Alumni Focus: Emily Kirk

In the Spring/Summer 2016 edition of Scribe, ESK features several alumni who are doing great things in the Knoxville community and beyond. We will bring those same stories to the blog here at esknoxville.org.

Emily Kirk is set to embark on a year-long service assignment as part of the Young Adult Service Corp. The Young Adult Service Corp is a ministry for young adults who are interested in exploring their faith in new ways by living and serving in communities around the Anglican Communion. The program brings young adults into the life of the worldwide Anglican Communion and into the daily work of a local community.

After going through the application process and a weekend-long discernment retreat, Emily learned of her destination in early June. She will be working with the Diocese of Liverpool, England. She will be involved with the ministries of the Liverpool Cathedral and the Liverpool Parish Church.

“I’m so excited that I will be spending the next year in such a historically and culturally diverse place,” Kirk said. “I am blessed to have this opportunity to serve and can’t wait to start on this adventure!”

Kirk will leave for England on September 10.

“I don’t think there has ever been a time when I didn’t want to go and do something,” Kirk said. “Going and doing is always something I’ve been interested in. I caught the bug and kept wanting to do more.”

Read a Q&A with Emily below to learn more:

Are you excited for your post? Why?
Yes! I am so excited! YASC is an incredible program and the placement I have been given is a perfect fit. Also everyone in Liverpool that I have talked to are so excited and it’s infectious.

What kind of work will you be doing?
I will be working with different ministries of the Diocese of Liverpool designed around the idea of Justice, Poverty, and Hospitality. Most of my work will be with youth and families in different parishes along with fundraising and development.

How do you feel about going to a place you have never been before?
I think it is a good kind of scary. I am nervous about living in a new place and being in a new environment but at the same time I am a little anxious to get there. As I have gone through orientation and learned more about my placement I keep recognizing how “right” it feels. Everything is falling into place in the best way possible.

What do you hope to gain from this experience?
I am hoping that this year away devoted to service will give me a chance to grow in ways that might not be possible otherwise. I have the opportunity to learn from and be with others in a time that many are uncertain about. Yes, the world is connected through technology and so on, but there is something to be said for being next to someone as they go through an experience first hand.

What kind of preparations/training are you doing before you leave?
Well, I just spent two weeks in New York for orientation. There we spent most of our time at Holy Cross Monastery going through cultural training and learning more about our placements. We also spent time in Manhattan at the church office learning and talking about the church body and what to expect during our time away. We also had the pleasure of meeting and spending some time with Presiding Bishop Curry, he was incredible!

—-

Follow Emily’s adventures HERE. Emily also has to raise money to support her time in England. Checks can be sent to St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church with “Emily Kirk YASC” in the memo. The address is 110 Sugarwood Dr. Knoxville 37934. You can also find a link to her gofundme page on the blog.