A Warm Welcome to our Emmanuel Intern
About a month ago, I was approached by the Diocese, asking if we would consider hosting an intern in discernment for the priesthood.
In the Diocese of North Carolina, if you feel called to be a priest, several things happen. First, you meet with your local clergy. Then you meet with the Bishop, a parish discernment committee, the commission on ministry, and the standing committee. A portion of this prayerful discernment takes place in a parish outside your own, where you spend six months immersed in the various aspects of clerical ministry, observing, asking questions, practicing roles, and praying in a ministry context unfamiliar to the one you began your discernment among.
Hosting a diocesan intern is a great responsibility and gift. It means the Bishop believes we are a healthy place for learning ministry. We will be called to listen, teach, and share ourselves with the intern. To pray with and for them. We will get to show them what makes Emmanuel and the Episcopal Church Special: our worship, our ministries, our community and our commitment to reflecting the light of Christ from generation to generation.
I hope you join me in welcoming Joshua Lewis who will be with us this second half of 2026.
About Joshua:
“Hello! My name is Joshua Lewis, and I am currently discerning a call to the priesthood. As part of that process, I have been assigned as an intern to Emmanuel Episcopal Church. I am gladdened and grateful to say that I have already been made to feel very welcome!
I first came to faith at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Maxton, North Carolina. It was not until 2021, however (and on Independence Day!) that I first began worshiping in the Episcopal Church. One of the most influential people in this regard was my grandmother, who gifted me with the Book of Common Prayer for my high school graduation.
I live on a family farm with my mother Lyn, my father Shaw, and my younger brother, Jack. I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in 2023 with a BA in Philosophy and Religion, and from the Moravian Theological Seminary in 2025 with an MA in Theological Studies.
One of the most important parts of the Christian life to me is the celebration of Holy Communion. Not only are we welcomed by Christ, but we are strengthened and encouraged to share that welcome. As Rowan Williams wrote, "For Christians, to share in the Eucharist, the Holy Communion, means to live as people who know that they are always guests." How often we fall short of this - but what grace there is to be able to live in the light of this reality.
In my day-to-day life, I am an educator teaching history, literature, and religion. Some of my favorite hobbies include reading (at the very top of the list... whenever I can find time, that is), drawing, photography, and collecting anything from stamps to railway ephemera. One of my favorite pastimes is studying history with Jack, my younger brother - we're working through Ken Burns' Civil War documentary as I write this!
I have truly appreciated the welcome I have received from all corners of the parish these past few weeks. I eagerly look forward to learning more about you, and growing in my understanding of God and neighbor with you all. I covet your prayers - and your patience. (I am trying hard to remember names!) Thank you for all you do to magnify Christ in your own day, at Emmanuel and beyond.”