Sara J Anderson’s “Call Story”

I was ten years old when the Sister who over saw education at St. George's Catholic parish told my class someday God might call us into ministry. I remember thinking, "I don't want to be a nun...but what if God is already calling me?"

When I was thirteen, two of my friends brought me to Camp Calumet Lutheran in New Hampshire, there we enjoyed camping, swimming, laughing, and new friendships and I discovered the joy of expressing and learning more about my faith. Once shy and quiet, the doors opened to me as I discovered these people weren't strangers but other members of God's family.

I entered the Counselor-in-training program at age sixteen. Over the eight week session I learned more about theology, deepened my faith, created new friendships and saw a woman pastor lead worship for the first time. I began the first tentative steps toward discerning my call to ministry which meant talking with every visiting chaplain, questioning friends, reading scripture, visiting churches and praying!

That fall as I was confirmed and distributed communion for the first time I knew that God called me to break the bread and share with others the amazing gifts of grace, love, and forgiveness God offered in the meal. It's been an exciting journey that's brought me to ministry as Pastor of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Wilbraham, MA. My call to ordained ministry is one I'm blessed to have received and to have answered!

Pastor Sara J. Anderson
Christ the King Lutheran Church
Wilbraham MA 01095

Project Connect is an initiative of the Eastern Cluster of Lutheran Seminaries. Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, and the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Funded by a generous grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc.