Internship Anniversary
June 13, 2012
This month marks the completion of a full-year internship for my wife and I at Faith Assembly of God in Orlando, Florida. It has been a wonderful and rewarding learning experience in many areas of ministry. I am thankful to Pastor Carl Stephens and the church for offering us the internship and to my “boss,” Pastor Phil Waisanen.
Although the majority of my time has been spent in evangelism, I have had the privilege of working in other areas of Christian service. Some of these varied ministries would include: hospital visitation, small groups ministry, teaching (Homiletics and Evangelism) and altar ministry. Altogether, I have had a “hand” in around fourteen different branches of ministry in the last three years at this church.
We took on this assignment in an unpaid scope, and it has been a struggle at times. God, however, has been faithful to Lou Ann and I. He has supplied our needs, and we have lacked nothing. Praise the Lord!
We are praying for God’s direction for where we should go from here. We will continue to serve in our current position until He tells us otherwise. Jesus has yet to abandon us, and I know that He will not in the future. Thank you for praying for us. We really appreciate it.
I am attaching the letter from my superior, Phil Waisanen, from last year:
May 15, 2011
Dear Follower of Christ,
Scott and Lou Ann Sholar have been active members in our congregation at Faith Assembly in Orlando for the past three years. Scott received a call to ministry three years ago, and he soon began his studies at Asbury Theological Seminary to fulfill that calling. He was blessed with a full scholarship to attend seminary, and he has now graduated with an M.A. in Christian Ministries. The only stipulation to his scholarship was, upon finishing school, he would “plan to serve in full-time pastoral ministry in the local church.” Faith Assembly has offered Scott an internship in an unpaid capacity. This letter hopes to enlist any who might be interested in helping fund this internship.
Scott would be working under me in the evangelism department of the church. If God speaks to you concerning this couple’s ministry start, please contact my office at (407)581-7710, or mail check (designated “internship, Scott Sholar”) to Faith Assembly of God, 2008 N. Goldenrod Rd., Orlando, Florida 32807.
Sincerely,
Pastor Philip C. Waisanen, Associate Pastor
Faith Assembly of God, Orlando
“Miracle Man”
June 23, 2011
On June 6, 2008, I heard a sermon that “hit me between the eyes” in several ways. About fifteen minutes into the message, I stood up with many others in the meeting and accepted a call to ministry.
On June 9, 2008, three days after hearing the sermon that touched my heart so deeply, I knelt by our queen-sized bed and prayed. My prayer was this, “God, if you will provide the funding, I will go back to school for ministry.” I could not imagine the miracles that would occur and how fast God would work.
I called my alma mater, Warner Southern College, to begin the process of going back to school. I wanted to get a second Bachelors degree in their ministry program (my B.A. is in Management), but they recommended getting my Masters degree and they also mentioned Asbury Theological Seminary. I am so grateful to Warner Southern College (now Warner University) for their wise counsel.
On June 23, 2008, I took a tour of Asbury with a school official. I liked what I heard, and I began the application process. I wanted to start in the Fall, but I did not know if I could get everything completed in time. God stepped in and did the work.
During this time, Asbury had created a new scholarship: the Dr. J. Ellsworth Kalas Pastoral Scholarship. I applied for this scholarship with a page-and-a-half essay. On July 17, 2008, I was accepted to Asbury, and on July 31, 2008, I received a phone call telling me that I had been awarded the Kalas scholarship. This was a $12,000 per year ($36,000) scholarship. Fifty-two days after bringing my request to “the throne,” God had answered my prayer and provided the funding for school. I telephoned “tons of people” to tell them of this work that God had performed. God is awesome! I am a “miracle man!”
