a home away from home for College Students
The Vine is the perfect worship space for any college student attending school in the Mississippi Delta. Located in Bailey Hall, The Vine offers a laid-back, young atmosphere with relaxed attire. Each week, The Vine Band leads worship followed by a sermon that can address the unique challenges of college life.
Students from Mississippi Delta Community College, Mississippi Valley State University, and Delta State University regularly attend The Vine, making it an ideal place to building relationships and future opportunities. We know college students are always looking for their next meal, so we provide free coffee and donuts every week. The Vine begins at 9 a.m. every Sunday morning. Follow our Social Media to stay up to date on all updates about our worship services.
Plan a Visit - Visit our Plan a Visit page, and we’ll ensure your first visit is a welcoming experience. Our College Pastor will meet you at the door, give you a personal tour, and introduce you to our community. You'll have the chance to learn about our worship services, Sunday School classes, and various events tailored for college students.
Distance From College Campuses
Mississippi Delta Community College : 9 miles
Mississippi Valley State University : 20 miles
Delta State University : 27 miles
The Vine At indianola First Methodist church
College & Career Sunday School
At Indianola First Methodist Church, we have a dedicated Sunday School class for college students and recent graduates. This semester, our students will be doing a book study on 'Think Ahead' by New York Times bestselling author and pastor Craig Groeschel. This book presents seven decisions students can make today for the God-honoring life they want tomorrow.
Jobs, Volunteer, Intern
Daycare - Indianola First Methodist Church often has job opportunities available for college students in our daycare. One of the challenges for students is finding a job that fits their school schedule. We offer positions that can be worked around a busy student schedule. Any job in the daycare will require fingerprinting and a background check.
Nursery - Each Sunday, we also have opportunities for students to make extra money by working in the nursery. As with the daycare job, this requires fingerprinting and a background check.
Career Shepherd - Another unique program we offer at Indianola First Methodist Church is called Career Shepherd. In this program, we reach out to our congregation on behalf of the student to see if any job opportunities are available in their local businesses. We also maintain a pool of opportunities that our congregation has informed us are available. One of the requirements for this program is that the student must be involved in our ministries so we can help shepherd them through the challenges of work and college.
Jobs
Volunteer
Music Ministries - Both The Vine service and our Traditions service have opportunities for those with musical talents. During The Vine at 9 a.m., students can participate in worship by playing instruments or singing on stage. The Vine band practices every Wednesday night, providing a perfect opportunity for college students to see if their talents are a good fit for our Sunday worship at The Vine.
During the traditional service at 11 a.m., we have a chancel choir that practices 30 minutes prior to the service and on Wednesday nights. This is ideal for college students in the choral arts looking for a place to express themselves within a community of believers.
Worship Lyrics for the Vine - Maybe you excel at singing in the car or the shower but know your voice isn’t quite cut out for the stage. We are always looking for volunteers who are passionate about the worship songs we sing each week. We need people who know the songs well and can keep the congregation engaged by displaying the upcoming lyrics. This role is crucial in helping people immerse themselves in the heart of worship. In fact, we find it even more important than the performers on stage. Sunday worship isn’t about watching people perform; it’s about encouraging everyone to worship the Lord together.
Coffee Ministry - One thing we know about college students is they are especially passionate about coffee. In Bailey Hall, we have equipment for making specialty coffee drinks like lattes and frappes. We jokingly call this area 'Sturch' (Starbucks + Church). Each week before The Vine, volunteer college students prepare these drinks for our congregation.
Youth & Kids Ministry - Most Sunday afternoons, our Nola Kids and Youth meet for activities designed specifically for their stages of life. We are always looking for volunteers to help serve the kiddos in our community. On any given night, we can have anywhere from 15 to 50 kids in each of our ministries. This is a very fun time to serve and get to know others in the church community.
Broadcast Production - During The Vine and Traditions services, we offer intern opportunities for Mass Communications, Information Technology, and Media students to get hands-on experience with our video broadcast. We provide numerous chances to run cameras during our live production while communicating with the technical director. Many of our cameras use state-of-the-art technology that allows them to be controlled by gaming controllers. For example, we have three Xbox controllers in our broadcast control room.
Our Vine service features seven cameras, all operated by tripod or robotically through the Xbox controllers. For our Traditions service, we have three cameras managed robotically from a computer in our control room.
We also offer intern opportunities for students to communicate and run the productions as Technical Director after they have learned our system. It’s a great way to prepare for the stress of production jobs. From our standpoint, we see this as a great opportunity to showcase that Mass Communications, Information Technology, and Media degrees are needed in the church as well. Each of these fields is very important in fulfilling the mission our church has set forward of making Jesus known.
Live Broadcast Audio - An intern in live broadcast audio would sit in the live production control room and monitor and correct any issues with the live broadcast sound. This task is very easy to learn, and no prior experience is required. We are looking for people who are excited about learning and passionate about Jesus.
Photography - Each Sunday, we capture moments from our worship services, Sunday School, children’s events, and youth events. Many people may not understand why photography and videography are important ways to serve the church, but one of the best messages we can preach is highlighting the joy God brings when His people gather in community and celebrate His grace.
An intern in photography would help us capture these moments. The perfect candidate is someone who is passionate about God but also knows how to blend in and not be seen. This role is also ideal for students interested in learning more about photography and videography. We do not expect interns to know everything about camera settings; we just want students with a willingness to learn. No camera is required – we provide all the technical hardware.
Social Media - Another important part of showing God’s grace at work is through social media. Each week, we share photos from our events and worship, Bible verses, inspirational quotes from our sermons, upcoming events, and sermon clips to shine the light of Jesus Christ beyond Sunday morning. We aim to keep the sermon resonating throughout the week.
An intern in social media would help us develop and edit content according to our media guidelines. This internship is ideal for someone who takes good notes during sermons and can summarize key points concisely. It is also great for Mass Communications students interested in being field reporters, as some duties involve video editing using non-linear video editing software.