On this 15th Sunday after Pentecost, Sept. 1st, 2024, Rev. Katie Faison delves into the transformative power of worship and the profound calling of God in our lives. Our scripture reading from Acts chapter 9 recounts the dramatic conversion of Saul, a pivotal moment in Christian history. Saul, a fervent persecutor of Christians, encounters Jesus on the road to Damascus, leading to a miraculous transformation and his eventual baptism. This story serves as a reminder of God's ability to change lives and call individuals to ministry in unexpected ways.
Chapters
(00:00) The Transformative Power of Worship
(00:11) Saul's Encounter on the Road to Damascus
(03:23) Understanding God's Call to Ministry
(07:10) The Ongoing Process of Transformation
(10:55) Ananias' Role in Saul's Conversion
(13:11) Modern Miracles and Faith
(15:35) A Personal Journey to Ministry
Acts 9:1-19
Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!" "Yes, Lord," he answered. The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a
man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight." "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name." But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name." Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
Central is proud to be a place
- where all generations worship, grow, and serve together.
- where women and men have equal opportunities for leadership.
- where traditional worship is engaged with excellence.
- and where diverse approaches to Christian faith and theology all find themselves at home under the lordship of Christ.
Want to learn more about Central? Visit our website at centralbaptistnewnan.org or give us a call at 770-683-0610.
[00:00:01]
Ronnie Oliver, Jr.:
We believe that the shared experience of worship has the power to transform us into the people God wants us to be.
[00:00:11] Katie Faison:
Our lesson text today comes from Acts chapter 9. I will begin reading with the first verse. If you would like to follow along in your bible, it is also printed on the back of your worship folder. Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and asked for letters to the synagogue in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly, a light from heaven flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Who are you, Lord? Saul asked. I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, he replied. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do. The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless. They heard the sound, but they did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand to Damascus. For 3 days, he was blind and did and did not eat or drink anything. In Damascus, there was a disciple named Ananias.
The lord called to him in a vision. Ananias, yes lord, he answered. The Lord told him, go to the house of Judas on straight street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision, he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight. Lord, Ananias answered, I have heard many reports about this this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with the authority from the chief priest to arrest all who call on your name. But the Lord said to Ananias, go.
This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name. Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, brother Saul, the lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes and he could see again. He got up and was baptized and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once, he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the son of god. This is the word of the lord. Thanks be to God. Over the past few weeks, we've talked a lot about what it means to be called to ministry. We've recently witnessed several new believers who profess their faith in Christ for the very first time through baptism. We celebrated with Steve and Nancy as they retired after 35 successful years in church ministry, and soon, we will begin a new search for a new minister who God will call to be part of our ministry team here at central. As we have witnessed God calling new believers and have begun dreaming of who God might call to do ministry here with us, I have found myself thinking a lot about God's call on my life.
Over the years, I've lost count of the number of times a professor, a scholarship committee, an ordination council or even just a friend has asked me to tell them about my call to ministry. Most people assume that you hear a clear voice from God or that it's something that you've always wanted since you were a young child. My call to ministry happened over the course of a few years. There was no clear moment, but instead many moments when I could feel God tugging on my heart and preparing me for this call. I could describe my conversion experience much the same way or my baptism.
There was no bright light, no voice from above, no miraculous encounter or tragedy that brought me to God. I was raised here at central and baptized when I was 8 years old. It's hard to remember a time when I did not call myself a Christian. So how do we know when God is calling us into discipleship? And as followers of Christ, how can we be sure what our personal role in God's ministry should look like throughout our lives? If we're being honest, just claiming to be a Christian today can be a bit scary. Maybe not as scary as it was for Ananias or for Stephen, but Christians are not always viewed from the outside as we imagine or hope that we are.
If we were to review some of Christian history, I'm not sure I blame those who are skeptical. For 1,000 of years now, people who consider themselves devoted followers of God have treated others badly. Sometimes, even justifying it as something that God Sometimes, even justifying it as something that God wanted them to do. In the middle ages, the crusaders killed 100 and thousands of people because they felt that God wanted Christians to be in charge of the Holy Land. Christians have judged others based on race, sexuality, gender, class, marital status by not accepting them to be part of their church.
God does not discriminate. Why would we do that? What about the times when we walk by the homeless pretending that they are not there or even more denying their request? Or the times when we witness the customer humiliating the clerk and don't step in to help? What about the times that we are the customer humiliating the clerk? Christians, those who are claiming to have been transformed by god can still be blind and stubborn to what God is calling us to do. Our baptism doesn't change us in an instant. It doesn't make us perfect. Our baptism is not the last step in our faithful to be a faithful disciple, but instead just the very beginning.
Whether you have had a dramatic conversion experience like Saul, or you have been as a Christian for as long as you can remember, the transformation of your heart is a never ending process. Saul's process started at a very young age. He was raised in Tarsus, in both the Hebrew tradition and the Greek culture, Because of his natural brilliance and influential background, Saul had the sought after privilege of studying under Gamaliel, the great Hebrew intellect. Saul distinguished himself as a natural leader and scholar, he became a Pharisee.
The mission of the Pharisees was to restore the nation to being obedient followers of the law and traditions, and the Pharisees were known for using extreme measures to make sure this happened. Saul is a strong leader. We witnessed this at the scene of Stephen's death when we meet Saul for the very first time. A crowd of people are furious with Steven for spreading the good news of Jesus as the messiah. As the crowd dragged Steven outside the city to stone him, Luke notes, the witnesses lay their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul, and Saul approved of them killing him.
Let's imagine it. Here's Saul, this great leader just standing there. His arms are crossed, he has a strong stance. The people are mad at Stephen for just talking about Jesus and they are willing to kill him for it. Saul did not participate in throwing stones at Stephen, but he gave his stamp of approval by allowing it to happen. He is so focused on what he believes is truth, and trying to be faithful to God, he's deaf to the teachings of Jesus and his disciples. Love and forgiveness. So why would God choose Saul? For the early church to be successful, God needs a strong leader.
A powerful witness who could carry the good news to both the Jews and the Gentiles. Saul speaks fluent Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. He's exactly the kind of person god needs to lead the church. And who better for the job than someone who spoke against the church to begin with? A dramatic transformation, a miracle. So god waits for just the right opportunity to begin the most influential transformation in Christian history. Theologian, Joseph Harvard says, the main character in this and every conversion story is God. It is God who changes lives.
When God is ready to call someone to ministry, sometimes, it's a really big surprise. Saul didn't get a nudging feeling one day and have a change of heart. He didn't hear a sermon and feel called by by the spirit. He didn't begin to feel guilty about Stephen and others who are persecuted. God needed Saul's transformation to be really big. And the first person that we meet who is surprised by this is Ananias. Can you picture Ananias' face when the lord appears to him and says, go to the house of Judas and ask for a man named Saul. He is expecting you to come and restore his sight. Ananias is thinking, you gotta be kidding me, lord.
You mean you want me to go looking for a man who's hunting down Christians and killing them? You want me to tell him that I have come so that he may be filled with the Holy Spirit? Ananias has to be terrified, but he does allow god to work through him. Scripture says, but the lord said to him, go for he is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name before the gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. Saul's com Saul's conversion was clearly the will of god. And without Ananias, Saul's transformation may not have happened when it did.
We never know when my God might be using us as part of another person's call to ministry. We are often taught that people cannot change. The Damascus road experience is a helpful reminder that conversion is not about us, it's about god. No one conversion story is the same. What happened to Saul was dramatic and had a significant impact on the early church, but it shouldn't be the only story in which we compare our experience. Paul's conversion is so dramatic, many people find it easier to just leave it back then and think of it as impossible or irrelevant today. Although miracles don't seem as common as they were throughout the bible, they do still happen.
It's just a matter of whether we choose to remove the scales and believe what we see, hear, and feel as the work of god. Several years ago, I took my daughter, Emma, to see the movie, Miracles in Heaven. I think she was about 8 at the time. If you haven't ever seen the movie, it's about a little girl named Annabel Beam, who is terminally ill. But after falling 30 feet into a hollow tree, she is miraculously healed. In the movie, Annabelle talks about an experience that she has with God. What I remember most about going to see this movie with Emma is the way she told others about it. How excited she was to share with others of the hope and joy that she experienced by hearing Annabelle's experience with God.
She had such great faith, she never questioned the validity of the story. I'm ashamed to admit that a couple of times throughout the movie, I had to ask myself whether I believed it. The movie is based on a true story, and yes, Hollywood did get a hold of it. So I'm not sure we can believe every single detail. But there is no medical explanation for the fact that she was dying and after falling out of a tree, she was healed. One thing we know for sure, through Annabelle's testimony, god's goodness has been shared with millions of people around the world.
Maybe we have not been witness or a recipient of what we consider a miracle. But that does not mean that God is not working in us. Annabelle's story is a miracle. But Annabelle's willingness to share her story with the world is a great example of how God works through us to call others to discipleship. Our part in God's story doesn't have to be as big as Annabelle's or Paul's. It can be a subtle nudge or even the smallest feeling or suggestion that can lead to somebody answering God's call. Ministry is actually a second career for me. I spent the first seven and a half years in my working life in the classroom before moving to Georgia.
I taught 4th grade in Tarboro, North Carolina. When I became pregnant with our second daughter, Allie, we began dreaming about moving to Newnan so that we could be close to family. It's hard to explain, but as we began thinking about moving back to Newnan, which is home for me, getting back to central was one of the top things that I would get excited about. John and I were both teachers, and we would talk about ways that we could get involved involved For me, there was a strong draw to get very involved with children or youth. I kept getting the feeling that there was something here for me even though I couldn't quite figure out what that feeling meant, and I certainly never could have imagined what truly awaited me.
In December of 2011, the idea of moving to Newnan became a real possibility, when a job opening for a biology teacher posted at Woodward Academy, and John decided he would apply for the position. Looking back now, I was always in I've always been in awe of the things that had to happen for us to get back here, and how quickly they happened from February of 2012 until June of that year. First, we had a baby in February. One week after we brought her home from the hospital, John traveled alone to Georgia to interview for the job. A few weeks later, we learned that he got the job and began, and he would begin with that new position in the fall of that year.
We sold our house to the very first couple that walked through the doors. So fast in fact, that we had to rent it back from them in order to fulfill our obligations for the school year. And by June of that year, we were officially back here in Newnan and began attending central right away. After Allie turned 1, I decided I would start looking for a teaching position for myself. So that I could go back to work the next fall. But teaching positions in Coweta County were then hard to find, I don't know about now, and I wasn't having much luck. In the meantime, I knew that central's nursery coordinator position was about to be open, and I inquired on how they might fill that position.
Our music minister at the time, Anne Kronick, was also in charge of the children's ministry. She told me she wasn't sure how they would fill that position because the parents of the church had actually expressed interest in getting a children's minister. Central had not ever had a children's minister before. Several months later, out of the blue one day, Anne called me and asked me if I was still interested interested in that nursery job. She said, central had officially decided they were going to hire a children's minister, but they hadn't even started interviewing for the position.
So they really needed somebody to supervise in the nursery nurse the children's minister position. I've been trying to come up all week with how to express to you the confusion I had when she asked me that. I think I probably laughed a little bit, had a very confused look on my face like, I'm not qualified for that. I'm not a minister. I had never even thought about being in ministry prior to that moment. I think the description of Saul's experience is a great way to describe myself in that moment. I was completely blind to what was about to happen in my life.
But even as I left the church that day, I began getting the feeling of, well, mean, maybe, could I be a minister? After days of contemplation, many discussions with John, lots of prayers, I decided that maybe that was exactly what god was calling me to do. So on October 1, 2013, I became Central's first ever children's minister. I have to say that even on that day, I still had no idea what God was calling me to do or to be a part of here at central. The scales on my eyes did not fall off all at once, but slowly as God revealed to me what God was truly calling me to do.
I would be remiss if I did not say that without Anne Kronick and Joel Richardson, I would not be here today. Anne for helping me see my call and for mentoring me for years after. And for Joel, for taking a chance on a homegrown un seminary educated at the time person to fulfill that position. God used both of them as instruments in my call to ministry, and I cannot thank them enough for the role they play. Sometimes, it is the small hints from god who we have to be open and receptive to to see what god is working in us. We are not all called to church ministry, but we are all called by god to be disciples.
I pray that god will continue to open our eyes and our hearts so that we will know when God is calling us and not hesitate to say yes.
We believe that the shared experience of worship has the power to transform us into the people God wants us to be.
[00:00:11] Katie Faison:
Our lesson text today comes from Acts chapter 9. I will begin reading with the first verse. If you would like to follow along in your bible, it is also printed on the back of your worship folder. Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and asked for letters to the synagogue in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly, a light from heaven flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Who are you, Lord? Saul asked. I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, he replied. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do. The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless. They heard the sound, but they did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand to Damascus. For 3 days, he was blind and did and did not eat or drink anything. In Damascus, there was a disciple named Ananias.
The lord called to him in a vision. Ananias, yes lord, he answered. The Lord told him, go to the house of Judas on straight street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision, he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight. Lord, Ananias answered, I have heard many reports about this this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with the authority from the chief priest to arrest all who call on your name. But the Lord said to Ananias, go.
This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name. Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, brother Saul, the lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes and he could see again. He got up and was baptized and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once, he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the son of god. This is the word of the lord. Thanks be to God. Over the past few weeks, we've talked a lot about what it means to be called to ministry. We've recently witnessed several new believers who profess their faith in Christ for the very first time through baptism. We celebrated with Steve and Nancy as they retired after 35 successful years in church ministry, and soon, we will begin a new search for a new minister who God will call to be part of our ministry team here at central. As we have witnessed God calling new believers and have begun dreaming of who God might call to do ministry here with us, I have found myself thinking a lot about God's call on my life.
Over the years, I've lost count of the number of times a professor, a scholarship committee, an ordination council or even just a friend has asked me to tell them about my call to ministry. Most people assume that you hear a clear voice from God or that it's something that you've always wanted since you were a young child. My call to ministry happened over the course of a few years. There was no clear moment, but instead many moments when I could feel God tugging on my heart and preparing me for this call. I could describe my conversion experience much the same way or my baptism.
There was no bright light, no voice from above, no miraculous encounter or tragedy that brought me to God. I was raised here at central and baptized when I was 8 years old. It's hard to remember a time when I did not call myself a Christian. So how do we know when God is calling us into discipleship? And as followers of Christ, how can we be sure what our personal role in God's ministry should look like throughout our lives? If we're being honest, just claiming to be a Christian today can be a bit scary. Maybe not as scary as it was for Ananias or for Stephen, but Christians are not always viewed from the outside as we imagine or hope that we are.
If we were to review some of Christian history, I'm not sure I blame those who are skeptical. For 1,000 of years now, people who consider themselves devoted followers of God have treated others badly. Sometimes, even justifying it as something that God Sometimes, even justifying it as something that God wanted them to do. In the middle ages, the crusaders killed 100 and thousands of people because they felt that God wanted Christians to be in charge of the Holy Land. Christians have judged others based on race, sexuality, gender, class, marital status by not accepting them to be part of their church.
God does not discriminate. Why would we do that? What about the times when we walk by the homeless pretending that they are not there or even more denying their request? Or the times when we witness the customer humiliating the clerk and don't step in to help? What about the times that we are the customer humiliating the clerk? Christians, those who are claiming to have been transformed by god can still be blind and stubborn to what God is calling us to do. Our baptism doesn't change us in an instant. It doesn't make us perfect. Our baptism is not the last step in our faithful to be a faithful disciple, but instead just the very beginning.
Whether you have had a dramatic conversion experience like Saul, or you have been as a Christian for as long as you can remember, the transformation of your heart is a never ending process. Saul's process started at a very young age. He was raised in Tarsus, in both the Hebrew tradition and the Greek culture, Because of his natural brilliance and influential background, Saul had the sought after privilege of studying under Gamaliel, the great Hebrew intellect. Saul distinguished himself as a natural leader and scholar, he became a Pharisee.
The mission of the Pharisees was to restore the nation to being obedient followers of the law and traditions, and the Pharisees were known for using extreme measures to make sure this happened. Saul is a strong leader. We witnessed this at the scene of Stephen's death when we meet Saul for the very first time. A crowd of people are furious with Steven for spreading the good news of Jesus as the messiah. As the crowd dragged Steven outside the city to stone him, Luke notes, the witnesses lay their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul, and Saul approved of them killing him.
Let's imagine it. Here's Saul, this great leader just standing there. His arms are crossed, he has a strong stance. The people are mad at Stephen for just talking about Jesus and they are willing to kill him for it. Saul did not participate in throwing stones at Stephen, but he gave his stamp of approval by allowing it to happen. He is so focused on what he believes is truth, and trying to be faithful to God, he's deaf to the teachings of Jesus and his disciples. Love and forgiveness. So why would God choose Saul? For the early church to be successful, God needs a strong leader.
A powerful witness who could carry the good news to both the Jews and the Gentiles. Saul speaks fluent Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. He's exactly the kind of person god needs to lead the church. And who better for the job than someone who spoke against the church to begin with? A dramatic transformation, a miracle. So god waits for just the right opportunity to begin the most influential transformation in Christian history. Theologian, Joseph Harvard says, the main character in this and every conversion story is God. It is God who changes lives.
When God is ready to call someone to ministry, sometimes, it's a really big surprise. Saul didn't get a nudging feeling one day and have a change of heart. He didn't hear a sermon and feel called by by the spirit. He didn't begin to feel guilty about Stephen and others who are persecuted. God needed Saul's transformation to be really big. And the first person that we meet who is surprised by this is Ananias. Can you picture Ananias' face when the lord appears to him and says, go to the house of Judas and ask for a man named Saul. He is expecting you to come and restore his sight. Ananias is thinking, you gotta be kidding me, lord.
You mean you want me to go looking for a man who's hunting down Christians and killing them? You want me to tell him that I have come so that he may be filled with the Holy Spirit? Ananias has to be terrified, but he does allow god to work through him. Scripture says, but the lord said to him, go for he is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name before the gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. Saul's com Saul's conversion was clearly the will of god. And without Ananias, Saul's transformation may not have happened when it did.
We never know when my God might be using us as part of another person's call to ministry. We are often taught that people cannot change. The Damascus road experience is a helpful reminder that conversion is not about us, it's about god. No one conversion story is the same. What happened to Saul was dramatic and had a significant impact on the early church, but it shouldn't be the only story in which we compare our experience. Paul's conversion is so dramatic, many people find it easier to just leave it back then and think of it as impossible or irrelevant today. Although miracles don't seem as common as they were throughout the bible, they do still happen.
It's just a matter of whether we choose to remove the scales and believe what we see, hear, and feel as the work of god. Several years ago, I took my daughter, Emma, to see the movie, Miracles in Heaven. I think she was about 8 at the time. If you haven't ever seen the movie, it's about a little girl named Annabel Beam, who is terminally ill. But after falling 30 feet into a hollow tree, she is miraculously healed. In the movie, Annabelle talks about an experience that she has with God. What I remember most about going to see this movie with Emma is the way she told others about it. How excited she was to share with others of the hope and joy that she experienced by hearing Annabelle's experience with God.
She had such great faith, she never questioned the validity of the story. I'm ashamed to admit that a couple of times throughout the movie, I had to ask myself whether I believed it. The movie is based on a true story, and yes, Hollywood did get a hold of it. So I'm not sure we can believe every single detail. But there is no medical explanation for the fact that she was dying and after falling out of a tree, she was healed. One thing we know for sure, through Annabelle's testimony, god's goodness has been shared with millions of people around the world.
Maybe we have not been witness or a recipient of what we consider a miracle. But that does not mean that God is not working in us. Annabelle's story is a miracle. But Annabelle's willingness to share her story with the world is a great example of how God works through us to call others to discipleship. Our part in God's story doesn't have to be as big as Annabelle's or Paul's. It can be a subtle nudge or even the smallest feeling or suggestion that can lead to somebody answering God's call. Ministry is actually a second career for me. I spent the first seven and a half years in my working life in the classroom before moving to Georgia.
I taught 4th grade in Tarboro, North Carolina. When I became pregnant with our second daughter, Allie, we began dreaming about moving to Newnan so that we could be close to family. It's hard to explain, but as we began thinking about moving back to Newnan, which is home for me, getting back to central was one of the top things that I would get excited about. John and I were both teachers, and we would talk about ways that we could get involved involved For me, there was a strong draw to get very involved with children or youth. I kept getting the feeling that there was something here for me even though I couldn't quite figure out what that feeling meant, and I certainly never could have imagined what truly awaited me.
In December of 2011, the idea of moving to Newnan became a real possibility, when a job opening for a biology teacher posted at Woodward Academy, and John decided he would apply for the position. Looking back now, I was always in I've always been in awe of the things that had to happen for us to get back here, and how quickly they happened from February of 2012 until June of that year. First, we had a baby in February. One week after we brought her home from the hospital, John traveled alone to Georgia to interview for the job. A few weeks later, we learned that he got the job and began, and he would begin with that new position in the fall of that year.
We sold our house to the very first couple that walked through the doors. So fast in fact, that we had to rent it back from them in order to fulfill our obligations for the school year. And by June of that year, we were officially back here in Newnan and began attending central right away. After Allie turned 1, I decided I would start looking for a teaching position for myself. So that I could go back to work the next fall. But teaching positions in Coweta County were then hard to find, I don't know about now, and I wasn't having much luck. In the meantime, I knew that central's nursery coordinator position was about to be open, and I inquired on how they might fill that position.
Our music minister at the time, Anne Kronick, was also in charge of the children's ministry. She told me she wasn't sure how they would fill that position because the parents of the church had actually expressed interest in getting a children's minister. Central had not ever had a children's minister before. Several months later, out of the blue one day, Anne called me and asked me if I was still interested interested in that nursery job. She said, central had officially decided they were going to hire a children's minister, but they hadn't even started interviewing for the position.
So they really needed somebody to supervise in the nursery nurse the children's minister position. I've been trying to come up all week with how to express to you the confusion I had when she asked me that. I think I probably laughed a little bit, had a very confused look on my face like, I'm not qualified for that. I'm not a minister. I had never even thought about being in ministry prior to that moment. I think the description of Saul's experience is a great way to describe myself in that moment. I was completely blind to what was about to happen in my life.
But even as I left the church that day, I began getting the feeling of, well, mean, maybe, could I be a minister? After days of contemplation, many discussions with John, lots of prayers, I decided that maybe that was exactly what god was calling me to do. So on October 1, 2013, I became Central's first ever children's minister. I have to say that even on that day, I still had no idea what God was calling me to do or to be a part of here at central. The scales on my eyes did not fall off all at once, but slowly as God revealed to me what God was truly calling me to do.
I would be remiss if I did not say that without Anne Kronick and Joel Richardson, I would not be here today. Anne for helping me see my call and for mentoring me for years after. And for Joel, for taking a chance on a homegrown un seminary educated at the time person to fulfill that position. God used both of them as instruments in my call to ministry, and I cannot thank them enough for the role they play. Sometimes, it is the small hints from god who we have to be open and receptive to to see what god is working in us. We are not all called to church ministry, but we are all called by god to be disciples.
I pray that god will continue to open our eyes and our hearts so that we will know when God is calling us and not hesitate to say yes.
A Personal Journey to Ministry
