New year

Quite a year...full of work/ministry, fun, friends, family, good stuff.

(Please forgive the old-school hyperlinks - having trouble posting via the iPad. I'll make this post all nice and pretty once I'm back on a computer)

Spark12 is off and running! Orientation is in less than a week at the General Board of Church and Society in Washington, D.C.
http://www.spark12.org/buzz

Methodist Theological School in Ohio is strengthening its partnership with Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary
http://www.mtso.edu/mtso-and-garrett-evangelical-announce-collaboration/

Dear friends had happy, perfect babies (fun!)

Loved ones passed from life to death (bittersweet, but thankful for their presences over the years)

Read a lot of books - deep AND fluffy (thinking about using GoodReads to organize them...thoughts?)

Vacationed (so good. So, so good.)

Went to concerts and shows (music fills my soul)

Passed oral and written comprehensive exams and puttering along on this dissertation (repeat after me: a good dissertation is a completed dissertation...)

Ran amok with pretty much the best clergy cluster in the world and was humbled by what it means to be covenant partners in ministry who are real and legit and who laugh together until we cry

Watched two new classes of students enter (spring and fall), watched a great group graduate and started looking at lists of those who are preparing to graduate next May...and in return I feel hopeful about the current and future leadership of our churches and social justice non-profits

Talked with friends about theology, science fiction, Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter and other fun things

Prayed

Wrote

Thought

Grieved

Was thankful


And now, another year. Let's make it a good one. Friends, be safe, be filled with grace, and may the abundant , life-giving presence of The Divine be with you all.

Be the Bridge

(Crossposted at Deacons hold the bowl)

“So, now that you’re ordained, are you going to go serve a church full time?”
It has been very interesting over the years to be growing into my identity and vocation as a deacon in the United Methodist Church who is primarily called to service beyond the local church. Oftentimes, when we think about ministry, we imagine people standing in a pulpit, preaching and leading worship. We imagine pastors serving within a local church. Or if that imaginary person in ministry is beyond the local church, they are in an easily recognizable role – serving as a chaplain in a hospital, perhaps, or working alongside children at Vacation Bible School.

Deacons in the United Methodist Church can serve within or beyond the local church. It’s interesting because you can clearly see deacons at work within the church or out in the world. Over the past few years, as I moved towards ordination, I was growing into my identity as a person called to ordination AND called to serve beyond the local church in the role of deacon. I am the Director of Admissions at Methodist Theological School in Ohio, one of the thirteen United Methodist seminaries. I’ve been serving at MTSO for over five years, and I was ordained in 2011. As I approached ordination last year, it was very interesting  to note how many people asked me if I planned on leaving the school immediately and serving a church full-time.

Some of those questions may have come from the fact that people don’t often think of deacons when they think of ordination – they think of elders. The Order of Deacon was created in 1996. In 2012, we had 56 deacons ordained in annual conferences and 41 commissioned. As of today, we  have a total of 1935 ordained deacons and 256 commissioned deacons within the United Methodist Church.*

I don’t mind confusion, especially since the Order is somewhat new, and I love having conversations with people and sharing that there are two orders within our denomination. Some of the questions come from the assumption that local church ministry is the pinnacle of all ministry paths – or that all persons are striving towards local church ministry as a primary appointment.

Now, that, my friends? That is very, very interesting. While elders can and do serve in extension ministries outside of the local church walls, deacons are sent to be the bridge between the church and the world. I value the role of deacon precisely because it empowers persons called to ordination to serve as bridges and to apply their specialized knowledge and ministry to a particular ministry field where there is need for leadership, service and expertise. I think that the recent change at General Conference 2012 to the roles in which deacons are ordained to sums it up well. Deacons were previously ordained to Word and Service; now we are ordained to Word, Service, Compassion and Justice. (Source:  General Conference 2012 legislation)

I admit that there exists (for me) a level of anxiety around not serving in a local church as my primary appointment. While I do not feel called to that as a primary ministry, it is tempting on more difficult days – for those in pastoral roles, the roles are more clearly defined, there are more colleagues in similar situations, and, well, when you explain what you do, people *get it.* And I deeply love the local church – I care for the local church so much that I want to entrust the care of congregations to persons who were built for that ministry and who can and will give it their full professional and ministerial attention.

But. The anxiety about not having as clearly defined of a role is superseded by an amazing sense of freedom. I don’t know what jobs I will hold over my lifetime, and I don’t necessarily know what my ministry path (paths?) will look like. But in the call to serve as a bridge between the church and the world, there is the freedom (dare I say mandate?) to be rashly prophetic when needed, to speak truth to injustice, to push gatherings, communities, organizations to accountability – even as I serve alongside my sisters and brothers called to the same service in a variety of ministries across the connection. Deacons are called to a unique and empowering ministry. We hold an array of jobs, and our identities, vocations and work are all intertwined in such a way that we all support to ministry of Word, Service, Compassion and Justice in our distinct contexts.

Right now, I am deeply thankful to be a part of an academic institution that is constantly pushing itself to reach out to the world while providing its students the best education they can receive. It is a privilege to be ordained to a ministry that allows me to be a part of ministry candidates’ lives while being entrusted with their stories of vocational discernment, and I am thankful that the Order of Deacon affirms my ministry.

*Conversation with Rev. Anita Wood, June 2012

Twitter: @aprilcasperson

Exploration 2013: full of hope

I attended Exploration 2006 in Jacksonville, Florida as a seminary student small group leader on behalf of Methodist Theological School in Ohio. I had never attended an Exploration discernment event before, and I remember feeling just so darn hopeful that there were hundreds of young adults from across the nation (and world!) being so thoughtful and introspective about a call of ministry. It helped little old me, in the midst of my own discernment, understand that yes, the United Methodist Church and the people who wanted to serve were a part of a great movement - a movement that supported deliberate contemplation, honest responses to God's call upon lives, and pursuing education in order to best live out one's call.

I remember standing in the middle of the exhibit hall, woozy from lack of sleep and intoxicated by the sheer amount of energy among all of these young adults willing to fearlessly examine what God was asking of them. (Side note: I am totally an introvert.)

I remember talking to a young woman about her anxiety around pursuing a call to ordained ministry as an elder, and we talked about how our calls are our own, and yet they also belong to God. The people we love will walk alongside us as we live into our calls. Over the past few years, I've watched her continue to claim her call to ministry, and she is now a provisional elder in West Ohio. This happened because of Exploration.

I had the privilege of being a part of the design team for Exploration 2009 in Dallas, Texas. We spent many, many hours in conversation about how best to shape the event so that young adults could have access to the resources they needed as they discerned God's call in their lives. I appreciated so much that we are a denomination that values education, mentoring, cross-generational relationships and the work of the local church and campus ministries in shaping and forming current and future leaders.

Exploration 2011 took place in St. Louis, Missouri. Again, just a remarkable event. It was a humbling honor to help host the event with my colleague and friend, the Rev. Juan Huertas. It was an exhausting and exhilarating weekend.

United Methodist Communications Exploration 2011 Slideshow

On Sunday morning, during closing worship, I remember standing beside the stage. I had simply no words - I was humbled by the choir that had assembled less than 48 hours before, and that was sharing in love. I was speechless at the willingness of these young adults to simply be present with themselves, with God, with community, and move towards lives of meaning by following a call. I was awed by the movement of the Spirit in that room. I found myself crying tears of joy, and I remember walking on stage with tears of joy running down my face, just feeling at peace with the privilege of being in that room, with these people, and that they were sharing of themselves in such an honest way. God moves in such unexpected ways.

We're working on Exploration 2013 now - it's going to take place in Denver, Colorado. I am giddy with anticipation, and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for the young adults who will come from near and far to be open to the movement of the Spirit within.

I care so much for all of you. The desire to help people - especially [ but certainly not only! :) ] young adults - discern what it is God is calling them to is something I feel so strongly about it is like I can touch it. I want to be a part of that - to help, to serve, to connect. This is why I am a deacon in the United Methodist Church. My call is to help cultivate leaders, to help people discern what it is God has in store for them, to connect them with the educational options that will expand their minds and souls. Exploration is about this, too. We can't wait to see you in Denver.

Spark12 - Application Posted!

It's official...

We've been tweeting....

We're on Facebook....

We've got buzz...

We have an application! 

(Yahoo!)

Ready to apply?

Spark12 is looking for creative, innovative projects that push the boundaries of what we think of when we consider ministry at work in the world. Spark12 supports justice oriented, community-based projects proposed by young people who are actively looking for a way to move that dream into reality.

If you are a young adult (18-35) who has been looking for a way to get your idea off the proverbial ground, you may want to see if Spark12 is for you. If you are no longer a young adult, please consider sharing this possibility with those you know.

We are looking for people who are able to provide a vision with some depth - you'll need to be able to clearly explain how your project will transform the world. In addition, we expect you to have the drive and focus to turn your vision into reality.

Starting something new is always hard work but we know it can be easier when people are willing to walk alongside you for a while.

The application is available now. Submit your project idea by June 29, 2012. Inspire us with your vision.

Learn more at www.spark12.org.

Contrast

The snow is coming! The snow is coming! It has been a rather mild winter here in Ohio, but today I am looking out the window at the beginning of a lovely snowfall. Today's rain is expected to turn to ice and then get covered by a couple of inches of snow by morning. Lovely to look at...but nerve wracking if you have to drive.

Februarys are often a mix of contradictions here in Ohio. Whenever I see snow in February, I think of an annual event at the school where I serve. Methodist Theological School in Ohio has an annual scholarship competition each February on our campus. Prospective students come from all over the nation to compete for the Harding award. Every year, it seems like we have great weather all February...until a bunch of prospects drive and fly in for the Harding competition. At that point, there seems to be some weather conspiracy that converges upon the campus. One year, we had an ice storm that effectively shut down the surrounding area. Another year, we (very) slowly drove to dinner over roads covered with several inches of packed snow. This year, I hope for uneventful weather! But no matter what happens, it will be good to meet with a group of enthusiastic prospective students and watch as they connect with their future classmates and colleagues.

The contradiction in weather continues in my mind. I am headed to Las Vegas in just a few days for the Relevance LEAD 2012 conference -  a gathering of one hundred participants that includes young clergy, young lay leaders, and others who are working with young adults in the United Methodist Church.

The expected weather forecast next week? 60s and sunny. That's crazy. Just crazy!

Life is full of contradictions, though. Our ministries take place in a culture that scorns our efforts to transform the world. We have grandiose ideas about our personal calls to ministry...which are flipped upside down when we are confronted with God's will for our lives. We go to school to pursue our dreams...and then learn about new possibilities we never could have even conceived of without the gathered community of study and faith.

I am hopeful that the contradictions in my life push me to continue to respond to God's call on my life in a holy and authentic way, and I hope for the same with you.