GOD MOVES, I LISTEN OR AT LEAST TRY TO

My name is Erica Jackson Green and I am temporary member of Christ Church while my husband is on a rotational assignment here. I am a 5th generation Native Washingtonian (DC). I was raised in the Catholic Church. I made my first communion, confession, and was confirmed in the Catholic tradition. I attended church regularly well into my high school years.

Like many other young adults, I stopped attending church during college. I became what is known as a CME Christian; I attended church on Christmas, Mother's Day and Easter. Later, I began to feel a pull back into the church but not to the place where I had been. At that time, I had a friend who was a faithful church goer (Episcopal). I began asking her about her church and how they worshiped and all sorts of other questions. At some point, she told me to stop asking and come! I went and it wasn't bad. I went back about a month later. Eventually, I started attending on a regular basis. I was a happy parishioner, I came, I listened, I went home, rinse and repeat.

Judi, that same earlier friend, became very involved in the Cathedral and became a verger. Then brought the verger program to our church and enrolled me in the course. I took the classes but refused to graduate. By this time, I was no longer just sitting in my pew. I was an active member of the congregation. Eventually, I graduated in the fire, there were no other vergers available and so I stepped up.

Each year my involvement in the church has grown, but there are certain water-shed moments that stand out to me as quantum leaps. Graduating from verger class was one such moment, because that was a time of stepping out on faith. There are two other moments that stand out for me.

The first has to do with prayer. I was a personal prayer. I would not pray out loud. I was uncomfortable with the notion, and scared that I might do it wrong. I was in a small discipleship group and they challenged me to grow, by the end of the 9 month class, I was comfortable praying with them but still not strangers. Around the same time, the rector has instituted healing stations to the sides of the altar. Members of the congregation are welcome to stop at them after Communion. I would go and stand and lend my silent support. Then one Sunday, one of my favorite old people at church stopped, but so had a lot of other people and the line was long and she was week and unsteady, so I took a chance and stepped out on faith and love and prayed with her. I have a come a long way from there.

The second moment has to do with a change of careers. In my previous incarnation, I was a special events/catering person. My last job before becoming a teacher was as a catering manager for Ben & Jerry's (Yes, it was fun & yes, I still love ice cream). I quit, but wasn't worried as I already had resumes out in the world. It turns out that I was over qualified, under qualified or just not right. Mean while, there was teacher shortage and that pesky Judi, knew someone that was going to a one year master's program for education. I talked to that person and she put me in contact with the head of the program.

I needed to take the GRE exam, I figured cool, there's no way they'll be offering it in time. Lo and behold, it's an on-line test and I could sign up to take it at my convenience. The only thing I studied in the study book was the one thing that showed up on the test that I wouldn't have known how to do. I had no money – George Washington University gave me a 1/4 tuition scholarship and got financial aide. All of my excuses were blown away one by one and before I knew it, less than six weeks after I had quit my job, I was enrolled in school, really having no idea how I ended up there.

I fully admit that I was called into teaching because it was not my idea. I just followed the path that was set in front of me. And Rachel, the girl who put me in contact with the school, dropped out.

God moves, I listen or at least try to.

Erica