Well, the day I have been thinking about for over a year came and went without much fanfare. Each year, Thanksgiving (Canadian Thanksgiving) weekend marks two annual anniversaries. The first is my work anniversary, and this year I hit 5 years at Village Church, and it’s now officially the longest place I have ever worked. The second anniversary is my ministry anniversary, and this year that hit the 25-year milestone that has been the object of my obsession for most of the last year.
Just after Thanksgiving weekend back in October 2000, an 18-year-old Jesse started his first paid ministry job at Woodcliff United Church in Calgary, AB. I was working for about 12–15 hours a week running a youth group on Friday nights and Sunday mornings while going to Rocky Mountain Bible College in Calgary. In mid-November of that same year, I preached my first Sunday sermon, and outside of the year I worked at Apple, I have worked for a church for most of my adult life.
This week came and went fairly quickly, but like I said, it’s been on my mind a lot. The last 25 years have been full of amazing adventures, people, ministry, growth, challenges, heartbreak, and everything in between. I have worked at 8 churches, and that might seem like a lot to some, but each church has played a role in my journey and faith.
Woodcliff – First job and part-time
Faith Evangelical Lutheran – First group built from scratch and part-time
First Baptist Calgary – First full-time church
First Baptist Vernon – Just three months
Mission Creek Alliance – Foundation years
Main Street Church – Some of my best work
Willingdon Church – My favorite era of ministry
Village Church (Current) – Finding new depths of leadership and potential
When I look back on these years, there is a lot of joy and many moments that just bring a smile to my face. Often when old pictures or Facebook posts pop up in my feed from the “old days,” it’s a rush of memories and sometimes tears as I remember all the fun that was had and the people I had that fun with.
But if I’m honest and transparent, it’s also been a challenging 25 years. Not only are there hard and difficult work and ministry moments attached to some of these places, but there are also hard personal moments as well. Over these years, we have struggled to have kids and then almost lost them. I lost my mom and other family and friends, and at times felt like I lost my own way. I have made and lost friendship and know I disappointed or let people down. In truth, the good far outweighs the bad, but some hurts have left scars that still hurt or left lingering phantom pain.
For the last year, I have found myself asking a single question… What about the next 25 years?
Twenty-five years from now I’ll be 68 years old (I’m 43 as of writing this) and hopefully enjoying retirement, adventuring with Twyla, chasing the Twins and finding ways to live out my calling. But the question of what life looks like between here and there has been a bit of a singular thought for a while now.
You see… sometimes I worry the scars will grow or I worry that I can’t live up to my own standards, or I worry that my heart can’t actually handle the relationship game that ministry can be the same way anymore. But God’s been working and teaching me a lot this year as well. He is consistently reminding me that I’m worrying about a future that is unwritten, that past performance doesn’t dictate future behaviour (an old Jesse-ism). By that I mean the journey that has been isn’t a guarantee of the journey to come.
There are probably future blog posts around all of this, but I have come to settle on a single truth: God has called me to adventure with Him, and in some ways the next 25 years are like an unfished book. I have turned a chapter, and the future is not written for me, but rather God and I are writing it together. 25 years ago, I stepped into ministry because I was following God’s call on my life to impact the next generation and to do for others what had been done for me. This calling is as true today as it was 25 years ago. It might look different, but that difference has reignited a passion in me that I thought I lost.
So in full transparency, I don’t know what the next 25 years will look like, and that is 100% okay with me. What I do know is that I will faithfully keep seeking after Him and His calling for my life. I’m going to actively love my wife and kids and never stop adventuring with them. A year ago this week seemed daunting, and today I feel lighter and freer than I’ve felt in a long time.
Over the next few months, I’m going to try and blog a bit about the lessons learned, the tools picked up, and the journey that I have been on. Hopefully, it will benefit someone out there, and thank you for taking the time to read this story.
Love you all,
Jesse
P.S. To anyone reading this that has been part of my ministry or journey, know I love you all and thank you for loving me through it all. I hope and pray I had some impact in your life, but know beyond a shadow of a doubt each of you impacted me in ways you will never know… Thank You!
Fresh Ministry Consulting 