Parish Darne
About me
My wife and I moved to Utah in August 2019 to become a part of the FGC community and serve the student ministry. In the fall of 2021, I sought out Benjer McVeigh at FGC to ask for a counseling referral. I was depressed and feeling hopeless about my options to move forward with life. Benjer referred me to a counselor he trusted, and after that referral, Benjer and I began to meet once a month to talk about life, church, and counseling. In June 2022 I had to leave my home office to go back to work in my data entry job that I had a love-hate relationship with. As I was looking for other job opportunities Benjer threw out the idea of an internship at FGC. I pursued that idea, we thought through what it would look like, and now we are here; beginning this journey to learn and grow in usefulness to the local church. During our monthly lunches, we found that I enjoy the operational side of the church and that this internship actually sounded like a good fit. I am eagerly looking forward to learning and growing with Flourishing Grace Church.
The Vision of Flourishing Grace Church
The vision of FGC is to lead people into flourishing relationships with Jesus. Every ministry operating in Flourishing Grace Church is centered on the gospel of Jesus; without Christ at the center of every effort, there is no hope for people to experience His love.
The Vision of the INternship
This internship will be focused on exploring the role of an executive pastor. More specifically: administrative responsibilities, staff leadership, and development, as well as pastoral care. The internship will last one year under the mentorship of Benjer McVeigh, current Executive Pastor of FGC. My personal vision for the internship also includes the aspect of learning how to implement biblical counseling resources in a local church. I have a Bachelor’s in Biblical Counseling, but I actually know very little. I would like to pursue a certification in Biblical Counseling, and use that to develop and implement counseling resources that would be readily available to FGC’s congregation.
Utah Needs the Gospel
62% of Utahns associate with the Mormonism, and only 10% associate with Evangelicalism. About 1 out of 4 people suffer from depression, and that stat is the same for those who commit suicide. We are in an era of history where stress, anxiety, and depression looms over everybody in some way. In Utah that looming hopelessness is paired with the pressure to perform in life. Performance is demanded in school, work, competition amongst peers, and the pressure to perform to meet the expectations of the LDS Church. People spend their lives trying to find value in things, accomplishments and people, but Jesus desires for us to find our greatest value in Him.