“While the leader was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”
— John Wesley, May 24, 1738
God calls us to tell our story so that others may come to know Jesus Christ. “Hearts Strangely Warmed” was created to share these stories about transformational encounters with the Living God.
Deaconess Fawn Saylor McCallister
Fawn was consecrated and commissioned as a Deaconess at the UMW Assembly 2018 in May.
My involvement in The United Methodist Women began in 2010, when I thought I was attending a Bible Study at my church, Cross Roads UMC in Felton, but it turned out to be a UMW meeting, to which the ladies encouraged me to stay. A decision that truly changed my life.In 2014 I attended a United Methodist Women special event on the subject of disability inclusion in the church, that was presented by Deaconess Barbara Skarbowski of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.
When Barbara started speaking, she did a short presentation on the office of Deaconess and Home Missioner. I had known for some time that I wanted and needed to do something more, something different, in addition to what my UMW unit was doing. When I heard Barbara talk about what a Deaconess is, what they are called to do, I truly sat up straight and listened.
A moment later is when I felt God’s voice, felt His breath on my neck with the words, “This is what you are meant to do.” It was at that moment that I cried but didn’t know why. After that I can’t tell you what she said about disabilities inclusion or much else, I just remember feeling moved like I had never felt before. After she finished talking, I couldn’t get to her fast enough. She saw me and said, “You will be one of us. You were called weren’t you?”
Deaconesses and Home Missioners are laywomen and laymen who are called by God to be in a lifetime relationship in The United Methodist Church for engagement with a full-time vocation in ministries of love, justice, and service. Together we form a covenant community that is rooted in Scripture, informed by history, driven by mission, ecumenical in scope, and global in outreach.
(www.unitedmethodistwomen.org/dhm)
With determination, I’ll do my work as a Deaconess with the Cross Roads Ministerium, Mission Central, and Mason Dixon Community Services. I would also like to get more involved with our connection to Fresh Expressions. I went to the seminar a few years ago and it inspired me. I can see myself on the rail trail meeting up with folks and getting to know them and then asking, “How well is it with your soul?” I would also be willing to reach people within the conference who don’t know us and see how we could help each other.
In 2019, I will be the York District President, and Mission u Dean, and am currently on the Conference UMW Legacy Fund team. I’ve attended multiple Leadership Development Days, UMW Assemblies, Mission u’s, and have spoken at quite a few churches in the York District about UMW, and their programs.
You could say United Methodist Women gave me my voice.
