Margaret Mitsuyasu

2009 Ministry Fellow

		Margaret Mitsuyasu Student Princeton Theological Seminary

It first occurred to me that I (yes, I!) could devote my life and career to ministry in high school. It hadn’t really been on my radar screen as an option for me until then. Traveling on mission trips to the Oregon Coast, to Mexico, to inner-city San Francisco and to the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana with my youth group became focal points for learning more about me, about God, and about the plans God has for my life. One particular summer marked the turning point in my life where I made a decision to follow the call of ministry.

After high school I enrolled at Whitworth University where I majored in mathematics and theology. My time at Whitworth would prove to be instrumental in the development and clarification of my call. I found I LOVED my theology classes, and discovered a deep passion to learn and study the subject. I joined the Certification for Ministry program, and the related classes provided opportunities to learn and think about different aspects of ministry. Besides my academics, relationships with friends helped me to continue learning about myself, and my involvement in a student ministry group to the low-income and homeless population of downtown Spokane gave me more experience in ministry and leadership. This helped me integrate my classroom knowledge with real-life application.

 Because of my developed sense of call to pastoral ministry, I chose to come to seminary following college graduation. I moved across the country to New Jersey, and to Princeton Theological Seminary. The process of preparation and clarification continues.

 In discovering my own call, I am also realizing that God’s call is not just to individuals. God’s calling is first and foremost to the entire community of faith, and individual calls are simply the finer details of this larger picture. It is my desire to see the Church respond faithfully, and I am excited to do my part in helping this to become a reality. I want to see the Church engage the changing culture around it to live out the message of the Gospel, and to love Christ fervently.