Overland Park: Round Two

I have to take a deep breath. The conversations with Overland Park are going remarkably well, and they informed me last night they are already down to three candidates.

Initially, I may not have applied for this position, but Kadra zoned in on it and said we might as well try. As I have been in conversation with them I am further aware of the warmth in our conversations. Where they have their questions they want to ask, they respond to all my answers in a positive manner and engage deeper on each of my answers as they truly want to know more about me.

Further, one of my worries was to find a church I can fit in well theologically. Last night with our second interview this was confirmed, that Overland Park is in fact Orthodox, meaning Biblicaly conservative, and we see eye to eye on the hot button issues that the PCUSA is going through right now.

On top of this, they are involved with ministries in the city for the poor and disheartened. They asked if I would be comfortable walking into a ministry that directly deals with the marginalized. Oddly enough, God has been getting my attention about this aspect of Christian mission that has been ignored for some time. Where this is even more so over seas, I have constantly felt the call to ministry within the US, knowing good and well that I lived much of my life as an atheist even though I was going to church and considered myself as a "Christian". As Richard Sterns in his book "The Hole in the Gospel" points out, the hole is the action aspect of our Christian lives as put forth by Jesus in Luke 4 when he defines his call in the Temple. Kansas City would be an amazing place to start a ministry like a Dream Center (look up Dream Center LA or Dream Center Peoria).

We are told in Seminary that we must come along side a ministry and participate in what God is doing in that specific neighborhood. I have wondered in my ordination process if the PCUSA is a place where I can do that with any type of integrity. As I have spoke to Overland Park more and more, I realize that I would be able to do ministry there and not worry about theological differences.


Overland Park still has two more interviews, so I wont hear back from them in at least two weeks. I am not completely sure if this is where God is sending us, we are praying that God would make this abundantly clear. My prayer has been "If this is where You want me to go, I will go. If this is were You are calling me, then pave the way." Please be praying the same, as God opens and closes doors in this process. We are hoping that this door stays open. But if it closes, I can only be reminded that God has a place for us and that place will become abundantly clear soon enough.