Following dream has led pastor down caring path
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
Staff Writer

The Rev. Dr. Patricia Medley of Hope Lutheran Church, Freehold Township, shown after baptizing an infant, is celebrating the 30th anniversary of her ordination as a minister in the Lutheran Church.

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP - Patricia Medley knew what she wanted to do with her life when she was 4 years old - she wanted to be a minister.

For young girls today, that dream is no longer far-fetched. In the early 1950s, however, when Medley was a child, a woman in the clergy was virtually unheard of.

"If I were a boy," Medley, 55, remembered thinking to herself when she was 4, "I would become a pastor."

Beating the odds may have been tough for Medley, but she did it and went on to become one of only five Lutheran women ministers ordained in New Jersey in 1976. She was one of the first 50 women ordained in the Lutheran church in the nation.

Medley, or Pastor Pat as she is called by her parishioners, leads the congregation of the Hope Lutheran Church, Elton-Adel-phia Road, and recently celebrated her 30th anniversary as an ordained Lutheran minister.

She remembers being 4 when she received her "calling."

"I remember that magical moment when I invited God to come into my heart and He did," Medley recalled.

"He did," she repeated with enthusiasm and a smile.

Born of religious parents, her father was a Mennonite and her mother was a Presbyterian, Medley has very early memories of being drawn to religion and of helping people in need.

She earned a master of divinity degree from the Princeton Theological Seminary in 1976 and served as president of her class. Her preparation included chaplaincies at a prison, at a hospital and at Trenton State College, which Medley attended.

While in the seminary, Medley met her husband, the Rev. A. Roy Medley, in 1975. Rev. Roy currently serves as the general secretary of the American Baptist Churches of the United States of America, the highest pastoral position in that denomination. The couple have two sons, Ethan, 27, who works in community relations with the New York Giants, and Jordan, 16, who attends Freehold Town-ship High School.

During a previous ministry in Trenton, Medley served in many roles in the Trenton Ecumenical Area Ministry and as a trustee of Elderly Care Help and Outreach Inc. She developed after-school and summer programs for children. She became an advocate for survivors of domestic violence, took continuing education from the Rutgers University School of Social Work and offered the first counsel available for a male batterer under supervision from the staff of the newly opened women's shelter in Trenton. She served Grace Lutheran Church until 1984, when she accepted the call as pastor of St. Luke Lutheran Church, Willingboro.

During her ministry in Willingboro, she was a friend and contributor to Providence House Women's Shelter, Family Services and the Women's Opportunity Center.

Medley has also served as a counselor and has worked with addicted and recovering persons. She developed Caring Ministry, a one-to-one member care program serving parishioners who are experiencing protracted illness or crisis, and offered periodic grief retreats and parenting programs.

She is also an advocate and educator in the area of sexual abuse and the prevention of sexual misconduct cases and has participated in the development and teaching of classes for clergy for self-care and sexual misconduct in the church.

Medley came to Freehold Township to lead Hope Lutheran in 1998, taking over the position previously held by Albert Gibson.

With an easy smile and caring nature it is easy to see why Medley is such a valued part of the church. One cannot but feel comfortable and safe in her presence, a bonus if one is trying to find their way out of any number of day-to-day problems and situations that cause confusion and pain. She radiates warmth and that warmth is reflected through the eyes of those who surround her.

Her ministry has taken her to serve as on-call chaplain at CentraState Medical Center. She is also a member of the crisis response team of the Freehold Clergy Association. The team responds to school and community situations of trauma and tragic loss.

Medley also chairs the Clergy Advisory Committee of Prevention First. She introduced the Congregational Assistance Program which prepares and equips clergy and congregation members to provide programs of education and referral for those with addiction problems. Medley also serves on the Freehold Community Alli-ance to Prevent Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, and is also a member of the Centra-State Medical Center Board of Trustees and chairs the quality of patient care and bioethics committees.

The reverend enjoys evangelism and helping people to connect their faith to the challenges of daily life. She also enjoys writing and performing in chancel dramas, writing new stanzas for familiar hymn tunes and creating memorable children's stories.

Her dedication to Hope Lutheran is evident, but she makes time to spend with her family as well.

When asked how she and her husband deal with the various differences in their religious beliefs, she replied, "We both have Jesus in our hearts. We share so much - our love for Jesus, caring, a sense of mission. We have the same values. We are the same on the inside."

The Rev. Dr. Patricia Medley has come a long way from the 4-year-old who just would not accept the idea that she could not do what in her heart, she knew she was born to do. And those whose lives she has touched over the years must surely be glad she pursued her childhood dream.