My Calls to Ministry
I cannot write about my call to ministry in the singular, but only as my “calls” to ministry. The first call came in my early years when I did not know exactly why my mother was taking me to that beautiful brick structure with colored glass windows, but I knew it felt like a good place to be.
The call became more focused when I made a public affirmation of faith and was baptized at age 12. It was followed by youth group and summer camp where my heart and mind began to be stretched by larger visions of Jesus. I was called in a radically new direction at age 17 when I had started to college to become a coach, and as a homesick, lovesick teenager believed that God was calling me to ordained ministry. Had my calls to ministry stopped there, I can tell you that I would not have held out very long. But the calls continued.
A college teacher (Gus Ferre) introduced me to a thoughtful approach to Christianity, and encouraged the amateurish singing of our male gospel quartet. A visiting preacher (Roland Hohn) on our college campus helped me to find the seminary at Oberlin that influenced me deeply. Seminary professors (Walter Horton, Tom Kepler, Bill Lee, Richard Wolf) were instrumental in sharpening a call that helped me discover the world church and the unity already given to us in Christ.
In my first appointment at North Fairfield and New Haven, loving and committed members (too numerous to mention) persuaded me that I might be in the place God wanted me to be. Other appointments called me in different ways, and my life and faith were touched especially by the guidance of Bishops Thomas and Boulton in a call that led to the cabinet for a few years.
God’s call is a fascinating thing. Always when I had doubts or questions, something or someone new came along —friends and colleagues in ministry, members of the churches, and challenges to try new jobs.
When I retired, I said that it wasn’t clear what I would do, but that God had never left me alone yet. That statement is still true. An interim pastorate, membership on Task Groups, and a wonderful book-reviewing job for Global Ministries were a few of the things that continued to stretch me. How thankful I am for my calls to ministry, and the people, places and events that conspired to enlarge my understanding of what ministry means!
Rev. James E. (Jim) Magaw, retired
