Calling

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August 26, 2009

Transitions within a Transition

In the circuitous route that most fallible people take to becoming ministers, hundreds of voices provide encouragement along the way. Just last week as I celebrated my fourth anniversary in my first call, some of those memories stood out as particularly important in its notice and nurture. Whether it was the sonorous voice of Jim telling me at fourteen that I had the instincts to be a pastor, or the kind voice of Michael helping me find my first job in youth ministry, or the hushed and mystical voices of Margaret and Vicki as they taught me to pray, or the supportive voices of my Transition into Ministry cohort who have propped me up these last four years, I know I would not be a pastor without their mentoring; but their mentoring had a by-product I could not have imagined: not only did I learn to be a pastor from them, not only did I experience love, but I learned how to mentor as well.

During these last four years, the wheel has gently turned, and I have gradually assumed the place of one who mentors rather than one who is mentored. Consider the last two days. While answering an email from one of our former college interns currently in seminary, about the best practices for leading a bible study with people invested in reading scripture literally, I was also chatting through Facebook with a current Rhodes student and FTE Fellow, Lacey Hudspeth about her experience in England this summer and the possibility of an internship with us next year, exploring the intersection of art and liturgy. Along with another Transition into Ministry alumnae, Anne Apple, we will be writing liturgies together throughout the year and focusing especially on Advent. The next day, Elizabeth, one of the talented young adults who grew up in this church who worked with another local congregation in the Rhodes Ministry Fellow program and who also spent a semester as a chaplain in hospice, sat in my office and talked about her desire to conflate studies in religion and criminal justice in graduate school. Today, during our Thursday night worship, Matt, another college student home for the summer, will lead us in worship with our homeless and near-homeless friends who come to More than a Meal. Matt won’t just be trying his hand at leading the call to worship or the affirmation of faith. Matt, in fact, wrote both of those pieces and will be preaching as well, as he has for the last month. Matt, like these three others, is finding his way on this circuitous route of discipleship, testing out his call to ministry, finding where he belongs in God's world.

My call at Idlewild allows me to be one simple voice among the hundreds that notice, name and nurture the gifts of God in these remarkable young people. And the same allows me the opportunity of being a part of their growth in grace (which, in turn, inspires my own growth) and allows me the chance to pay in grateful return some of the mentoring that was so kindly given to me.