Children's Pastor, reporting for duty

It is amazing to me in this day and age that I can get to know such a fantastic group of people, even to the point of calling them friends, and never have met any of them in person!

I first discovered the Pastoring Partners Network in 2004 during a difficult time in ministry - I was sitting at my computer, and I Googled, "female pastors." I'm sure it was God who led me to do this, because the issues I was dealing with had nothing to do with the fact that I am a female in ministry. I came upon the message board, typed up a dissertation that detailed what was going on, and within 24 hours, was greeted with several responses of advice, encouragement, and just plain understanding.

This place has been a lifeline for me, and I am thrilled to be part of the latest venture...

As the title of this post implies, I am a children's pastor. I am married, and together we are the proud "parents" of a fuzzy 70-pound dog [a chow/lab mix]. We hope to give her some human siblings soon. I make my home in the midwestern United States, and I honestly love my life.

As far as my ministry goes, I believe that kids are not the church of tomorrow - they are the church of TODAY! I believe in kids IN ministry, and work with a team of 3rd-5th graders to teach them puppetry, leading worship, and countless other skills that they can use to serve in the church. I work in a medium-sized Assemblies of God church for a fantastic co-senior pastoring team.

It goes without saying that I am in favor of women stepping out in their gifts and callings and not allowing gender to get in the way of what God is telling them to do. Being a female in ministry and being a staffer does have its challenges, but it is the first thing I've done in my life that really "fits."

I am first and foremost passionate about Jesus, then my family [and I believe that my husband and I became a family the day we married!], then ministry. Besides that, my college degree is in theatre and English, and I am very passionate about both. I enjoy trying out new recipes, watching t.v. on DVD [no commercials!], and crocheting while I watch t.v., which is how I justify my habit! To me, life is to be lived and not stressed over, which is a hard lesson that has taken me 33 years to learn.

I am excited to be part of a group of passionate and talented women, and excited to write more and to read what they write as well! Check back often...we're here for you!!