The Rev. Deacon Barbi Click - St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Carondelet
Deacon Barbi also serves as the Diocesan Missioner for Jubilee Ministries and as the Manager of Trinity Food Ministry at Trinity Episcopal Church in St. Louis
This reflection is part of a series celebrating women in ministry, June 2022.
Question: What part of your ministry is most life-giving to you and/or those you serve?
Scriptures show us that Jesus showed a preference for those who lived under oppression and in poverty. It seems a good place for me to be. It requires that I be fully engaged with the people around me. I rely on my intuition and my empathy which direct me to listen to the needs of those who come for help. My imagination shows me what our world would be like if we truly love one another as Jesus tells us to love. I hope for that world to come into a unified being, one love at a time.
Being the Missioner for Jubilee Ministry equals working for the rights of those who live in poverty, hunger, and those who are under/unhoused. The Food Ministry is a tool by which to meet people and build trust and relationship. It is always all about relationship.
Question: Who has been a role model to you and your ministry and why?
Many women, both living and dead, have legacies which guide me, not simply in hunger ministries but in life. Firstly, I was blessed with a powerfully intelligent and independent mother and two grandmothers, all of whom faced far more obstacles than I yet they kept on, working for themselves, for me, for others. I am who I am because of them.
My wife, Debbie, helps me daily to remember that following my vision is vital to my being. I would not be here without her. My daughter Amanda teaches me that God made us as fiercely resilient beings and that there is no obstacle, no matter how heinous, that is beyond our ability to get through.
As to Hunger Ministries, Sara Miles, author of “Take This Bread” made such a phenomenal impact on me after I read it. I call it the “Little bible of Hunger Ministry” because it is just that important. I have read it at least four times. Each time there is a new understanding.
Question: How do you think women's ministries have changed or added to our church life?
Women in ministry IS our church life, past and present. Men were the only clergy for many decades, even centuries, yet women took care of the parishioners, the neighborhoods, and anyone who had a need. Men may have read or preached the Word, but women acted out the Word, lived in the Word, loved in the Word. It doesn’t matter which denomination, women are the church.
Question: Are there any particular stories from the Bible that resonate with you as a woman in ministry?
Huldah the Prophetess’ name means “to abide, to continue.” Her prophetic words validate a scroll which becomes the core of scripture for both Judaism and Christianity. Her declaration is the first step in a long process of the canonization of scripture, authenticating the document as being the word of God.
Anna the Prophetess is widowed and old. She has been in the Temple praying for many years. She has waited so long for what she knows immediately, the long-awaited savior who will redeem all of Israel.
Mary Magdalene is called by some the Prophet of Eucharistic Love. She recognizes Jesus. She knows. And she follows. And she continues on with his message after his ascension.
So little is written about any of these women. All of them, and many more throughout history, work from one aspect, that is, knowing. They all possess a wisdom that allows them to see so much more than the ordinary people, even those who sincerely want to see. They knew. They all abide in the knowing.