Ordination Service at Kaleo Phoenix
The ordination service was nothing short of amazing. I was definitely a bit stressed (it was rainy and cold all day) and my message didn’t come out exactly as I planned, but all in all, I’m grateful. I’m grateful for the lineage of pastoring that is carried through my family. I’m grateful for the people God has brought into my life that see the calling on my life and create space for me to fulfill it. I’m grateful for my friends and family that showed up in the freezing cold to witness this monumental moment in my life. I’m grateful for the many that joined live on Zoom to be a part of this moment as well.
I honestly still can’t believe it happened. I’m a PASTOR — something many always told me I was but never made a way for me to become it…BUT GOD…He always does.
Thanks for following my story and thanks for believing in me.
Much love,
Erin
A LITANY TO HONOR WOMEN
written and read by Chris Townley at the ordination service
(adapted from a Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals)
We walk in the company of the women who have gone before, mothers of the faith both named and unnamed, testifying with ferocity and faith to the Spirit of wisdom and healing. They are the judges, the prophets, the martyrs, the warriors, poets, lovers, and saints who are near to us in the shadow of awareness, in the crevices of memory, in the landscape of our dreams. Therefore,
We walk in the company of Deborah,
Who judged the Israelites with authority and strength.
We walk in the company of Esther,
Who used her position as queen to ensure the welfare of her people.
We walk in the company of Hagar,
Who is the only person to name the Living God for God had seen her.
We walk in the company of you whose names have been lost and silenced,
Who kept and cradled the wisdom of the ages.
We walk in the company of the woman with the flow of blood,
Who audaciously sought her healing and release.
We walk in the company of Mary Magdalene,
Who was the first to proclaim the news of the resurrected Christ.
We walk in the company of Phoebe,
Who led an early church in the empire of Rome.
We walk in the company of Junia,
Who was a co-laborer of the early church and distinguished among the apostles.
We walk in the company of Perpetua of Carthage,
Whose witness in the third century led to her martyrdom.
We walk in the company of Julian of Norwich,
Who joined imagination and theology, proclaiming, “All shall be well.”
We walk in the company of Sojourner Truth,
Who stood against oppression, righteously declaring in 1852, “Ain’t I a woman!”
We walk in the company of Glenola Lashley, Erin’s Grandmother,
Who was an ordained minister, traveling apostle, and dearly loved by the inner city of Chicago until her passing in 2011.
We walk in the company of you mothers of the faith,
Who teach us to resist evil with boldness, to lead with wisdom, and to heal.
Amen.
Kaleo Phoenix is a church plant that operates under a model of shared leadership in which a relational group of people learn to share responsibility, engaging in both leading and following. We take our cues from the dynamic interrelationality of the Trinity, striving to cultivate a communal, participatory, self-surrendering, and self-giving approach to church leadership.
As a new church plant, each pastor of Kaleo is responsible to help fundraise and we also share what we fundraise with each other. Whatever you choose to give will not only help me, but help us as a community. Thank you for your support!
Click the designated fund called Erin Lashley Support to give.
MY SUPPORT GOAL
I’m currently looking to raise $180,000 by summer of 2022 which would cover my salary over the next three years. Reaching this goal will help me continue to do racial justice work in the city of downtown Phoenix.
