From the time I was 14, I felt that God would use me, but I didn’t know how. During my teen years, I worked at Christian summer camps and as an adult became very involved in church activities, leading youth groups and teaching Sunday school. I felt this “tug” upon my heart but did not understand what that “tug” was. One year when I was a youth group leader, I chaperoned our teens to a Youth Retreat. The speaker asked who would be obedient to a call to go where God led us and to do what he asked of us. My pastor had already been asking me about my thoughts on full-time ministry, and during this Youth Retreat I finally understood this “tug”: a calling to serve God in full-time ministry. Although the weekend was geared towards teens and I was in my 30’s, this was when I surrendered my life to his leading. This was not an easy decision. This meant making many changes in my life to go full time ministry going to seminary & taking on the Pastor ship and administrative roles In the community where God was leading. I was ordained as a minister of the gospel in 1998 and served many years in full-time ministry. Although there was a break from that full-time ministry, I still served as a lay leader at Journey Covenant Church in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. I knew that the call of God was still tugging upon my heart. In May of 2018 I took on the Lead Pastor role at Journey Covenant Church here in Cuyahoga Falls -I am so excited to be involved in full-time ministry again, because I know that this is a holy calling from God upon my life.
My goal as lead Pastor is to connect people to experience a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and work alongside the local Churches and community organizations serving our neighbors together. 1 Corinthians 12:14 says, “The body of Christ, or the people that are the whole of humanity, are a team. The body is not supported by one person, but by all of us. We are one, we are strongest working together in unity.” I believe that this kind of teamwork is the key to living in harmony so that we can do God’s work together.