Ryan Roberts – Intern
I hail from Baltimore, MD, where I was born and raised. I attended the University of Maryland, College Park where I studied computer science and French. I worked for a short time in the computer industry, but lost my job in a massive wave of lay-offs. I spent two years at a variety of jobs until I settled into driving a school bus for the two following years. During this time, I considered joining the Navy, but found a stronger sense of call in the church. The past two years at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PLTS) have been a tremendous period of growth for me, especially in my understanding of God's word and ways. I have been surprised on a fairly regular basis by God's grace and abundant gifts, including meeting my fiancée, Bre, and finding Prince of Peace to support me for this coming year.
My first passion in ministry is, perhaps not surprisingly, worship. A related passion of mine is lay leadership, and I hope to work with Pastor Jim to find new opportunities for members of the congregation to participate in leading worship. The congregation's focus on spirituality, recently highlighted in the Prayer Fair, is especially exciting for me. I have discovered since coming to California and PLTS that one can be passionate about Christian spirituality without clapping and waving hands in worship. For me, spirituality is about seeing God everywhere I look and naming it; not everyone wants to hear it, true, but I am often surprised at how often I have meaningful conversations about spirituality and God with nigh-strangers. In the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, I try to preach the gospel at all times, even using words when necessary.
So it is with abundant excitement that I come to Prince of Peace and I hope that it is an infectious energy. There are a great many of you and scant minutes we usually spend together, so please forgive me if I must ask (yet again) for your name. I look forward to getting to know you, so perhaps we can walk the labyrinth together, take a stroll around the neighborhood, share a meal, or just chat over a cup of coffee. This year is about building relationships and growing into the ministry to which God has called us; let's set a time and get together!