IDEA Corps Intern: Chase Felder

Internship: Journey UMC in Temple Hills, focusing on community development
Supervisor: Rev. Michael Parker 
Attends: North Carolina A&T State University, NC

Hello All! I’m from PG County, MD. I’m a Speech-Language Pathology student at North Carolina A&T State University. Through the IDEA Corp Internship program, I have the pleasure of working with my placement, Journey United Methodist Church. There, I hope to embark on a journey full of learning, reconnecting, and leading. Two fun facts about are: I spent all of my high school career learning American Sign Language and helped out other students as a tutor occasionally. I’m still currently learning the language as it changes everyday. My favorite color is blue.

Week 1

As the first week of the IDEA Corp. internship comes to a close, I can confidently say that I believe the next five weeks will be a great resource for me reengaging with both the church and my community. Since I moved on campus for college, I haven't really had the opportunity to be as engaged with my church or my community for that matter. 

Having been an active member growing up in the church, I now feel somewhat disconnected and unsure of how to reengage in ministry. For years liturgical dancing had been the ministry I was most active in, but I now find the passion is no longer there. Signing/American Sign Language (ASL) has become the ministry I naturally moved to since it was the foreign language I was studying in high school and a ministry that wasn't present at Gethsemane. 

But now what? Where do I go from here? I'm hoping this internship will allow me to re-engage in ministry in a way that aligns a little more to where I am in life where I am in life. Within this internship, I’ve been granted the opportunity to connect with a church I’m quite familiar with — Journey United Methodist Church (formerly known as The United Methodist Church of the Redeemer) in the Temple Hills/Hillcrest Heights area. Up until recently moving to Brandywine, MD, the area of Temple Hills and that church were home for me. This is a community I know very well. When I was initially asked what I wanted to focus on for a community project/event for this community, I was stuck. 

Just as I have disconnected with my current church due to being back at school, I felt an even bigger disconnection from a place I had grown up in since I was a little girl. However, being back in the community for that first week, immediately reopened my eyes to the much-needed changes this community, in particular, required. However, the questions I had to ask myself were: What can I do? and How can I help? 

Throughout the week, three ideas came to mind about what I thought would aim to help this community the most. One of the justice issues that we’ve seen around the world recently has been the overwhelming increase of gun violence. Again, we’ve seen how this world has been impacted to no end with losing friends and family members in such an horrific way, but again what can I do to help this community with this? An event that focuses on this matter as well as acting as a fuel to learn more about mental health could assist this area. Another idea that I think this community could acting as a fuel to learn more about mental health could assist this area. Another idea that I think this community could really benefit from is an event project centered around the insufficiency of quality grocery stores & inaccessibility to fresh produce. As I lived in the Temple Hills area for the majority of my life, I know that quality grocery stores aren’t really accessible to that community. 

So, how can I help? The last idea would cater to Journey United Methodist Church’s Christian academy specifically. If I can, teaching the little kids even a small bit of American Sign Language could be such a great thing for not only the children, but their parents and teachers as well. This may open their eyes up to something that they had never been aware of before and they may leave appreciating and loving the language as much as I’ve grown to. I continue to ask myself: which idea would be more feasible? Who would support any of these matters? Regardless of those questions, if I can make even a small impact on this community, it would mean so much. My hope within this six-week program is to not only reengage, but to offer some sort of hope that this community can change for the better.  

Week 2

Growing up as a young black woman, many experiences that I’ve had have been tied to some forms of oppression, marginalization, etc. These actions that have been projected onto me, my community, have happened for a long time. Whether it’s getting followed in a store, or someone blatantly saying something racist, it's been the norm for as long as I could remember. Specifically, for me, one of the experiences that involved oppression or racism, actually didn’t directly happen to me but to my little brother. 

To put it simply, my family and I were visiting Greensboro, NC, and we’re spending some time at the local mall before we planned to go back home. My brother desperately wanted to go on the Bungee Jumping trampoline ride, so I decided to take him over. When we walked over to the attraction, the two operators told my brother that it was closed. After trying to politely have a conversation with both people, who ignored my brother and I, we simply walked away and my brother wasn’t able to get on. However, moments later there were two white families who went over to the attraction and were allowed on without ever having to utter a word. Of course, my little brother didn’t understand why he wasn’t allowed to get in, but other kids were, but I knew, my entire family knew. Seeing my brother, who was about 6 or 7 at the time, an experience like that angered me. It made me ask myself how can people continue to be so hateful? 

It also made me realize that the “progress” we’ve made over time hasn’t been as amazing as some people would like to think. In my perspective, overcoming situations like these can be a little tricky sometimes. You can find ways to stand up for yourself against those people with racial biases, but as long as your oppressors still find it appropriate to carry out actions such as those previously mentioned, nothing will really change. So, will we ever truly “overcome” or even get past any of these experiences? At this time, I’m not completely sure. Anyhow, onto something a bit more progressive. Today was definitely an enlightening experience as I’ve learned a substantial amount of information about the United Methodist Church history. As it relates to the IDEA CORP Internship program’s mission, Old Otterbein was a United Methodist Church that has appeared to always be about inclusion and accepting people for who they are. 

Bonnie talked a lot about both churches today, being very accepting of all races/ethnicities as well as the LGBTQ2+ community. Ms. Bonnie also talked about Old Otterbein specifically not allowing people to own slaves a long time ago. Oftentimes, in the church settings there may be racial groups or certain perspectives that are simply looked down upon because they don’t align with the “traditional” way of doing things. However, accepting these people from different walks of life to a church where they can worship and serve God is a great step in the right direction. 

Of course, it goes far beyond just the action of accepting them into the church, but again it was a they can worship and serve God is a great step in the right direction. Of course, it goes far beyond just the action of accepting them into the church, but again it was awesome to learn that even in these older, more historical churches with again more traditional ways, that they continue to be welcoming to all. Going into week two, I think that I’m still trying to find direction as it relates to getting instruction from my placement as well as starting the planning for my project ideas.

During the week, I had the opportunity to help with the church's food pantry and pack different foods to give away to those that needed them. God was present in that as I was able to lend a hand in furthering the accessibility to free food for the community. However, as we enter into our third week as IDEA CORP interns, the support I need from God as well as my supervisors at my placement all deal directly with successfully starting to plan AND execute at least one of my project ideas. As I’ve talked to different amazing women that have helped me come up with more ideas to go alongside my own, I’ve become more and more excited to start. The support that I will need in this process is detrimental as I want this project to not only be successful, but more importantly beneficial to the Temple Hills/Hillcrest Heights community.

Week 3

Growing up, I had the pleasure of always being surrounded by those that looked like me. However, once I got to high school, I was immersed into an environment where there were people of many different ethnicities/races. People that identified as Hispanic, Asian, and even White. Not that I had never been around anyone that wasn’t of any racial of those backgrounds, but it was still amazing to me to be around and get to know people who have grown up differently than I had.

I’m immensely grateful that I was able to be surrounded by people that come from different cultures because it allowed me to learn and understand their values, beliefs, etc. Over the last three weeks, there was a lack of direction and some confusion. However, I think as we move into the fourth week, my supervisors and I have started to get a better mutual understanding of what would be more feasible and beneficial to the community. Due to the limited amount of time to plan, and doubts of successfully being able to execute my initial event ideas, the plans have now been altered. We’re thinking of moving forward with incorporating ASL lessons into the church’s summer camp program.

As of now, I’m working with my supervisors to get everything situated with the summer program. I hope that this upcoming week that we will be able to get started. Despite the minor challenges faced over the past few weeks, I’m excited for what lies ahead. If the plans for my community project work out in the way that I intend, I hope that it benefits not only the children of Journey United Methodist Church, but the teachers and parents too. I hope that they grow to love learning ASL and deaf culture as much as I have grown to

Week 4

Whenever I think about immigration, tons of things come to mind. I think about the countless individuals that have worked hard and have struggled to get to new land to build new lives for themselves and their families. I think about how they migrate from other countries into others hoping for a better life and more opportunities. Finally, I think about how terrifying it must be to enter a new place where you may not know English and you don’t have a clue as to what to do next once you get to where you're going. They also must deal with some Americans who have certain preconceived notions of immigrants and treat them as if they aren’t worthy of calling America home. No matter what, we all deserve to have somewhere we have opportunities, where we feel safe, and where we see our futures shining bright. As far as my own family is considered, I’m not aware of the story as to how we arrived in America other than by a slave ship. I do know that some of my descendants were Indian, but again I’m not aware of their migration story.

However, that will not stop me from now going on to learn and understand the history of my family. For as long as I could remember, “church” was a place where all people were able to come together to praise and serve God. Church was another place people called “home”. With that being said, I can appreciate the acknowledgement the church has chosen to take note of within these social principles. Opposing certain actions and ideologies that are unjust, taking part in actions that promote inclusion, anti-discrimination, equity, etc., all while still giving individuals the freedom to do and think as they may.

These Principles set a precedent for all members of the United Methodist church community to do things and treat people with God always in mind and heart. If we choose to love and respect each other, we will always remain in God’s image. These Social Principles reflect that, in my perspective. As it relates to my own placement at Journey United Methodist Church, specifically about the value of seeing everyone in the same light as God would, I think this follows what I’ve been allowed to work on. As these last couple of weeks flew by, I've had the opportunity to work with members of Journey as well as members of my own church, Gethsemane, to teach a song in American Sign Language. Pastor Parker has allowed me to begin to open the eyes of both churches to see somewhat of a marginalized group as one that should be invited into these churches while being able to briefly explore Deaf culture. While I am not someone that can directly teach everything Deaf culture, introducing what I do know is a step in the right direction to begin to include them into our churches. Aside from the actual work I am doing, another social principle: Gender Equality is fully at play at my placement.

From what I have been able to witness firsthand, different women are put into places where they are allowed to work and do just as much as the men do. Even from the example of me being able to work directly with Pastor Parker as well as my other supervisor shows a great deal of how Journey includes everyone in all things no matter what. As it relates to migration and immigration, the UMC Social Principles: environmental racism, globalization, and dignity of work all aim to combat the issues we unfortunately see in America all the time. However, with the help of the UMC and their acknowledgement of the unfair treatment and lack of opportunity to those that do as it relates to migration and immigration, the UMC Social Principles: environmental racism, globalization, and dignity of work all aim to combat the issues we unfortunately see in America all the time. However, with the help of the UMC and their acknowledgement of the unfair treatment and lack of opportunity to those that do migrate to this country, we see collectively what we as UMC members can do to actively help these individuals get to where they need to.

These Social Principles allow individuals to seek places where equity, justice, and opportunity are present and that’s what is important. As I’ve read more on Migrants, Immigrants, and Refugees, one of the things I think they need the most is a place where they feel as though they’re seen as people. People that can get the resources they need, opportunities to live and do as they please, etc. They need a place where they feel welcomed. No one wants to go into a place where they are looked down upon and turned away. With the Social Principles of the UMC, I think these individuals will find where they feel welcomed, safe, and included. UMC members can abide by these principles by helping these individuals find places to go, where to get food, and where to find job opportunities that will support them. The government has always treated immigrants as problems that need to go away and it’s all about perspective to me. Until they realize that people are only migrating here because they see ways to obtain a better life for themselves and their families, nothing good will ever come from the government. It starts with a better perspective. We’re all working to be and live better. Why should anyone be excluded from that? As I reflect on my journey with this internship, I can say that I’ve learned so much along the way, much of what I hope to carry on at my own church now and further into the future.

Week 5

As I’ve begun to reflect on the past few weeks at my placement, I can confidently say that I’ve enjoyed working with Journey United Methodist Church thoroughly. Throughout my time, I was able to present a few ideas to Pastor Parker and my other supervisor, Cherilyn Earl, that would not only benefit the community but the church as well. I had presented ideas such a violence prevention event and a community farmers market, but ultimately we ended up going with an ASL class.

If I can be honest, deciding to move along with the ASL class was a little bit of a rocky journey. Unfortunately, by week 4 of the internship, my supervisors and I had a tough but needed conversation regarding what the next few weeks would look like. We spoke of the time constraint and me not thinking that either event would be executed in the way that I had imagined due to there being no time. Prior to deciding that I would teach a song in ASL, there were conversations of me being able to work with the children in the church’s summer camp. 

Unfortunately that didn’t end up working out in the way that I initially thought. However, because we did not decide to move forward with those two projects, I have been able to work with members at Journey United Methodist Church in teaching them an ASL translated version of the song “I Smile”. To say that these classes have been extremely fun would be an understatement. What I appreciate most about those who have been participating is their willingness to learn and make mistakes. It has made this experience far more enjoyable. I will admit before deciding to do the class, I was starting to lose confidence with this internship and I felt very unaccomplished and unproductive, but they’ve made this experience worthwhile.

I’ve given full props to these individuals, as they have learned a song in ASL in a matter of two rehearsals. It’s one thing to have had some introduction to a language and maybe execute it flawlessly, but to have to let go of any intimidation or fear and learn it in two days is amazing. Again, their open minds have made this experience unforgettable. I hope in the future maybe they’ll consider moving forward with learning ASL, and even think about potentially making it into a ministry. Beyond the fun we’ve had in those classes, this experience has allowed me to make this church fully aware of a community that I don’t think thought they had a safe space there. This is only the beginning if what could become such a beautiful thing. In my first blog, I mentioned that I hoped by the end of all of this that the participants would’ve grown an appreciation for sign language and the deaf community, and I think that is true.

God has been present throughout this entire internship. Going into this, I had no idea of the kind of community project I wanted to focus on. Sure, I gave three great ideas that I think still have so much potential to get done that ultimately didn't come together in enough time. However, I’d like to think that God saw the excitement and passion that I had behind doing something ASL related. 

While at the moment, I was deeply confused as to why the other two ideas didn’t work out, I can see very clearly now. He saw how I had gained an appreciation for ASL and the deaf community during high school, and wanted to continue that. He wanted me to pass that excitement on in these classes and I think I have.

God has also been present within the people I’ve been able to work with in these classes. Again, them casting away any fears of this process being hard or something that they couldn’t do, showed God’s presence completely. I’m more than grateful that this was the community project that I had ended up going with.

 Besides the actual project itself, I think it has allowed me to reconnect with the members of Journey who have watched me grow from a little girl into the person I am today. Those who I haven’t seen in years, but we’ve been able to have fun and laugh while doing something great.

This upcoming week, the internship will be coming to a close, but the work is not yet done. This week I hope God continues to shine his light during these last two rehearsals and during the recording of the video we will be doing to showcase what they’ve learned. While this internship is ending, I hope that the work and the passion continues.

Week 6

As this internship comes to an end, I can recognize how much I’ve learned about the history of UMC through the BWC and about myself. I went into this experience not having the slightest idea as to what community project I wanted to focus on and with trying anything new, I was nervous. Regardless of my slight apprehension, I was welcomed with open arms by Pastor Micheal Parker and Ms. Cherilyn Earl of Journey United Methodist Church.

At the very beginning of the internship, Pastor Parker gave me the freedom to come up with a few ideas of my own for the project that would aim to help the community as well as the church. Among those ideas that I had come up with, a violence prevention event and a community market, we decided to move forward with teaching a basic ASL class. As I previously mentioned in Blog 5, coming to this decision to do the ASL class was a little bit difficult due to some issues we were having in regards to lack of direction, time, and me not believing either events would be executed well. While there had been small discussions of me possibly being able to “teach” ASL basics to the children in the church’s summer camp, unfortunately we were not able to follow through with that.

However, even with those few bumps in the road, my supervisors and I were able to turn it all around and decided that it would be best to focus on something ASL related. For some background information on myself in relation to ASL for better understanding as to why this was chosen, I had the opportunity to learn ASL throughout my time in high school and have continued to learn it throughout my time in undergrad at NCAT. I try to continuously learn more and more about this language and with doing so I like to try and translate different songs to pick up more signs. I’ve said all of that to say that I ended up translating (to my best ability) “I Smile” by Kirk Franklin to “teach” to those that were willing to learn and participate.

Now reflecting on the past six weeks of this internship, I can say that I have opened myself up to learning more about leadership and taking more of an upfront role. I would like to think that I’ve had “leadership” qualities through Now reflecting on the past six weeks of this internship, I can say that I have opened myself up to learning more about leadership and taking more of an upfront role. I would like to think that I’ve had “leadership” qualities throughout my life but was never fully confident in using my voice to be the actual leader in the rooms I step into. This experience has given me that opportunity. I also have learned to use what I do know to provide for other people. I think the members of Journey United Methodist Church as well as Gethsemane United Methodist Church, have learned a great deal about what it’s like to learn a visual language and even more about the Deaf community. I myself continue to learn more and more about the language and was happy to allow them to gain a better understanding and appreciation of the language and community. I had hoped that the members of both churches would benefit from this experience enough to want to continue to learn and I think that now has come to fruition. My internship experience was as insightful and fun as it could be because of the people I was able to work with.

First, I would like to again thank Pastor Parker and Ms. Cherilyn Earl of Journey United Methodist Church for welcoming me into this with love and grace. They let me lead by allowing me to come up with my own ideas and take charge. Although I have been encouraged my entire life to speak up and use my voice by my mother, having this experience allowed me to do that to the fullest extent. I want to thank them for believing that I was capable, even when I didn’t really think so myself. I had grown up in Journey United Methodist Church (previously known as United Methodist Church of the Redeemer), and had not been there in years. Even with being away for as long as I had been, they treated me as if I had never left I would also like to personally thank those that participated in learning “I Smile” in ASL. It was not an easy task at all. Some individuals were familiar with the language, and others not. Regardless of knowing the language or not, what I would like to acknowledge about these individuals is their willingness to learn and mess up. There were times when I could see the frustration in their faces and even the desperation to just get it right, but what I admired was that they never gave up. They stuck through it. For that, I can say that I’m very grateful and proud of all of them. To Ms. Cherilyn, Ashley, Ms. Kia, Stacey, Mrs. Karen, Rayla, Cameron (little brother), Felicia (my mom) and little Amara, thank you for trusting me with this. This is an experience I’ll never take for granted. Before I can be boastful and speak on what I was able to “teach” in ASL, I would also like to state that I am not a professional translator nor am I fluent. I’ve seen this experience as an opportunity to be just as insightful and valuable to my own learning as it was to those that learned the translation. I say all of that to say that this was a learning experience for us all. None of this was done to show any bit of disrespect to the Deaf community, but to instead show appreciation and admiration for their culture and community. 

Nonetheless, I would like to say that I am most proud of being able to share what I’ve learned with individuals in a short amount of time. As I said in my previous blog, the start of learning the translation was done exactly two weeks ago. These individuals worked so hard to learn and do the recording. For that, I am again grateful for their open minds. My hope and my prayer is that following this experience, the members of both Journey and Gethsemane will continue to acknowledge and welcome the Deaf community, as this was the intention of deciding to do this from the beginning. If that comes from deciding to continue to learn the language and implement it into the service or personally learning it on their own, regardless it’s a step in the right direction. I also hope that more people will be open to learning ASL. Again, I’m really glad that I was placed at Journey United Methodist Church because it allowed me to do what I set out to do: reconnect and learn. Thank you to Rev. Neal Christie and the BWC as well for providing me with this opportunity. I’ve learned so much and I hope that the next cohort has an experience that too is unforgettable.