Personal Reflective Essay

Every Sunday my mother would force me into my church dress with the itchy lace, and white ankle-socks with the big, puff bow. We would walk into St. John A.M.E. Church and sit in age-old pews, singing Negro Spirituals that I had not yet learned to appreciate. Growing up, church consisted of sermons, praise, and family. For years I would automatically participate in the church activities and youth-group service projects, taking the many lectures about education a grain of salt. However, I never understood the true meaning of service and the importance of education until I learned about the history of Huntsville, Alabama. The founder of St. John African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church, and the founder of Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (AAMU), William Hooper Councill, truly exemplified what it meant to serve his community.

This summer, I got to see firsthand the way my liberal arts education impacts the way I share Christ. Along with ten other OBU students, I was given the privilege of serving through the North American Mission Board in Portland, Oregon. My job as a church-planting intern was to build relationships with unbelievers, share Christ with unbelievers, learn what it would be like to actually plant a church, and ultimately, learn to live life on mission.

Introduction: A Different Way to Do Church While Embarking on the Path to Change the World: A Story of Heartland Community Church

Every one of us has a set of unique and varied life experiences that has lead us to a parking lot in Boulder every Sunday for dinner. However, no matter how different and individually isolated we may be at other times, at that moment, for those couple of hours, a community forms. Every week I am struck by a special sense of awe as I realize that once again, for whatever reason, this special group of people is converging to form something greater than ourselves. Our paths cross in a truly profound

The first event I attended this semester was the speaker Reverend Sam Offer. I attended this speaker’s event in Tilson’s auditorium on January 30, 2018. While here, Reverend Offer spoke about diversity and building an inclusive community. He spoke to the group with icebreakers and activities in between

David Wesley’s main idea is a set of best practices, or what he terms “healthy patterns,” in congregational mission partnerships. Wesley observes that in the emerging “third way” of missions that began at the end of the 20th century and is coming into its own in the early 21st century is focusing on congregational partnerships. As such, Wesley seeks to lay out “common patterns for healthy global partnerships observed in these congregational partnerships.” Consequently, Wesley presents five healthy patterns around which common mission can flourish.

During spring break I had the privilege of going on a mission trip to LA with seventeen other Corban students. I had the pleasure of working with the LA Dream center, a nonprofit Christian organization that works to preach the gospel along with sharing Christ’s love through a broad spectrum of outreaches such as giving food to the homeless through a food truck, playing with impoverished children from housing developments, including going out to Skid Row one of the most rough and gruesome

Missions has always been, and continues to be, a cornerstone of my passion to serve. As I continue to look for the most impactful ways to support the causes that are most important to my ministry, I will take into account how to unify by second passion dear to my heart, children and youth with my desire to serve through mission. Missions is a service concerned with providing saving decrees to God’s living children in our communities and throughout the world. It is a service that goes beyond the four walls of the church. I envision, from this stewardship effort, I can create a space for youth to transform their community, city, state and the world through mission. A world where young people are able to engage, embrace, and promote a prospering life that supports those they encounter through their service of mission.

Healing is a characteristic that relates to the emotional health and wholeness of people and involves supporting them both physically and mentally (Greenleaf, n.d.). When the conversations were taking place inside the community during lunch times, this author observed the more skilled volunteers assisting those that struggle to make ends meet; providing them with the physical and emotional support they all needed. The words and prayers shared amongst the volunteer staff were breath-taking. Servant leadership was displayed in more than one way during this volunteer experience.

Before this past weekend, I had only ever been to churches for weddings and funerals. I did not grow up in a religious family, so the concept of “going to church” was never prominent in my mind, nor a part of my life. From a young age, though, I could always tell that churches were significant places. While many churches are large and grand, clearly displaying their importance, even smaller, more simple churches still seem to demand a level of respect that other sorts of buildings just do not. So, I decided to use this opportunity to find out what I had been missing throughout my life: going to a Sunday church service.

My walk with faith began at a young age, hailing from a humble farming community with multiple Baptist ministers and Sunday School teachers in my immediate family. I accepted Christ at age six, but only more recently have I focused on my faith and spiritual growth. As I reached high school and (briefly) considered more liberal-yet-high-standing colleges, I realized with increasing certainty that I was called to a higher standard- a Christ-centered education. Several Christian colleges have reached out to me, but Union remains my foremost favorite, in spite of the price tag. Union’s core values have impressed me boundlessly, with all aspects of learning- between God, professor, student, university, and the community, as well as the present and future- being addressed.

I went to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Santa Rosa, California. The church is located in the old movie theater in downtown Santa Rosa. I parked in a nearby parking garage, grateful for the free parking on Sunday, and walked down the street toward the church. I knew that I had arrived at the correct place because of the large granite sign with the name Unitarian Universalist Congregation Santa Rosa. There were many people standing outside talking to one another. I was immediately greeted by a church member who welcomed me and showed me to the main entrance. As I walked through the door, I noticed a rainbow flag above the main entrance, and could not help but begin thinking of the differences between this church and the one I was raised in. The first thing I noticed as I entered the first room was the pictures on the walls. They were not of gods or deities, but of ethnic minorities who had lived in the local community and had a positive impact. Underneath each photo was a brief description of who the photo represented. I continued walking down the main hall and it ended in a large semi-circular room with a kitchen nook in one corner. They had many chairs available chairs and tables to sit and socialize. Another friendly church member approached me, noticing a new face in the congregation, and asked if I was new. After I briefly explained why I was there, he told me that he was one of the reverends and had just finished conducting the nine o’clock service. He

Eleven years ago I walked into a church. From the outside it looked like your ordinary, everyday church, but on the inside…on the inside it felt like coming home. I went from a young girl wounded by the hypocrisy of “well-meaning” church-goers, to a woman on fire for God and ready to step out in my God-given destiny as a warrior for the Lord.

In this class, we have learned so much. It’s amazing to me to see how all the pieces come together. We started by talking about who we are and how we fit into God’s marvelous story. Then we talked about ministry and who it belongs too. Then we proceeded to talk about where ministry happens. Finally, these three pieces come together to form the nature of church and ministry. That’s what will be discussed in more detail in this paper.

I have not been back to Uniontown for several reasons. The past 13 years of my life have been lived pretty publicly as pastor’s wife. This summer magnified the fishbowl like no other. That has been excruciatingly painful. I have lost much this summer – I had come to love the role of pastor’s wife, full time ministry and being here. Having all of that ripped away so suddenly has been a grief on top of the expected grief of the