Ordination- the Great Cloud of Witnesses

Well, it has come and gone. It seems like such a whirlwind of an event, but it was one of the best days of my life by far, and the celebration still continues. Like I said in my previous post, I wasn't sure how I was going to feel, so I went into the day with an open mind and wanted to keep my senses open to whatever I was going to hear, see, feel, and experience. When I made my way to the kneeler to greet the bishop and be ordained, my heart was pounding, and I was excited. Unfortunately, I did not actually hear the seats in the auditorium for people standing because they were so quiet! But I know that I had so many people supporting me in that moment. The one thing that I will never forget will be the feel of the hands laying on me as I was ordained. The Bishop, Scott (my senior pastor), Brian (who baptized me and led me into ministry), my district superintendent, and the chair of the Board of Ordained Ministry. I also felt the support and encouragement of those who came to witness my ordination, whether they were actually there or just there in spirit. I even had people watching online!

My most emotional moment actually came the day before ordination when our class was on stage to answer the historical questions in front of the entire conference. Usually this is a very business like routine event that happens during conference, but after we answered the questions, we were asked to gather around the kneeler, which was placed on the stage that day. We, as a class, took a moment to take it all in, the contemplate what awaited us the next day as we would be ordained in that very spot. We circled around it, held hands, and a song was sung. As I looked at the kneeler, as I looked at the faces of my ordination class and thought about all we had been through, I was overwhelmed with emotion and faced with the reality that this was really it- our time, our hard work, our lives all led by God to accept the call to ministry. It was really an awesome moment.

One thing keeps coming to my mind about ordination day, which is the scripture Hebrews 12:1-3:

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weigh and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith..."

Ordination for me was being surrounded by that great cloud of witnesses- my family, friends, mentors, all of those who have helped me along the way, those whom I serve and will serve in the church, and of course, I felt surrounded by God's presence.

Later that day, my parents gave me a necklace:

The peridot, my birthstone, represents me, and the diamonds and the circle represent all of those who have walked with me on this journey. What a beautiful symbol of my ordination. And...they had no idea that I had described my ordination like this! I wear it proudly as I remember what it all means to me. It's perfect!

All of the ordinands received a handmade/customized stole- beautiful! The colors, the symbols, and the representation of the day made it so very special.

The celebration continued with a lunch with all of the important people in my life gathered around one table. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. It is a day that I will never forget. I cannot express enough appreciation to those who celebrated the day with me!

We had a great Pentecost celebration on Sunday where we definitely felt the Spirit at work in the church. The music was wonderful, everyone was in good spirits, and it was just a day of celebration. The church had a really nice reception for me, and I even got a Vera Bradley stole from the United Methodist Women! How cool is that? I was really excited :)

So what now? I feel very happy and excited and looking forward to what God is leading me to next. Ordination really is an ending and a beginning, and my heart is very full. I can't wait to see what my years as a full elder in the United Methodist Church will hold.