“Whom shall I send? Send me.” I was brought up within the church, carried there as a babe

in arms. Orchard Place was my second home. My family was there, my friends, my spiritual teachers. It was the place I went to socialize and just hang out. At age 14, during baptism service, I clearly felt God’s hand leading me forward and that very night I went through the waters of baptism knowing with all my heart that I belonged to Jesus. At age 14 I started teaching Sunday School to children that lived on a nearby council estate. I loved working with these young children and letting them know how much Jesus loved them. I was happy doing what I was doing, but something was missing. I still felt as if God was pushing me but I did not know why. Maybe God wanted me to become more involved in the life of the church, so at 17 I started working with our local Baptist Youth Association. I loved it and felt I was doing what God wanted me to do – teaching Sunday School to children, working with youth. Surely God was using me but there was still this unsettled feeling that would not go away. At 17 I started work for the DVLA, the British equivalent of

the DMV in the United States (Department of Motor Vehicles). I enjoyed my job and was there for seven years. During that time I became more involved both at church and with our Youth Association. At age 22 I went with my church on a tour of the Holy Land, which had a tremendous impact on me. When we came back, that feeling of “not doing enough” still haunted me. What more could God possibly ask of me? I was home alone one afternoon when God spoke to me clearly in a way that I cannot explain. I called South Wales Baptist College in Cardiff and spoke to Principal Dafydd Davies. The conversation went like this: Me: “Principal Davies, I feel that God wants me in the Gospel ministry.” Principal Davies: “I am putting a prospectus in the mail. Go see your pastor.” As I hung up the phone such a sense of calm enveloped me and I felt a peace that did indeed pass all understanding.

I did go see my pastor who was and still is my biggest

supporter. I expected Rev. Cliff to say, “let’s think about this.” Instead his words to me echo to this very day. “Bethania (he always called me that), at last.” We discussed the process of entry into ministry whereby “the call” is tested by the local church, the Baptist association and the college committee. After four years of training for the Gospel ministry I was

ordained in 1988 and became pastor of Memorial Baptist Church in Swansea, South Wales. At this time I was the second woman to be ordained in South Wales Baptist. However, for me it was never about being a woman in ministry, it was and still is about being a pastor who happens to be a woman. This is the difference between “a dream” and “a call.” Many women dream of being pastors and that’s ok, but when it’s a call our gender becomes irrelevant. I know this will probably offend some women but for me it’s about “The Call.” I urge all leaders, male or female, to test their call thoroughly, make sure it’s God’s voice that you are heeding and not just a dream. I am on the verge of retiring from congregational ministry after 30 years and through all this time I hope and pray that I have remained true to my calling. “Whom shall I send? Send me.” Beth Willetts recently retired from her position as co-pastor of Calvary Hill Baptist Church in Fairfax, Virginia, in the United States.

HELEN GOLDIE: Loneliness in the Mission House

“God helps you through every part of your life. That includes the lonely times.”

World Aid who, upon leaving the Baptist World Alliance, worked with the United Bible Societies in the United Kingdom. Helen’s experience of loneliness is one of the many highlights in her book, Life, God’s Plan: The Wonder of it All. “I don’t mind emphasizing my loneliness. It was my loneliness that made me cry out to the Lord and he told me to write a book,” she explained. That loneliness came out of being the primary caregiver for

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five children at home while her husband was busy with church responsibilities and travels, which began long before he became BWAid director in 1981, serving until 1990. Even though she was not afraid to speak about her experiences, she was concerned the book focused too much on her. “What bothered me a bit was that it’s a lot about me and it’s a lot about my feelings as I went through life and living that life.” Asked how she dealt with those times of loneliness, she responded, “I don’t know how else to say it. The Lord carried me through.” It was in that “loneliness where I finally thought of the Bible and started thinking, well, what would Jesus do?” She presented her emotions and feelings up to God, from whom she received this affirmation, “Your trouble is my trouble.” That crying out to God and that affirmation helped her “to get on with things.”

Archie, after serving as a pastor of churches in Canada, became the mission secretary for the Baptist Federation of Canada. This involved traveling to churches throughout the North American country, the second largest in the world by land mass. These travels often took him away from home overnight. “He’s visiting at nights and he’s out to meetings and he’s doing all these things and people don’t realize how much that happens.” His position as mission secretary also took Archie overseas,

such as to the Middle East and Europe. Such overseas commitments only intensified after he became BWAid director. But in the midst of the challenge, Helen Goldie embraced the blessings that came with being part of her husband’s life and ministry:

The world had opened up before our very eyes. We had witnessed the wonder of God’s creation in so many

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common experience that spouses of clergy often face is loneliness. This was the experience of Helen Goldie, who is married to Archie Goldie, former director of Baptist