by Colin Ingram
Both left and right brained, Ripple summer intern Hannah Yoder weaves science and art together as she carves out her ministry path in Allentown bringing hope and health.
Hannah joins Ripple Allentown as a Ministry Inquiry Program intern. She is shadowing Ripple’s five pastors throughout the summer. Under the direction of Pastor Angela Moyer her service lasts from May 30 to August 15. Hannah double majors in nursing and art at Goshen College. When home from college, Hannah goes to Akron (PA) Mennonite Church. Ripple is a frequent placement site for Goshen College students.
“One of the important parts is living in Allentown,” Hannah said, when asked about fitting into Ripple’s mission. “Living here you’re constantly engaged with the community.”
With room to pursue her interests and talents, responsibilities include working at a medical clinic, creating a grief mural, starting a material resource center, and leading involvement in a city summer art project.
“It’s a lot of piecing together different parts of what Ripple does in the community,” Hannah said.
As a nursing student, Hannah works with the street medicine clinic that meets Wednesdays at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Allentown, where Ripple meets on Sundays for worship.
She may help coordinate an emerging material resource center (MRC) to gather people together and encourage serving others. The materials collected, such as blankets, would go to Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and be distributed around the world. In terms of art, the mural will include memories of people processing the deaths of loved ones, including those from the Ripple community.
The 10-week summer internship is part of the Ministry Inquiry Program (MIP), connected through Mennonite colleges and universities. A Mennonite Church USA initiative, the program is supported by Franconia Conference, as well as other area conferences. The program is designed for college students to explore ministry, job shadow a pastor, and discover ministry gifts.
“It’s a way to call out students who might have interest in church leadership or have pastoral gifts and give them an opportunity to try out their gifts to see if they’re interested in it,” Pastor Angela said.
In her free time at Goshen, Hannah is involved with Student Senate, environmental club, and Art Club.