Ordination

So, I am finally ordained!

It has taken me over 1/3 of my life to get to this point. After you add in all the years of education and probationary time it has been about 11 years. Has it been worth it? YES. The whole process has affirmed that I am called to the ministry of an ordained elder in the UMC.

This past weekend we had our Annual Conference. On Friday night we celebrated Ordination at Hendricks Chapel, Syracuse University. It was a beautiful service filled with emotion. Bishop Violet Fisher ordained the last class of ordinands before retirement and her message was uplifting, encouraging and challenging. Her sermon title was, "Called, Anointed, Appointed".


I also had about 60 friends, family members, and parishioners attend the service. And of course many of the clergy from our AC were there. I was awesome to be surrounded by so many people who have cared for and supported me with prayers and encouragement on my journey. Three of my dear friends from seminary (and their children) drove all the way from OH to be with me. It also meant so much to me that the choir members from both church sang in the joint choir with my choir director directing. They sang In the Midst of new Dimensions. I also had two very special clergy women colleagues/mentors stand up with me as my sponsors. They also presented me with a beautiful stole that was hand made by one's sister. I loved it!



The whole evening was wonderful. I certainly felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. As I came forward, I kneeled and hands were layed on me and the Bishop said "Richelle Marie Duchano, take thou authority as an elder to preach the Word of God, and to administer the Holy Sacraments in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen". What an awesome responsibility to have placed upon my life. Then, the stole was placed upon my neck symbolizing the yoke of Christ and the yoke of service. I truly felt the presence of the Spirit upon me and to have this call that God has placed upon my life affirmed and celebrated was a powerful experience. It was also emotional as I was deeply moved several times throughout the evening. I am thankful for everyone who has helped me get to this place, for those who will continue to walk this journey with me, and for the new ones who will walk with me. Most of all, I am thankful to God for calling me and providing me with the grace to respond.

Content or Contemp?

I received a phone call one afternoon from my D.S. sharing with me news that I didn't expect. I was told that the cabinet was appointing me to another church come July 1. Now, as a soon-to-be United Methodist elder, I know that appointments are for 1 year at a time. I was blessed to have been at my current churches for 3. But, it doesn't make leaving any easier.

As soon as I heard the news, life started to change. Questions were on my brain. What will the new congregation be like? Will they accept me? Will there be issues around my gender and age? How will my current churches react? Who is going to follow me? Have I been a good pastor to follow?

There were lots of questions and there still are. Life is changing. I am moving. I am being ordained. Life is a whirlwind. In the midst of so many questions and change how do embrace what lies ahead of me? I need to be open. I need space to grieve. I need time to process. I need God's grace to carry me. The next month is going to full of joy and sadness. It will be a time of welcoming and a time of saying goodbye. It will be a time of preparing. It will be a time to embrace something new.

I attended the Bishop's retreat for those being commissioned or ordained this year. It was a blessing to get to know new people and strengthen relationships that have already been established. The Bishop shared many words of wisdom but one was quite powerful. She was preaching on Ephesians and on the issue of contentment. The title of her sermon was Content or Contempt. She stressed that we should be content, through it all. Life is going to throw us curve balls but we have the choice to be content (for true contentment is in the Lord) or to be bitter and angry. I choose to be content. I choose to be content in the Lord no matter what lies ahead. For I know that God goes with me on this journey. God is already loving me and I get to love God and God's people back. That is my calling. That is where I find contentment. Where do you?

Food for Thought

My probationary covenant group (those in the ordination process) is working through the book "Becoming a Pastor: Forming self and soul for ministry" by Jaco J. Hamman. We digest the book chapter by chapter and it has lead to very insightful discussions. This week read and discussed the chapter on the capacity to be alone. The opening sentence in the chapter is "To become a pastor is to be alone with yourself in the presence of others and God. The capacity to be alone describes the ability to contain one's emotions and appetites and to enter into appropriate relationships with significant others and strangers." Being alone is not being lonely. Being alone allows one to connect with one's self, with others and with the holy. What do you think?

Hamman also asks the question "How do you become a listening presence to persons, rather than an answering machine that dispenses theological advice?" I like that question. How do we become a listening presence? It reminds me of CPE days. I think that this is a question that all of us, not just pastors, need to examine. Sometimes is about listening. Sometimes it's about being quiet.

In our busy worlds we often fail to stop and connect with ourselves, with others and with God. Sometimes its not in the words we say but in our ability to be quiet and listen. When was the last time you truly listened? to yourself? to another? to God?

One step closer

I am glad that February is over. It was a very stressful month in my life and I am personally thrilled that March is here. The major event in my life that caused many sleepless nights and anxiety to fill every bone in my body was the Ordination Interviews with the Board of Ordained Ministry. It was dreaded because of my own insecurities and the big 'ol questions that begin with What if...?

I have a fear of failure. Always have. I knew that in my heart of hearts that the last three years were far from failure when it comes to my growth as a person and as a pastor. But anxiety built as I thought about this 'what if': What if the Board does not see that growth. What if they don't see the gifts I bring. What if they don't agree with the congregations I serve?

Well they did! It was an extremely affirming day and went much smoother than I anticipated. When I woke up the day of the interview I wasn't stressed. It kind of freaked me out at how non-anxious I was. Of course I was a little nervous but that is to be expected. As the day progressed I had a peace come over me and by the end of the day I was confident that I was going to be approved. And I was! I was tired after a long day when I found out and didn't react like some of my other colleagues. I was happy but was not very emotional. Not sure why but it has been sinking in more and more.

The Sunday following my interview one of the Churches totally caught me off guard. The were playing it cool all morning and no one congratulated me. I thought this was weird. Well, at the end of the worship service I was presented with roses and other flowers, balloons, a huge card signed by everyone and cards hand-made by the kids. They had a reception for me with a beautiful cake at fellowship hour. What a wonderful celebration! I can not tell you how much that meant to me. Yet, it was their prayers and support that meant the most to me (by both churches).

So, here I am one step closer to where God has called me. I am one step closer because of God's grace. I am one stop closer because of the folks I am in ministry with. I am one step closer because of colleagues/mentors who pushed me and encouraged me. I am one step closer because of the love of my family. I am one step closer. Thank God. What is one thing you are closer to? What are you working towards and how has God and those around you helped?

It's been a while

I am sorry it’s been so long. At least I’m back at it! Over the last month…
Christmas and Epiphany has come and gone
All the decorations are down
my brother went back to WA
I had a vacation and was able to visit a friend in PA
I started Weight Watchers (again) & down 13lbs.
Oswego experienced a snow storm & had a real snow day (both churches cancelled services!)
I officiated a funeral
Baptized a beautiful little girl
Dog sat for my parents

It has been a busy month. It has been a good month. Church life is going well and I continue to be inspired by the folks I serve. Of course there has been some rough patches but all in all it has been a great three years. I reflect upon this because in a few weeks I will be interviewing with my annual conference’s Board of Ordained Ministry. I will be interviewed by 50 clergy colleagues and lay persons over one full day. Every step along the ordination process I have been affirmed by churches, boards, friends, family, colleagues, and mentors. Yet, even with this knowledge, I can’t help but be a bit nervous. I am confident of my call and my effectiveness as a pastor but the interview process can be daunting. I am thankful for my parishioners who have so much faith in me and in my mentors in ministry for helping me along the way. I am thankful for the call to serve and thankful for the God who called me. Keep me in your prayers.

In the readings from Sunday, Jesus calls Simon Peter, James, John and Andrew to follow him. No questions asked- they immediately follow. I have a feeling that when they did their lives were never the same. The same is with us. On this journey of discipleship we are called to follow by offer healing, wholeness, and peace in the name of Jesus Christ. My prayer is that as we do, in whatever ways we do, that we are changed and we are transformed by the God who calls all of us.

Week full of surprises

This week went by way too fast! It was filled with a few surprises (some good and some bad) but overall it was a wonderful Christmas week. My grandma drove 2 hours from the north country and showed up at my parents house last Sunday morning. No one expected her to come for Christmas. That was a very good surprise. Then, my brother and his girlfriend arrived safe and sound from WA after having a little problem with the airlines. It was truly a blessing to see them. We spent a lot of time catching up and playing a ton of Canasta.

In between family time, I was preparing for the big Christmas Eve services. That's where the not-so-good surprise comes in. In all my attempts to be super organized, my worst nightmare happened. See, I started off at church #2 to get everything all set before I went to church #1. Well, I happened to leave my manuscript(sermon) for church #1 at church #2. So, when I arrived at church #1 I freaked out. Here I was, on one of the biggest days of the church year, without my manuscript. So, I calmed down and scribbled on a piece of paper to recall all my key points. All said and done, it all went well and almost everyone had no idea of my mishap. Talk about preaching from the heart!

I tried to shake off what happened at church #1 and walked into church #2, ready for the festivities. Worship went beautifully and it was an added bonus that most of my family was present. After worship, I went home to grab Duke and my packed bags and headed to my parents. It was a wonderful Christmas day and Santa was very good to me. Yet, what made it wonderful was just being with family and friends. I definitely felt the joy of Christmas this year as we recalled old memories and made new ones.

The final surprise was that despite my mishaps, or any of our mistakes, the joy of Christmas comes. It is not dependent upon a perfect evening. It is not dependent upon anything we do or don't do. Christmas comes. Christ comes. Joy comes. Hope comes. One woman, on her way out the door at church #2 said "Thank you. This gave me hope." Why was I surprised to hear such a thing. Why was I surprised that God showed up? Why was I surprised that hope was found? Where have you felt the joy and hope of Christmas?

Jesus in Philadelphia?

I was getting my boots on and getting ready to leave the church when I heard one of the Sunday School kids talking. She was telling some of the other kids that Jesus was coming and he was going to be in Philadelphia! I am not kidding. She was dead serious. I asked her to repeat what I thought I heard her say. She said that Jesus was going to be in Philadelphia next week. Some of the other kids started laughing. She started to get upset and said "I'm not kidding, Jesus is coming to Philadelphia, and I know that it is true because I saw it on the news." She couldn't have been more serious. I would have liked to talk with her more about what she "heard" on the news (maybe she got Jesus and Santa mixed up?!) but I had to run to the other church.

Yet, I started to think about how serious she was, and how positive she was that Jesus was coming. Isn't that what Advent should be all about. Shouldn't we be taking Jesus' coming seriously. We have this time called Advent to prepare our hearts and our lives for Jesus to enter. We hear the story of how God came to earth in a little baby. We have been reading about the second coming of Christ in the lectionary. Yet, how serious do we take it.

How are we really preparing for Christ to come? That little girl on Sunday made me aware of how, as we get older, we grow more skeptical. Maybe we get so skeptical that we fail to see the truth in front of us. That little girl is positive that Jesus is showing up. Are we?

"And a child shall lead them".