This last year of taking classes flew by, even with driving up to campus in January and June. I had the great pleasure of studying everything from the mission of the church to preaching Old Testament texts to doing ministry with person with mental illness. What an incredible last three semesters!
In January 2018, I enjoyed the snow and cold on campus strengthened by the many lattes I had thanks to the generous gift of a Starbucks card. The course I took on the mission of the church was a game changer as I learned even more about how the Holy Spirit is the true leader of every congregation and the importance of remembering that no church belongs to its pastor, it belongs instead to God.
During the spring of 2018 taking classes from home took on a deeper value for me as I struggled to recover from the physical and mental effects of the bad car wreck I was in. Our cats continued to enjoy going to lectures and class meetings with me. One of the classes I took was Hebrew, which became even more difficult after the wreck because I was initially having memory issues.
Overall, enduring the car wreck and the aftermath reinforced my previous learnings on boundaries and limits and introduced me to new and deeper concepts of rest and Sabbath.
June 2018 arrived quickly, and I headed back to campus for my last two weeks of classes. Preaching the Old Testament was a wonderful challenge, and I so enjoyed the workshop format of the class, which reminded me of my days as an English major. This time I spent on campus was the most fun yet with lunches with friends and a social painting event that I organized for students in my cohort.
With my classes done, I could turn my attention fully to my last step in seminary, my culminating internship.
Emily McQuillan 