I am currently in my 15th year of professional and recently entered my 5th year of ministry here in Atlantic. Entering these milestone years has me reflecting on the journey that has brought me to this point.
As many of you have heard, I accepted my call to ministry when I was in high school. From that point, I set myself on the path to ordained ministry in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
I attended Texas Christian University (TCU- Go Frogs!) and received my Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies in May 2010. The following August, I started at Brite Divinity School on the campus of TCU, where I received my Master of Divinity (M.Div.) in May 2014. This degree is an 81-hour degree that encompasses classes like Christian history, Old and New Testament studies, Christian Theology, Pastoral Care, Church Leadership, and so much more! It is the degree required for ordination in many mainline protestant denominations, including the Disciples and UCC denominations. A part of the degree also includes field education which could include working in a church, hospital, hospice, or care facility.
I was called to associate ministry with a church in Dallas, TX. At first, I worked with their outreach and mission ministries, especially their church dog park (how cool is that ministry!) and then moved into a more generalized ministry working with many ministries of the church, including worship planning, preaching, church finances and administration, social media and websites, and youth and children. I also worked for a summer with one of our denominational offices to help with summer church camp and a few administrative duties in the office.
During this time, I also began the ordination process with the Southwest Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). While the M.Div. is required for ordination, I could begin the process while in school. For me this was a three-and-a-half-year process of interviews, paper writing, and mentorship. In September 2014, my ordination was authorized and in October the people of First Christian Church, Rowlett, TX and Central Christian Church of Dallas, TX ordained me into Christian ministry.
Since then, I have gone on to serve First Christian Church, Arlington, TX and Park Place Christian Church in Wichita Falls, TX in Associate Minister roles. In those positions, I mostly worked with youth and children, but I was lucky to work under Pastors who allowed me to have experience in every area of ministry within the church.
In December of 2020, I received a call from a friend and colleague who was working with churches in Iowa looking for new pastors. She knew I was searching for a new call and wanted to see about introducing me to a particular congregation. Little did I know at the time that that same congregation would end up calling me to be their Pastor.
Here we are, starting our fifth year of ministry together where we affirm that we are “Called by Jesus to serve all.”
In these four years, we have worked to find our “post-COVID” footing, set a new mission and values statements, started conversations we hope will lead to future partnerships, started new ministries and explored new realities for established ministries. We have endured hard things together, and, because it’s how life works, will undergo more. However, I do truly believe that the Spirit is active in our faith community and the best is yet to come! I am so honored to be a partner in the ministry of Atlantic UCC.
