Not an either/or choice
Growing up, the pastor who had the greatest impact on my life was simply called Tim. He saw in me a calling to serve God through pastoral ministry. I wanted to be an actor and theater director and thought that was God’s calling for me. Tim told me to pray about and consider where God was leading me. I did, and I was convinced theater arts was the answer.
Even after receiving my theater degree, I continued to wrestle with God’s call. One day while I was walking across the parking lot of the university theater department, God spoke to me — calling me to pastoral ministry. But what about my love for theater? In that moment I recalled that some of my greatest joys and successes in theater had taken place in the context of the local church. Could there be a way to combine these two loves or would they live in me in great tension?
Turns out, it would be the latter. In 2002 my district superintendent announced to a surprised congregation that I was taking a leave of absence from the ministry. I was dealing with a “crisis of call.”
My leave of absence gave me time to pursue theater arts with great vigor. I performed in four main stage productions, built sets for six productions at a semi-professional theater and technically directed and performed in a major summer community theater production.
I also took an acting workshop that encouraged actors to use their imaginations and bodies to create meaningful and rich characters. I found my imagination expanding in new and exciting ways. I had never really thought of using my imagination as a tool to create characters and engage my body. This realization was a liberating and spiritual moment.
A few months after this workshop I came to a profound sense that my artistry was a gift from God. With this new awareness, the tension between my two callings began to reconcile — theater arts and pastoral ministry are not an either/or choice, but rather a both/and selection, how Wesleyan. God had called me to both theater arts and pastoral ministry and the decision was up to me to discover how to live out those callings.
Colleagues said, “Well, I guess you got theater out of your system and now you can return to ministry.” I rejected that notion by responding: “Actually, I got theater into my system and the artist in me permeates every aspect of my life including my ministry.” I had never felt such a spiritual bond between my work as an actor and my relationship with God. I was back in touch with my imagination, and I experienced a deep spiritual connection to my work and God during the workshop.
I was filled with new excitement for the possibilities of serving the church again. I called my district superintendent and requested to return to full-time ministry. With fear and trepidation I was appointed to Centenary UMC in Akron. When I interviewed five years ago I told them they were getting a pastor and an artist all rolled into one. Our years of ministry together have been a rich blessing for all. Thanks be to God.
Rev. Howard Pippin, Akron Centenary UMC, Canal District
