A gift by the foundation of First Baptist Church of Athens, Georgia, will honor the memory of Ernest C. Hynds Jr., a longtime church leader and professor emeritus of journalism at the University of Georgia, and support an internship program for Good Faith Media.
“We are deeply grateful for the generosity and commitment of First Baptist, Athens, to the future of our movement,” Good Faith Media CEO Mitch Randall said. “Through their investment, we are developing an internship program that educates and engages young Christian leaders.”
Randall announced the first two Hynds interns, Rebekah Gordon and Christopher Adams, to serve during the upcoming fall semester.
Gordon, a native of Durham, North Carolina, is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Campbell University Divinity School. She serves as associate pastor to college students and young adults at Trinity Baptist Church in Raleigh.
“Rebekah is a sharp young woman with a keen eye for social justice issues and a special interest in valuing women’s equality in all aspects of society,” Tony Cartledge, contributing editor and curriculum writer for Good Faith Media, said. “She writes with both clarity and passion and will doubtless offer valuable contributions to Good Faith Media.”
Cartledge was one of Gordon’s professors at Campbell and will help supervise her internship for Good Faith Media.
Christopher Adams grew up deeply involved in the First Baptist Church of Athens, Georgia, and is a communications studies graduate at the University of Georgia. Recently, he graduated from Duke Divinity School.
“Christopher has a deep interest in Scripture and theology, and a strong appetite for learning,” said Frank Granger, minister of Christian community for the Athens congregation. “He is an excellent critical thinker, with communication and writing skills.”
Granger, a member of the Good Faith Media Strategic Advisory Board, will assist in guiding Adams’ internship experience.
“First Baptist Church is honored to have this internship named for one of its longtime, faithful leaders and examples of Christian commitment,” Granger added. “And we are proud and excited for one of our own young adults to serve as an Ernest C. Hynds Jr. intern.”
John Pierce, executive editor/publisher for Good Faith Media, and longtime editor of Nurturing Faith Journal, said this new collaboration brings together many positive factors.
“More than two decades ago, I enjoyed supervising some of Ernie Hynds’ journalism interns from UGA (University of Georgia) and getting to know him even better when visiting the church,” Pierce said. “This internship is a great way to honor his memory and extend his legacy.”
Additional gifts are being sought to continue and expand this internship program for future years as experiential training for gifted, young communicators.
“To support the next generation of journalists of ‘good faith,’ please consider giving to Good Faith Media,” said Autumn Lockett, executive director of development and marketing.
For information on supporting this ongoing educational and practical experience, contact Autumn Lockett at 615-627-7763 or autumn@goodfaithmedia.org.
Prospective interns may inquire about upcoming internships by writing to CEO Mitch Randall at mitch@goodfaithmedia.org.
Good Faith Media was formed in July 2020, bringing together the resources of the Baptist Center for Ethics (EthicsDaily) and Baptists Today Inc. (Nurturing Faith). For more information, visit GoodFaithMedia.org.
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