Check Out "From The Pastor's Desk" An Online Ministry!

Although Lucy, the children, and I have attended Hallsville UMC for the last eight years, I am aware that some of you may not know the journey that brought us to this place at this time. I was born on July 14, 1968 in Houma, Louisiana. My parents, Martha and Paul, were both active in the Methodist Church and I was nurtured in a Christian home. I was also blessed to learn the meaning of Christian service from my Grandma Stone who served as a house mother for the Methodist Children’s Home in Houma. She was truly a person who cared deeply for people, particularly children.

As I moved along the path of life, I learned more about God through Sunday school and through Confirmation classes. My baptism at age 12 was one of those moments in my life when I very strongly felt the presence of God. My teenage years were filled with church youth activities first as a clown in “Special Clowns for Special People” a clown troop serving primarily the Special Olympics program and then after a move to Gretna (a suburb of New Orleans), as a member of a youth choir.

Following high school, I moved to Rolla, Missouri following in my father’s footsteps, hoping to earn an engineering degree. It was at UMR that I met Lucy. We graduated from UMR in 1990, I with a degree in History and Lucy with a degree in Psychology. We took our wedding vows outdoors under the canopy of a large cedar tree in the presence of God and our family and friends. We shared each others hopes and dreams and after 16 years of marriage we continue to support and encourage one another.

We moved to Columbia in 1990 so I could continue my education at Mizzou. Lindsay was born in 1993, the same year I completed my Masters Degree. The birth of our first child drew us back into church. We attended Missouri United Methodist downtown where I agreed to serve on the Christian education committee. Before long, I was the Sunday School superintendent, a position I held for five years while working toward a doctorate Degree in British History. Lucy completed her Masters in Education with certification in Early Childhood Special education in 1997 and began her teaching career in Moberly. I began teaching as an adjunct professor of history at Stephens College and have taught History for the last ten years for St. Charles Community College.

When Lucy was offered a teaching position in Hallsville, our family moved to this wonderful town. For the last eight years, we have been blessed to be a part of this church and the Hallsville Community. We became involved in Disciple Bible study and were encouraged to grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ. For the first time in years, I began to hear an inward call toward ministry. I became a certified Lay Speaker and began preaching on a semi-regularly basis in the church. As I stood before the congregation and shared the Word, my heart was warmed in a way that I had never felt before. I was beginning to listen to the voice of God calling to me rather than pursuing my own goals.

In 1999, Torsten was born and later that year he was baptized by Tom before this congregation. It has been a blessing to us to have had the support of this congregation in nurturing our children. In 2002, I participated in a Walk to Emmaus. In a moment of meditation and prayer, I felt within me the Spirit’s presence and I was convinced that God was calling me into full-time ordained ministry as a preacher and teacher. At the end of the retreat, I announced to the gathered community that I had heard the call to ordained ministry. Within 10 months of this experience, I had attended licensing school, was appointed as a part-time licensed local pastor in the church, and began seminary. While attending seminary, my call to ordained ministry has been solidified in my heart and affirmed by the Church.

I fully believe that all Christians are called through their baptism to a ministry of service in the name of Jesus Christ who is the head of the church. “This ministry of all Christians in Christ’s name and spirit is both a gift and a task. The gift is God’s grace, the task is unstinting service.” Having been shaped by the past and looking forward to a future, let us move together as we continue to invite “all we can to travel faith’s journey with us as we grow in and serve Jesus Christ.”