Each year on October 31, I take time to thank God for my call to ministry and for God’s continue guidance as I seek to keep following.
If someone has told that newly ordained young clergywoman 22 years ago all that would happen in her future, I am sure she would not have believed it. Someone should tell her that less than a year later she would meet the love of her life. Or tell her that she would spend more years serving Presbyterian churches than UCC. What if someone told her she would love her eight years as a hospice chaplain?
As I remember that special day, I am grateful for everyone who celebrated with me in person and in spirit. I am so thankful for the people who helped me answer the call, to those I have met since my ordination, and to the people I have not yet encountered who will be with me in future years of my call. Within the UCC, a call to ministry is a community endeavor. So thank you all for being part of my community. Thank you for praying for me and allowing me to pray with you. Thank you for lock-ins and mission trips and youth dinners and Bible studies and Christmas Eve services. Thank you for welcoming me into your lives, your homes, and your hearts.
While I do not pretend to know what the next 22 years will look like, I do know that God will continue to guide me and I will be surprised regularly!
