Jul 7, 2011 | +Pam Durso, Being the Church
Working for Baptist Women in Ministry has opened doors for me to wonderful new friendships, including a friendship with Susan Sparks. Susan is the pastor of Madison Avenue Baptist Church in New York. I have “known” Susan now for a couple years, but I met...
Jun 2, 2011 | Being the Church
“The time has come Oh Lord for us to leave this place. Guide us and protect us and lead us in thy grace. . . .” This closing prayer is sung weekly by the congregation at our church. It is a unifying, uplifting communal blessing. Until one Sunday, I noted that the...
May 19, 2011 | Being the Church, Challenges in Calling
I remember sitting in the office of a friend in ministry six months ago when she looked me in the eye and said, “You know, Susan, there is no way you can do this . . . only God is capable of doing something this grand.” In my cynicism (not really...
May 2, 2011 | Being the Church
Take a moment and close your eyes. Imagine for a moment that you have unable to see with your natural eyes. Tell me what you see. How does the darkness make you feel? Does it overwhelm you? Does anyone sense anything beyond darkness? At the count of three, open your...
Apr 19, 2011 | Being a Minister, Being the Church
Written on the altar of what remains of a Catholic church in Ntamara, rural towns outside of Kigali, Rwanda, are the words: “if you knew me and you knew yourself, you would not have killed me.” These words are a powerful emblem at site where mass murder took place...
Apr 11, 2011 | Being a Minister, Being the Church
Her name is Mary. She is an eighteen-year-old Rwandan teenager, whose smile brings sunshine to the cloudiest of days. A friend brought her to the center to register for English classes during my second week in Kampala. The only English word she knew was hello. Even...
