A Brief History of my discernment - PART IV

Even though I was Licensed as Local Pastor in the United Methodist church and was serving as the Youth Pastor, I still attended mass to feed my spirit so that I could continue my quest to become ordained and serve in the ministry. During the year I served as Youth Pastor at Lawrence United Methodist Church, I performed my mother's funeral, held two other funerals for two different youth members of the church (one committed suicide and one died tragically in a motorcycle accident). God seemed to have me at the right place at the right time. I also during that time had the pleasure of performing a wedding of one of my high school classmates. So here I was, a Roman Catholic, serving as Licensed Local Pastor in the UMC, learning by doing on how to perform the functions of a minister (sermons, funerals, weddings). I also realized whether I was ordained in the UMC or the Roman Catholic Church, all of these functions I would still perform. I was still learning and growing. Trying to discern my calling – and my ministry. But the weight of my mother's death, the subsequent difficulties my father found himself in, I needed to get away and sort things out. And yet, there was one other thing that was confounding my faith. That would come next.

Out of the blue, in April of 1987, I received a phone call from the Senior Pastor of Custer Road United Methodist Church in Plano, Texas. At the time, it was the fastest growing UMC in the country. I had done Lawrence proud by growing the youth program from nonexistent to a steady membership of 25. I had attended a Youth Ministry Conference sponsored by the South Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church. David Stone was the keynote speaker and was a national leader in Youth Ministry in the UMC. David built his reputation and his ministry around the “Serendipity” program (http://www.lifeway.com/e19/shop/?N=4294967074). After the training event, I spent some time talking with David Stone, not realizing what God had in store for me. David did an event in Dallas and the Senior Pastor of Custer Road UMC attended. He asked David about Youth Director candidates, and for some unknown reason ( which I still don't understand to this day) David gave Rev. Mark Craig my name.

The next thing I knew I was on a plane to Dallas for an interview for the Youth Director position at Custer Road UMC. After a world-wind tour of Dallas and Plano by Rev. Donna Whitehead, the Associate Pastor at Plano UMC, I met with the Senior Pastor, the Parish/Parish Staff Relations Committee and some of the Youth. Then Sunday morning I was on a plane back home. Three days after returning to Indy, I received a call from Rev. Whitehead. I was offered the Youth Director position at Custer Road UMC. In my discernment of my ministry, I thought there was never such a thing as too much experience, and I needed to get away. I needed to serve in a church in which I didn't grow up or know everyone since I was a kid. I needed to serve where I was truly looked at as a n adult and full staff member of the Church. And I needed time away from home to sort out my mom's death.

So the following weekend, I packed up, turned in my resignation, and lock, stock and barrel, headed to my new job as Youth Director of Custer Road UMC. My college degree was one class from being complete (I had taken an incomplete so I would not have to pay for the class again because of my mother's death).

I started serving as the Youth Director and things were going well from a job standpoint. But now I had another item to add to the bailiwick of discerning my ministry – realizing my sexual orientation. This was very difficult for me. I literally went to the church sanctuary (since I had a key as the Youth Director) one Saturday night after drinking a bit too much around 2am, went to the altar, and cried for what seemed like an hour. How could God do this too me? I felt like Job. God dangles the carrot of youth ministry in front of me, then, scoops up my support system out from under me (my mother), then shows me there is more that one way to worship him (Roman Catholic vs. Protestant), and finally, makes me gay! How could He do this? What did I ever do to deserve being gay? What church would ever employee a gay youth minister?

After several weeks of this struggle, my performance at work was affected. The Senior Pastor noticed I was distracted and had a complaint about me not sending off a recommendation for one of the youth members for college. That was the straw that broke the camel's back.

I was let go from my position, packed up all my stuff in the middle of the night and by the next day was back home in Indy. I decided that secular work maybe was better for me than ministry. Let's face it – God gave me gifts and talents working with youth and growing a church, but the Roman Catholic Church would not even consider me for the ministry as a priest if I came out and said I was gay. The Methodist Church was more open, but not serving as a youth minister clearly. I decided that secular work was for me. My career as an Information Technology Business Consultant began.

I arrived back I didn't attend any church for a while. I focused on getting settled, finding a job and building a new career in a different direction. I didn't have time to finish school. I had to support myself as my father after my mother died, came out that he had an affair with an 18 year old starting my junior year in high school and she had now moved in with him. Living with my dad just wasn't it for me. So I built a career as best I could. I also realized that for the first time, I was on my own – alone.

In August of 1991, I met the love of my life. Brian came into my life and my whole world seemed to change overnight. His family welcomed me with open arms like one of their own. I met Brian August 10, 1991. My father died November 22, 1991, while I was waiting for him at a restaurant (he said he would buy me dinner for my birthday). So, another funeral, but this time I had support – I had Brian. And he was wonderful. I don't think he will ever realize how much he meant to me during that time. But even though I still felt like Job, at least God gave me a support system again. And over the next several years, Brian and I built a life together. It wasn't perfect. I was still new to being gay, and during my realization of being gay in Texas, didn't do some very “ministerial” things. I had a lot to learn about life, love and sharing my life with someone.

Brian was a member of All Saints Episcopal Church. That was a wonderful experience. Much like when I arrived at St. Paul's for the first time, All Saints, even though protestant, had much of the catholic liturgy. In fact, All Saints performed high mass since the Cathedra (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedra) was situated in the sanctuary. At All Saints I began to see how I could still be called to ministry and be gay. In fact two of the priests at All Saints were gay and about ½ of the congregation (avg 200 in attendance any given Sunday) was gay or lesbian. So I began attending at All Saints.

I continued my secular career which seemed to continue to succeed very well. Though I still had not finished my degree, I received lots of training. Technical, Managerial and Project Management. I ended up working, after about 12 years with Brian, at IBM as a Project Manager.

Look for the next Part... Part V of A Brief History of my discernment sometime next week....

Peace, 

jeff 

SPECIAL NOTICE... Accepted to Seminary!

When considering ordained ministry, most mainline denominations have two processes which usually must be performed by potential candidates.  

The first and foremost is deciding where to attend seminary and obtain acceptance to a Master of Divinity Program (3 Year Graduate Program).  Most Master of Divinity Programs are designed to help prepare ministers, pastors, and priests for full-time ministry in a local church, congregation or parish.

However, just being accepted to a Master of Divinity Program does not necessarily that the student will be ordained with his church (or denomination) once graduating from the Master of Divinity Program.

Most mainline processes have a second process which typically is administered by the church or denomination to help with a candidates discernment and determine if the potential candidate is truly received God's calling to full-time ordained ministry (as opposed to simply lay ministry as a member of a local church, congregation or parish).

If you have been following my blog, you already have an idea of the process for the United Methodist Church.  First potential candidate must declare his candidacy to apply for ordination within the United Methodist Church. This declaration is normally to the local staff/parish relations committee.  If the committee accepts the candidates declaration based on requirements from the Book of Discipline (church law for the United Methodist Church), then the declared candidates next step is to be certified as a candidate for ordained ministry.  This is normally after a number of examinations are performed usually by the district superintendent (much like a local diocesan bishop for a particular territory who has charge over several local churches).  This the candidate succeeds, then he is certified by the Board of Ordained Ministry as a candidate for ordained ministry.  Once this process is completed, either before (while the student is still completing college degree) or between college and seminary (or during the first year of seminary) the certified candidate for ordained ministry is assigned as a student local pastor to a local church so that he may begin the mentoring process by local pastors to learn the ropes of local church ministry.

Within the American Catholic Church in the United States (ACCUS), after being accepted to seminary as a First Year Theology student, the student if desiring to receive Holy Orders (be ordained priest) he or she must apply to be considered a Candidate for Holy Orders through the church (in this case to the Archbishop, Vocations Director, and Admissions Committee of ACCUS).  Only the church can grant candidacy for Holy Orders.  

I have completed the first step (applying for seminary) and I am pleased to announced that I have been accepted as a First Year Theology student at St. John XXIII Theological Institute (an ACCUS sponsored seminary) in the Master of Divinity Program.  My matriculation will begin with the summer mini-semester (the beginning of the school year for St. John XXIII TI) on July 5, 2011.

Within the next week or so I will submit my Application to be accepted as a Candidate for Holy Orders within the American Catholic Church in the United States (http://www.accus.us).  

I wanted to make this announcement as I am extremely excited to be admitted to the Master of Divinity Program and I am so looking forward to starting my First Year as a seminarian on July 5, 2011 at St. John XXIII Theological Institute.

Now Look for Part VI of my Discernment Process as I continue sharing my story with you...

Peace,
jeff

A Brief History of my discernment - PART III

Before I continue with Part III of a Brief History of my discernment, I want to provide a clarification for those who may be considering a vocation in the priesthood.  As I have found out, there are actually two applications which need to be completed and submitted.  The first one is a fairly short one and determines whether or not you will be accepted by the seminary to become a first year student.  Just because you have submitted your application for seminary and you have been accepted, this does not mean nor guarantee that you will be ordained a priest. 

A second and longer application is required if you choose to pursue becoming a priest.  This application is called "Application for Holy Orders".  This particular application is submitted directly to the Archbishop who has sole determination as to whether you have a calling to be ordained or not.

For me this past Saturday, I have submitted my application to attend seminary at John XXIII Theological Institute to pursue a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree. This degree program is typically designed to prepare the ordination candidate for full-time ministry.  This degree for the most part is the same whether you are applying to a Catholic seminary or a Protestant seminary - at least in the mainline churches.  However, the actual courses differ based on whether you are to be ordained in the Catholic church or the Protestant church.  For instance, the Catholic curriculum is a bit more heavy on liturgy (Mass Practicum , etc.). The Protestant may focus on areas other than liturgy, such as Pastoral Counseling.

I am waiting to find out if I am accepted to attend seminary at John XXII Theological Institute this year.  The Application for Holy Orders is much more detailed in the questions and requires almost an essay like format to respond to the detailed questions.  This is the portion of the application which is critical for the Archbishop to determine if one is truly called of God for ordained ministry or not.  In addition to the Application for Holy Orders, a detailed background check is performed along with a drug test (if determined necessary by the church).  As an ordained priest, you will be one who will have the faith and trust of the public.  Within the American Catholic Church in the United States (ACCUS), the church in which I am pursuing my Master of Divinity degree and, God willing, ordination, it has a Zero-Tolerance policy for sexual harassment and/or sexual abuse.  This is even more important since the Roman Catholic Sex Abuse scandal broke onto the scene in 2002. 

I am pleased to announce, as is the American Catholic Church in the United States (ACCUS), that since its inception back in 1993, there has NEVER been charges of sexual abuse or harassment, NO even rumors of such behavior in the history of the church.  This is extremely important to ensure the public's trust in the church and in particular the priest(s) who serve the congregation. 

I submitting my application for Holy Orders the end of this month (January 31, 2011).  I ask for your prayers that God's will be done and that the tug I have been feeling all my life truly is God calling me to serve his church.

Now to Part III....

So during my first three years of college, I began to see the nuances and differences between the Roman Catholic Church and the different denominations of the Protestant Church. John felt Christians had to act on their faith, and so the Methodist church became a huge supporter of social justice, which even today can be seen by the direction, sermons, and monetary support the United Methodist Church exerts toward social justice.

The Roman Catholic Church, however, seemed much different. It seemed to “feed” my faith when I attended mass so that I could go into the secular world during the week with a renewed spirit of Christian faith. The Roman Catholic Church, through its liturgy, spoke to my faith, my spiritual life and as a result affected my personal behavior. This church was where I felt God speaking to me personally, directly – I wasn't just “acting” like a Christian, but I wanted to BE a Christian in every sense of the word. However, as far as my vocation went, I felt I needed more time and so I continued to attended Lawrence UMC during the summer years of my college days.

The spring of my freshman year in college, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. This was a blow that affected me for the next four years. As a result, my grades suffered. During my junior year in college I received a phone call from my father late one night. My mother was in the hospital – her breast cancer had metastasized to her brain. Her prognosis was grim. So my senior year, I moved back home, attended IUPUI and took care of my mother. Being away from St. Paul's was difficult, but I thought this an opportunity to explore being a minister in the UMC. If God was going to call me to serve, I wanted to get it right. I wanted to be exactly where he wanted me to be. So I began the process my senior year in college of Declaring my Candidacy for Ministry in the United Methodist Church. This was a process that according to the UMC's Book of Discipline (it's their church law), the steps I took were as follows:

Inquiring Candidate: 2008 Book of Discipline ¶311

1. Contact your pastor, district superintendent (DS), or another deacon or elder
2. Read The Christian as Minister (recommended, not required)
3. Participate in Ministry Inquiry Process (recommended, not required)
   

Beginning Candidacy: ¶311.1.a-c

1. Member of The United Methodist Church or baptized participant of a recognized United Methodist campus ministry or other United Methodist ministry setting for one (1) year
2. Apply to DS [District Superintendent] in writing, including statement of call; ask for admission to candidacy program and assignment of a candidacy mentor
3. Complete candidacy online enrollment and $75 payment
4. Complete beginning stages of candidacy with candidacy mentor
   

Declaring Candidacy: ¶311.1.d, e

1. High school degree or equivalent is required
2. Request interview by Pastor/Staff Parish Relations Committee or equivalent in your ministry setting; provide statement of call; and responses to disciplinary questions in ¶310
3. Request recommendation by charge conference or equivalent as specified by district committee
4. Continue candidacy program with candidacy mentor and academic requirements
   

Finally I had begun the process to enter the ministry. Shortly after Declaring my candidacy, I went before Parish/Staff Parish Relations Committee to answer the questions specified in P310 of the Book of Discipline for United Methodist Church. I successfully completed my interview and shortly after was Certified as a Candidate for Ordained Ministry in the United Methodist Church. That process as well is specified in the Book of Discipline as follows:

Certified Candidacy: ¶311.2

Completion of the following:

1. Written response to ministry questions in ¶311.2a as well as ¶310
2. Psychological assessment, criminal background, and credit check
3. Notarized statement certifying have neither been accused in writing nor convicted of a felony, misdemeanor, or any incident of sexual misconduct or child abuse
4. Provide other information upon request
5. Agree to make a complete dedication to the highest ideals of the Christian life
6. Examination and approval by district committee on ordained ministry
   

Continuing Candidacy: ¶312

1. Annual recommendation by charge conference
2. Annual interview and approval by district committee
3. Annual report of satisfactory progress of studies and copy of transcripts from university or school of theology
   

It was during this time, my mother continued to deteriorate in her health and my father was becoming affected by my mother's illness. I became the primary household manager for our home taking care of my mother, attending a class now and then to work toward my degree, and attempted to take care of the house while dad struggled with mom's illness. It was, at the least, my first test on my faith and how I would handle it when bad things happen to good people – especially in my family.

I wanted my mother to know I was OK. I didn't want her to worry and she was so proud that I would be going into the ministry. I couldn't wait to complete my college degree and start seminary because my mother would be long gone before my ordination. So, as the Book of Discipline allows, once a Candidate for Ordained Ministry is Certified and continuing their education (which I was, but clearly not a full schedule), I applied to become a Licensed Local Pastor within the UMC. My mother would be able to see serving as a licensed (not ordained) minister in our church serving as the Youth Pastor. The process to be a Licensed Local Pastor according to the Book of Discipline is as follows:

Local Pastor - Completed candidacy certification, licensed, and assigned a clergy mentor ¶314

Completing Candidacy: ¶324

1. Certified candidate for minimum of one (1) year, maximum twelve (12) years
2. One (1) year in service ministry
3. Completion of one-half the basic graduate theological studies to be eligible for commissioning
4. Health certificate completed by medical doctor
5. Written and oral doctrinal exam and written autobiographical statement
6. Interview and recommendation by three-fourths vote of district committee
7. Interview and recommendation by the board or ordained ministry
8. Election to provisional membership by clergy session
   

Commissioned to ministry of elder or deacon as provisional member

The day I was Licensed by my Bishop, Bishop Hodapp, my Senior Pastor (Rev Dale Miller) and Associate Pastor (Rev. Dr. Robert H Bennett) laid hands on my head during a special service at the church. Shortly after I was Licensed as a Local Pastor, my mother died. I was licensed as a Local Pastor in May of 1986. My mother passed on October 22, 1986. At least my mother, in her eyes, saw that her son would be ok without her and was “in her eyes” a minister (even though I was only licensed and not ordained). My License was for one (1) year per the Book of Discipline and each year would have to be renewed until I completed my theology studies (M.Div.) and became ordained. 

Look for Part IV later this week....

Peace,

jeff 

A Brief History of my discernment - PART II

One major portion of applying for seminary is completing a lengthy application.  One question in particular asked "Your prior religious affiliation and its affect on you".  My answer to this question ended up being really a journey of my discernment from the time I knew when I was called back in High School, until now when I'm getting ready to send off my application to seminary.  I thought this might be helpful for those of you trying to understand the discernment process from one person's perspective (me) and how I came to understand that I was being called to a vocation in the American Catholic Church in the United States (ACCUS).

Here is Part II:

When I moved into the Fraternity, it was located two blocks from the Cardinal Newman Student Center (St. Paul's). Many of my Fraternity brothers (and roommates) were Catholic. One Sunday, one of them invited me to attend and I went to St. Paul's. I'm not sure if I can describe it properly or with all the impact it had, but when I walked into St. Paul's it was a different church. I knew I was not in the United Methodist Church. For the first time I felt an immediate and ever present awareness that God resided at St. Paul's.

When the service began the liturgy started and I was mesmerized. Never had I experience such a feeling of closeness and oneness with God as I did that day at St. Paul's. I wasn't sure what was happening, but I knew that being minister in the United Methodist Church was not a shoe in yet.

There was so much that I didn't understand about the liturgy, but wanted to – yearned to learn. During the rest of the fall I attended St. Paul's with my Pledge sponsor (who was Catholic) and who helped me understand the ritual and liturgy a little better. He suggested that I attend a RCIA (Right of Christian Initiation for Adults), the class the church offered each spring to bring new converts into the fold. It seemed a logical thing to do. It would not jeopardize my desire to become a United Methodist minister – in fact, I thought it would make me a better minister as I would understand the Catholic church and its church services in order to broaden my knowledge about different denominational faiths in preparation for the ministry.

After I had completed “hell week” in January of 1982 and become an Active in the Fraternity (as well as House Manager), I decided to attend RCIA and asked my Fraternity sponsor if he would be my sponsor for RCIA as well. He agreed. So I attended. It was during the Spring semester of 1982 while attending RCIA I began to expand my knowledge. I wondered why there was United Methodist Church and a Roman Catholic Church (not to mention a plethora of other mainline and offline denominations) that all seemed to worship God and Jesus. Why was there not one Church? If our faith started with the Church and the Apostles, why did we not all have the same Church? RCIA began to answer many of those questions. Father Jeremiah Cullinane was the Associate Chaplain at St. Paul's who taught RCIA. Father Bob Sims and Father Kim Wolf (who attended and taught a few of the night sessions) were the Pastors for St. Paul's.

During RCIA, I noticed a change in me. Faith seemed to take on more of a personal meaning to me. It wasn't because I grew up in the Catholic faith like the United Methodist Church as was “comfortable” with the church service. I really felt God for the first time tugging hard at me and I felt at peace at St. Paul's. It was like “coming home” - that is the only way I can describe it. When the end of the class came, I had a choice to make. Do I convert? Or do I take this new information and integrate it with my thoughts of ministry in the UMC. I could not ignore the feeling I had nor the strong urge to become Catholic. March 1982 (right before Easter), the RCIA class I attended, we all were re-baptized into the Catholic Faith, Confirmed in the Catholic Faith, and received our First Communion in the Catholic Faith. After the service, my sponsor took me to lunch and for my Confirmation gift, gave me a St. Christopher medal. He explained who St. Christopher was and how he was the patron saint of travels. On March 11, 1982, I became a full member in communion with the Roman Catholic Church. I never felt so happy or close to God.

So during school when I lived at the Fraternity (Chi Phi http://www.chiphi.org), I attended St. Paul's. When I went home in the summer time, I attended Lawrence United Methodist Church just as I always had, but then attended usually anticipatory masses on Saturday evening for the Roman Catholic Church so that I could keep my holy day of obligation as a Roman Catholic while continuing to pursue the ministry in the United Methodist Church.

I began to research the church and learn more about the United Methodist Church (as a result of my attending RCIA and becoming Roman Catholic). I wanted to know from where UMC came. I learned about John and Charles Wesley, two Anglican priests in communion with both the Anglican Church and the Roman Catholic. They came to the New World and realized that the message of Christ needed to continue in the New World. They requested that the Archbishop of Canterbury come to the New World, and ordain them as Bishops so they could continue to grow the Church and feed the spiritual need of this new World. The Archbishop refused, stating they would have to come back to England to receive their episcopate. John and Charles, through their own lineage (line of succession) stayed in the New World and started appointing unordained itinerant ministers of a new church in America. These individuals became known as the circuit riders and had an incredible impact in the development of America through the continued communication of support with explorers in this new world. At one time during the 18^th century, the Methodist Church was one of the largest churches in this United States of America.

John (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wesley) had developed a very intense, yet simple “method” to study the bible. John didn't believe you could just attend church and be a Christian. He believed you had to “live” the life to be in full communion with God. As the bible study grew, his group got the nickname “Methodists” since they used the Wesley Method to study the bible.

Through all of this I learned that the United Methodist Church's lineage led directly back to the Anglican Church, which in turn led directly back to the Roman Catholic Church. Those denominations who were not “Roman Catholic” were known as “Protestants” , all beginning back in the 16^th century when Martin Luther (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther) posted a lists of “protests” against the Roman Catholic Church (like the selling of indulgences).

Look for Part III  sometime this upcoming weekend.

Peace,

jeff

A Brief History of my discernment - PART I

One major portion of applying for seminary is completing a lengthy application.  One question in particular asked "Your prior religious affiliation and its affect on you".  My answer to this question ended up being really a journey of my discernment from the time I knew when I was called back in High School, until now when I'm getting ready to send off my application to seminary.  I thought this might be helpful for those of you trying to understand the discernment process from one person's perspective (me) and how I came to understand that I was being called to a vocation in the American Catholic Church in the United States (ACCUS).  

Here is Part I:

I was born a child who was adopted by my adoptive parents during my second birth year. As soon as the adoption was in process and my adoptive parents obtained legal custody of me, they took me to their church they attended and in the denomination which they grew up – Boardman United Methodist Church in Youngstown, Ohio for my christian baptism (Baptismal Certificate dated April 14, 1963 by Senior Pastor Rev. Robert L. Dietrich and witnessed by my Godparents, Josephine and Robert H. Singer – see document in attachment section).

As a result, I was reared in the Methodist Church which became the United Methodist Church (when the Methodist Church merged with the Evangelical United Brethren Church on April 23, 1968). It was during my 3 birth year my parents moved to Indianapolis when my father took a job with JCPenney company (which at the time was located on the Circle downtown in Indianapolis – currently where Anthem resides).

My earliest recollection of church was attending Lawrence United Methodist Church in Lawrence, Indiana (a northeast suburb of Indianapolis inside I-465). I can recall as early as 5^th grade Sunday school and learning about Jesus and God and why Jesus died for my sins. I know it is hard to believe, but somehow, I knew back than that I would someday be working in a church (called to ministry).

I was active in Sunday school all the way through high school. I became a member of the Youth Group and a member of the Church choir and even the Bell Choir. During summer times I can even recall spending weekdays at the church first serving as a custodian while in high school and eventually as the “lawn boy” responsible for keeping the grounds of the church neatly trimmed (grass and bushes).

Even my Boy Scout troop met at the church on Monday evenings. So needless to say that much of my junior high and senior high school days have very fond memories of church, and all the while the tug at my heart toward the ministry continued to grow.

During my high school years, I also became active in an inter/non-denominational youth ministry which reached out to high school youth called “Young Life” and became very active as well in Young Life and even bought a guitar and learned to play it so that I could become part of the guitar corps that played for our meetings on Friday mornings before school (see http://www.younglife.org/us).

During my senior year, I served as Lector (Reader) at services on Sunday offering the Old Testament reading for that Sunday. Needless to say, my life, God, and my church became an integral part of who I am. In fact, even back then, I would have adults from the congregation ask what seminary I would be attending as they assumed (from my visible involvement in the church) I was going to be a minister.

When I applied for college my senior year and received my acceptance letter, my parents, especially my mother, were so proud. I was going to be the first in their family on either side to go to college. After I graduated from high school, but before I started college, I received an invitation from a Fraternity to attend a “rush weekend” with Actives from the fraternity and other potential pledges. I accepted the invitation and attended the weekend. Here I was going to college and a Fraternity was interested in me becoming a member. After that wonderful weekend I focused on preparing for school. About 2 months prior to school starting I received the invitation to join the Fraternity as pledge in the fall of 1981. I accepted and now I had a place to live while attending college at Indiana University in Bloomington. I was well on my way to getting the education I needed to enter seminary.

It should be noted at this time I believed that I was being called to ministry in the United Methodist Church. Let's face it. I grew in the Methodist Church, which became the United Methodist Church and I was familiar and comfortable with the service style and format. I could see myself serving as a minister. But when I got to college and really began to seriously think about going to seminary, I thought I can't just assume that God wanted me in the United Methodist Church. I needed to explore other denominations to make sure that the UMC was where I was being called.

Look for Part II some time NEXT WEEK.

Peace,

Jeff