My calling came at a young age during my time in high school. Though, at the time when i first experienced the call, it was not God speaking to me through lightening bolts, or verbally answering my prayers. My experience of my calling was much more innocuous, and somewhat insidious. Sometimes God does not call us directly, but does so through our experiences in life.
It was during my senior year in high school, I had personally decided to accept God's call and made a promise to Him that I would do just that ( a word of caution: don't make promises to God that you later decide not to keep - He has a funny way of making you make good on your promise to Him! Shortly after this commitment I made to God, I began to look at my life and how I interacted with others differently. I genuinely began to care about others. But this would not be enough to reinforce my calling.
Growing up in the United Methodist Church, I had the pleasure of experiencing wonderful times as part of the Youth Group my church offered. I made many friends in my church and as started college in the fall of 1981, my calling was seemingly stronger than ever. My time spent with God was increasing more and more - and little did I know just how much I would come to depend on that precious time with my Lord.
During my junior year in college my mother was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Very shortly afterward, the cancer spread to my mother's brain and she was given less than a year to live. My senior year I returned home from college and took course from IUPUI as I could while taking care of my mother and assisting my father with daily chores of housework and living while he continued to work full-time to support himself, my mother, and now me.
I knew that my mother would not live long enough to even see me begin seminary. I pursued, applied and was accepted as a Certified Candidate for Ordained ministry in the United Methodist Church. I had begun to start working with the Church's youth group and shortly after my work, the group grew from almost nothing to about 25. My senior pastor, knowing my family situation, he asked if I would consider becoming a "student pastor" through a program of the church known as the "local licensed pastor". The program was originally created to help fill a gap in shortfall of ministers with the needs of the many congregations. It expanded to included pre-seminary students who, under the direction of an Ordained clergy, could serve as "licensed local pastor" within the United Methodist Church.
When my Senior Pastor and Associate Pastor both approached me with the idea, I was thrilled. God was giving me an opportunity to work as a student pastor and have limited responsibilities as a "licensed local pastor". After completing all the necessary paperwork and tests that the Administrative Guide for the United Methodist Church required, I received approval and was appointed as "youth minister" to Lawrence United Methodist Church in July 1986. A ceremony was held on Sunday during the first Sunday in July whereby the two Ordained Pastors of my church, held a "laying on of hands" ceremony conveying the apostolic succession to serve as a "student licensed local pastor". In that role, I served essentially as the "youth minister" and was, under the direction of my ordained ministers, had the opportunity to serve and offer sacraments to members of our local church, which included at the time, serving communion, performing the sacrament of marriage and performing funerals for our congregation when it involved members of the youth group.
This was a tremendous time for me. It gave me encouragement in knowing in my heart that this is what God was calling me to. It also allowed my mother see me serve, at least in her eyes, as the "ordained minister" she had been so thrilled that I desired to be. In a way, it paved the way for my mother to relax more about worrying what would happen to me if she died, and just 4 months after my "laying on of hands" ceremony, my mother passed of brain cancer.
Stay tuned for more on my calling and how I found myself drawn to serve, or rather how God pulled me to him to serve....
Peace,
Jeff
