Congratulations Rev!

Florida’s 2020 Annual Conference was different than usual this year.  Normally there would be a thousand people gathering in Lakeland to conduct the business of the conference, but this year it was done online due to the Coronavirus.

One element of Annual Conference is the Service of Licensing, Commissioning, and Ordination.  During this service, new clergy are licensed for pastoral ministry after being evaluated by their District Committee on Ordained Ministry.  I remember leaving mine in 2007 with Susan sitting in the passenger seat of our car.

“Susan: “So you’re Reverend Matt Horan now?”
Me [nodding proudly]: “That’s right.”
Susan [reflectively to herself]: “Reverend Matt Horan.”
Me [after a pause]: “It’s hard for you to take me that seriously, I guess?”
Susan: “It really is.””

There’s a good deal of pomp and circumstance in the service, with all the clergy of the conference robed up and processing into the room to participate in welcoming these new colleagues to the clergy community.  Many were disappointed that the Coronavirus pandemic prevented the service from happening, but there was one “robe-averse” member of the newest class of licensed clergy that didn’t seem to lose a lot of sleep over it.

After much hard work in seminary and in the ordination process, Heritage’s own Pastor John Silkauskas has taken the next step in his journey, and was approved to be licensed for ministry by the Gulf Central District of the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Pastor John is now Reverend John Silkauskas.  (Or you can call him “Rev” for short.)

If you’ve been waiting around for a reason to take him seriously, it apparently has very little effect on wives, but as for the rest of you…

That’s Reverend John Silkauskas.

Congratulations Rev!