Incoming Leaders

I didn’t understand it at the time, but my first experience with God happened when I was very young. After my bedtime prayers, I sometimes had a strong sense of God’s presence. I would feel a presence right next to my face, but which also felt a universe away. I later understood that I was experiencing God’s transcendence (His existence outside of the universe) and immanence (His nearness). As a young adult, I walked away from faith but was brought back when my husband and I were going through a very difficult time, and I felt lost. During an early morning walk in the foothills near my home, I cried out to God that if He existed, I needed Him to show up and take over because I wasn’t going to be able to solve our problems on my own. As I approached the end of our housing tract, I saw the sun shining through the clouds onto a small group of deer grazing in a meadow. I knew then that He had given me a promise that He was there for me. Later, I was praying in a church-sponsored recovery class and experienced the same feeling that I had as a child. Through that class I learned to trust God as He began to heal both my husband and me. It took over a year of healing, but toward the end of it I chose to give my life to Christ and follow Him.

How did the Spirit guide you to your current ministry and what has God called you to do through your ministry?

The Spirit has given me a heart to seek justice and shalom for all of God’s people. I initially began the ordination process feeling called to the ministry of racial reconciliation. As time and experience have shaped my perspective, I have seen how race has harmed everyone. Oppression in any form is a principality which impacts us all. The way that it harms the oppressed is obvious. But it also harms the oppressors and is born out of sin and bad theology. This isn’t good news for anyone. My heart’s true call has been in racial justice, but racial justice ministry cannot stand on its own. It must incorporate a justice that is for all humanity and restores us all to the shalom for which we were created. All humanity includes the poor, the marginalized, the broken, the disillusioned, the frightened, the angry, the confused, the addicted and so on. These are the people who make up God’s church and these are the people I feel called to lead toward restorative biblical justice. I am currently serving on the LBOA and Pastoral Care Team at Commission Church. For the FMCSC, I am serving as the chair of the Nominating Committee. I continue to write about justice for the denomination and have been leading a Life Group through my latest curriculum based on the Book of Discipline’s ¶ 3221, The Dignity and Worth of Persons.

How did you come to first be involved with the Free Methodist Church and why have you chosen to continue your ministry in the Free Methodist Church?

I was introduced to the Free Methodist denomination 10 years ago when a friend told me about a church with an extremely diverse congregation (Light and Life North). This was what drew me to the church, but I fell in love with the denomination because of its focus on holiness and the freedoms which Denny Wayman has outlined as: Freedom of… 1. all races to worship together in unity. 2. women and men to be treated respectfully and use their gifts equally. 3. the poor to be treated with dignity in the church and with justice in the world. 4. the laity and clergy to be given equal authority and decision-making positions within the church. 5. the Holy Spirit to inspire our worship. These freedoms distinguish the FMC from many other mainstream evangelical churches and have played a huge part in my involvement with the denomination. The mission statement on the FMCUSA website is to love God, love people, and make disciples. This resonates deeply with me as I believe that each part of the statement is dependent on the others. In applying this to ministry, I believe that justice ministry cannot be compartmentalized into a single ministry; all ministries must overlap. Further, when we believe that being transformed by the Holiness of God means that we will love others the way that He does, we can engage in social reform that partners with God in bringing about the kingdom of heaven to earth. What an honor!