My Call
My “call” to follow God in some kind of full time Christian work came when I was a child of about 8 years old. We children were gathered around a foreign missionary who had come to our church for services. She told us a story of her work and then had us bow our heads in prayer seeking forgiveness. It was during that moment I was very conscious of God calling me into His work.
This call followed me all through my teen years and on to Bible College. All those years I just assumed that God was calling me to the mission field as no woman pastor had ever crossed my path up until that time.
When the door closed to the mission field, I married a pastor assuming that this must be the direction God was leading. When my children were partly grown and I was busy working trying to help support them in their endeavors, God called me directly.
I was busy working as a seamstress. It was the noon hour and I had stayed behind to finish a garment. As I was diligently working, God spoke to me the words that I will never forget: “I never called you to sew; I called you to full time Christian work.”
Immediately I went to the phone to call the District Superintendent, Dr. James Skinner to see if there was anything that I could do in the form of ministry in the area. Soon I found myself deep in the candidacy program hearing the words “This is the way, walk in it” with every lesson from the book.
Now I am an ordained elder serving God in two country churches in the East Ohio Conference praising God for leading me in this direction and opening the doors before me one door at a time!
Rev. Jeannie Winters, Chesterville-Harmony Chapel Charge, Mid-Ohio District
