Small Church Article Feature: Rev. Michael Gable
Rev. Michael Gable is husband to Shelly (a much better writer than he is) and father to a brilliant daughter who takes after her mother. Michael is a second career pastor serving his first call in the mission field of Texas. Since arriving he has borne witness to the pandemic, extreme weather events, and the miracles that occur when God’s people respond as the Body of Christ in times of challenge and uncertainty.
A letter from Michael Gable, called to Ministry of the Word and Sacrament by the will of God through the Holy Spirit.
To my sisters and brothers in Christ that faithfully comprise the congregations of the Oregon Trail Ministries: to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
May God’s Grace be upon you and peace from God the Father and Christ our Lord, through the presence of the Holy Spirit who is bound by neither time nor space.
I write to you in the biblical tradition of Paul, borrowing heavily from the greeting of his first letter to Corinth and trusting that he would be flattered by my mimicry.
My purpose in this letter is to provide words of encouragement to people whom I do not individually know, but with whom I share the sacred call of ministry; people who I live alongside as a priesthood of all believers. It is my prayer that the Holy Spirit guide these words that I write to bring inspiration and understanding.
Your pastor, Rev. Shannon Borgman and I met a little over a year ago at a pastoral retreat called CREDO. When I asked how this conference came to be named, I learned that CREDO is a Latin word that means “I believe.” The purpose of the retreat was to help pastors clarify both what they believed and explore how those beliefs informed the daily decisions of their lives.
For me, it was a call to be more intentional in building relationships, not just in the community to which I am called, but to be a friend in ministry to folks across the body of Christ and receive their support in return. Over the past year, Rev. Shannon has been kind enough to help me explore this calling.
One of the things that I’ve taken from the several discussions we’ve had is how different our contexts are. I serve a single congregation of approximately 160 people (meaning that I see sixty-five to seventy on any given Sunday) Rev. Shannon’s call serves four congregations, each one with its own unique ministerial contexts and challenges. When we chat, I am almost always in my office, adjacent to our church’s sanctuary. Rev. Shannon has called from church offices, home, and at least one coffee shop as her day takes her across country.
On more than one occasion, we have each remarked on the beauty that comes with each of these different contexts; on the various skills that we are called on to utilize (or develop); and on the wonderful people that God has called to share in ministry with us.
Conversely, another thing that we’ve celebrated are the similarities of our contexts. Both of us serve communities that are well aware that the “church” is the gathering of the faithful, not the buildings that we worship in. How even though our congregations are approximately 1400 miles apart, we each support missions such as supporting feeding ministries, supporting people experiencing Alzheimer’s and their families, how we are committed to building relationship with God, with one another, and with our respective communities.
Just this week, Rev. Shannon and I were discussing Ecumenical activities; times where our churches have partnered with other local churches for the shared good of our respective communities. Programs such as the VBS in Waterville and Blue Rapids; the youth group with those same congregations.
In my own context, Angleton Presbyterian works with several churches to support the Angleton Police Department’s chaplaincy program. And we work with the local Episcopal church at Holy Comforter, with a weekly family feeding program.
It certainly illustrates what Paul was talking about in his letter to the faithful of Corinth: “Now there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit, and there are varieties of services but the same Lord, and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” I am grateful for the work that you do.
To my mind, it points directly to just how active the Holy Spirit is in our world today. It helps to ease my anxiety about all the bad news that I’m drawn into when I read the daily headlines. It reminds me that in the midst of big, worrying things, that God continues to move with us and through us; that God remains in control.
And it reminds me of one more thing: That God does not call the equipped. Through the regular movement and positioning of the believers in the body of Christ, God equips the called. As we compare and contrast our respective ministries, I know that Rev. Shannon has been an amazing resource for ideas and moreover, for practical advice on how to more effectively engage in various aspects of Angleton Presbyterian’s ministry and mission. I pray that I have been (and will continue to be) a valuable resource to her as well.
It is with this understanding that I regularly encourage people to make suggestions, to prayerfully explore what God is calling them to, to discern in community, and to listen with the expectation of hearing God’s answers.
There have been many times where I have encountered problems in my calling where every answer that I personally can come up with doesn’t work. Either I know that it will take me an unreasonable amount of time, or effort, or money to make any sort of progress. It’s like trying to use your ear to pick up an apple: Technically possible, but really frustrating. Even after giving it all my best in those situations, I’m left feeling wholly inadequate.
And then…
…I’m introduced to a person or some people or an organization with an elegant answer to the problem that I had no easy solution for. Or as my father so wisely says, “The main difference between two hours and two minutes is the right tool.”
As individuals, the enormity of the mission is insurmountable. But together we are imperfectly perfect. Each of us called seemingly to seemingly random times and places but fitting into God’s purpose. Our strengths, even our weaknesses all converging to support the work that God has for us.
In my local context, it’s the hope that I cling to. But in your context, the communities that are supported by the Oregon Trail Ministries, it is a blessing to bear witness. You are vibrant and important parts of God’s mission and all that I can do to be of service is at your disposal.
I leave you once again stealing from Paul’s conclusion to his letter to the faithful of Corinth without hope of improvement: “Keep alert; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”
Reverend Michael Gable Minister of Word & Sacrament,
Pastor First Presbyterian Church of Angleton
