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 5th 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
