The seeds planted for my call into the ministry came in an unexpected way. I have been a long-time member of the Raven Run Church of the Brethren, and have served in a variety of capacities within the church over that time, but I never envisioned a call into the ministry. In the summer of 2019, I arrived for church one morning, and a well-respected friend from within the church, Joe Zelanko, was the greeter that morning. As we spoke that day, Joe asked me if I had ever considered bringing a message some morning. His question caught me completely off guard, but Joe encouraged me to think about giving it a try some Sunday. Our interim pastor, Allen Baker, was present for this conversation, and he too, encouraged me to give this some thought.

I guess you could say that my initial reaction to this conversation was to try to brush it off and ignore it. But the seeds had been planted, and God was at work. I slowly started to feel the call of God leading me to try my hand at sharing a message. One morning as I was out for a walk, I really felt God at work on me. I recall asking him, that if this was his will for me, that he lay a message upon me to share. By the time my walk was finished, God had provided a full sermon to me. In July 2020, I shared the message that God had revealed during my walk, and my calling grew from there.

Pastor Allen, Joe, and some others within the congregation continued to support and encourage me. I began bringing messages on a somewhat regular basis, and before I knew it I was meeting with our District Executive, David Banazak, about following this calling. Through all of the help and support of Pastor Allen, my church family, and David, I began taking classes through the SVMC ACTS program. God has continued to lead me and open doors to how he would use me, and in July 2021 I was hired to be the pastor at my home church, Raven Run.

Looking back, God revealed my calling, through others. Seeds were planted, as God used others to see what I couldn’t see and to encourage and support me. I’m thankful that God has nourished these seeds, and is directing my steps, in how I am to serve. I may not have envisioned this call to ministry, but God certainly used others to open my eyes!

--Rob Reed

Rob Reed is married to Becki, and they have two grown married children and three grandchildren. He is a retired PA State Trooper and is currently serving as pastor at Raven Run Church of the Brethren in the Middle PA District. Rob was licensed within the past year and is taking classes through the SVMC ACTS program. In his spare time, he enjoys being outside golfing or hunting.