Ministry: Final Reflection

What a wild journey these past few months have been! Back in October, Gabrielle and I took a leap of faith as I filled a fulltime ministry position that necessitated the fundraising of half of our income. In the end, it is with a profound sense of gratitude and ineffable joy that I get to share with you that we reached our goal of $18,000! In fact, thanks to your incredible kindness and generosity—even in times of great uncertainty—we raised a total of $18,157.50. Through you, the mightily good heart of God has shown us this favor. But I will be honest: fundraising half of our livelihood throughout our first year of marriage was no easy task. It took more faith and patience than we could have possibly had on our own. Really, it was only by power of the indwelt Spirit that we were able to cling to our commitment to Ecclesia.

As a means of reflection, I would like to share three truths through which I have lived and by which I have been surprised.

One: Kindness is contagious. At the end of every month, when I would receive a contributor list and deposit, I would be blown away by the generosity of those who were participating in our fundraising campaign. What astounded me most of all was the breadth of givers; I would read the names that appeared on that list and know that many who supported us did not possess excess income but supported us, nonetheless. It did not take long to realize that we were not alone in stepping out in faith and trusting in provision. That contributor list continued to grow, all the way through the campaign. Like those “paying-it-forward” commercials, I felt that the kindness with which people supported us spurred the kindness of others. It seemed that, the more people that gave, the more that people gave. And that ecosystem of grace grew until, in the end, what was given was exactly what was needed.

Two: Ask and you will receive. God *actually* provided our daily bread. But it wasn’t as simple as praying for something and having it show up at our door. One of my go-to explanations for prayer is this: if you pray that God will make you more patient, you will be given opportunities to be patient – so be careful what you wish for! Gabrielle and I asked for faith, and we were given the opportunity to have faith. Not by our own doing did we achieve our goal of $18,000. Actually, we didn’t do much: we asked, then we braced ourselves, then we took the opportunity that God presented. Fundraising spoke to our trust in God and in neighbor. It was a most beautiful and most terrifying expression of faith. And yes, our prayers were answered.

Three: The sublime meets us in the mundane. I found God in the most routine of moments. As broken as it sounds, “church” and “work” kind of became synonymous. Sunday mornings took a lot of work. Services left me feeling spiritually and physically drained—much like a typical nine-to-five would leave anyone feeling drained by the end of the day. Of course, church still allowed me the space to worship, and I genuinely did worship. But I also had to wear what the seminary’s president, Craig Barnes, called the “mask of a pastor.” As a result, it was in the in-between moments in which I openly dwelt with the divine presence. I met with God while walking across Princeton’s campus, in the middle of conversations with friends, or with a dram of whiskey on our balcony after a long day “in the office” at Sakrid. As silly as it seemed (but as important as it was), God did not reserve Godself for our church services, as if our worship coerced God from the divine hiding hole. God overwhelmingly entered into every point of my routine to remind me that I was in God’s company and that I was beloved – that I am beloved – that you are beloved.

And now, my time as Ecclesia’s Associate Pastor of Worship and Operations comes to an end… sort of. While my responsibilities as a pastor have officially come to a close and this fundraising campaign is over, I am still going to be helping Ecclesia with its digital gatherings until the church can resume in-person services. So, while you might not see my face in Sunday mornings’ videos, just know that I am still working behind the scenes, piecing everything together and publishing it to our social media. I encourage you to join us on Facebook Live for a digital service every Sunday at 10:30 AM EST. Oh, and Gabrielle and I are still “attending” Sunday mornings until we find a new church home here in… Colorado!

Gabrielle and I were seen off at a socially-distanced goodbye party on July 19th amidst the chaos of loading everything from our apartment into two U-Haul Boxes to be shipped out of Princeton. A week later, we started our long road trip across eight states and three time zones. On August 1st, we moved into an apartment along the Front Range with beautiful views of the mountains! We’re all moved in and trying to settle into this new season of life. However, other than the work I will continue with Ecclesia, neither of us has yet found employment.

We are both searching to work for churches or nonprofits. But with the state of the country, it’s a tough time to be applying for jobs. To spiritualize it, we didn’t learn everything we needed to about faith during our fundraising journey, because we are yet again being given an opportunity to have faith that God will provide for us! I believe that God will bless us with fulfilling employment in perfect timing – I really do. I also believe that my timing runs faster than God’s. So, if you happen to have any advantageous connections in Colorado that might point us in the right direction, please let me know! I also ask you to pray for us as we walk down another uncertain road. But as Sheldon Vanauken puts it, “If it’s half as good as the half we’ve known, here’s Hail! to the rest of the road.”

In closing, I want to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who supported my first commitment into fulltime ministry, the continued growth of Ecclesia Church, and the continued transformation of lives in Princeton, New Jersey. Without your generosity, I would not have been able do this. And as always, thanks for reading!

Blessings, Tom Dearduff

“Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” (Ephesians 4:11-12)