Ohio and Alaska...Who'd-a-thunk-it?

I had a surprising phone call the other night from Alaska. Yes, Alaska. My friend Krissy called to catch up with me. We first became friends at the Fund for Theological Education Undergraduate Fellows Program in St. Louis in 2005. We hit it off talking one night as we both wanted to go into ministry, but from nearly polar opposite perspectives. I had always planned to go to Luther Seminary in St. Paul and go into parish ministry, while Krissy, being Roman Catholic, had sought to go into some type of journalism/writing ministry for some sort of catholic publication.

We kept in contact briefly with one another, helping each other to hear our vocations to ministry all along; One of the beauties of our conversation the other night was our reflection on how our lives have changed and our calls have become clearer, yet fuzzier at the same time. By the grace of God, I ended up here at Trinity, nestled in Columbus, and surrounded by intentional community, something I have found to be a true asset. Krissy, on the other hand, called from a small village in rural Alaska, where she is spending a year's commitment with a Jesuit Volunteer Program. We both said how amazing it was that we've ended up where we are today, light years away from where we were imagining ourselves to be. Our senses of call are no clearer than they were before, but we both feel as if we have been called to nurturing communities whereby we can grow to know ourselves, and God, on a more deeper, honest level. Thanks be to God!

I've been spending the last five minutes looking for a quote that best exemplifies what I felt when I was able to reconnect with Krissy, be it a half-hour on the phone, because it brought me a small piece of joy. Through our musings and as we support one another, we show Christ's power and love to one another, united together as people called to serve the church communities of which we are a part. As Barbara Brown Taylor writes, "In this vocation, the currency is not technical skill or billable hours. In this vocation, the currency is the quality of your life. It is how much people see Christ when they look at you." (Cf. "On This Rock" in Awakened to a Calling: Reflections on the Vocation of Ministry, Edited by Ann M. Svennungsen and Melissa Wiginton (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2005).) Thanks for showing a little of Christ to me, Krissy, and all those who keep in contact as we mutually uphold and prayerfully support each other's journeys.

For those who are interested, the process is beginning to help find a Ministry in Context (M.I.C.) Site for each new seminarian here in Columbus. We spend the next 5-8 weeks going to different churches, hopping, if you will, to find what is different about worship in different places, and also discern where we a comfortable and where we might have "growing edges."

In my research, which includes looking at 50 church websites, going to two churches so far, and visiting with about 10 pastors at the ministry fair, I've determined that I do appreciate the liturgical nature of the ELCA, and the way it ritualizes our praxis of faith. A book I've been reading by Deb Grant called Pedestrian Theology put forth the best definition of liturgy I've ever heard today! It described Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show. Johnny would start his joke by saying, "Well, it was sure a cold day outside today..." The Audience would then know to reply "How cold was it?" in unison. (This also works with Gene Rayburn and Match Game!) This is liturgy, according to Grant. I smiled to myself and thought, "Hey, that's like "the Lord be with you!...And also with you" dialogue! It grounds us and reminds us through the act of ritual...If any Augie profs are reading this, this book would be one worth checking out for a 110 level course...strong theology, great story, and a real discussion provoker!

While I'm on a roll here tonight, I also have gained an appreciation for the celebration of Holy Communion on an every week basis. I'm not sure why, but all of the churches I've encountered here in Ohio have weekly Communion. It's something I feel is missing from the Midwest (as I know it), and despite having to have servers, set-uppers, and acolytes every week, we know the pastor would have to work harder to refine her sermon and keep the church service on track! ;-)

That's the scoop for now.

Grace and peace, brothers and sisters, part of the fictive family of faith!