Although my father was an Episcopal priest and my wife is an Episcopal priest, my calling is to be an active layperson in the Church. I like to go where I can make a difference. Currently, I am active at the congregational, diocesan, and national levels. I am a member of my congregation’s evangelism committee, which focuses on recruiting people into becoming Christians. In my Diocese, I am a member of the Diocesan Stewardship Committee, which deals with the responsible use of what God has placed in the care of us humans. On the national level, I am a member of the Episcopal Church’s Executive Council, where my main area of interest is evangelism. (The Executive Council can be thought of as the Presiding Bishop’s vestry.) The 2009 General Convention (GC), which is the triennial legislative body of our Church, will be the tenth I have attended as a representative of Connecticut, three times as an Alternate Deputy, and seven times as a (full) Deputy. In the past, I have served on GC committees on evangelism, stewardship, and environmental stewardship. Also, I enjoy helping new Deputies catch on as to how the 1000+ person General Convention works. Earlier, I helped my Diocese adopt a program to increase its outreach to socially and financially needy people.
I find that my faith and my Church involvement lend meaning and balance to my life. I am drawn toward subjects where something important needs to be done, and where I have some skills which can help get the right things done. My wife once humorously said that perhaps I have a touch of Don Quixote in me. She was joking, but I took it as a compliment. One description of how to recognize a call is that, with a call, you are drawn toward working in an area, and you have (or can develop) productive skills that are needed in that area.
One Sunday when I was to be assisting in the main service, we were in the vesting area putting on our robes. Suddenly in a loud-ish deep voice I proclaimed, “Today, in the Prayers of the People, I’m going to say, ‘We also pray for our enemies … especially Joe, Frank, Mary, Ed…’” Now I would never actually do that in a service, but I would think of it, and then use the idea to tease those with whom I was serving that morning. Working for God can be a lot of fun, especially if we don’t get unnecessarily somber about it! For more info, see my personal webpage at http://members.aol.com/tmollegen, which also includes info on my for-pay job.
