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Meet Pastor Marable Southall-Vess
Spiritual
Spiritual and personal sensibility: personal faith, call and commitment to ordained ministry, work through the institutional church, integration of vocation with personal and family well-being, and lifestyle.
A deep influence on my spiritual path has been the Christian example of my forbearers.
I grew up with a love for the church and an appreciation for other cultures the global breadth of the family of faith. I made a personal commitment to Christ as a teenager and have been active in the church all my life. As a young adult I worked in the medical field of respiratory therapy which I enjoyed very much. As I grew older I had the feeling God had another plan for my life and work so I opened myself to the possibility and at the age of 30 I received an inner call to the ministry. I was ordained deacon in the United Methodist Church in 1987 and elder in 1990. I served on several boards and agencies on the Conference level and I always have enjoyed being active in the districts where I have served (BOM Farmville Dist. and Rappahannock District; Education Comm. Chair., Lynchburg, District).
My husband and I responded to the spirit's leading, by serving as missionaries to Japan from 2001-2005. My view of God and the church has matured and grown through this experience in ways that I am still trying to sort out. Although I very much enjoyed serving as a missionary, I found myself longing to serve once again in the local church. I returned to serving as a parish minister in Virginia Conference in July.
Background
I graduated "cum laude" from Mary Baldwin College, and received an Masters of Divinity from The Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, VA. I came to the United Methodist Church from the Presbyterian Church, USA and bring a love of liturgy and appreciation for the centrality of Scripture in the life of faith. I have particularly embraced our United Methodist interest in religious "experience" as important to faith, our denomination's concern for the poor and disenfranchised, and our strong commitment to inclusiveness in matters of life and faith. The revelation of Jesus Christ through the Word of God in scripture is central to my personal walk in faith and my understanding of ministry. When serving in the local church I have worked hard to draw those from the fringes of society into the life and work of the church and have always had a strong ecumenical interest and concern.
While working as a missionary in Japan, my husband and I founded a Christian youth group and very much enjoyed working with these young seekers of Christianity.
Community
It is the role of the pastor to relate effectively to his or her community setting, such as rural, town, urban, suburban, etc. I am a person who adjusts easily to new situations. I enjoy both rural and urban settings but have a special sense of call to work in cross cultural and/or interracial settings.
Family
My husband, Michael, is my partner in ministry and in life. We recently celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary. I have 3 adopted children and a stepdaughter who are grown.
Itineracy
I am free to serve wherever the Conference needs me, and I am enjoying using my gifts and talents serving Graham Road United Methodist Church. I have a natural interest in and enthusiasm for relating to people from other nations and races. I feel like our differences as a church make us strong. We have so much to learn about each other and as we reach out across those boundaries that in many communities divide, we get a larger view of God and God's love in Christ for us all.
