NGU Chaplains: “A waterfall of people bringing in people”
Caleb Arnold, Graphic Artist
Photo courtesy of Unsplash.com.
North Greenville University�s Ministry Interns department helps to disciple, and provides mentorship, for students across campus. They also have the goal of providing a positive influence for fellow students.
Women�s Ministry interns manage groups of chaplains and offer help where they can. The program is based on Exodus 18:17-23, which details Jethro�s advice to his son in law, Moses. He says to select capable men to help him lead Israel by taking on smaller problems.
Chaplains at North Greenville University have a wide set of responsibilities. Typically, a residence hall will have one or two chaplains assigned to it. They get to know their housemates, pray for them constantly, keep themselves available to meet and advise students with all kinds of problems and much more. They also look out for other potential chaplains.
Ruth McWhite�s office is full of interesting decorations. Most noticeable among those are the various bowls and baskets filled with candy at the edge of her desk, which fit well with her welcoming attitude. She started the women�s Campus Ministry in 2002 when she began to disciple and mentor girls from the school at her house. �After having many girls in my home, I realized in 2006 that there was probably a need for a female in Campus Ministry, which had previously been all male,� she said. �So, I called [President Jimmy Epting] to see if he would allow me to be on campus to work with girls there.� Now, she manages three female interns, who each manage their own groups of chaplains. She said that her favorite part of the job is having her interns over to her house once every month for a discipleship meeting.
Now, McWhite is working on building community in the program by starting a Bible study. She is also starting the Big-Little Sister Program, a women�s mentorship ministry that pairs Freshmen and Sophomores with Juniors and Seniors. She said her goal is to have a chaplain for every floor of female housing, so that the chaplains have an easier time establishing individual relationships. The biggest barrier in the ministry, she said, was that everyone is busy, and that it is hard to build community on a tight schedule.
Kaylin Horn is an intern in the Women�s Ministry. She began her chaplain ministry in her Sophomore year when she and her roommate decided to do it as partners. During the 2019 Spring semester, McWhite asked her to participate in Student-Led Renewal, which led to her taking a position as an intern. She described the chaplain ministry as, �a waterfall of people bringing in people.� She said that the biggest influence on her ministry has been McWhite because she is encouraging, sets a good example and is always available to talk to, and mentor, students. �She never makes you feel about not having enough time,� she said. She said her favorite part of being a chaplain was the opportunities to minister to girls by doing things like making coffee for them. She said her favorite part of being an intern is that she is more involved and has more time being discipled by McWhite.
At one point, the Men�s Ministry had both chaplains and interns, but it has recently struggled to maintain numbers. As a result, they only have interns who are not assigned a specific location. Jodi Jennings manages the ministry as a whole, but he quickly became busy. His assistant, Brett Plyler was recruited to help manage the four male interns, and search for more.
Not being specific to a residence hall like the women, the male interns mostly disciple young men they find around campus. They talk to other students and try to meet their needs, while going about their normal day. This could include anything from talking to a stranger in the line at Chick-fil-A, or being a positive influence while spending time with their friends. Because of their low numbers, they also have a larger emphasis on finding, and recruiting, more interns.
Will Ford is an intern in the Men�s Ministry He took this role when Nate Foster, a now-graduated student, approached him at the end of his Sophomore year. He started just after Jennings was put in charge of the program. He said that the best quality of the ministry is the interns� willingness and intentionality in serving. However, he said that they need to have more distinct roles, once the numbers allow it. The biggest influence on his ministry, he said, was Plyler. �[Plyler] has just fully devoted himself to the ministry, and really poured into it, poured into us,� he said, smiling. He said that another role of his was to speak positively about chapel. He said, �chapel, for Jodi, is a very big deal, and it�s a very big deal for us.�
