Children & Youth, Cultural Exposure, Development, English, Marginalized People, Support

Serving at the Margins – Frontline Worker with Canadian Human Trafficking Victims:
You will have frontline ministry opportunities with trafficking victims and with assisting church-based worship/teaching events. Other possible activities include special events and outings involving volunteers, recovering trafficking victims, and/or their parents. There could also be an opportunity to assist human trafficking victims in the court process.

Serving at the Margins – Creative Leader with People in the Margins:
Do you have heart for marginalized people, a teachable attitude, effective outreach style, problem-solving skills, and creativity toward marginalized groups? Then this internship is for you. The learning objectives for this internship are:
1. Learning: Gaining insights into leadership and poverty and learning more about yourself as it relates to these.
2. Leading: A safe place to develop and practice your leadership skills in urban Christian ministry.
3. Mentorship: Study, discuss and engage in issues related to poverty, justice and compassion.
4. Experience: This is faith in action! You’ll have opportunities to put your theology to practice and explore your leadership abilities.
5. Serving: You will have the opportunity to be at the frontlines to address the relational poverty in the city where you’ll be serving. Additionally, you will help create safe places for those who live in the margins while also providing a space where churches can get involved in missions here in Canada.

Ministry among newcomers to Canada (former refugees): 
This internship opportunity includes outreach ministries including Bible-based ESL, community gatherings, events, and prayer walks. You would also be involved in welcoming newcomers (former refugees) and supporting their process of resettlement. This internship would be overseen by a local pastor in partnership with an SIM worker. Interns would have an opportunity to participate in a “messy church”-modeled weekly gathering.

Ministry among newcomers to Canada: 
Many ethnic minorities in Canada live in relatively closed communities. Come alongside a couple who are living and serving in one such community. This internship will give you the opportunity to:
1. Develop a sense of how to best connect existing congregations in strategic activities
2. Build relationships between ethnic group leaders and host culture leaders
3. Understand and apply universal principles of networking and leadership development to pass on to other ethnicities as opportunity arises

SIM Canada’s vision is to be engaged interculturally and connected globally to declare and demonstrate the gospel among all ethnic groups in our local and global neighborhoods. The Canada field worker is our main vehicle for achieving the local element of that vision.

As we join God on His mission to build healthy Canadian urban churches who reach their neighbors, we use the following strategic approaches:
1. Coach urban churches to engage neighbors as Christ-centered friends
2. Facilitate Christian leaders in the process of exegeting their city, contextualizing ministry, transitioning churches to intercultural and addressing community issues
3. Rally the Church toward the marginalized
4. Identify, equip, and recruit people group leaders who will disciple and mobilize people within their community for successful ministry, as well as plant, mobilize, and equip churches and individuals outside of their community for intercultural ministry

The Canada field team is quite diverse. The various ministry locations are made up of individuals who represent many cultural backgrounds – either being from those backgrounds or having served in those cultures.

No language learning is required for these opportunities, as most most ministry locations would use English. The dominant language of the ethnic group may be one that interns could pick up through friendships and informal lessons.

You will stay with a host family, mostly urban.

The team in each ministry location will have its own ministry strategy. In each location the intern will worship and partner with a local church/congregation and will have the opportunity to interact with the church community through ministry related activities.

You’ll have a debrief of your internship experience at the ministry location. You’ll also a be required to submit a written report if your internship is for academic credit. Finally, it would be ideal for you to plan a visit to the SIM Canada headquarters if possible.