The Rev. Deacon Janet Schisser - Calvary Episcopal Church, Columbia
This reflection is part of a series to celebrate women's ministry, June 2022.
After 50 years of active ministry, of which 15 were as an ordained deacon, I retired last year, so I’ve done a lot of reflection recently on how I got to where I am today. And, I can say without a doubt that the most life-giving part was successful discernment of what God wanted me to do at any given time and place. God’s plan for me hasn’t always been totally clear, but many times it is. I’m not a goal-setter by nature so I just search for what God wants me to do next. God enabled me to bloom in the middle of the garden where I find myself planted – serving whomever or whatever grows in that garden. The path has wandered through service to the unborn and the difficulties their mothers faced, to a structured activity for those searching for spiritual growth, to prison ministry inside the walls, then to their families on the outside, to hospice patients and their families, to the homeless and hungry. And it’s usually been clear when my contribution to a specific ministry is finished. God blessed the skills I was given and created ways to use them as a worker in the ministry fields.
Two role models were placed in my life that made a major impact on me. The first was a woman named Barbara Chisko, who in the mid-1970’s worked tirelessly to give the unborn a chance at life through ministry, rather than politics. The second came some 20 years later - Julianne Parker – Spiritual Director and best friend I’ve ever had. Both women were faithful to God even when their work was hampered by cultural walls, and they taught me how to return to God for direction and strength - never wavering in their commitment to doing what God wanted and always showing me how to do the same. I thank God for putting them in my life.