Pastor Kathleen

Call to Ministry in the United Methodist Church

Answering the call to ministry is my response to believing with my whole heart that Jesus Christ was born, lived, died and arose for all humanity . . . even me. When I began searching my soul for meaning and assurance in my life, I felt God nudging me in the direction of ordained ministry.

I was 34 years old, a stay-at-home mom with three young children and two years of college. I was active in my local United Methodist church as well as being a community volunteer.  I chose to return to college to complete my bachelor’s degree and after graduation went right to the seminary. I decided I would heed what I believed was God’s claim on my life as long as God continued to open the doors towards that end.

My goal was to be an ordained United Methodist pastor by the time I was 40. Through God’s grace and the support and encouragement of family and friends, my goal was attained.

What prompts me to do what I now do can only be attributed to God’s love ever going before me to prepare the way. I acknowledge most humbly that I could never do this on my own!

Aspirations for Ministry and for Serving Asbury UMC

A key aspiration for pastoral ministry is to help guide the congregation in being the best ministry “outpost” for Jesus Christ there is. In John’s gospel we hear Jesus telling us that if we love him, we will “feed his lambs, tend his sheep, feed his sheep.” I believe this is the job description of Asbury UMC and is at the heart of who we are called to be in our community and world.

Another integral part of the job description for Asbury, as well as for the pastor, is to feed and tend and feed those “sheep” who are already a part of the flock.

Spiritual Disciplines and Study

I am eclectic in my spiritual disciplines and study. I enjoy prescribed Bible studies, as well as more free-form styles. I’m partial to Eugene Peterson’s, The Message, because it reads like a novel.

One of my favorite personal meditative activities is visual journaling (drawing). Visual journaling is a way that I can often times go deeper than words.

Family

My spouse, Terry, and I are the parents of three adult children: Jon, Mary and Nicolai. We also have a son-in-law, Tom Zielund, and two grandsons, Rasmi and Vincent Zielund. All of our children live in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.