St. Paul Lutheran Church, Waldo, Ohio
Guest relations coordinator, HopeWood Outdoors (Lutheran Outdoor Ministries in Ohio)
Firefighter/emergency medical technician, Fort Morrow Fire Department and Battle Run Fire Department
I have been involved with St. Paul Lutheran in many ways. I started attending church when I was in middle school and there met my pastor and mentor, who helped to shape my faith life and my vocational path. I have been on my church council [and] held a spot as a youth deacon, voting member for synod assembly, Sunday school teacher and various other roles. This has helped to shape my leadership and helped me to learn how to also lead other people of faith.
The church community of St. Paul has greatly impacted my faith life. The community there has always been a united front to engage in not just our own community but to see our church community in Waldo as a whole—meaning you don’t have to be a member in order to be a part of our church community. Outreach has been at the center of the mission of St. Paul and also helped me to see how important it is to engage in not just the community in the four walls of the church but to engage with all, no matter their beliefs or location.
I have always been “outdoorsy” and, since I already felt a calling to ministry, I thought, why not combine the two? I also saw outdoor ministry as a chance to explore more of the United States and to really stretch and strengthen my comfort zone. I first worked at Agape Kure Beach Ministries [in North Carolina] as a summer camp counselor. After that summer, I worked as a travel director at Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp in Colorado for a summer, and now I’m working full time as the guest relations coordinator at HopeWood Outdoors in Ohio.
I currently work at two different fire departments in Marion, Ohio, in both a part-time role and as a volunteer.
I like to say that I grew up in the firehouse. My dad is a captain at two departments and has been a firefighter/EMT for over 25 years. So, since I was in diapers, I’ve been around the fire trucks and the fire department. My brother also is a firefighter/EMT, as well as one of my aunts and one of my uncles. So it really is ingrained in me and was just something that seemed normal.
I like that both of my vocations help people in the same but different ways. They both have a relational component to them. Camp is where I get to show youth and adults alike how great God’s creation is and to get to know them on a faith level. As a firefighter/EMT, I get to sit and talk with people during what could be the worst day of their life and hear their life story but also their goals and aspirations. Overall, I like to help people, whether that be on the rock wall or in worship, or on the fireground or in an ambulance. Getting to form a relationship with those around me is a central part of who I am.
I like that both of my vocations help people in the same but different ways.
In terms of camp, one of my favorite experiences has been the ability to sit down and share about my faith with people of all ages, from the kindergarteners at camp for the first time to the 80-year-old grandparents that have been at camp longer than I’ve been alive. Getting to hear and see life stories, especially faith stories, has greatly impacted my own faith.
As a firefighter/EMT, my most meaningful experience happens when I’m able to work a fire or in the back of a squad alongside my dad and brother. Getting to share that experience with them just helps me to understand more and more why our vocation is so important and the impact we make every day.
Both of these vocations are very different from each other but allow me to live out my faith in different ways. I get to be with people and learn and grow alongside people in both realms and get to share in helping them in some way. At camp, I’m surrounded by people of faith that help me to grow in my own faith life and help me strengthen my passion for ministry. As a firefighter/EMT, I’m able to offer my passion for ministry when someone asks me to pray for them or with them. I’m able to show the compassion of Jesus through my own actions and in the hopes that they will do the same to someone else someday in return.
I spend my free time crafting and reading. I also spend as much time as I can outdoors and with my friends.
My prayers are constantly changing, depending on my day or what’s happening in the world at that moment. I pray for others mostly and name people by name as much as I can. I pray for leadership for my personal, church and world leaders. I pray for God’s creation, whether that be the trees and the bees or the people I meet.
The hope that there are people in the world, no matter their age, doing great and inspiring things to make a difference gives me hope. Getting to see people make a difference, not only in others’ lives but in my own, gives me hope that the work we’re doing is not done but will continue to be done for many years to come.
Similar to how my congregation sees community not as just the people within its four walls, grace is also not just for those who believe or have membership in a church body. Grace is acceptance and goodwill, regardless of whether we have earned it. Everyone deserves and is worthy of grace.
I’m a Lutheran because I have a place where I—as well as others—can know that I am loved and cared for because of the intentional relationships that our faith strives to create.
If you’d like to nominate someone for “I’m a Lutheran,” email livinglutheran@elca.org.
