I was baptized by Dr. Rodney Thane Taylor at Falling Spring Presbyterian Church on March 22, 1959. My family attended worship regularly, and I was always happy to see my mom up in the choir loft using her beautiful soprano voice for God’s glory. I remember taking part in the Christmas pageant when I was 7 or 8 years old. I remember because I was given the part of the “Modern Child.” The modern child didn’t get to wear a costume, and I remember being sad about that. But God had a plan. My part came with the recitation of the following words which have guided my steps to this day: “What can I give him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I’d give him a lamb. If I were a wise man, I would do my part. I know what I’ll give him. I’ll give him my heart.”
When I was 10, my parents separated. In the late ‘60’s, the church didn’t know what to do with separated/divorced people, and my mom’s shame started a slide away from church for our family as a whole. I, however, had a ‘job’ to do during the Sunday school hour. I was a pianist and was counted on to accompany the opening songs. We lived 3 blocks from the church, and so I would set my alarm, get myself up and ready (I wonder whether I brushed my teeth or combed my hair), and walked to church in my ‘mary janes.’ Sometimes I would hitch a ride with our neighbors.
When I walked through the door to our classroom, the teacher, (Bob Frey, now in heaven) would be so excited and happy to see me. I felt loved and appreciated – something that was missing in my home at the time.
Music always kept me close to God through the fellowship of the church. In my senior year of high school, I joined a local singing group called the “Joyful Noise.” We went all over the place ministering through music, and I loved every minute of it, playing and singing, doing skits, and giving testimonies. This connectional experience was formative in my faith, teaching me not to keep my faith under a basket, but let it shine for all to see.
When I started dating John, I went to Central Presbyterian Church with him. To sit in a pew with a whole family again was wonderful! We were married at Central by the Rev. Don May and all our children were baptized there. After finishing my bachelor’s degree in music education at Penn State, I served in a variety of ways – starting their bell choir, singing in the choir, helping with children, etc. Then, in 1993 God called me to take a position back at Falling Spring as their Director of Music. So, we moved our whole family back down the street. It was so hard to leave our church family at Central, but we knew God was in it. We chose to think of it as having two church families within a block of each other!
At Falling Spring our family thrived. The choir thrived. My faith thrived under the care, compassion, and mentoring of the Revs. Bill & Linda Harter. In choir, I found myself spending almost as much time preparing a devotion for them as I was preparing their music. They started calling me Rev. Boozer. We all laughed. Remember when Sarai laughed?
I came under the care of the Presbytery of Carlisle and started seminary at the Lutheran Seminary in Gettysburg in 1995. I fulfilled a 10-month internship with the Presbyterian Church in Shippensburg in 1997-98. My faith, my confidence in Christ, my call to be part of leading Christ’s church from the pulpit, around meeting tables, in hospital rooms, etc., grew with every step. After graduating with an M. Div., passing my exams, and receiving and accepting a call to be an associate pastor in Shippensburg, I was ordained on July 25, 1999 in the Falling Spring sanctuary. It ‘just so happened’ that Rev. Linda Harter was the moderator of the presbytery that year, and so it was Linda who asked me my ordination questions.
In 2002, God called us to expand our church family again. From Falling Spring to Central to Shippensburg, and now over the mountain to Spring Run at the Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church – our love for and service to our Presbyterian brothers and sisters continued in that beautiful place. During the first few years, the church supported me as I had already committed to being part of a Doctor of Ministry cohort at Gordon-Conwell Seminary in South Hamilton, MA. Most of the work was at home during the year, with two weeks on-site each summer for 3 years. I graduated in 2005 with my D. Min. My focus was on Genesis 1-3 with my thesis entitled, “Men and Women in the Church: Glorifying and Enjoying God Together.” Dr. Alice Mathews was my mentor in the cohort. She was an amazing example of how to be a humble, intelligent, strong, and compassionate woman in the Church of Christ. I will be forever grateful for her leadership in my life.
I served in Spring Run as the solo pastor with great thankfulness and joy until I retired on June 30, 2024, at the age of 67. To say the least, our season together was invigorating and lovely. Some might have thought a call to a ‘little church in Path Valley” was about helping them survive. No! Together, we thrived! We flourished! We grew together, loved each other, forgave each other, learned more about God together, and welcomed more and more people into the fellowship. Leaving them was one of the hardest things John and I ever did. But when God calls us to go, we go. When God calls us to stay, we stay. When God calls, we answer.
This new season of rest, reflection, and refreshment is also invigorating and lovely. We have traveled to many different churches to worship with friends near and far. It has been great in its own way. But we kept returning to Falling Spring. Some of our kids and grandkids are there. So many of our friends are there. The Word is preached, the mission of giving and serving is active, and love is evident there.
To call this season a ‘full circle moment’ is not an exaggeration. “All I have needed, Thy hand has provided. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.”