Last November, not long before Ryan and I left for our anniversary trip, I received a phone call from the pastor of a church near our home, and asked if he could talk to me about speaking at his church. He’s been the pastor there many years and knows that retirement will be upon him in the not-so-distant future. He felt like it was important to start preparing his congregation to hear from someone other than him and asked if I would be willing to help!
We
talked over the phone for a while, and I told him I would pray about whether or
not this would be a good fit for me in this calendar year. Ryan and I talked
about it on our trip, and while we didn’t want to miss our own church too
often, we both felt led to say yes to this opportunity. We knew God was leading
me deeper into ministry, and we thought this might offer great experience and
opportunities to learn.
And
so it was that over the last ten months, I have visited this church eight
times, taking a break only for the summer while I filled in at my own church.
The congregation quickly became dear to me, and they welcomed both Ryan and me
in as though we had always belonged there. They even invited us to their game night a few months ago!
This past Sunday was my last one with them, and it was bittersweet to tell them goodbye. I have loved serving them and have grown in my passion for ministry within the walls of that little church. I’ve learned so much about organizing a service, crafting messages, and sharing from my heart, and I will always be so grateful for this experience! I’ve also missed being at our own church each Sunday and look forward to being part of our congregation each week.
Ryan
was the best ministry partner and led the music each month that we went. He
jumped in to help with anything else I needed in the service, too, and I loved ministering
side by side with him.
This
was my only day to speak in October, and I’m grateful we had such a beautiful
day to share!
1 comment:
So glad you had a lovely speaking session!
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