Earlier this summer, Josh Speight from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (and former member of Broadway) joined us for worship in order to inform each of you about my selection for and involvement in the CBF Fellows program. Next week, I will fly to Atlanta for my first weeklong meeting as part of the Fellows cohort.
“The CBF Fellows program assists young Baptist clergy in their ‘first-call’ in making a healthy transition from seminary into congregational ministry. CBF Fellows are provided with practical resources within the context of a supportive peer-based cohort.” For more information on the program, you can visit the CBFBlog here: https://cbfblog.com/2016/05/16/cbf-names-16-ministers-as-fellows-to-assist-in-their-first-call/
What does this selection mean for me? I am honored to be selected as one of 16 CBF Fellows. The program provides a unique opportunity for me to learn and grow in solidarity with other ministers along the same point of their journey. I will receive training, coaching, and mentorship that will be invaluable as I continue to live into the calling that you all have so graciously affirmed in me.
For me, the CBF Fellows program comes at a great time, because I’ve been ministering with and among you long enough that I know where I struggle - and I also know where I thrive! But, I’m also new enough that I am eager to be coached and taught new ways of impacting this community. I feel like I will go into the CBF Fellows program knowing the questions I have to ask, where I need to grow, and hope to see myself thrive at Broadway more than ever before! I can’t wait for the experience.
What does this selection mean for Broadway? Well - as Josh Speight noted, it will mean that I will be out of the office five weeks over the next two years for training events and retreats. These retreats are covered financially by CBF, so it will not cost Broadway anything other than my time away.
Before I committed to CBF Fellows, I received approval from Chris Caldwell, John Dotson (Deacon Chair), and the Children’s Committee. Each of them enthusiastically supported my involvement in the program, as they see it not just as an opportunity for my personal growth, but for the growth of our church as I bring back the things I learn to Broadway. My strength as a minister contributes to our strength as a community! I can’t wait to see how our ministry together grows over the next two years and beyond!
Thank you so much for affirming my calling by bringing me here, encouraging me over the last two years, and supporting my continued growth. You all mean the world to me.
~Emily Holladay