Rev. Kate Davidson, Pastor
I felt called to the ministry when I realized how dull my engineering homework was. My sophomore year of college, I realized I was only doing the work for my engineering classes so I didn’t fail – not because I really enjoyed it as much as I previously did. Instead, it was my religion electives that were really interesting to me as well as the work I was doing with campus ministry. That’s when I realized what everybody else around me had been trying to tell me (but I am still a little geeky and firmly believe duct tape fixes most things).The thing that I like most about Faith Lutheran Church is: working with the people of Faith! The church is the people and the people of Faith Lutheran are doing amazing things in service to God and the community. They (your) passion for the Gospel with a commitment to having fun is contagious!
I see God at work among us when: I start paying attention. Seriously. God is love and every expression of love — for our neighbor, each other, our families, and our friends — has to be God at work. It’s just so darn easy to focus on what’s going wrong that I often miss what God’s up to right here, right now. Sometimes I wish God would choose to be flashy about it!
My favorite things to do in my spare time are: eclectic. I’m a bit of a sports nut so you can find me at a Nationals game or watching one on TV. College football (go USC Trojans!) and college basketball are favorites of mine. I also like video games, movies & TV (I claim JJ Abrams and Vince Gilligan as my creative spirit animals), and a few comics. But perhaps my favorite thing to do is to spend time with friends and family. A quiet night at home with my dogs and cat is always nice, too.
Every morning I start my day by: bargaining with God and my alarm clock, followed by brewing coffee. I’m not a morning person. Though, I do often get up well before the sun in order to run or do Crossfit.
I knew God was present in my life when: I decided to change my major (remember the whole engineering thing not working for me) and my grandfather died – both happened in roughly the same time period. I was at odds with my parents who felt I should continue to study engineering as a fallback. The support I got from my friends who walked through that and then, were also with me while I dealt with the reality that my grandfather’s health was in serious decline, was God incarnate for me. Their love was evident in the way they simply stayed with me – never trying to fix the situation – only letting me vent and cry.
Favorite Bible verse: Mark 9:24 – “Immediately the father of the child cried out, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!'”
Something interesting about me that would surprise people: A few years ago, I turned my kitchen into a small brewery. I brew my own beer. And probably less interesting but yet very surprising to most people, I wear a size 11 shoe.
Intern Pastor Jennie White
I am a Masters of Divinity student at Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, and will be serving Faith for two years as a Pastoral Intern.
I felt called to ministry when I was not looking forward to applying for biology lab jobs after my college graduation in 2018. I ended up going back to work at my favorite Lutheran camp in Ohio the summer following graduation and received my call there in the middle of a prayer labyrinth. I have always enjoyed accompanying and connecting with people between lab experiments and lectures more than doing the actual lab work (although I still enjoy reading up on the latest cell biology info!)
The thing that I like most about Faith Lutheran Church is: enjoying getting to know the people of Faith and worshipping with them every Sunday. Everyone is friendly and wants to get to know each other even in the midst of difficult times.
I see God at work among us when: we stop to listen. Sometimes I can get so caught up on what I have to do and get done that it’s hard to stop and take a breath. But when I stop to take a moment to listen, that’s when I truly hear God working and leading me to what God is calling me to do at that moment.
My favorite things to do in my spare time are: a variety of things. I enjoy reading (fiction and nonfiction), listening to music and podcasts (Dear Hank and John is a personal favorite), and exploring museums. When I want to get out of the city, I enjoy hiking and hammocking to listen to the birds (and read). I am a baseball fan (lifelong Reds fan, and I guess the Nationals are fun too…) I definitely enjoy spending time with my friends and family when they come here or when I go to see them!
Every morning I start my day by: sitting on my phone in bed for about five minutes before getting up to get ready and make coffee. Mornings tend to be more productive for me, and it’s almost impossible for me to sleep in (it’s unfortunate sometimes).
I knew God was present in my life when: I was struggling in my faith journey. My spring semester of my junior year of college was tiring, emotionally and spiritually, and I didn’t know what I believed or what faith looked like for me at that point. But God gave me friends at camp that summer that loved me where I was at and let me share my thoughts and feelings when I needed to. So many of those people are still in my life and have been present with me throughout my journey of seminary and internship. I saw God more fully and presently in my life that summer than I ever had before, and it eventually led me back to camp and my call to ministry.
Favorite Bible verse: Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”
Something interesting about me that would surprise people: I auditioned to go on Teen Jeopardy when I was 16! I was one of about 240 teens nationwide to do so that year! I didn’t get on, but people always enjoy hearing about it. (And no, I did not meet Alex Trebek.)