Life as an Interyear Fellow
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – Howard Thurman
What we offer
This is the invitation. We offer you a chance to be an integral part of a community focused on growth. Are you drawn to contemplative spirituality and also have a desire to be actively engaged in transforming the world around us? Do you have an idea of what kind of person God is calling you to be, but not sure how best to get there? Come spend a year with others on the same journey and we’ll close the gap together.
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
-Howard Thurman
2023-2024 FELLOWS
Each Fellow is placed in a local ministry or non-profit. Read below to learn more about who they are and where they are currently serving. You can also follow the link for each Fellow to help support their fundraising efforts. If you’d like to become a Fellow, too, you can apply here.
Katherine Allan
I was born and spent most of my childhood years in Lexington, KY. A few of these years were spent on mission with my family in Ukraine, sparking an early interest in people’s stories. I came to East Tennessee to study at Milligan University, where I recently graduated with a BS in Exercise Science and a minor in Psychology. During these years, I served as a Kid’s Camp helper with Cityview Church, learned the game of Flag Football and played on the school’s pioneering team, and worked with students at Ashley Academy. I enjoy conversations over coffee, a lively game of Dutch Blitz, slow mornings spent reading, and taking a shot at something new.
Jacob Wilson
I was born in Houston, Texas, but spent most of my life overseas in Costa Rice, Togo, Belize, and Nicaragua. I came back to the States to study and just graduated with a BS in Business Administration and a BA in Musical Theatre. I love traveling, reading, and exploring new things. I'm grateful to be part of the Interyear program and I look forward to learning spiritual disciplines and being in a community that emphasizes putting God first in everything.
Olivia Brokaw
I was born and raised in Lexington, SC (near Columbia), and I spent summers visiting my grandparents in East TN. I returned to the mountains to attend Milligan University, where I graduated this year with a BA in Humanities and minors in English, Bible, and photography. I formed amazing relationships with students and professors, participated in the honors program, and had the chance to study abroad in Dublin, Ireland, for a summer! I also helped lead our campus chapter of the International Justice Mission, which works globally to fight human trafficking and other crimes against people living in poverty. When I’m not reading, writing, or organizing my bookshelf, I like to spend time with kind people, dogs, or in a park (preferably with people or dogs).
Dawson Jacobs
I was born in Bluff City, TN, and have lived in this beautiful region my entire life. I attended college at Milligan University, where I graduated in the spring of 2023 with BA in English and a BA in Fine Arts in Photography. While at Milligan, I helped stream various athletic events and was on the school's inaugural debate club team. During my senior year, I was the editor of The Phoenix, Milligan's annual literary magazine. I eventually plan on attending a graduate school program that will allow me to combine my love for photography and English. Apart from reading and photography, in my free time I enjoy writing and watching movies, hiking, drinking coffee, and hanging out with my friends.
Fellow Benefits
work & Stipend
One of the biggest struggles in life can be finding a place to work that gives you purpose. This is your point of entry for Interyear Fellowship. You will participate in the decision about which partner organization you will work with during the year, gaining valuable hands-on experience. Each Fellow will also receive a monthly stipend of $250 for personal expenses.
Housing & Community
Discovering the right place to live can be another big factor as you settle into a new job and community. All of the Fellows will live under the same roof and contribute to the daily life of the household. Interyear will provide funds for groceries, utilities, internet, and other services. With a built-in community of like-minded individuals who are going through the same experience, you will become a source of strength and encouragement for each other.
Learning & growth
This will be a year filled with exposure to new concepts and ideas in a space that is safe. We believe that developing a firm foundation of contemplative spiritual practices will help provide you with the tools needed to explore questions about your faith, issues of justice and equality, calling, and purpose.
Fellow Investment
Cost
We ask all of our Fellows to raise $3,000 that will contribute to the overall cost of living and program expenses for the year. However, we do not want the cost to be a barrier for you to experience Interyear Fellowship. We recognize that not everyone that who wants to participate will have access to a network that could raise that amount of money, but we will help support each Fellow to help them reach their goal.
DISCIPLINE
Participating in Interyear Fellowship will ask a lot from you. In addition to having a full-time job, you will walk through challenging curriculum, engage in other service activities in the community, and be expected to take time to develop spiritual disciplines. One way we will help you accomplish this is by crafting a Rule of Life that will guide you in how best to structure your time in order to fit everything in. It won’t be easy.
flexibility
As you might expect, moving into a home with other roommates whom you likely don’t know and are expected to spend the next year with, is going to be difficult. You will be stretched and the limits of your patience will be tested. We ask for you to be flexible and gracious as everyone strives to fall into a rhythm that works best for the whole group.
Daily Life
Household
All of the Fellows will live under one roof, each contributing to the life of the household.
Responsibilities
You will be responsible to help with all the activities that will sustain the community – shopping, cooking, cleaning, and sharing meals together.
prayer
Each day will be bookended by prayer, morning and evening.
service
During the day, you will serve in a nonprofit or ministry, gaining valuable experience bringing about social change within the Johnson City, TN area.
Spiritual Discipline
You will build in a structure of practicing spiritual disciplines such as journaling, fasting, prayer, and silence, to help create a solid foundation of personal and spiritual growth.
Day of discernment
Every Friday, the Fellows will refrain from going to your job and will participate in a Day of Discernment filled with study, reflection, and conversation.
hospitality & service
Each month will present occasions for hospitality and service together.
Engage
To help engage with the broader community in Christ, you will walk together in order to understand yourself, the world around you, and provide some clarity for your vocation.
SUMMER FELLOWS
If you’re a college aged student looking for a meaningful summer opportunity, take a look at Summer Fellows! Our summer fellowship is a shortened, distilled version of our full, nine-month fellowship. It lasts ten weeks, will require you to raise $1,000 to participate, and is filled will all the same goodness you’ll find in each of our strands:
service (internship at a local church or ministry)
intentional community (shared meals, hospitality)
spiritual formation (daily prayer, retreats, spiritual disciplines)
vocational discernment (exploring christian ethics, social justice issues, and calling/purpose).
It will be a full summer, but as the weeks progress, you will begin to feel a pattern of work and rest, study and fellowship, tuning your heart and life to a different rhythm that will prepare you for your next semester of college or season in your life.
Strands
At Interyear Fellowship, we believe that our lives must be defined by intention and purpose if we are to accomplish the work God has prepared for us. To simplify our approach, we have defined our programming into four strands: Service, Intentional Christian Community, Spiritual Formation, and Vocational Discernment. These strands will weave together throughout the year to create a clearer picture for each of our Fellows as they plan to take their next most faithful steps in serving the kingdom of God. Follow the link below to learn more about each Strand.
