Last week, it was my joy to introduce you to 8 new Campolo Scholars.
What an honor it is to walk alongside these young leaders as they study and. grow in their faith, ministry, and calling.
Today, I’d like to invite you to take a few minutes to get to know Shameika Black and the profound story that God is writing in her life…
“For what seems like my whole life I have been thinking, ‘There must be more to life than this.’ I watched my mother live to make ends meet; battling and succumbing to her addiction, everyone else around me caught in a vicious cycle. After 23 years of fighting with and against God, I gave my life to Christ on February 12, 2012.
My personal turning point was recognizing that through Christ we have the power to overcome this world and be transformed.
Over the next eight years, I submitted each aspect of my life into His hands and, without my full awareness, was transformed. I became gentler, more kind, loving, patient, and self-controlled. I was able to release and heal from many of the hurts of my past and forgive those who did not know better or who were unable to do better. At many moments I could not recognize who I was becoming, but I found unspeakable joy in her.
In the last three years, I have had a particularly insatiable desire to know Christ more. It was during this period of seeking that I finally realized that my purpose was to glorify God in everything I did and wherever I found myself in each moment. Everything else was His responsibility, not mine.
I began to sense a calling for ministry.
It started with a strong desire to share everything I was learning. Ultimately, God spoke very clearly to me and told me to attend graduate school and get a joint degree in divinity and business. I responded with obedience. I cannot believe how fulfilling it has been. After one year, I have begun cultivating new relationships across the seminary from my peers to alumni and speakers. I was nominated and elected to the role of Student Chaplain Ambassador on Student Assembly and even won first place in a poetry contest.
My church community, friends, and new connections in and through seminary have affirmed this call to ministry. They are influencing me through their continued prayers, by speaking life into me, sharing their own journeys, and calling me to new opportunities.
As part of the Campolo Scholars program, I am being discipled to fulfill my vocational call to ministry, supported to meet the holistic expectations of my life, and to meaningfully contribute to my communities. Eastern University and the Campolo Center for Ministry are already preparing me for vocational Christian ministry and giving me confidence in my own calling and the gifts and skills God has placed within me. They continue to help me grow in my Biblical knowledge, speaking abilities, and critical-thinking skills.
Most importantly, I know that my time spent being mentored as a Campolo Scholar ensures my faith is more fully integrated with reason and justice to further the work of the Gospel.”
I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know Shameika. We are so grateful for her and for all of the Campolo Scholars. We are also thankful for you and your support! You can click here if you’d like to make a monthly commitment. God bless you.
