Why The Christian Chronicle keeps hiring interns from Harding University
Read our interns' latest stories, plus Erik Tryggestad's feature from Honduras on serving the other side of paradise.
OKLAHOMA CITY — For the sixth year a row, The Christian Chronicle has welcomed an intern from Harding University in Searcy, Ark.
Actually, two interns from Harding — both multimedia journalism majors — joined our team this summer: Kenzie James and Andrew Reneau.
Our past interns include Nic Fraraccio (2024), Tiane Davis (2023), Gabriel Grant Huff (2022), Makyra Williamson (2021) and Erin Drew (2020).
Why do we keep hiring summer interns from Harding? Because that Christian university keeps producing excellent candidates — and they keep applying for the role. We’ll launch another national search for an intern or interns next fall. Believe it or not, attending Harding is not a requirement for the job.
Our interns wrote two of the pieces we’re highlighting in today’s newsletter: Kenzie profiles a young Florida congregation that focuses on outreach and evangelism, and Andrew reports on how older church members are crossing the multigenerational gap.
But first up, Erik Tryggestad delves into how Christians help children on the Honduran tourist island of Roatán get clean water.
Serving the other side of paradise
By Erik Tryggestad | President and CEO
COXEN HOLE, HONDURAS — The island of Roatán welcomes nearly 2 million visitors each year.
They disembark from massive cruise ships to snorkel among the corals of West Bay, zipline over the South Shore canopy and visit the two- and three-toed sloths at Gumbalimba Park.
Rarely, if ever, do they set foot in “El Suampo,” an impoverished community tucked away in Coxen Hole, Roatán’s largest city and the capital of Honduras’ Bay Islands.
Some people call it “Swamp Hole,” says Johnny Solis Jr. as he drives past a row of simple wood-slat and metal-roof homes. His white, flatbed truck kicks clouds of dust into the air. It’s the tail end of the dry season. When the rains come, the streets often flood. Hence the name. Some of the homes here are built on top of the remnants of others that collapsed and sank into the sandy soil.
Until it rains, water is a precious commodity here. Tourists pay $4 per bottle for it at their hotels, but some schools on Roatán have water only one or two days per week. Some are forced to stop classes when their bathrooms become unusable.
That’s where Solis and his father, Johnny Sr., come in. As he drives past a school building in Coxen Hole, Johnny Jr. points to a large, black water tank connected to a series of tubes. The Solises, both natives of Roatán and construction workers, assembled a catchment and pumping system that provides the school with clean water — daily.
Shining Christ’s light in the community
By Kenzie James | Intern
A new congregation in Gainesville, Fla. — the home of the University of Florida — focuses on outreach and equipping members to serve in the community.
Lead minister Donny Dillon and his wife, Julie, along with their daughters, Mackenzie and Addilyn, established the SonLife Church of Christ in September 2023. The 23-person congregation started in the Dillons’ living room and quickly outgrew two locations.
SonLife moved to the Alachua County Sports Complex in August 2024. The church now has 87 members and averages 70 to 100 attendees on Sunday mornings.
Anew congregation in Gainesville, Fla. — the home of the University of Florida — focuses on outreach and equipping members to serve in the community.
Lead minister Donny Dillon and his wife, Julie, along with their daughters, Mackenzie and Addilyn, established the SonLife Church of Christ in September 2023. The 23-person congregation started in the Dillons’ living room and quickly outgrew two locations.
SonLife moved to the Alachua County Sports Complex in August 2024. The church now has 87 members and averages 70 to 100 attendees on Sunday mornings.
A church’s guide to becoming a grandparent
By Andrew Reneau | Intern
“In a time when so many teenagers and young adults are drifting from faith, grandparents are needed now more than ever.”
That’s what Tim Curtis wrote in an email to The Christian Chronicle. Curtis, a 1980 graduate of Harding University in Searcy, Ark., and a grandfather of seven, believes grandparents are an untapped resource for churches across the nation.
His statement coincides with a graying of the overall U.S. population: The number of American adults 65 and older increased nearly 39 percent from 2010 to 2020, according to U.S. Census data.
That demographic encompasses about 22 percent of adults in Churches of Christ, a Pew Research Center study found.
Curtis serves on the board of the Legacy Coalition, which encourages grandparents to minister to their children and grandchildren. The nondenominational nonprofit provides resources — including books, podcasts and classes — to help foster multigenerational relationships.
“Our mission is to equip churches to help grandparents become intentional Christian grandparents,” said Curtis, a retired minister who most recently preached for the Georgetown Church of Christ in the Austin, Texas, area.
