A Personal Odyssey Toward Traveling in the Ministry
By Barry Zalph, Louisville MM, Ohio Valley YM. "Five years ago, no one could have convinced me that I should "travel in the ministry." As I understood it, traveling ministers had an extraordinary sense of the Divine presence and an undeniable leading to carry their witness to others. Neither of these descriptions fit me at all. Instead of feeling that I had a special spiritual gift to share, I had a sense of weakness and lack of direction. I longed for the Spirit, but that would hardly qualify me to bring something of value to far-away Friends. My rough edges made me a mixed blessing even in my home meeting. Who would send such an ordinary Friend to witness to Truth in distant meetings?"

FGC's Consultation on "Calling Forth & Nurturing Gifts of Ministry"
On March 17-19, 2000 a gathering of representatives from the affiliated yearly meetings of Friends General Conference took place at Bethany Hills Camp near Nashville, TN. The meeting was arranged by the FGC Traveling Ministries Program (TMP) for the purpose of worshipping together and sharing with each other about recognizing and nurturing gifts of ministry in our meetings. With pieces by Deborah Fisch, Rachel K. Wood, Daphne Davey, Linda Chidsey.

Ministry: Learning How Much We Don't Know
By John Calvi. "The most sure way to get yourself into trouble is to offer to be of help. It works most of the time. It's the kind of trouble that teaches the essences of spiritual life and cannot be replaced by reading or prayer. And the more desire you have to serve, the bigger the trouble you can find yourself in. Hence, the more you can learn."

Resources
"Prison Visitation and Support: A Unique Ministry." "The Ministry of Reaching Out to Those in Prison: Correspondents Wanted." "Introducing Pastoral Care Newsletter"