July Pastor's Note

I hope you all read Haresh's words in this place last month! This month, I'm so grateful to Lizzy Healy for her permission to share the scholarship application narrative she submitted for a church scholarship. It brought tears to my eyes as I thought, "Yes! This is who the church is called to be!" I know you will appreciate Lizzy's words, and perhaps even be moved, as she was, to indicate interest in sharing your own gifts in leadership. The nominating committee will start its work in earnest later in the summer, but self-nominations are always welcome!

"Starting in Fall 2025 I will be embarking upon my final year of graduate school where I have been working towards my Masters of Science in Applied Nutrition. Obtaining a Master's degree is the final step before students are eligible to sit for the Commission on Dietetic Registration exam. If (when!) I pass this exam I will earn my Registered Dietitian certification and be eligible for licensure across the US. Next year specifically, I will be working at Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community (VMRC) to complete my Supervised Experiential Learning hours. This is referred to as a Dietetic Internship. During my time at VMRC I will complete both clinical and foodservice hours. Clinical dietetics focuses on individualized Medical Nutrition Therapy which applies dietary approaches to treat disease, prevent disease, and promote overall health and wellness. Foodservice is very similar to the work I do at church planning menus, preparing food, and cleaning the kitchen with food safety considerations at the forefront. I will also be continuing my Graduate Assistantship (GA), shifting from my role as an assistant in the culinary courses to a grader for the clinical courses.

As many folx at Trinity know, my journey through secondary education has not been easy. I started off at the University of New Haven majoring in Nutrition Sciences. I stayed there for two years and was afforded so many incredible opportunities. On the outside everything was going to plan, I was breezing through my classes, engaging with my campus community, and going to a local non-denominational church. However, internally I was overcome by loneliness. I felt unsupported by the University, my roommates moved out two years in a row, I was becoming increasingly withdrawn, I fell back into restrictive habits, and I was living alone in a violent area succumbing to a life of hypervigilance. Every time I would get on an Amtrak to leave for school my mom would tell me "we can do hard things, but if things get too hard you can always come home". That is exactly what I did.

My faith guided me through this decision helping me to remember that my purpose in life is not to be a martyr, but to live into faith. Once I got back to Harrisonburg, the Trinity community enveloped me in support through that transition. It was through the network of Trinity connections that I was able to transfer to JMU. Although my time at JMU has presented new challenges, I feel a deep sense of community with my professors. They remind me of my Trinity family in their words of affirmation and unshakable confidence in me. I have been in recovery from an eating disorder for eight years and this journey has been the biggest test of my life. My recovery has been largely about recovering the joy I had when I was younger and reminding myself that coping mechanisms are seasonal. They are designed to help you survive trauma, but my faith has helped me to remember that I have new tools now -  I don’t need to restrict myself anymore. I can be my full self and I am still worthy of love. Trinity has always seen a spark in me and helped me to nourish that spark. Spirituality has become a form of nourishment for me in the way that it has helped me bridge my personal struggles with my passion for helping others. I am daring to dream that my own recovery will help me serve others with greater compassion and authenticity.

My faith and the welcoming community at Trinity has also helped me to embrace my spirituality as a queer woman. This church has reminded me that I don’t have to have it all figured out or find the perfect words to describe who I am. Through Christ I can live more fully into myself and do the work that is mine to do. I will close with this anecdote. As I am writing this I have just finished a Culinary Medicine program with the Farmers Market through my GA role. My classmates and I interacted with over 400 people from the community, but each week I also saw dozens of people from Trinity. I got to introduce these people to my classmates and educate them about how food nourishes the mind, body, and soul. For the first time I felt that my personal and work lives were truly integrated. I get to share my authentic self with all of these people and still have energy left for myself. Each time we come to the communion table I ask myself: “what are you hungry for?”. My answer 90% of the time is community and Trinity has given that to me. It has given me an open environment to get curious about myself, question what I think I know, and live into my faith in all aspects of life. I know my faith will continue to ground me as I finish grad school and continue to serve my community.

P.s. It seems like I will be staying in Harrisonburg for the foreseeable future, so I am ready to answer the call to be an elder whenever the opportunity presents itself. : )"