Listen in over the next several weeks as some of the current diakonia students chat about their experience with the guided, self-study program for adult faith formation. This is the fifth in the series.

Michele: Hi Peggy. I know that you live and worship in the Villages and that you are a retired nurse and a new grandmother – and that you and your husband like to travel. What prompted you to enroll in the diakonia program?

Peggy: I have heard the Lord calling me since I was in high school and didn’t know what he was calling me to do. I was told at that time that women were not eligible to become pastors, so I put it in the back of my mind. After graduation, I felt the Lord calling again and decided nursing was the path He was calling me to.  Over the years, like so many of us, life gets in the way. I got married and we had a daughter, but I kept feeling God had more He wanted me to do. I investigated the diakonia program and talked to a friend who is a Parish Deacon. When she told me I needed to stop sending God to voicemail and answer His call, I knew this was the path God wanted me to take.

Michele: Is the study or work difficult?

Peggy: I will be honest. At first, I thought I was in over my head but that feeling lasted until I met my classmates online for the first time. We had the best coach/instructor you could ask for. She was always prepared, she challenged us, but most of all she was always there for us.

Michele: When we say the courses are guided – what does that mean?

Peggy: Each of the classes has a pastor assigned to it and we meet once a week for an hour. They provide a syllabus for each class and when we meet on Zoom they facilitate the discussion of that week’s video and/or reading assignment.

Michele: Are there other students in your class?

Peggy: Yes, there are nine of us now. There are people joining all the time.  You don’t have to start at the same time. You can take all the classes one right after the other, or one here and there as your life schedule allows.

Michele: What would you say to others considering this program?

Peggy: If you feel you are being called to serve the Lord in this way, don’t let another minute go by, answer His call.

Questions? Contact Michele Hilton at micheleahilton@aol.com or 941-373-5596.