Chris and Matt. Photo: Courtesy Matt Rosen.
Moving in the right direction: Matt Rosen’s apprenticeship in Quaker ministry
‘It was truly a moment of surprising grace.’
When I first began to feel a leading to travel in the ministry – to visit Quaker Meetings to worship with Friends and share freely of what I was given – I thought it seemed like a truly terrible idea. I was aware of my profound shyness and introversion, and I felt that I didn’t have much to contribute. Although I experienced a deep love for Friends and a prompting to share the joy I’d found in our faith tradition, I was afraid to speak vulnerably about my experience – afraid that, if I answered this call, God might ask more than I could live up to. I spent a great deal of time in prayer, reminding God that there were much better candidates for this work: more confident and capable speakers; people with deeper knowledge of Quaker faith and practice. I told God that I was just trying to cope with my own life, just trying to follow Christ’s guidance in my daily interactions. I asked God to leave me alone and send someone else.
