On June 12, 2010, I was ordained as a Deacon at the inaugural Susquehanna conference of the United Methodist Church in Pennsylvania. This was the culmination of a thirteen year journey of obedience to God’s call in my life. Praise God for his steadfast love and for perseverance; the sweet fruit of His Spirit!
The last requirement of this journey was to complete 3 years of supervised ministry which I did under the gracious guidance of Rev. Tommy Hays and Messiah Ministries. In this setting, the seed of the idea for Equipping Lydia was able to take root and grow into fruitfulness.
This past winter and spring, the leadership of both Messiah Ministries and Equipping Lydia spent time in prayer and holy conferencing to discern if Equipping Lydia was ready to “launch” and we sensed that yes, it is time. I am excited to let you know that Equipping Lydia is now officially incorporated. We have a Board of Directors, by-laws, and we are currently applying to the IRS for tax exempt status. My primary appointment is now to spiritual formation and my secondary appointment is to Centenary United Methodist church in Lexington, Kentucky.
I am so grateful to Tommy Hays and Messiah Ministries for providing a safe place for this ministry of spiritual renewal to begin and grow towards maturity. I am grateful to my husband, Kevin who has underwritten a huge portion of the costs of beginning this ministry. My family and the church of my youth, Oakwood UMC in Columbia, VA have encouraged me for my whole life. My sending church, Curtin UMC in Howard, PA has poured love and prayers that have been sustaining for over a decade. Tom Grieb and Jeff Carter at Centenary have been so gracious to me this past year of transition. I am grateful to every person who has poured out their love to God through prayers, service, and generosity to enable Equipping Lydia to have a strong start.
May the Lord bless each of you with the sweet gift of His loving presence.
Thank you.
Laura Beach
Spiritual Director
