The belief that the Lord works in mysterious ways has certainly proven itself true in the life of Valerie White, who has just passed her fourth week as the new pastor for both the Weedsport United Methodist Church and St. Andrew's United Methodist Church in Mottville.

White took over for the Rev. James Carroll, who retired in June.

From her calling to become a pastor to the chance to lead these two churches, White places these opportunities squarely in the hands of God.

“It was God's work,” White said. “I had thought about becoming a pastor since 2000, but I tried to deny it. I just couldn't imagine it could be possible. But in 2004, I started the ministry inquiry - that is the first step in the process - and I have been pursuing it ever since then.”

It was a similar set of circumstances that found White accepting the position to lead both congregations.

“I was called by the district superintendent, Deborah O'Conner-Slater of the Central Lakes District of United Methodist Churches,” White said. “She called and asked me if I would take over the position as leader of both of these churches.”

White said she was hesitant to say yes to this opportunity at first.

“This was in April,” White said. “She (O'Conner-Slater) gave me a week to think about it, and I spent a lot of time talking to my husband and to God about it. I was thinking and praying and it was then that I began to see that it was God's idea for me.”

While she has been studying to become an ordained minister since 2004, White is still moving along in that process. To be offered the opportunity to lead two congregations is not the typical route to follow at this stage in her studies, she said.

“The first step is ordinarily the ordained candidacy process. And then there is a yearlong study to get licensed to become a local pastor, and then you might have a church.”

For more than 25 years, White has been heavily involved in her home church, Trinity United Methodist in Auburn. During these years, she has worn numerous hats, serving as chairperson for the church's education team, as well as a youth group leader, Sunday school superintendent and an organizer with the Vacation Bible School programs and adult Bible studies.

It was through the adult Bible studies that White established a relationship with O'Conner-Slater

“I was always very involved,” White said. “I did a lot of different things. We (White and O'Conner-Slater) met during a Bible study, and then we began to share some of our lives with each other and our faiths.”

Most recently, White served as a member of Trinity's Vision Team, a group dedicated to helping to define the direction and mission of the church as it grows and develops.

Now White has found herself in a whole new world. While still pursuing her studies to become an ordained minister, she is also working as a minister, an experience that has at once been challenging and rewarding.

“I'll admit I was a little overwhelmed at first,” White said. “But I've had to rest in the grace of God, and so far it has been a great journey with God. He has given me the words of my sermons, and none of this would be possible without him.”

And as she has had the opportunity to meet members of the congregations, White has grown increasingly at home.

“The people have been wonderful,” White said. “The support and the kind welcome, they have all been great.”

Looking toward the future, White hopes to be able to help facilitate that growth of both churches, both in terms of congregation members and spiritual outreach to the community.