student profile:
REBEKAH SMALL
When decided to join the MAYM program, she was completing her senior year as a religion major at Oklahoma City University. One of the biggest influences in her decision to enroll was the idea of having a coach in the program who would help walk her through both the graduate degree process and her first years as a youth minister. “My coach has made the transition to living in Philadelphia and taking on my first head youth ministry role much smoother,” she says. Her placement is at Lehman Memorial United Methodist Church in Hatboro, Pennsylvania. Rebekah describes Hatboro as a small town within the suburban hub surrounding Philadelphia, and the church, a medium-sized congregation “with a heart for its surrounding community and investing in the young people growing up in the church. Over the past few months I have spent at Lehman, we have seen so much growth and resurgence of young people in our church community.” Rebekah is grateful for the way MAYM classes have really helped her flesh out the administrative side of youth ministry. “Administrative work is not my spiritual
10 | Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
gift,” she says, so the program “has made me feel much more confident and competent in my ministry. I have learned a lot about interacting with parents and how to function on a church staff.” She also appreciates the relational nature of the program. “The community of youth ministry workers is irreplaceable. It is so affirming to have a group of young people your age who understand your struggles and genuinely celebrate your successes with you. “The balance of academics and experiential learning does give MAYM students an edge over other youth ministers who do not have this type of training,” she continues. “You will become a more well-rounded leader, better prepared to create a sustainable ministry, and you will have access to a wonderful community that many youth ministers crave.” Rebekah’s goals over the next two and a half years in Hatboro are to continue forming relationships with her students and to create programs that support them. “Most of all, I want Lehman Memorial United Methodist Church to be a place where students feel known, appreciated, empowered, and loved by God.” v
