SVMC Shares Calling Stories #18

Your Call . . . Your Journey . . . Your Education

Greetings Sisters and Brothers:

As the Church of the Brethren encourages ongoing calling to ministry, the Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center (SVMC) continues our Calling Essay series throughout 2021. Throughout this year, members of our Governing Board will share their call stories and unique perspective on our theme: Follow the Path of Your Calling. May you be encouraged by the monthly reflections and share the reflections with others in your congregation.

Two Calling the Called events were hosted in 2021 by the five-district partnership of SVMC. Several persons discerning the call to ministry were reached during these events. We encourage you to think about in whom you see the gifts from ministry. Who can you encourage? Many ministers answered their call to ministry due to the encouragement of others naming gifts that were seen in them. Additional Calling the Called events will be planned in the future, but your district office or SVMC office are always sources of information on ministry credentialing or ministry education.

Donna Rhodes contributes this 18th issue.

‌

The aisle was long!

The first task I remember being assigned to do in church was that of a shepherd in the annual reenactment of the nativity story. My memories of that time as a 3- or 4-year-old was wearing my brother’s red flannel bathrobe and needing to walk the long aisle to the front of the church where I would join other children from the church family in the picturesque scene. I did not want to make the journey! I did not want to answer the call to be a shepherd! As I timidly started the trek to the front of the church, I spotted my mother sitting along the aisle. The comfort of joining her overtook my assignment to be a shepherd, and I remember crawling on to her lap rather than completing the trek. I did not care if I was not part of the picturesque scene; I needed reassurance.

Thankfully, God equipped me with more confidence and less intimidation as the years have gone by. Answering my call to credentialed ministry occurred at the Stone Church of the Brethren 25+ years following the scary trek to the nativity scene. Prior shaping and preparation occurred at the Spring Run Church of the Brethren where skills in music, leadership, and administration were called out and cultivated. Along the way, education, experience, continuing education, and affirmation from those who named gifts for ministry which they saw in me, have shaped me to move forward and make treks that still require courage and commitment. Thankfully, I now have a deeper understanding of walking with God and seeking the strength and guidance which are crucial for daily ministry.

My call to ministry was encouraged by those who named skills and gifts they saw in me. Who can you encourage? In whom do you see the gifts for ministry?

My education consists of TRIM, an MA in Non-Profit leadership, and ongoing Continuing Education through a variety of places including the Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center. SVMC is a source for the education needed for preparation for ministry. SVMC provides courses in all the training tracks for ministry: hosts Bethany Seminary graduate courses, TRIM and ACTS courses, and a well-rounded Continuing Education program.

I am grateful for those who encouraged me along the process of ministry credentialing, preparation, and sustaining. We all need someone to name the gifts, but we also need trusted guides to walk with us when the trek may seem long.

Donna Rhodes is Executive Director of the Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center and a member of Stone Church of the Brethren in Middle PA District.

SVMC's mission is to equip leaders for ministry in a regionally based, Christ centered, culturally relevant context in ways that bear witness to the beliefs, heritages and practices of the Church of the Brethren.

www.etown.edu/svmc * 717-361-1450