Mentorships offer valuable life lessons and must be embraced | Mark Katrick faith column
Mentor (noun): An experienced or trusted adviser.
How many of you readers have, had or have been a mentor? These days, it seems like more and more places of employment are pairing new employees with mentors.
As a minister-in-training, I was mentored by the Revs. Gerald Schuessler, of St. John’s United Church of Christ in Mansfield, and Roger Perl, the minster of the Northwest Ohio Association, UCC. After I was ordained and called by Bethlehem UCC in Lancaster, Wisconsin, I was paired with the Rev. Richard Allen, from the Congregational UCC just up the street.
When I was the associate pastor at St. John’s UCC in Genoa, Ohio, I partnered for and with the senior pastor, the Rev. Robert Waidmann, who was a little bit of everything to me — boss, colleague, friend, golfing buddy and wise guide.
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Years later, I was working for the Muskingum County Board of Developmental Disabilities and serving yoked Presbyterian churches in New Lexington and Roseville. An experienced and trusted friend, the Rev. Bill Briggs, advised me as I was learning the history, polity and procedures of a partner denomination.
That must have felt like blowing the dust off a history book on you. But this is the story of my faith journey as a UCC and Presbyterian pastor and spiritual guide. Which leads me to a dentist’s chair, a place it feels like I’ve sat almost as much as in a church pew.
I’d just arrived for a cleaning with my regular hygienist at Newark Dental Associates. Due to a scheduling quirk, she was with another patient. But she took the time and introduced her mentee who would be working with me.
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Any initial hesitation I had was quickly erased as this gifted individual, efficiently and painlessly cleaned my teeth. All the while, she was offering gentle guidance and affirmation for the great job I’d been doing with my electric toothbrush and water pic.
It just goes to show that being a mentor or mentee are two of the most important things people do, as we live, learn and grow along life’s way. At one time or another, you and I have found and will continue to find ourselves again in this honored and time-tested place, whether it’s professional, personal or a little bit of both.
So whenever these kinds of opportunities arise, fully embrace them, be transformed by them and let God’s Holy Spirit lead and guide you through the process. The benefits are both in and out of this world and were proven once more when I looked up to heaven and proudly proclaimed, “Look, Mom, NO CAVITIES!”
Mark Katrick is a pastor and spiritual guide.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mark Katrick faith column: Mentorships offer valuable life lessons
