happy ministry moment

This evening after a good but long day at work, I headed out to a presentation at the local university on human trafficking. I often give these types of presentations as part of my ministry. In this case, one of the students was giving the presentation. She was using some of the resources I helped to develop for the Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center, and so she invited me to be present and be a resource for any questions.

I have to say, it was very cool if a wee bit odd to hear someone else using my words -- she was using our educational PowerPoint and script. We then watched a short movie on human trafficking and had a great discussion afterward.

I had been pretty tired when I headed out this evening, but as I drove home I felt energized and uplifted. I found myself reflecting on this section from the CSJP Constitutions:

As the biblical tradition has linked
the pursuit of justice
with the gift of peace,
so we believe that the promotion of justice
is integral to our mission and spirituality.

Our call to peacemaking ...
challenges us to accept and share our gifts
and empower others to do likewise. (14 & 15)

I feel incredibly blessed to be part of a community where I am able to spend my time and energy on something that I feel called to do, namely the promotion of justice. I am able to use my gifts in my ministry at the Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center and to empower others - like the young woman at the university - to do likewise. How cool is that?

No wonder I left feeling so uplifted and energized. As another section of our Constitutions puts it:

Confident of God's faithful love
and collaborating with others who work for
justice and peace,
we face the future with gratitude and hope. (12)

This was definitely a happy ministry moment.