by Jessica Ward as shared to Ella Reff
My earliest church memories are of Crosby United Methodist Church in Crosby, PA. It was the closest church to our home as a young child. It was a very small church and shared a pastor with a church from a larger town (larger means more like the size of Yorktown!). Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow still reminds me of that little church.
As my brother and I got a bit older, our family started going to Smethport United Methodist Church in Smethport, PA. This was the town where our school was located and had more of our classmates in church and Sunday School. That church also offered Bible School in the summers and we had a Youth Group briefly. My only real Youth Group memory is making a haunted house in the church basement. We worked so hard on it and had so much fun, but from an adult perspective, we made a huge mess! I can’t believe the adults let us do that!
During my college years, I started attending church on my own and not because my family was going. I went to Gannon University in Erie, PA, which is a Catholic University. I attended church at a United Methodist church that was a block from campus and had several friends who would go with me. I also very fondly remember Father Susa, our residence hall chaplain. As I was on residence hall staff, he attended our weekly staff meetings and always had a prayer, meditation, etc. to share. Later as an adult, I’ve found a lot of solace through one of his regular prayers:
“Let nothing disturb thee,
Let nothing frighten thee.
Everything is changing.
God alone is changeless.
Patience attains the goal.
The one who has God lacks nothing.
God alone fills all our needs.
Amen.”
I’ve said this prayer many times and shared it with clients as I’ve walked with them through difficult recovery journeys.
I moved to Indiana in 1998 to get my Master’s degree at Ball State and lived in Albany. There, I attended Albany United Methodist Church for 2 years. I was part of a small group and led youth group. It was a great church family!
As I finished graduate school and Darrell and I planned our wedding, I reached out to Yorktown Methodist Church to see if we could be married there because Darrell was a life-long resident of Yorktown and I was staying with his parents in Yorktown until we were married. Dr. Lacy agreed to marry us at YUMC. I loved that the sanctuary looked so much like the one where I attended church in Smethport.
I didn’t attend YUMC regularly until 2008. I helped with Bible School for a couple of years. I participated on the education committee and then enjoyed leading Youth Group for awhile. I’ve really enjoyed the small groups I’ve been part of at our church. I’ve learned so much through them and had a lot of fun.
For the past 15 years, I’ve worked at Selah House in Anderson, IN. Selah is one of the only faith-based residential centers for eating disorder treatment in the country. My journey at Selah has God’s fingerprints all over it. I found Selah when I needed a change in job and didn’t know what was possible. Finding Selah House was a direct answer to prayer and so much more than I had even dreamed of. I found my passion and calling as a dietitian. He’s continued to lead me as my career has advanced into leadership. There have been rough seasons where I’ve contemplated leaving and He’s clearly said I’m not done. Only He knows what is ahead.
As part of my work at Selah, I learned to teach yoga and have come to really enjoy it. While I no longer teach, during COVID I found an online Christian yoga community called The Yoga Abbey. Combining yoga with learning about God and Jesus has been a deeply nourishing form of self-care.
Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God" has been one of my favorites for years. Worship, nature, and yoga are the places I most easily find stillness and feel closest with God.
