candidating

It's been some time since I last blogged and a lot has happened, especially in relation to my call to ministry. Here is what I shared with my congregation (Tea Tree Gully Uniting) this morning.

You may be aware that over the last two years I have been spending time discerning whether God has a specific call on my life. I committed to a Period of Discernment, during which I met regularly with a mentor, did some study through the Uniting College, began preaching, tried ministries outside of this congregation, and journalled my experiences. Through this process I discerned a call to ministry…. A call to ordained ministry as a Minister (of the Word).

Before (our Minister) Phil Marshall left, we met several times and he helped and supported me in starting the application process. I also met with church council to talk about my sense of call. This began a new journey as I had to write my testimony (1000’s of words), including my spiritual development from childhood, select referees, have extensive medical and psychological testing, and then, finally meet with the ministers selection panel at the beginning of November.

This meeting with selection panel was an intense experience. It was held over 2 days, staying overnight at The Monastery in Glen Osmond. There were 2 hour-long interviews, personal presentations plus two different scenarios where I had the opportunity to show how I work in a team and my leadership style. The panel of 6 then met to decide whether the church is convinced that I am called to ministry and whether I am a suitable candidate.

Fortunately I didn’t have to wait very long. I received a phone call that afternoon to say that the panel decided unanimously to accept my application to candidate as a Minister.

This whole experience has been amazing. I have grown so much in faith, in understanding of who I am in Christ, and in self confidence.

I am now officially a Candidate, which means that the Church is committed to my preparation for ordained ministry. To begin,…I will need to study – I will enrol in a Bachelor of Ministry at Uniting College in the New Year.  I will also need to participate in spiritual formation days run at the College, and eventually, will need to go into a student placement in a congregation. But this is not likely to happen for at least 18 months or more.

With Paul, I have more decisions to make…. How much study will I take on? Will I continue working the same hours?

So, another new journey begins. I hope you will share that journey with me, and would very much appreciate your prayers for myself and for my family.

End of PoD #6

Here is the final installment of my end of PoD report. Thanks for reading....

Calling – the result of my discernment
In December 2009, following my sermon at the 10am service at Tea Tree Gully Uniting, and the feedback received, I felt in my spirit that ‘this is what I am called to do’, as a vocation. That is, I felt called to ordained ministry. I shared this with a few trusted people who were very affirming and not at all surprised* by this news! (*Which was a surprise to me!)

This sense of call has not left me since that time. The Ministries in the Uniting Church course really helped to confirm this for me, by both confirming what I did not feel called to, and what I did feel called to. In particular I listened to the panel of deacons, hearing about their diaconal ministry. It helped me develop a greater appreciation for this area of ministry but confirmed for me that this is not where I feel my call is focussed.
I have applied to be a candidate for minister of the Word.

Conclusion
Now, at the end of 19 months of discernment, I am amazed at how much has changed in my life, particularly with respect to my own perception of my strengths and my self confidence. I am in a very different ‘place’ to where I was when I began. I am now in a place where my nervousness in relation to worship leading and preaching has dramatically reduced and my confidence, enjoyment and passion have greatly increased. There has been unsolicited affirmation from a broad range of people during my PoD. Through this time I have been blessed with many wonderful opportunities which have really challenged me and I have grown in faith and in understanding of who I am in Christ, and what He is calling me to. I am passionate about pursuing a call to ministry in the Word and keen to learn and soak up as much as I can wherever and whenever I can to help me achieve this goal.

End of PoD #5

My time of exile
After resigning from the position of Events Manager in the Presbytery and Synod Office, I gained employment working as an Event Coordinator for Novita Children’s Services. I remained in that role for 11 months, from September 2008 to August 2009. During this time I gained really helpful experience working in the charity sector, learning about sponsorship, marketing, event management professional practice and working in a secular workplace.

‘Exile’ may seem a strong word, but while I was at Novita, I was very keenly aware of my separation from the Uniting Church. Even though I was still involved in worship ministry at my local congregation, I experienced a profound sense of loss and grief, particularly from the gatherings of the wider church (Presbytery and Synod meetings, KCO and SAYCO).
I realised that I had come to love God’s people so much that I didn’t want to be separated from them. A number of factors caused me to consider leaving my employment at Novita, one of them being a lack of passion, meaning that I wasn’t willing to work in the stressful environment I was in at the time. I started looking back at the Uniting Church to see what opportunities might be available and applied for the Administration Assistant role at Uniting College. I was so willing to return to the Uniting Church community, and for a season, to find a role with reduced stress, that I applied, even though it would mean a significant drop in salary and therefore financial sacrifice for my family. Later, when looking back at this time, I journalled how much I love the people of the Uniting Church and how much I had missed them, and that I felt a strong sense of call to serve the wider church.

Last month, the Moderator Elect invited me to be his worship coordinator for the October Presbytery and Synod meetings during his term as Moderator. When he asked me, I felt again an overwhelming sense that this is what I am called to do.

Understanding of Ministry and Mission in the Uniting Church in Australia.
Having worked in the Presbytery and Synod office for over 7 years I felt that I already had a good understanding of the mission and ministry of the Uniting Church. My goal then was to develop a deeper understanding of this area. I did this through the course Ministries in the Uniting Church in Australia, which I did in Semester One this year and through participation in Professional Ethics in Ministry Settings. Ministries in the Uniting Church in particular was a helpful way to understand the different ministries, lay and ordained, and I had lots of opportunity to reflect on which areas I felt called to.


Coming soon... the last installment: Part #6 (Calling – the result of my discernment)