Category: Reflections
I Am Ready and Leading!
Reflection from DMin student Mary Wood, who serves as pastor of Calvin United Church of Christ in Toledo,Ohio
On the first week of March 2020, I was sick at home with a sinus infection. This kept me away from pastoral church ministry. Since my pace had slowed, I started reading what was happening in Italy with the Coronavirus. I read an article by a doctor that put a knot in my stomach. This virus was bad and powerful. Late that week while I was still sick, I made phone calls to our church leadership and we all concluded to cancel all services and events in the church building until further notice. I was very directive in my leadership.
The second week of March I was writing my final paper for a Doctoral class at CBTS. Dr. Park was in South Korea for our Zoom call that week. Five of our DMin classmates were concerned about their families in Myanmar. The pandemic was real, even though things did not seem real in the USA. After our Zoom class that night, I recognized that this moment in time would require lots of innovative creativity and I was scared. How in the world would I move forward? My confidence was shaken the second week of March.
At that same time, I signed up for a Zoom webinar series on COVID-19 emerging church practices that is part of a Lily grant partnership with CBTS and Pinnacle Leadership Associates. I learned from people who were facing the same challenges. I gained confidence. My DMin leadership classes and the Pinnacle/Central webinar series have equipped me for such a time as this. I am innovative, creative, and capable. I am ready and leading!