How do you define "family?" What makes you feel most unified with your spouse as a ministry partner?
I feel most unified in ministry with my husband when I go along with him for visitations, whether it’s at a church member’s home or in the hospital. Being side by side with him on the front lines of ministry makes me really feel connected to him as a ministry partner.
--Tobi Fegan Pawson
My parents adopted me, so I see family a little differently than most. It’s not “blood” that draws me close, but as Jesus said, “These are my brothers and sisters.” I see my hubby and daughters as my closest family, but anyone I come across is also my brother and sister, some closer than others. I am called to ministry, and I like serving with my handsome hubby: visiting, Bible studies, going door to door, reading with him for growth—these are just some of the ways I feel united with him.
--Katie Miller
For me, family takes on several layers—my immediate sacred circle of husband and children, my extended blood relatives, and my “tribe” of chosen family who are not actually related but sometimes feel even closer than kin. Talking and praying together at the end of the day makes me feel that we are united in ministry and sharing each other’s burdens.
--Sarah K. Asaftei
For me, family is a combination of the protector and the protected. Family is what gives me safety and also what I yearn to keep safe. We created it: my husband, my soonto-be-born baby. The baby makes my protective instinct so much more accentuated, I think. It’s as if nothing else matters. My parents and siblings are just my heritage. But the family we made? Oh that’s just it: people God puts together to resemble a piece of heaven.
I like joining my husband in church affairs as much as I can. But nothing unifies us more ministerially than when we do research together (for example, discussing together what we believe on hot topics in culture and doctrine based on the Bible, Ellen White, history, and prayer; studying out what Daniel 7 is really all about; or studying prophecies and finding new ways to share old teachings). These study conversations unify us intellectually and spiritually.
--Laura Lucio
We like to hear your answers to questions like this. To participate, join our Facebook group online at www.facebook.com/groups/ ministerialspouses/. Your answer could be featured in an upcoming issue of The Journal. Responses may be edited to fit the space.
