Cornerstone International Bible Church intern Avi van Noppen (centre) with friends.
Cornerstone International Bible Church in Dunedin is supporting two interns this year as they study through Pathways College.
Cornerstone elder Roly van Noppen is supervising interns Hugh Wilson and Avi van Noppen as they study, and says he’s appreciating the mix of academic learning alongside ministry experience.
“I like Pathways practical ministry focus as it keeps everything really grounded—it’s not like Jesus took the disciples off to university somewhere and they spent all their time sitting in a classroom… they were active in the real world.” He says it has been great watching Avi and Hugh connect what they’re learning to real life ministry situations.
Cornerstone intern Hugh Wilson (left front) with other students at recent a Pathways block course.
Pathways learning takes place throughout the year, as students travel up to Tauranga for week-long blocks for lectures, teaching and time with their peers. The rest of the learning is by distance and includes a practical ministry component based in a local church or ministry context.
Avi serving at a holiday programme, as part of her internship.
20-year-old Avi van Noppen was keen to take a year out to focus on God and get some studies under her belt, and she’s working towards a NZ Diploma in Christian Studies (Theological Studies) Level 5.
Alongside her academic study Avi spends 16 hours per week actively serving in a ministry context, this includes serving as a youth leader, helping out with holiday programmes, discipling a group of girls in their early teens, and reaching out to uni students with the Student Life team.
She says she’s enjoyed the ‘light bulb’ moments that come as she applies what she’s been learning in real life situations.
“I’ve really enjoyed doing practical theology—they’re really good keeping things practical at Pathways. Learning about what it means for people to be made in the image of God, even an assignment on Hell we did earlier in the year—I’ve found these things really relevant to everyday life and ministry.
Avi says she's enjoying opportunities to put her learning into practice.
“Study has been good for me in terms of needing to step out and grow in confidence and really own what I believe for myself. There’s a bit of a stigma about internships and it’s something I had before—the idea that an internship is not a real job or that it’s super easy. But this experience has really pushed me and grown me in ways I hadn’t anticipated.”
Yes—Avi is related to Roly, he’s her father, and he says it has been a real privilege to supervise her parts of her learning.
“I’m really blessed to have a close relationship with Avi, and supervising her study has often looked like conversations about what she’s learning around the dinner table, similar to what we’d already be doing. We’re also really grateful for her other supervisor Celeste, who is able to care for her and make sure Avi is well-supported, ensuring that it’s not just a family thing!”
Avi says she’s not sure where God will lead her next—maybe further studies or other opportunities.
“The most recent thing I’ve found encouraging was an assignment on Abraham and Jacob, and how God is faithful to fulfil his promises. It can be easy to think it’s up to us, and ‘I need to grow’, or ‘I need to do all this stuff’ but I’m encouraged to remember that God is at work and to relax and see the journey that he takes us on, remembering that he is faithful.”
On site at one of this year's Pathways Block Courses.
35-year-old old Hugh Wilson is studying towards the NZ Diploma in Christian Studies (Christian Leadership) Level 6 through Pathways College. After serving in vocational Christian ministry for the past decade (both in New Zealand and overseas), studying at Pathways has been a breath of fresh air for Hugh as he discerns his next steps.
After a difficult experience in ministry took a toll on his mental health, Hugh says this course and the opportunity to intern at Cornerstone has been positive. “I’ve always been very keen to go off to seminary and grow in my capacity to teach—and studying through Pathways is a good way for me to rebuild my trust with ministry systems and look at what does it look like to lead in a healthy way.
“It’s a really good time to reflect and look at where I’m going next. My previous ministry experience means there are a lot of things I know from a practical sense, but it has been good to work through the theological and academic side, to think through the ‘why’ and really analyse certain dynamics or choices.”
Roly says he has really appreciated what Hugh has brought to Cornerstone, and he has enjoyed supervising him.
“I feel like as a church we’ve really benefitted from having Hugh serve among us—he became a believer at uni here in Otago, and his introduction to faith and ministry was in that context. His ministry experience has been invaluable—for example, he’s thinking through training up younger guys, and he’s brought a lot of knowledge and skills and has been really good at sharing those things with us.”
Hugh’s internship involves growing in his leadership—observing different leaders at Cornerstone and how they make decisions, through to leading a team, as he and his wife are part of leading a ministry that disciples Cornerstone’s young adults/students.
Cornerstone has recently moved locations into the inner city, and Roly says Hugh’s student ministry experience has been invaluable, “he’s given really good advice at running services in ways that are helpful for students—just having an eye for that. His role in leading the Tuesday night young adults’ study and has been able to bring his skills and wisdom to that.”
Hugh says he’s been really encouraged by the block courses—particularly seeing how God is at work in the other students.
Hugh (back row in red jumper), along with some fellow Pathways students.
“I’m a bit older than some of the others, but it’s so encouraging seeing these young 18–20 year-olds and see how much God is growing them and how much they want to serve him… also a sense that God is working through others in other areas of New Zealand. It’s good to see what God is doing in the rest of the country. We can be a little isolated down here in the South Island.”
Hugh says he’s prayerfully considering where God will lead him in the future—whether that’s further study or ministry.
Roly says that as a church, they’ve been trying to profile the study Hugh and Avi are doing, and how God is growing them in this season of learning. “We have a few young people going through high school and so we are thinking, ‘Maybe this could be a good option for them in the future?’
“If you have good leaders, the Lord seems to bless those things and those ministries tend to grow—for Hugh, we’ve seen that young adults’ ministry grow, as he develops and grows his capacity with study. For Avi, we’re seeing God grow and challenge her as she’s just stepping out into ministry for the first time.”
Avi and Hugh are recipients of the JH Baldwin Scholarship generously provided by Lichfield Lands. If you are interested in theological study and attend a CCCNZ/Open Brethren Heritage Church check out 3TRUSTS Scholarships.
