Why on earth would you want to be a priest? I was asked that a lot when I first began to discern a call to ordained ministry. Perhaps a better question might have been what do you have to offer the church? The short answer to both questions is that God has been my companion on my journey all my life. That companionship is manifest in the fire that burns inside of me. It is a passion for loving God and serving neighbor that gives me joy and hope and a sense of acceptance and love that I am compelled to share. I have offered a brief bio below, but I also want to share with you why I believe that the Episcopal Church, and specifically Trinity Haverhill is important to you –the seeker, the one who is searching for a faithful community with whom to worship.
The Episcopal Church has made the headlines a lot in the past few years. We are not perfect, but then neither is any other human organization. We are not always in agreement. Thank goodness! There is nothing I find more appalling than a group of people who believe they have all the answers and anyone who disagrees or doesn’t conform is doomed to eternal fire. As an Episcopalian, I am compelled to encourage open and frank participation in matters of faith and church governance. Episcopalians do not adhere to a strict prescribed doctrine; most of us do not interpret scripture literally. But each of us comes faithfully to the Table carrying our own questions and doubts and knowing that God will be there even when we struggle to find a common ground. Ours is the “via media”, the middle way. Welcoming all, worshipping together, sharing the Bread and Wine – the Body and Blood of Christ - even when it is difficult - because it is God’s table, God’s gift of compassion and mercy, God’s love that draws us there.
I do not have all the answers on faith. In fact I have more questions than answers most days. Praise the Lord and pass the recycling bin! This I believe with all my heart… God loves both of us. I am called by God to love and serve my neighbor just as you are. Each day when my feet hit the floor, my prayer is a thanksgiving for the opportunity to be one pair of Christ’s hands and feet in Haverhill today. I pray that I will see the image of God in each person I meet and that I will serve each person as if I were serving Christ himself. I pray that I will not judge or discount someone because they are different from me or because they do not share my beliefs or my understanding of scripture. I pray that others will offer me the same. I pray that I will be patient, kind, and generous even to those who will never be the same to me. Being a priest is a gift from God, being YOUR priest will be an honor.
I want to tell you a little about my history and how I ended up in Massachusetts. I am originally from Gilbert, Louisiana. My church roots are Southern Baptist and Methodist. I attended high school at All Saints’, an Episcopal prep school in Vicksburg, MS. At All Saints, I fell in love with the Episcopal Church, became something of a “Sacristy Rat”, and was confirmed by Bishop Noland of Louisiana. I was graduated from Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana and then trained in Houston as a Medical Technologist. I received my Master’s in Clinical Chemistry from Mississippi State. During those early years, I was busy raising a family and working in California and in Jackson, MS while my husband attended graduate school. During the 80s and 90s, I worked predominately as a hospital department director covering everything from credentialing to radiology to laboratory. After moving to Massachusetts in 1984, my family and I lived in Georgetown. As life for us changed, Bill and I decided to separate in 2001. We have three grown children. One son lives in New Orleans, the other son is in the Navy, and our daughter is working for a medical non-profit and lives in Baghdad, Iraq.
I began discernment in the early 90s, but did not enter the ordination process until 1996. I was ordained deacon in 2001. As deacon, I served in a large urban parish (St Stephen’s, Lynn). There I led the parish in various outreach and advocacy projects, and served as chaplain in the morgue at both the WTC in New York and in New Orleans after Katrina. During my time as deacon, I discerned a call to the priesthood and after 3 years of seminary at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, I was ordained priest in June of 2006. Since then I have served as a supply priest in Methuen for seven months and in a dual capacity as the Associate Rector at the Church of the Redeemer in Biloxi, Mississippi and as the Massachusetts’s Priest in Residence on the Gulf Coast. As Priest in Charge here at Trinity, I am working with committed parishioners to build strong relationship both within the parish and in the larger community.
Outreach is a passion of mine and so during my first year at Trinity we have begun to reach out to the community through our "Shoe Project" and through our music program for local children. I like to think of myself as a "visiting priest"! Possibly my favorite part of parish ministry is visiting those who are homebound or ill. It is always a joy for me to sit and enjoy a cup of tea while we remember, celebrate and imagine the wonders of God's Kingdom right here. I have been amazed and humbled by the support the parish has given me and the work of Trinity.
My contact information is available in the church office.. My email is priest@trinityhaverhill.org. I am also on Facebook and would love for you to be my “Facebook Friend”.
God’s Peace be with you all,
Jane+
|
