As children of all ages head back to school, Revgals is asking what are some of your firsts?  It must be the time of year, where both school and ministry begin ‘new years,’ because all of my five are about school or ministry!

1. Starting university in 1986 at the age of 28. I always loved school, but because I left home at 14, and then got married and had my son at 18, for many years it seemed out of reach. I still remember how excited I was to arrive at my first evening class. And I can still remember my student number: 86006798!
2. First sermon ever preached; it took me more then three weeks to write and despite my lack of theological training at the time, it remains one of my favourite sermons. I think I have preached it in every congregation I have been in. You can find it here.
3. First day of theological school. The professor used the word eschatological. I sat there thinking, “I have no idea what that word means, and I have no idea how it is spelled so that I can’t even look it up in the dictionary, I don’t think I belong here.”
4. First time I was called ‘Reverend.’ It was at a joint celebration of my ordination and the 50th anniversary of my mentor’s ordination at my home church the Sunday after I was ordained.
5. First congregation, travelling 1800 kilometers from Nova Scotia to Ontario, with a howling cat in the back, to a place where I didn’t know anyone.