Walking the journey of calling

Key points:

• The United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry’s EXPLORATION offers young people space for discernment and holy wonder.
• The Rev. Lindsey B. Freeman, who has served on the design team for a decade, says the event is a gift to young people and the church.
• This year’s gathering is Nov. 6-8 in Orlando, Florida.

 

The Rev. Lindsey B. Freeman. Photo by Adam Bowers.

For some, a calling is an unmistakable moment in time. For me, it presented itself in the faces of people along the way — the people throughout my life who saw and outwardly affirmed an inward calling.

From learning to play bells at Lakeside United Methodist Church in Richmond, Virginia, to receiving my first Bible at Beulah in Chesterfield, Virginia, or standing in front of my church at age 10 to be baptized — I visualize each person who played a part in my call story.  

Each person was/is a signpost of God’s prevenient grace in my life. Each conversation, space for questions or doubt, and opportunity to lead added to my calling to serve God and the church. 

This is what I love about EXPLORATION — a dedicated time and space for connection, worship, questions and affirmation. This year’s event, hosted by the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry, is Nov. 6-8 in Orlando, Florida. Each year, the gathering brings together a community of adults, ages 18 and older, who are exploring their purpose, calling and future.

For the past 10 years on the design team, I have truly seen it as grace upon grace to sojourn with students and other young people to encounter a place for holy wonder.

In a weekend, there is a guide to many points along the discernment journey. 

Some years I have felt like Phillip hopping into the chariot and saying, “OK — let’s talk.” Or some years it has been like Eli where, despite the state of my own call, God has used me to say, “Remain present, keep watch.” 

In a weekend, there is a guide to many points along the discernment journey. 

Some years I have felt like Phillip hopping into the chariot and saying, “OK — let’s talk.” Or some years it has been like Eli where, despite the state of my own call, God has used me to say, “Remain present, keep watch.” 

And let’s be honest, most years it is a posture of creating the space and stepping back. 

EXPLORATION is a gift to our young people and to the church because it is a sign of kin-dom-building and breakthrough. It is an opportunity to nurture leaders in all kinds of ways.

I pray there is something like this for generations to come. There’s something holy about sitting with someone while they’re still figuring themselves out, watching them take another shaky step toward whoever God’s calling them to be. That’s not something I take for granted. I hope I get to keep doing it for a long, long time.

If you’re asking questions about your purpose, your gifts or where God may be leading you next, I invite you to come to EXPLORATION in November.

Bring your curiosity, your doubts, your hopes and your questions. You don’t have to have everything figured out. Together, we’ll make space to listen for God’s voice, connect with others on a similar journey and take the next faithful step forward.

Freeman is an ordained elder and Mission Rivers District superintendent in the Virginia Conference. She’s also a member of the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry.