Resources…

The pastor and congregation need to provide the student with any and all resources necessary for the student to accomplish what has been requested. This includes:

• Advance and clear understanding of what the budget is and how the budget is to be kept, including receipts, etc.
• If the student is asked to or expected to spend time with members of the congregation (children, teens, adults) and that time includes meals, outings, and similar events where money is needed, the church needs to provide that monetary support to the intern. This is a pre-arranged understanding. Students cannot use their personal money for this type of ministry. Please be protective of them in this.

Transportation…

The church needs to provide the necessary means for the student to adequately perform his/her assigned ministry responsibilities. If the student is given permission to use a family or church vehicle for personal use, the student is expected to leave the vehicle in at least the same condition as it was given including re-filling the gas used.

It is important for the student to be covered on church vehicle insurance or family vehicle insurance or both depending on what vehicle(s) are used. This of course is only if the student has personal and current vehicle insurance and driver’s license. Any special considerations/expectations for automobile use should be explained to the intern prior to usage.

A Day Off…

We ask that the pastor work with the student so that he/she has a regular day off. This is in attempt to keep the student balanced and rested. The student is responsible for his/her own transportation and arrangements on the day off. In an effort to be mindful of the short time that is available for ministry and time in each church, the students have been asked not to travel inter-island to visit friends, family or each other. The students are also asked not to have friends/family visit during the summer.

If there is more than one PLNU student on an island, they can coordinate their days off only if this is conducive to the ministry and schedule of their respective churches.

Mid-Summer Retreat

For about three days in the middle of the summer, all of the students will gather together for a retreat with a PLNU staff member who will meet them in Hawaii. Time is short and schedules are busy, so scheduling this mid-summer retreat is difficult. The retreat is intended to be far more than just a vacation. Most of the students are experiencing their first full-time ministry experience.

We have found that a brief time, mid-summer, to reflect, share and re-focus proves vital to the quality of experience and continued energy level of the PLNU students. PLNU will take care of all necessary expenses for the mid-summer retreat and will attempt to make transitions and timing as convenient as possible for churches and/or host families.

Youth and Children’s Camp…

Many of our students have served as staff at the Hawaii Camps. This decision is up to each church, depending on what fits best into the ongoing ministry and needs.

Optional Part-Time Job and/or End of the Summer Living Stipend

Given the high cost of tuition and fees, fewer and fewer students are finding it possible to serve an entire summer without income. In an effort to help, PLNU will be covering the administrative costs of the students who come to serve.