Ordained Minister Calling
Greetings Friends, I am Shane Novy. Currently of Glennville, GA. I am an Army Infantry Veteran of ten plus years, then became diabetic and was released from the Army. I am originally from Madison and Green Bay, Wisconsin. I grew up in a single parent home and my mother felt it important that my siblings and I grow up knowing the Lord. I was baptized in the Methodist Church and attended a Catholic School. I spent much time with my best friend’s youth group of the Lutheran Denomination. As a teenager, I felt a strong ordained minister calling. However, as a younger man, I began questioning my beliefs and turned to Paganism and Druidism. I spent many years in that place. Recently, with the loss of my only son, I have felt a pull back to my beginnings and a renewal of faith.
My dream is just to learn as much as I can, become ordained and the share the word with any and all who will participate.
With the Getting Started and Christian Basics classes, I have opened the Bible and my heart together and have found new meaning to words I have long forgotten. I spend several hours a day reading and praying and relearning the relationship I had walked away from all those years ago. I feel more content and happier just having God back in my life.
I would say that I identify with the role of Pastor and Church Planter more than anything. It seems that no matter what I do I strive to be the best and end up sharing with and mentoring those who are just beginning in an area which I find myself in. The idea of starting a new church fascinates me.
My time as a teenager and the mentoring I received from Pastor Miller was the beginning of my ordained minister calling. He and his wife had a huge impact on my young life. It is from them that the desire to serve God arose. I still remember singing the hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy” while mowing my rather large yard after coming home from church on summer Sundays.
Living in Southeastern Georgia is a challenge in itself but religiously speaking you are hard pressed to not find a church within a mile of any place you find yourself. Another challenge will be to find a location and a group who wishes to partake in a new church experience.
Reconnecting to the Bible and actually reading it and finding meaning in it has opened my eyes and reawakened my relationship with God. With it, I feel whole again and do not have any doubts or questions as I had once before.
Honestly, I am still looking for a local church to attend. I speak with my friends and acquaintances about God and my renewed belief and a few have already suggested that they may be interested in attending a church that we start together.
I am divorced and the loss of my son has reignited my desire for the things of God and following my ordained minister calling.
The scholarship at Christian Leaders Institute offers me the ability to attain my goals while I also can work and pay the bills, yet I still may have enough to donate back to CLI. It seems that it may be a circle between us.
To learn more about Minister Ordination go to Christian Leaders Alliance.
Youth Minister Dream
Hello and blessings to all. My name is Carlos German. I am the youngest of seven children, and to be honest, I was the black sheep of our family. I was born in Mexicali, Mexico in June of 1973 to my parents Emilio German and Ines Ribot. My father and mother never married due to my father having another family and being married to the mother of his other six kids. My mom and I left Mexicali in 1975 and arrived in Modesto, Ca where I have lived pretty much all of my life with the exception of ten years ( I will explain later). I have six beautiful children that range from the age of 28 – 5. I am married to my beautiful wife Noemi and have twin boys and a girl. We have been married for 10 years and are currently following our Youth Minister dream at our local Modesto Free Methodist Church.
Let me begin with my personal story and how I came to know the Lord:
I was raised by a mother who was always at work. I had no structure in my life. I had my firstborn child Armando at the age of 15. This relationship was not a healthy one as we were both in high school and very immature thinking I knew what was best for me. Finally, things came to an end. Fast-forward to my 20th year of life, I got married and had two kids Maryssa now 23 and CJ now 17. I was married for 10 years but it was a very dysfunctional marriage. I was selling drugs and doing my own thing as she was doing hers. The marriage ended due to infidelity and just living the way Satan loves.
I was single for about three years and living on a high of drugs and women. Then one day, I asked myself if this the way my life was going to end. I had burned all my bridges and my brother came to my rescue as he had many times. I came back to Modesto, Ca after living in Roseville, Ca for 10 years. Something in me changed which now I know was the Holy Spirit getting a hold of me through my mother’s prayers. I started going to church and that’s where I met my beautiful wife Noemi, and guess what? She was the Pastor’s daughter. I gave my life to the Lord in 2005 and haven’t looked back since.
There have been many tests, but God has helped us through them. We have been Youth Ministers for one year and are enjoying it very much. This all came about because I had my regular Monday through Friday job, and I got injured. I believe in my heart this is the path my Lord and Savior wanted me to take to reach my youth minister dream. Yes, He doesn’t punish us but will put up barriers when you praise something other than Him. I serve a jealous God! I had been looking for a while into schooling to pursue my youth minister dream calling, and since we are surviving on only one income (my wife’s), I couldn’t find anything we could afford without taking on loans. I can’t tell you how I came to find Chrisitan Leaders Institute other than I clicked something on my search through the internet and it came up. I looked into it and here I am. I’m very excited and nervous at the same time because I have never been a school type of person. I have much to learn and process, but one thing I know is that I serve a POWERFUL GOD and He will get me through this as I pursue my youth minister dream. So thank you CLI for the opportunity you give so many people like me to really fulfill our dreams. I desire to be the best Youth Minister I can be in Christ’s name, that is my youth minister dream! Blessings to all.
Learn more about ordination options at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Officiant Minister
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I love Jeremiah 29:11 Wow! God has plans for me– Sue Hargrave-Benson of the United States, just little old me! I feel God calling me to be an officiant minister.
We are so fortunate in the USA to have religious freedom. However, having so much (material wealth and social opportunity) actually makes it hard for us to rely on God. I was born and have lived my whole life in the USA. God is very present here. But most Americans do not see or hear or acknowledge Him! I know this because until I was 35 years old, that was me…
Jesus called me to Himself when I was a dancer living in NYC. On the outside, I was doing great (by worldly standards): an Ivy League Ph.D., a great university teaching career, and a handsome boyfriend. But inside I was a mess: multiple addictions plus terrible loneliness, guilt and despair. God reached down and told me He could run my life better than I could. So I turned it all over to Him! Good choice!
Within a year I was cleaned up, married, and teaching in a lovely Northern California college town. Some parts of the last three decades have been tough: broken marriage, being a single mom, demanding job, persecution from some colleagues… But He’s used it all for good (Romans 8:28). I’m blessed with a godly son, a wonderful second husband, and a terrific church. God is so faithful to complete what He starts! And He’s still working on me every day.
My ministry dream is to be Jesus’ hands and feet in my community. Besides being a deacon, I’ve sung in traditional or gospel choir and worship teams for years. I’ve also led several ministries: Christian aerobics, eating disorder 12 Step, and a Christian dance company. Now — officiant minister/lay pastor?! I hear the call.
Recently my son asked me to be the officiant minister at his upcoming wedding so that he could have a Christian marriage. I’m doing the coursework through CLI because I want real minister training, not just a certificate. But I sense that God has something more in mind. My husband and my pastor are encouraging me to train to be a lay minister. Doing weddings and end-of-life celebrations would be such a joy. We live in a retirement community where there is plenty of ministry to be done! On my dog-walk this morning, I ministered to a retired Marine who was questioning God’s purpose in his life. And my sweet husband is currently next door, ministering to a sweet widow with dementia.
This Getting Started: Christian Leaders Connection class has already given me some great ministry tools: encouragement to reach out more, a fuller Christian vocabulary, stronger devotion and prayer habits for me (& my dear husband), a renewed connection with my pastor (and fellow deacons), and ways to broach Christ with our unchurched neighbors. Add to that my son’s request to officiate his wedding, and you have quite a few of the Seven Connections!
Being able to study online at CLI is a huge blessing. Enrollment in pertinent online college level Christian coursework is a literal Godsend! I would appreciate your prayers for me as I seek God’s will and favor in pursuit of this lay minister/officiant minister calling. And thank you for all you do to spread the Love and Grace of Jesus Christ!
Learn more about Ecuministry Ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.