Summer ministry on Eastern Nazarene’s Campus is a time for students to gather and spend the summer in worship.

This year there are four summer ministry teams going on the road. The first two weeks of summer ministry consist of all teams prepping for eight weeks of the tour. Music teams practice their sets while C.R.E.W. teams tackle leadership techniques and plan events to run at various Nazarene summer camps, church groups, and youth groups.

Rebeca Portela says summer ministry is a good way to work with the youth “while also having fun and traveling with friends.” Portela is a part of Emissary, one of the teams touring this summer. She loves to talk about Eastern Nazarene College and felt a calling to talk about this college to prospective students while also engaging in worship all summer.

“Students lead games, lead worship, build relationships with teenagers,” says Bubba Snodderly, who will be overseeing the summer ministry teams. The relationships made during summer ministry can shape a young person’s view of ENC, and college in general, for the better.

Portela tells us each team has to come up with their own name while on tour. She and her team members felt that God was calling them all to summer ministry which resulted in Emissary as their team name. Portela tells us, “Emissary means a person sent on a special mission,” so it felt right to name the team after that.

Teams include: Emissary: Jesse Ruiz, Jael Bourque, Quinn Smith, Rebeca Portela, and Noah Corrente. Tethered: Paul Chong, Joanna Mohnkern, Sarah Moschini, Nathan Kindt, Elizangela Decarvhalo, and Brendan Bollinger. 1072: Moesha Daniel, Jannon Smith, Becca Hayner, Garrett Edinger, and Briana Taylor. Pursuit: Justin Reed, Brandon Jenkins, Pauline Gomes, Becky Hay, and Joey Fortin.

Recruitment is another big reason for summer ministry at ENC.

“One of the greatest ​recruitment​ tools for anything is immersion,” said Snodderly, who has participated in multiple summer ministry teams in the past. “Taking the time to get to know and love those you are recruiting. Personal stories about the ENC experience is what helped lead me to ENC, and I know it is the same for a lot of students who go to ENC.”

A big part of recruitment is the shared stories between prospective students and current ones during summer ministry. These stories are especially important for ENC’s summer ministry teams because there is the underlying factor that we are a Christian college.

​“We never wanted the students to think the church was a building, but a people ​through stories, friendships, and bonds,” said Snodderly entering his first summer ministry tour under his new role as Worship Arts coordinator. ENC’s summer ministry teams are looking to make that outlook a reality.

There are many reasons for wanting to participate in summer ministry at ENC. One of the main reasons is that, “​Students experience introspection as they learn about themselves, learn how to be a leader, learn how to remain calm under a situation of pressure, how to remain in love even when it seems difficult,” says Snodderly. He recommends that anyone who has the heart to serve to apply for the summer ministry program because it is such a life-changing experience.