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disciplesyouth.com
: YOUth news : Explore
Call to Ministry Fourteen college students may be one step closer to accepting the call to ministry. They and their home church pastors visited Lexington Theological Seminary this fall to discuss what it means "to be called to ministry." "Exploring the Call: A Conference on Ministry" was a joint project between Director of Admissions Jerry Fuqua, and Dr. A. Guy Waldrop, regional minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Kentucky. The college students were identified by their pastors as persons considering a call to ministry. The goal was bring them to Lexington Theological Seminary for three days in mid-September to discuss what it means to be called to Christian ministry, to see a seminary in operation, to interact with ordained clergy from a variety of ministries, to interact with current seminary students, and to talk with others like themselves. "We were excited by the high level of interaction among all the people involved" said Fuqua. "We were especially pleased with how well our own students gave themselves to the project. They were an amazing blessing to the whole conference." Judging from the evaluations, the Conference was a challenging, spiritually rewarding experience, one that will be repeated next fall.
Diane Zehr, co-pastor of Florence Christian Church in Kentucky, noted that in her church there are a number of young persons being nurtured as prospective ministers. "I am appreciative for the rich gift of this conference," she said. "Whether as acolytes in their grade school years, offering stewards in their teen years, youth group leaders or teachers in their young adult years, mission trip participants, camping program or youth group members, I see it as my job to open as many doors as possible to each of these young people for serving God. There are always a few who continue to say, 'Give me more.' So I am grateful for the seminary and the regional church for helping us equip these people to identify and nurture the call of God in their lives." Zehr also noted that the conference was a nurturing experience for the ministers. Keynote speaker for the opening worship service, Fred Craddock, speaking to the ministers said, "I want every morning to be a butterfly morning, every afternoon to be a wildflower afternoon, but they're not. No, ministry is best understood as a mixture of duty...and delight." Kara Kleinschmidt, a student from Louisville, KY, came to the conference with mixed feelings. She was excited about coming to the conference but afraid people would begin to expect her to go to seminary--and she hadn't made up her mind. Afterward, she identified two things she gained from attending. She was glad she had an opportunity to talk with other people who were considering seminary and she was thankful for the inner turmoil she has been feeling about her future and deciding which direction to go.
"I now realize that my faith is learning and growing from this experience," she said. "If God were reading a message from me right now, it would be saying three words, 'Which way now?' " The Conference was underwritten by gifts from Mr. and Mrs. William M. Arvin of Nicholasville, KY, The Oreon E. Scott Foundation, and Rose Mary E. Brooks of Lexington. William J. Arvin, and Elizabeth Hartsfield of Lexington were honored during the opening night's dinner entitled, "A Time of Honor and Thanksgiving." The dinner was hosted by President Harrison and Dr. Waldrop. Following the dinner, conference participants attended a worship service in which Dr. Craddock was the guest preacher. The Conference began on Thursday and continued through Saturday morning and featured presentations and seminars led by Seminary faculty, regional staff, and students. Friday morning's worship service was led by seminarians and Saturday morning's service was led by prospective candidates with Professor Lisa Davison as preacher. For more
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