A Massanetta Story: All The Things I Am

Alex graduated from college during the pandemic, spending the final year and a half fully online.  She then enrolled at Louisville Presbyterian Seminary. She was in her middle year there, and feeling a bit uncertain about what kind of ministry or work this education would lead her to. Alex had some great role models and ideas about ministry, but was still discerning her own place in the church.

Alex came to Massanetta in 2023, serving as a Summer Program Intern. She was hopeful to meet new people and see some different examples of what ministry could be like. Arriving with an openness to trying new things, Alex helped with everything from checking in guests to organizing program supplies to making housing charts. She also had the opportunity to serve as a Middle School Conference workshop director, and assisted every Massanetta department from housekeeping to Netta Day Camp. In all of these experiences, she felt met with encouragement and a sense of community. “There was a lot of room for all the things I am—not only somebody employed, but a human being.”

After serving at Massanetta, Alex is returning for her final year of seminary with a new sense of excitement about her future, and less pressure to have it all figured out. Her exposure to and participation in many different models of ministry and leadership was transformative. Alex met people from all kinds of churches, reminding her of the variety of gifts and experiences that make up the church. She had opportunities to support and be supported. She completed the internship not only more aware of the many possibilities for her own future, but also having witnessed the interconnectedness of the greater church at Massanetta.

The Massanetta community’s generosity makes stories of acceptance, calling, and interconnectedness like Alex’s possible. We are grateful for the many ways all people come together here to share in ministry together, helping lift up new leaders and offering renewal to all who gather at Massanetta.