worship music. Eva says her favorite memory from her time at First Baptist Church was bringing her mom to a choir rehearsal and sharing the ministry she was involved in with her!
Bronwen Kirby served at St. Louis Catholic Church (Waco, TX) where she enjoyed gaining regular experience as an organist for mass services. Under the mentorship of Bret Parker, the Director of Music Ministry, her time in service was spent assisting with the children’s choir camp, Saturday vigil Mass, Sunday morning Masses, and organizing funeral planning materials. She was especially excited to have the opportunity to play organ at Mass, since she is an organ concentration at Baylor. Bronwen also got to experience tuning drums for the first time during her internship, which was a fun opportunity to branch out beyond her usual activities. She has shown much appreciation for the kindness of the congregation and leadership at St. Louis and is excited to now have opportunities to substitute for them beyond her internship!
In conclusion, William, Eva, and Bronwen are each grateful for the support and guideship they received over the summer and the opportunity for real-life experience that these internships provided. They feel that their time spent with their mentors helped to equip them both for areas of ministry they are familiar with and for new tasks they had never explored before!