Stories of Calling


Members of the C3 team (see facing page) reflect on God’s call in their lives. Each of us has a story to tell. What’s yours?


In my early 40s, I felt the call to become an elementary school teacher. I eagerly went back to school for my master’s of education, and upon graduation accepted a position teaching fourth grade at an elementary school in the Allentown School District. I quickly decided that teaching in a high-poverty, inner-city school was not what I wanted. I became determined to gain a few years of teaching experience and then move to a suburban school district. At about the same time, our church increased its commitment to serving the needs of children in the Allentown School District. Week after week, sermon messages spoke to me about how I was being called to build relationships with my students, to see them as God sees them. Week after week, I was reminded that my most challenging students were the ones with whom God needed me to be most patient. And week after week, God reminded me that I was teaching exactly where I was called to teach and where I continue to teach. —Anne Ferrera


A high school aptitude test suggested I’d fit into a helping profession like medicine. I scoffed. I was going to be a truth-seeking journalist or documentary filmmaker covering hard news and important topics! But my desire eventually focused on writing for magazines, and my opportunities led me to cover mostly health. A life lesson for me has been: Pay attention to what God puts in front of you. I’ve been blessed to report and write articles that (I hope) help people. God’s calling has been defined as the place where your joy meets the world’s need, and I honestly feel I’ve been led to that. —Rich Laliberte


I strongly believe that throughout our lives, God calls us from certain things and to others. I am keenly aware of this at this particular time in my life. I have had a rewarding 39-year professional career but for some time have felt pulled to spend my remaining productive years giving back to others in a more direct way. So I recently transitioned to an of


counsel role at my law firm, no longer practicing on a daily basis. While I retain relationships at my firm and will still mentor young lawyers and paralegals, I am so excited about what God has for my future as I spend more time with the nonprofits I am passionate about: Ripple Community (an Allentown ministry creating community among and with the marginalized), Habitat For Humanity, and Equi- librium (a therapeutic riding center assisting children and adults with physical and emotional disabilities). — Jane Long


Many people know that I am a school counselor at Sheridan, a needy school in the Allentown School District. My career is definitely a calling. However, you might not know that I struggle with anxiety. Out of this “suffering,” as it is phrased in The Stories We Live (a book that FPCA small groups have read), came a different kind of calling: to be a yoga teacher. I have practiced yoga for many years. But after a profound conversation with a close friend, I felt a strong pull to share the gift of yoga. I began by wanting to teach children, but God pushed me beyond that, and now I teach a weekly yoga class for adults. Planning each week is cathartic because I put so much of myself into it. I think my students appreciate my vulnerability. I thank God every day for speaking to me through that friend. —Erica Simmons


As our Vibrant Faith team discussed asking church members to share a photo that represents a calling for them, my mind went immediately to a shot of me with the beaming Leley family of nine, newly arrived as refugees from the Congo and touring Christmas Lights with me one night. Those trips I organized and led each year with refugees, people who were homeless, disadvantaged children, and others who wouldn’t otherwise be able to see such wonders felt very much like a calling for me. Now that I’m retired from The Morning Call, I’m discovering new paths that God has laid before me, as God does throughout the seasons of our lives. I’m looking forward to exploring them. —Bill White


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