Carolyn Simonds

They Give Me More Than They Could Ever Imagine
      
by Rob Blezard

Carolyn Simonds, 22
Hometown: Brooklyn Park, MD Church: St. John, Linthicum, MD
Undergraduate: Towson State University

First-year seminarian Carolyn Simonds frequently encounters disbelief when she describes her deep satisfaction serving a church in a poor inner-city neighborhood of Baltimore.

“When I tell people where my teaching parish is, they freak,” Carolyn says with a wry smile. And the questions: They want to know whether she is afraid to walk outside the church, whether she is accepted by the mostly African American congregation, whether it’s the kind of place she sees herself serving as a pastor.

“That attitude – the fear of people,” Carolyn says, shaking her head and dismissing the concerns. In fact, at Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church in Baltimore’s Broadway-East community, Carolyn has learned anew that our fellowship in Christ is much stronger than divisive issues of race and economics.

“They’re God’s people, too,” says Carolyn, “I don’t see why we should differentiate.” The feeling is mutual among the mostly African-American congregation that has made Carolyn feel welcomed and appreciated.

“They give me more than they can ever imagine,” says Carolyn. For instance, her own faith has been enriched by the congregation’s deep spirituality and reliance on God. “They look for God everywhere, all the time.”

Similarly, although it took her some time to get used to the African American worship style, she has grown to appreciate its depth and emotion.

“There’s such a sense of the Spirit,” Carolyn says. “As soon as the sanctuary fills up, you can feel the Spirit.”

Growing up within walking distance of the Baltimore line in Brooklyn Park, Md., Carolyn has always been drawn to urban ministry.

“There’s so much need and so much opportunity for work and service,” she says. For instance, Faith Lutheran runs a soup kitchen in its facility and tries to reach out to its neighbors in need. “To be able to walk outside help someone is amazing.”

That keen awareness of need opportunity for ministry eludes many in church circles, a point that Carolyn rediscovered recently while talking to a youth group that was planning a mission trip to help poor people in another state.

“One of the questions was, ‘Where is poverty?’” Carolyn says, “And the answer is, it’s right outside your door!”

Carolyn sees her ministry path leading to an urban parish, and she is pleasantly surprised to be able to receive training in city church issues while a student at Gettysburg. During the week she takes classes at the rural Gettysburg campus and then travels to Baltimore on weekends where she lives at her family home and works at her teaching parish.

Carolyn came to seminary right out of Towson University, where she majored in sociology. Growing up in a Lutheran home, Carolyn always attended church and as she grew felt God’s calling in her life. When her pastor suggested she check out seminary, it confirmed her sense of call.

“He didn’t know I was thinking about it as well,” she said. Carolyn checked out several seminaries before settling on Gettysburg. When she announced her decision to apply to seminary she was surprised by how good it felt.

“I had this overwhelming sense of peace that I’ve never had before,” she says. It’s a sensation she understands as confirmation she’s in the right place. “Every step I take towards ordained ministry that sense of peace has stayed with me.”