Statement of Call

So I've sent in my statement of call to my district superintendent as of 9:00 am this morning.

YAY!

I'm really looking forward to this process, and by looking forward to it I mean scared out of my mind. And by scared out of my mind I mean, really ready and excited!

It was a lot harder than I had anticipated to sum up my calling and the direction of that call into a nicely formatted document. I talk about it all the time, and I share it with you all here, so I don't know why it was so hard for me to write it to my district superintendent. Maybe because its such an official kind of thing or because it kind of marks the beginning of this process for me and I know it will be a long road. Or maybe its because I'm too hard on myself and want this to look perfect. Anyways, I'm glad I'm done with it and I'm happy with what I've sent it off!

Now I'm waiting on my D.S. to assign me a candidacy mentor! I'm really looking forward to learning from someone and having a mentor, keep your eyes peeled for an update, hopefully soon!

I thought I would share with you all the statement of call that I submitted as well:

My call to ministry has been a beautiful ribbon that God has woven in, out and around my life. Many times it has been very evident and at other times less visible, but always keeping very close to my heart and to my consciousness. I have felt this call to ministry since I was twelve, when I found myself drawn to sit quietly at the lake shore of a summer camp while all of my peers were running as fast as they could to afternoon activities. I sat all afternoon in conversation with God, pondering together what was in the making for my life. I left that holy ground with more questions than answers, but also a great sense of comfort knowing that God would be with me.

The pastors that served my church when I was a youth were very integral to the realization of my calling. They allowed me to preach in worship, shadow them in home visits to members of the church, and met with me often to help me discern my call. In my undergraduate work at Southwestern University, I sat at the feet of many wise individuals hoping to soak in as much knowledge as I could while going through my inquiry process. When I graduated two years ago from Southwestern University, I began serving in the nonprofit community, opening myself to the many experiences that this work offered to my future ministry. I attend Trinity UMC in Austin, and by being a part of this accepting and loving family, I have witnessed what it means to be in true community and in ministry. The Holy Spirit has continued calling me back to the lake shore through these experiences which have revealed and confirmed to me that I am being called to ordained ministry.

I believe that I am being called into ordained ministry to deliver a message of God’s all-encompassing love to a hurting and desperately searching world. I believe that this is the message that God calls us all to experience with each other and was beautifully modeled through Jesus. I’ve witnessed the maturing of my gifts for ministry through the encounters with life that God has led me through. I feel that God has gifted me with an open heart that has the capacity to be receptive to experiences different than my own and to be genuinely approachable in learning with others in discussing our collective experiences. I have a curious and seeking heart that continually wants to learn and know more about this Great Mystery. God has given me a great desire to be with others in their time of need, to deliver words of encouragement and guidance, to lead a community into deeper meaning of what it means to be a follower of Jesus and to live that message boldly, to offer healing and reconciliation to a hurting world, and to be a voice to the silenced, oppressed and marginalized.