Methodist pastor became own role model

MOSES LAKE - JoAnn Schaadt said she knew God was pointing her in a different direction when her satisfactory life all of a sudden wasn't quite so satisfactory.

Schaadt is the new minister at the Moses Lake United Methodist Church. She took over the position recently. She lives in town with her daughter Sara.

Schaadt had a career, 10 years as a speech therapist, working in a not for profit clinic in Ohio. She was very active as a volunteer in her church and planning to buy a house. "One day I was perfectly happy as a speech therapist," and then a few days later she didn't want that life any more, she said.

What really interested her, she said, was the volunteer work she was doing at church. The idea of working with the church full-time, ministering to the needs of the people there, really was attractive, she said.

Schaadt said her specialty as a speech therapist was working with children with autism. "I did a lot of counseling with families, and at the same time I was doing a lot of volunteer work with my local church. And the two just seemed to come together."

The only problem was, she really didn't know how to become a minister. There weren't a lot of female ministers out there to serve as role models, she said. And Schaadt said she was a little concerned that people who weren't used to women ministers wouldn't listen to her.

So, looking for something that grew out of the career she already had, she enrolled in Methodist seminary with the idea of becoming a chaplain at a children's hospital, she said.

That changed when she saw a woman minister at work. "The minute I saw a woman doing the job, I was ready to go," she said.

In her opinion it's easier for women to give the pastoral care, Schaadt said. And for churches that want to support children, "there's something kind of nice about having a mom be a pastor."

There was one other stumbling block to becoming a minister, she said - she was pretty shy and really concerned at the prospect of getting up before all those people. "It took a lot of faith and encouragement to get me in the pulpit," she said.

"It was scary." It was scary enough that when she was asked to preach a Christmas Eve service, "I said no." She did it anyway. "It was the funnest thing I ever did in my life." Now preaching is her favorite part of the job, she said.

Schaadt moved west after graduating from seminary and getting married; she lived in the Puget Sound for eight years, ministering in two churches. But after her marriage ended, JoAnn and Sara moved to Alaska.

Alaska is considered part of the mission field by the Methodist Church. Schaadt also has gone on mission trips to Africa and Russia, she said.

Getting out into their communities and the world beyond their communities is an important part of the mission of the Christian church in general, she said. The church should be a welcoming place, where people can find rest from their worries, support and community, she said. People should feel like they're being cared for, and learning how to care for others; if the church does that, "we're accomplishing something," she said.