October 18, 2009 – Birthday/Ordination Celebration
Rev. Jeffrey L. Phillips, pastor
Selections from Jonah
Thanks for coming.
Purpose: celebrate God’s work in my life, not to boast.
To see who would come to my funeral.
Testimony = bear witness = a story to share
My heart is not full of myself today, but full of gratitude – to you and to God
You may know me, but you probably don’t know my whole story.
As you hear my story, I invite you to think about how God has been leading your life.
We each have a story to tell. Here’s mine.
As I come to each point in my life, I invite those who came into my life at that time to stand.
Family of origin - 4th of 4
Parents
Janet – helped lead in 1984
Keith
Marcia (and Jim) – helped lead in 1984
Pat and Jim Robson
Grace Church
Duane Werner (and Bonnie) – helped lead in 1984
Billy Graham
Wandered into the black hole of fundamentalism
A good place to hide being gay
Continued to be involved in my church, but criticized it – and my family
Junior High and senior high friends
Tony Thomalla (and Zina)
Bret Robertson (and Ann)
Maurie Smith
Jon (and Shawn) Weidlich
Patty Shade
Jeff (and Linn) Payne
Beth Schuman
Lynn Cazier
Steve Stringer
John Gradecki
Scouts, paper route, band, piano, Student Council, Democratic Party (Carter inauguration)
Thailand – the most important experience of my life
Career
Sexuality
Faith
Couldn’t believe any more
Recommitted to politics, international relations, law
Continued to hide being gay
IWU – Student Senate, international relations, Acacia, A.U. (Adlai Stevenson III)
John Pescitelli (sang in 1984)
Steven Donziger
Fraternity brothers: Kleinschmidt, Jim Flemming, Jim McDermott
More acceptance of being gay in March 1979.
End of college – wondering what to do, assumed I would go to law school or take foreign service exam, politics, CIA
O God!
Graduated Jan. 1981
Chicago – 2nd most important experience of my life
Own apartment
Continued thinking about law school (clerk), CIA, FS versus divinity school
GSP (Jay Deacon preached my ordination)
Tom Wilborn
Didn’t know what I believed about God, what denomination might have me, or what I would do with a degree, but I went anyway.
HDS (returned recently)
First Religious Society,
Found God at Harvard
Found the UCC at Harvard - Church of the Covenant (returned recently)
And much knowledge and many skills
Prison ministry
CPE
Keith died
Came out to family – acceptance
Ordained Oct. 21, 1984
Roberto (participated)
Gavin
Stole from Mom
Beecher
Jeanne Wokurka (and Tom)
Tess and Larry Schwarberg
Gloria Luecke
Bruce Scheimann
Janet Celarius
Zimbabwe (combined ministry and international relations)
Oliver
Esther
Jeri
Jan Willem
Missed parish ministry and professional growth in ministry
Sadness in having work permit denied and having to return
Interim Ministry – please stand
Galewood Community UCC, Chicago (Burdicks)
Epiphany UCC, Chicago
Congregational UCC, AH
Little
Community UCC,
FCC and St. Michael’s UCC,
Vince and family
March 1998 met Vince, covenant commitment May 20, 2000
Vince, Juanita, Tiffany, Mark, Jaylan, Tony, Maritza
Marcia and Janet took care of me at one end of life; you-all will have to take care of me at the other end
Social friends and neighbors of ours stand – Paddock (
St. John – gave me a chance when others wouldn’t; took a step in faith; risked all
Stand
Sabbatical next summer
What does Jonah have to do with this?
Evaded a call to ministry, eventually gave in
He succeeded, but then pouted – resented the people, and thought that God hadn’t used him the way he thought God should use him
Be careful what you pray for
It’s God’s work, not ours. It’s about God, not us.
Love the people God gives you, even when you could despise them.
God does use us, even when we think it’s a waste of time.
Jonah’s ministry didn’t mean much to Jonah, but it meant the world to the people of Ninevah.
Greeting card: “Real love isn’t found in the falling, [but] in the staying – the ups and downs and day-to-daying….”
Love and serve the people God gives you, and be grateful for the ways in which God uses you to help others.
Your ministry, my ministry, our ministry:
Your life, my life, our lives together:
all a good gift from a good God.
I’ve always thought that if I were to die today, it would be OK because I’ve led such a rewarding life, thanks to God. I still feel that way.
As long as I have health and life, I hope to continue serving, living, growing as a person, a Christian, and one called to ordained ministry.
Thank you for accompanying me on my journey thus far.
Blessed with so many friends.
But I offer even more thanks to the One who makes each person’s journey sacred and holy.
It is to God and the Lord Jesus Christ that I recommit my life and ministry this day – for the next fifty years of life (God willing) and the next 25 years of ordained ministry (God willing).
“It is no longer I who live, but Christ Jesus who lives in me.”
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