Inspired to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, the Revd Josh Thomas announced to his family at the age of 11 that he wanted to become a church minister. Years later, now serving with Petersfield and Liss URC, he looks back at the paths which have led him here, reflecting on God’s continuous presence throughout his journey.
My childhood sense of calling to the ministry of word and sacraments, inspired by my grandfather who was a URC minister, soon faded as my dream of being a rock star took over. That is, until I took part in a trip with Commitment for Life, the United Reformed Church’s international development organisation, to Jamaica, at the age of 17. As I learned more about the work which the organisation supports, I was inspired by so many of the people I met and the strong faith they showed, despite the very little they had by way of material things. From this time on, I felt God challenging me to think about my calling.
I made a lot of friends through FURY (Fellowship of United Reformed Youth), now URC Youth, who supported me as I continued to grow and think more about the direction God was leading me in, and was called to serve as FURY Moderator.
Somehow, at that time, youth work seemed a less daunting path than ordained ministry (I’m not sure I’d agree with that now!) and so I took that path. I trained at Oasis College in London and went on to serve in churches in Woking and Lindfield.
Throughout my time in youth work, I felt God offer the challenge that I should be serving the whole church, not just young people, but it took a lot of wrestling to figure out whether this was a genuine call or not, so I challenged God to prove to me that I could actually do this.
Our minister retired and suddenly there were opportunities to try preaching, offer pastoral support and help with the leadership of the congregation, calling on skills and talents I had developed in my work with young people to serve all the generations. I knew then, if I didn’t before, that God was serious about this.
If we pray for God to equip us, we are seldom disappointed. This process of discernment led me to candidate for ordained ministry of word and sacraments with the United Reformed Church, setting me off to Cambridge to start my training, and now to Petersfield and Liss URC. Truly, anything is possible with God.
Of course, there have been bumps and wrong turns along the way, but if God is calling you, there is no turning away from it. All we can do is pray for the Holy Spirit to equip us on our journey and trust that we are in God’s hands and that God is in control, not us!
Whoever you are, God is at work within you and has plans for your life. What might God be calling you to do? Perhaps Stepwise, the URC’s intergenerational discipleship development programme could help you reflect on this.
