Interview with Pastor Alison George
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Cheyenne WY September 13, 2018 Moving forward with my Alternative Residency Formation Plan to be approved for ordination by the Rocky Mountain Synod Candidacy Committee, I will be focusing my interviews to answer the following question: What are the joys and challenges of congregational ministry? To answer this question, I will ask:
I had the absolute joy and privilege of speaking with Pastor Alison George at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Cheyenne Wyoming. I was also able to take a few photos and will post the photos along with my written reflection. What strengths did you bring to your ministry setting? Pastor Alison said she was raised in Tennessee and as she put it, “in the buckle of the Bible belt.” She said the attitude in that region at that time was a person “can’t swear, can’t drink and women can’t be preachers.” Pastor Alison said she was raised Lutheran, but had no desire to go into ministry until after she had been in college a few years. She said in the first year of college she considered theater, law, and possibly teaching, but she ended up as an English major. She said in college she discovered a love for languages and scripture and after laughing off the idea of seminary for a long while, she ended up at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. She discovered that as a Christian, she could be real and genuine, but she admits, she spent part of her seminary career pursing the concept of being the ideal pastor. It took some time, but she realized she had to learn how “Alison can be a pastor.” She knew she had to be the same person in church and the same person you saw in town. Pastor Alison said she completed her pastoral internship in 2009 in a congregation in Montana. Pastor Alison’s first call was to a large congregation in Madison WI. There were seven pastors and 40 staff positions. She said she was responsible for pastoral care for the congregation and she was the leader of the Stephen Ministry program as well as doing pastoral visits herself. She said after a few years she decided it was time to be a solo pastor and she was called as the pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Cheyenne. She said immediately recognized the generosity of the people of St. Paul’s and she feels her gifts and talents are valued by the congregation. What were your areas of growth? Pastor Alison said she quickly realized she needed to meet people where they are at in order to be their pastor. She said organization is crucial and she is sometimes challenged with organization and is thankful for a good church secretary. Pastor Alison stressed the fact that a good church secretary is essential. She said she wanted to keep track of how she spends her time, for herself and accountability to the congregation. To do so, Pastor Alison provides a monthly report to the church council. Pastor Alison gave me a copy of her January 9, 2018 report to the church council. She has identifies six areas of her work in her report: Preaching, Teaching, & Worship; Meetings, Visits, Church Work; Synod & Churchwide Work; Outreach & Community Work; Personal Growth & Self-Care; Looking Forward. We talked about and agreed the congregation should be able to see how the pastor spends her time and the fact that her job is more than preaching on Sunday morning. Do justice issues impact how you do ministry? Pastor Alison admitted her political views may be more progressive than many of her congregation members. She made a profound comment, “speak the truth even if your voice shakes.” She said she does not interject her views indiscriminately into conversations with the members of the congregation nor does she allow her views to overshadow sermons. Pastor Alison said she is an ally of the LGBTQ community and she remembers a friend telling her as an ally, she can go to places where members of the LGBTQ community cannot. Pastor Alison said the president RMS WELCA is a congregation member. As a part of the RMS WELCA annual convention, Pastor Alison taught on class on LGBTQ issues. She said the church council has recently approved the meeting of the local PFLAG group at St. Paul’s. Pastor Alison said she has become involved with Wyoming Equality in order to have a connection to the local LFBTQ community. How does the geographical setting of your ministry impact how you do ministry? Pastor Alison acknowledges Cheyenne is in a rather isolated part of the world, although two major interstates intersect in the city. She said the congregation of St. Paul’s is very focused on the people of Cheyenne. She listed the number of local projects the congregation is involved in and the list is extensive. She said the congregation does do some outreach beyond the city limits, but their greatest impact is within Cheyenne. The amount of outreach St. Paul’s does is readily apparent by reading any one of the monthly newsletters, St. Paul’s Epistle. What advice do you have for a new pastor? Pastor Alison said I need to acknowledge the need to educate the world on who I am and my mission in the world. She said she asks herself about what she does in ministry and her work in the congregation. She said she asks herself, “What would happen if St. Paul’s blinked out of existence? What would people notice?” Pastor Alison said ministry is beautiful, but the work can be exhausting and frustrating. She stressed self-care and the need to be kind to yourself. Reflection For refection, I am to answer the following questions: What do they tell you about you? How does your particular lens as a Latina Transgender minister affect how you hear and see the work of other ministries in this synod, and how would a deeper understanding on the part of these ministers bless the work at hand? Where does the gospel intersect these interpretations? I was truly in awe of Pastor Alison during and after my visit. I was warmly greeted by the church secretary, Pastor Alison, and her young son who is about six months of age. Her son was absolutely adorable and I don’t remember him crying at all during our almost three hour visit. After putting my purse and writing materials in Pastor Alison’s office, I was taken on a tour of St. Paul’s. I will include a second page of pictures of my tour of St. Paul’s on my blog. I was completely taken by the beauty of the sanctuary. The banners hanging from the ceiling in the sanctuary were quilted by a member of the congregation. The two front doors of the church are new and have windows in the shape of a cross. There is an entry way with a stairway to the narthex and a stairway going down to the lower level. There is an elevator to accommodate individuals with mobility challenges. The lower level is well set out with a full commercial kitchen. I also noticed a fair trade display with coffee, chocolate, and other items for sale. There are classrooms and a large fellowship hall in the lower level. The main level is a mirror image of the lower level with classrooms. The office area is on the main level. Pastor Alison and I spent almost 90 minutes talking about ministry in her office. I will post pictures of her office on the picture page. She has an American Girl Doll on her desk and she showed me the different outfits for the doll (including an alb with stole and a cassock). Pastor Alison seemed very comfortable with her role as solo pastor at St. Paul’s. She talked with love and devotion for her congregation. The devotion to the mission of the congregation was readily apparent in the way Pastor Alison approached our conversation. I hope I mirror the same devotion when I talk about Mount Calvary, the congregation where I am serving as the Director of Congregational Care. After my interview, Pastor Alison, her son, and I went out to lunch at a local restaurant. We continued to have a delightful conversation for another 45 minutes, or so. Pastor Alison and I spoke about social justice issues at length. I admire her ability to create bridges between the different attitudes members of her congregation have toward immigration and the LGBTQ community. I completely agree with the fact she can go into places where I cannot go and am thankful she is an ally to the LGBTQ community. I think St. Paul’s is taking a bold step to host PFLAG meetings in the church and a member of the congregation brought the question about damage to the building if PFLAG meets there. I have been to many PFLAG meetings in Boulder and never thought the parents and friends of the LGBTQ community were rowdy enough to damage their meeting space, but the congregation member raised the question of an outside group objecting to the PFLAG meetings and person outside the group taking their anger out on the grounds and church building; a valid point. The church council voted to have the PFLAG meetings and proved their commitment to social justice. I believe Pastor Alison is courageous for taking a call in Cheyenne. I think the congregation of St. Paul’s has displayed a desire to live out the gospel of love by calling Pastor Alison. I have my stereotypical view of Cheyenne as being much more conservative than Boulder. I did not expect to be speaking to a female pastor in Cheyenne, much less a female pastor with a young child and rather progressive views on LGBTQ issues. I am hopeful for the future of the church in Cheyenne. I cannot say I would ever expect an invitation to preach at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Cheyenne WY, but with Pastor Alison as their pastor, I may be surprised.
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