Servant Scholars Summer Residential Program
- Work in the Greenville area in an internship of your choice
- Live in Christian community at Vista House in Travelers Rest, SC.
- Read, reflect and discuss topics of faith, vocation, poverty, Christianity, social justice, and more!
Each summer, up to eight Furman students live together at Vista House while working in internships at organizations in the South Carolina upcountry. The Servant Scholars Program is designed to engage college students in an integrated experience of living in Christian community at the Vista House, serving in an internship at a Greenville-based organization, and growing in faithfulness through discussions led by guest speakers from the Furman and Greenville community. The program encourages thoughtful conversation about social justice issues that plague our society, asking participants to question what we can—and what we should—do about them.
Servants Scholars participants spend their summer in three main ways:
1) Serving in an internship for 35-40 hours a week in the Greenville area for nine weeks—see the list below of a few internship placement sites in which Servant Scholar students have served. Though nonprofit internships have historically been more common, beginning in 2023 internships at non profit and for-profit organizations are both acceptable.
2) Living at Vista House in intentional Christian community. This includes weekday morning group prayer, Wednesday night community dinner, and living with intention with housemates. It also includes participation in two fun day trips! (think tubing on Lake Jocassee!)
3) Challenging their Minds - Students are required to read portions of a book every week, as well as to write a short weekly journal entry that synthesizes their experiences at their internships and in the Vista House community as well as their thoughts on the week’s reading. On Wednesday nights, a guest is invited to come and eat dinner with the Servant Scholars to discuss the intersection of vocation, religion, and academia. These honored guests will be non-profit directors, religious leaders, or University professors.
Important Info for Summer 2024
DEADLINES and HOW TO APPLY
Submit your Servant Scholars application to Mere Christianity Forum. You can always reach out to grayson@faithreasontomfoolery.org to ask specific questions about internships and availability.
Find your Greenville-area internship! If you already have an internship in Greenville lined up for the summer, great! If not, MCF can help you get connected with a local organization, or Furman’s Internship Office can offer guidance. Examples of a few Greenville nonprofits that welcome a 2024 summer intern: Soteria CDC, Greenville Literary Association, Project Host, Triune Mercy Center, United Ministries, & more.
Apply for Furman Summer Internship Fellowship Funding by March 31st, 2024 to help with your summer costs. This is highly encouraged but not required for consideration. Graduating seniors are not eligible for Furman Fellowship Funding.
FEES and FINANCIAL AID
The Servant Scholars Summer Residential Program costs $1,500 per student. Students can apply for the Furman Fellowship Funding by March 31st, 2024 for summer financial assistance. Your fee covers:
9 weeks of housing and utilities at Vista House
Living in a residential Christian community
Opening orientation and closing days
Two off-campus adventure days for community building
Weekly community dinners with various Greenville leaders (nonprofit directors, Furman professors, and local pastors)
9 books, yours to keep!
Mentoring with MCF staff
2024 PROGRAM DATES
June 1st and 2nd > Move in to Vista House
June 4th > Servant Scholars Orientation
June 5th > First Day of Internship
June 23 > Day off of your internship for Community Day!
July 14 > Day off of your internship for Community Day!
August 4th > Last Day of Internship
August 5th-6th > Move out of Vista House :(
Every Wednesday night from 7pm-8:30pm is our weekly Community Dinner
Previous Nonprofit Internship Placements:
“Do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.”
(a few) Previous Servant Scholars Participants:
Zachary Hughes is from St. Louis, Missouri, studying English. In his junior year, Zach worked as a crew leader at Mill Village Farms, serving as a supervisor to seven high school age students who are employed by the farm to produce healthy food and learn job and life skills along the way.
Neiya Carter is from Bridgeton, New Jersey. She was an English (Creative Writing track) major. Neiya interned at Soteria Community Development Corporation, which advocates for economic and social justice for those and their families impacted by the criminal justice system.
Chambers English is a graduated senior from Macon, GA. He majored in Earth and Environmental Science and Philosophy. He interned with Upstate Forever’s Land Conservation Group, where he worked to prioritize the conservation of the most ecologically valuable and resilient habitats in the upstate from development.
Natalie Anderson is a graduated senior from Marietta, GA. She majored in psychology. She interned with the Greenlink ADA Assessment Fellowship and the Shi Center for Sustainability, where worked to gather data at bus stops throughout Greenville County in an effort to make them ADA compliant.
Nate Bilodeau majored in philosophy. He interned with Natalie for the Greenlink ADA Assessment Fellowship and the Shi Center for Sustainability, where he worked to gather data at bus stops throughout Greenville County in an effort to make them ADA compliant.
Hodges Gravely is from Richmond, VA. His Servant Scholars placement was working at Pridelink, where he developed a new program to address LGBTQ through a national model of host homes.
Sky Brilliandt is a 2017 graduate of Furman, originally from Middlebury, Indiana. She was an Americorp member serving at Village Launch in West Greenville. Village Launch connects under-resourced entrepreneurs with needed resources to become financially stable.
Ben Wirzba majored in philosophy and politics & international affairs from Hillsborough, NC. He interned with Feed and Seed, working on issues of food access and security in the greater Greenville area.