Christy's REV-M Experience

Hey my beautiful people!!

As you know, I went to REVM (Readiness for Entering Vocational Ministry) in St. Louis a couple of weeks ago. You also know that I joked about it being Preacher Bootcamp. Well…

Kidding. It wasn’t really bootcamp, but it was intense. We spent long days together–close to 12 hours. We ate meals together. We had prayer services together. We went to class/session together. Then when it was finally time to pass out from exhaustion… you shared a room with someone so you were technically still together. It was A LOT and it was AMAZING!!!

On Thursday night, strangers enter a room together and they are asked to introduce themselves. A little later they are asked to go around the circle and give 2-3 words about the group’s call. We did it. It didn’t sound like magic right then. Sunday, in the last prayer service, those words are read back to us, and I kid you not, MAGIC.

These people are fabulous and I am so honored to have been in St. Louis with them. They are love. They are hope. They are light. They will be MCC. MCC has a very rich history and our future is even brighter with people like these, eager to answer the call of Spirit into the work of love and community.

For me as an individual, here’s what REVM gave me:

New friendships
Affirmation of my calling
Renewed my energy (ironic since it was so exhausting)
Gave me hope – for MCC as a whole and for us, Thrive MCC

Thank you for being on this journey with me. Thank you for your prayers and your support, and thank you for being my beautiful people. I couldn’t do this without each of you.

Much Love,

Christy

REVM 2017 COHORT GROUP CALLING NARRATIVE

OR AS I CALL IT “MAGIC”

We are called

Through our joy and our pain

To share a gospel

To never give up on God

Who raised us from our gifts and not our wounds

Because God loves us all

To lift up our personhood

Through praise and thanksgiving

Through joy and love

And laughter and music

And we all said yes;

To create a world where love wins

And respond to God’s persistence

To listen for God’s voice in family members and communities, and sometimes, our wounds

And listen to what the body is saying – my body, your body,

Every single splendid body.

God said, “I want more.”

To share God’s IN-clusion because of our experience of EX-clusion

To call people back to God

And to do it with our true vulnerabilities

To know that we are God’s chosen people

And that God will live through us always.

And so it is. Amen. Ashe.