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    United Methodists of Upper New YorkLiving the Gospel. Being God's Love.


    news article

    How my past impacted my journey into pastoral ministry

    August 20, 2018 / By Pastor Mike Kelly, Newfield UMC

    We all have interesting stories when it comes to answering our call to ministry. Like many, I was but a sinner who God decided to use for His purpose.

    After college, I went into law enforcement for nearly 10 years. Although I loved law enforcement, because of many factors, I lost my zeal and passion for it.

    My life took an odd turn when I decided to change careers and attend the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). This led to a long and successful career, becoming a Certified Executive Chef, and finally finding myself employed by Cayuga Addiction Recovery, a 60-bed residential drug and alcohol rehab facility, and although I had remained active in church, as a District Lay Leader, Lay Leader and Lay Speaker, this is where I find that my ministry story may have truly begun.

    As their chef I had a great deal of interaction with many clients in rehab: clients that had lost their children, their families, and in some cases had nearly lost their life; clients of all ages; male and female; from good families and from families that had dealt with addictions for generations; rich families and poor families; but common to all, those people were in trouble, facing the choice of recovery, prison or death.

    I had often questioned why I was there, a Certified Executive Chef from the CIA, cooking simple meals for “those” people. I sat in my office one day after a contentious interaction with one client. I closed my office door and spoke to God asking, “Why have you put me in such a forsaken place,” and in the flash of a second, I received my answer in a vision of my life.

    You see, when I was six months old, I was dying, I had been left in an apartment by birth mother repeatedly, for two to three days at a time, alone, while she frequented the bars. She was a single, unmarried mother. My grandparents interceded; I was taken away, and after hospitalization and a bit of a legal battle was adopted by those same grandparents. God made it clear to me. I was a victim of addiction and I could make a difference. That was ministry at its best; I was touching people just like me.

    I continued on to pastoral ministry, now serving two churches (Newfield UMC and Reynoldsville UMC), and I remain a consultant for Cayuga Addiction Recovery, stopping in whenever I can.

    One other thing to add as the icing on the cake, my wife Pam and I adopted a child, Tiffany, 16 years ago, she too, a victim of addiction, her single birth mother, who was drug and alcohol addicted, gave her up. This year she will again attend the Annual Conference as a young adult equalization member.

    I never planned on becoming a pastor, and I fought it for many years, but God won out! I am glad that I gave in to His wishes.


    With more than 100,000 members, United Methodists of Upper New York comprises of more than 675 local churches and New Faith Communities in 12 districts, covering 48,000 square miles in 49 of the 62 counties in New York state. Our vision is to “live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to be God’s love with our neighbors in all places."