This is the second in a series about my calling. Read part 1 here.
I think that actually figuring out what I was called to do was the hard part. Everything that happened after that was much, much easier.
The first thing that happened was that we clarified that call just a little bit.
My heart had been, has been, and always will be with the children and youth. I am eternally grateful for the many opportunties that I had to serve as a volunteer when I was young. Who lets an 18 year old teach three-year-old Sunday School class? Better, who sends one on a retreat with a small church to run an entire children’s program? Who sends a 21-year-old as a youth mission trip chaperone 3 states away? People who are grooming future ministry leaders, that’s who!
Because of these opportunities, I knew what I wanted to do. So, John contacted some churches who were looking for staff people in those areas.
It could not have been more than 48 hours before I received a call from Beth at First Presbyterian Church in Orangeburg, SC. Now, having been an Orangeburger, I believe I can say that it has a reputation for being the armpit of the state. I think that’s wholly exxaggerated, but let’s just say that it is less than the bustling metropolis where most graduating college seniors are looking to relocate. But as soon as I stepped foot on that campus, I knew.
This was it. There was not even a moment of doubt in my mind. The people were great, the interview was fun, we were on the same page, but more than that, I had this feeling of peace that I had not had in… well… ever.
It’s not my practice to spend a lot of time talking about my time at another church, mostly because I don’t want people to think I’m comparing the places I have served with one another, so I won’t do that here. I will say that First Presbyterian is a place full of grace and spirit, truth and love. I made a lot of mistakes, many of them from inexperience and some from stubborness. They forgave me every one, and I grew in ways that I probably could have never imagined. My first place of service will always hold a special place in my heart.
But after three years, it became clear that some of my mistakes weren’t just from inexperience; they were from lack of education. I had soaked up every continuing education opportunity that I could. There was always a minstry book on my nightstand, and I went to every conference or workshop that I could afford, but there was something else missing. It was time to get that missing piece, so in the Fall of 2007, I headed to Union Presbyterian Seminary here in Richmond to work on a degree in Christian Education. While there, I had the tremendous blessing of living out my vocation (part-time) at two churches that were not only completely different from one another, but were also completely different from anywhere I had ever attended. Especially during my second year, I enjoyed being at The Gayton Kirk, because that congregation is so open to new things! I could try out all sorts of stuff that I was learning with them, and they were supportive. It was another awesome place to be.
As graduation approached, I knew it was time to be on the move again. I applied for positions in several different places, praying always, “God, let your will be done…. but if you wanted us to stay in Richmond since Rafael has a job here, I could work with that, or maybe we could move closer to our parents, too.” Just kidding; I didn’t really add that last part, and I was really careful not to try to put my call in a box. So it happened that Christ Church had posted a Children’s Minister position on the seminary placement office website, and I applied. I went to intervews at a few other churches, but it happened again when I came here.
I just knew.
After my first interview here, I called my husband and told him that if I knew God as well as I thought I did, that we would probably be staying in town. I had such a great time with the search committee, sensing even then that the women in the room would become some of the people with whom I would work so closely, and that I would love being here. My interview with Paul was a little more intimidating, but even then, I could sense that we had a shared vision and that I would fit in here just fine. I’m not going to lie; I was totally terrified by coming onto staff at a church this size, but I knew that this is where I should be, and I had that peace, just as I have always had wherever I have served.
And that is how I came to be at Christ Church. What about you?
