We are continuing the series of stories celebrating our soon-to-be Reverends as we head towards the ordination weekend on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June. Today's story comes from Kirsty Evans.
How was Kirsty called?
I did not grow up with Jesus in my life and it always felt like something was missing. There was a void in my life that I attempted to fill with money, career, and partying, among others. This led to years of battling an addiction to drugs that ripped away everything I ever cared about… until I was introduced to Jesus and he saved my life.
Suddenly, the world made sense. I fell deeply in love with Him and He healed me, transformed my life, and restored all the years the locusts had stolen. I retrained as a primary school teacher until I felt called into full-time ministry as a Worship Pastor at a church in Sunbury.
Over the years of working in ministry, I began to sense another call on my life to ordination. Honestly, my reaction was one of a Moses vibe – who, me? Surely not? I think you have the wrong person!? I began to receive confirmation after confirmation; and, although it felt like a crazy idea to me, I decided just to say ‘OK Lord’ and offered myself to the process.
I prayed throughout the entire discernment for Jesus to shut the door if I had got this wrong. If I were going to step into ordained ministry, I needed to be walking in God’s will. God was so faithful and blessed this time with incredible clarity and guidance.
I am very much looking forward to my next mission for God. As an evangelist at heart, I feel excited about seeking souls in the wilderness and preaching the gospel to the next generation. My passion is to see people saved and to help draw people closer into an intimate relationship with the living God, accessing His power to restore and transform lives. It is such a privilege to work as a representative of Jesus. None of us is ever worthy of the title, so I want to encourage you, if you are feeling called, to be brave and bold. He doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.
I can do all things through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13
And the words of a song called ‘Here Again’ by Elevation Worship are something I sing before every service. ’I’m not enough, unless You come, will You meet me here again?’