This past summer, I served as a Bible teacher intern and camp counselor for Urban Promise, a non-profit Christian organization in Wilmington, DE that is centered on equipping young people with life skills necessary for their academic, spiritual, and personal success.
For six weeks I worked 10-12 hour days at Camp Freedom, one of Wilmington’s four Urban Promise summer campsites, serving the community by sharing the Gospel and encouraging the students to develop a Christ-like attitude in all that they do. Throughout this time, I developed meaningful relationships with the children and staff, as we worked together to find solutions to any challenges that arose.
A typical day consisted of waking up around 5 am to get ready for the day’s events. By 8 am, I was out the door and ready to begin camp. Before each camp day began, the other staff and I would lead devotionals to set the spiritual tone for the day. This year, we read from the book of Romans. When it was time for camp, we had breakfast, followed by free time before we got into classes. My camp had three different classes, consisting of Bible, Art, and Recreation. As the Bible Teacher, I was required to teach students grades K-6 for an hour and a half every day.
Teaching such a wide range of ages required me to adjust my methods and phrasing for each grade level, to ensure they were able to absorb the information in a way that made sense to them. After class, we had “hype time," a series of games, skits, and songs that allowed the campers to get active. Leading these activities allowed me to build leadership and group management skills. At 2 pm, the campers were dismissed, and the staff completed chores and gathered for an end-of-the-day meeting.
Although camp ended at 2 pm every day, the staff participated in after-camp activities for team building and fellowship. We led more devotionals, took turns cooking dinner, discussed Proverbs with guest pastors, played basketball, met with other teachers to discuss our curriculum for the students, and so much more.
The activities we did depended on the day of the week. For example, on Tuesdays, we had a gathering called “guys' and girls' group,” where staff competed with each other in games, and on Wednesdays, we had “camp night,” a fun night for campers who demonstrated good behavior throughout the week. Additionally, each Friday the staff would go to the homes of Urban Promise donors to eat and play games with them. Saturdays were our Sabbath days and on Sundays, we went to local Churches for worship.
The Urban Promise program allowed me to develop leadership and problem-solving skills that I will be able to utilize throughout the rest of my life. The experience pushed me out of my comfort zone and encouraged me to try new things that I likely would not have tried otherwise. I also gained profound insight into the differences in upbringing that many of the students had, which as a result, gave me a new perspective on my own life. I listened to their personal stories and perspectives on the Bible, similar to the students and staff who each shared their feelings and questions about Scripture. I became vulnerable, which had been a challenge for me up until that point.
I viewed this opportunity as a way in which God guided me to strengthen my faith, revealing the traits of sacrifice I needed to develop to better serve the people around me—whether staff, neighbors, or students—to help build the Christ-centered community that God envisioned. I am grateful for this internship opportunity and encourage future Eastern students to pursue summer internships. It’s an amazing way to grow, develop essential skills, and meet amazing people!
Joseph Williams ‘26 is a Biblical Studies major. Learn more about Eastern's Biblical Studies program.