Dearest Friends and Family,

I am eager to tell you about the recent decision I made to take a Summer Staff position as a worship intern with Next Step Ministries this summer! Incorporating everything I am passionate about, during this internship I will be leading worship for middle and high school students five nights a week, as well as leading these students in relational ministry in the community of Madison, Wisconsin during the day.

Just to keep you up to date: I am currently in the Spring semester of my first year at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL. God has been doing astounding things within me over the course of this school year! He has been healing, rewiring, and molding me into the free daughter of Christ that He created me to be. He continues to take me deeper and deeper in His love, and I have fallen even more head-over-heels in love with Him than I thought possible! God has been so good to me, and He continues to teach, grow, and stretch me in ways that are often uncomfortable at first, but always end with me experiencing more freedom and falling more in love with Jesus. He has been training me here at Wheaton, and I look forward in joyful anticipation to what He has for me in the coming years. I am currently majoring in Christian Education and Ministry, which is primarily focused on equipping students for ministry of any kind. I believe that the Lord has called me to ministry in the future, and that worship specifically will play a large role. Thus, I am extremely excited to gain more experience with ministry and worship this summer with Next Step!

In Madison, my team and I will partner with organizations that are dedicated to empowering those in the city who are experiencing physical and spiritual oppression. I will be working with my team to lead nine one-week mission trips for middle school and high school students that come to serve in the city.  We will be working on community projects during the day, and I, along with several other interns, will be leading everyone in worship each night.  I am so excited to come alongside these students as a mentor and example as they grow in their faith!  But while the students will be there for just one week, I will be living in the community for ten weeks with one goal: to serve and demonstrate Christ’s love all summer. 

Madison is a great city to live in. It is a beautiful city located on an isthmus and surrounded by four lakes. It is a city with a strong economy, low unemployment and a culture of outdoor activity that gives Madison an energy and vibe for healthy life. However, we also understand more than anyone, that amidst this beautiful city are pockets of poverty, homelessness, tension and hopelessness. Madison faces the same struggles that larger “inner-city” communities face. It has segregation, oversight, and systemic issues that lead people away from community and away from Christ. Next Step is committed to using our ecumenical ministry here as a platform for community and a platform for change. Next Step is excited to begin using short-term mission trips to collide with community development. Teams will participate in small repair projects, service opportunities, and outreach activities all with the goal of sharing the love of Christ and unifying a community that experiences division.

In order to make my summer possible, I will need to develop a team of men and women to support me through prayer as well as financial support.  I would like to ask you to be a part of this team!  My financial requirement is $2,500.00 for the summer.  Would you be willing to make a donation to support me in this goal?  The donation you make will go towards these very projects in Madison, as well as towards my food and lodging while living there. If you are unable to financially contribute, please consider partnering with me in prayer for my teammates and myself as we embark on this new and challenging journey.

If you would like to give by check rather than online, please make checks payable to: Next Step Ministries and put my name in the memo. You can mail your checks directly to: 

Next Step Ministries

717 Post Rd

Madison, WI 53713

If you would like to Venmo me, you can find me on Venmo as Amelia Blanchard

Thank you so much for the many ways in which you have supported me over the years! Your support is invaluable to me!