It was my first Sunday as the Senior Minister of West Street Christian Church. I was nervous, of course, but I felt the buzz of excitement and anticipation from the congregation as I walked to the pulpit to deliver my first sermon. I remember feeling so small in this giant room, certainly not qualified to lead a congregation like this one. They were vibrant, mission-focused, busy with the right things, and healthy. I had never had a congregation like this to work with. In the past, I had always spent my time healing hurts, unwinding broken systems, and making hard decisions. This moment was critical; what I said to them on this day would shape the rest of my ministry here.

As I began my sermon, I stepped away from the pulpit – hands sweating, heart racing. I had desperately wanted to preach from a manuscript, but God just wouldn’t let me, so I preached from the heart. I told them I had thought about hitting them with factoids from some great theologians but had, instead, decided that a common Christ-like man was who we needed to hear from. I sang Fred Rogers’ “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” to my new congregation and the Holy Spirit went to work.

Since that day, much to my surprise and with no planning on my part, the congregation of West Street has embraced the idea of neighborhood. They no longer see themselves as a group of like-minded people gathered intentionally to share life with others who are just like them. Today they see themselves as a diverse neighborhood, brought together by the work of the Spirit to learn and grow from each one’s uniqueness. You don’t get to choose who your neighbors are in geographical neighborhoods, and we shouldn’t be choosing who our neighbors are in the Church.

The Spirit continues to use our shared language of “neighborhood” to move and shape us. I hear those who belong to West Street refer to our Tipton Neighbors, our Neighbors in other places, our Neighbors around the world, our Neighbors who come from different cultures, and our Neighbors with different expressions of self. The Spirit has helped them see everyone as a neighbor, someone to love as Jesus loved.

That first day in the pulpit, the Spirit moved in a surprising way, as the Spirit often does.

Published in the February 2024 issue of For the Messengers

Rev. Ashley Sherard is the Senior Minister of West Street Christian Church in Tipton, IN. She loves ministry, her congregation, and her beautiful family which consists of hubby David; daughters Lennon, McCartney, & Harrison; a dog, three cats, a rabbit, and a snake.

You might also find helpful:

• When I Fell in Love with Preaching — another Disciples minister’s reflection on finding their footing and their call in the pulpit
• Preaching in Thriving Congregations — resources on what preaching looks like in healthy, mission-focused Disciples churches
• Preaching These Days — a curated collection of Proclamation Project articles on the contemporary preaching life