A Bluffton University senior from St. Marys, Ohio, is serving this summer in a Goshen, Ind., church as part of Mennonite Church USA’s Ministry Inquiry Program (MIP).

Participating in the program at Yellow Creek Mennonite Church is Shannon Thiebeau, a youth ministry major at Bluffton. Her home church is Zion Lutheran in St. Marys. 

The MIP enables students from Mennonite institutions to test their calling and gifts for ministry. Supervised by host pastors, they take on various worship, pastoral care and administrative roles during the summer term, including preaching, leading worship, youth ministry and hospital and home visits. Wes Bontreger is Thiebeau’s supervising pastor at Yellow Creek Mennonite.

Each student receives a $2,000 scholarship to be applied toward college tuition, along with a $500 stipend. In addition to the Mennonite institutions and Mennonite Church USA Denominational Ministry, funding sources include host churches and the students’ area Mennonite conferences and home churches.