Name: Alysa Short
Home congregation: Central Mennonite, Archbold, Ohio
Occupation: Coordinator of Volunteers for Ohio Conference

1. What is your earliest memory of church?

I remember church from little on up. I probably remember Sunday school most as a little kid. We always opened up with singing time and I always enjoyed that part. We always did birthdays. That was a special time. They had this Styrofoam cake that we used to celebrate, and if it was your birthday you got a pencil or something. I remember my particular class of kids. A lot of us grew up together from the time we were born until we left high school, and I had a lot of good friendships that came out of that.

2. Do you have a go-to Scripture verse?

One that I really do like is very simple. “Then you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” John 8:34.

I think it’s kind of a freeing or comforting feeling to know that if I know the truth and I know God and trust in him and I follow him and live for him, then I’m free. Life’s hard and all that comes with it and I tend to let that get the best of me. If I really think about what’s important and my relationship with God, that’s what matters and everything else should fall by the wayside and not be such an entanglement that’s controlling me.

3. What are some things you enjoy about your job coordinating volunteers?

I have always been interested in the broader church, probably since high school. That’s always been an interest and a passion of mine. One of the things that I have really enjoyed about this job is being involved in a part of the broader church. My main role is planning events, like seminars, or workshops or retreats. I really enjoy that and like getting to see the conference at work.

4. In Ohio conference, where do you see the spirit of God at work?

When people come together to work and worship and put all the troubles of the church aside, and just focus on being church together. These gatherings can be small, perhaps just us staff coming together. Or maybe it’s larger times when we’re at a seminar and a retreat and various congregations are represented and we’re fellowshipping together and we are working together and doing God’s work and that’s our focus.

5. What do you love about your current congregation?

I grew up at West Clinton Mennonite and I was there until age 30 and then we’ve been at Central ever since. I really like Central for a couple of reasons. I appreciate their style or form of worship on Sunday mornings. I appreciate that we include both kinds of music, traditional and contemporary. That’s important and meaningful to me. I get a lot out of it and when I don’t, it’s not the service, it’s because I have a one year old.

But the biggest one is the people. Especially people that are our age or are at our walk in life. We have a really good, large Sunday school class made up of people that are raising children like we’re raising children. That has been very helpful and encouraging. That was really important for us when we, as a couple, were trying to find a congregation. We wanted to have some kind of support group, and that is definitely true at church for us.

6. What has motherhood taught you about faith?

I think about this a lot. When I watch my three year old, her faith is so simple. I don’t mean that I want an immature faith, but she’s just so trusting. If we tell her, “Do you see that rainbow in the sky? That’s God’s promise to us.” To her, that’s fact. It’s just such a simple, trusting faith and that has challenged me in the past couple of years as I’ve watched her develop that. It’s been a challenge to me to be more trusting about faith or to be more excited about it.

My three year old came home from Sunday school and likes to sing a prayer called, “Hands, Hands, Hands.” My 14 month old has caught on to this. He’s a good reminder to us. He beats us to the prayer at meal times. We’re trying to get food together and he’s sitting in his highchair with hands up and grunting because he’s ready to pray. In my life, why am I not more ready and accepting and excited about my faith like that?

I think motherhood has really changed me. It’s at least been a good reflection on my faith, watching them develop their own.

7. Do you have a favorite meal that you like to eat or cook?

I have this problem of always thinking I need to be creative in my meals and I seldom make the same meal twice, at least not too close together. I need a go-to meal! But Simply in Season is my go-to cookbook.

Interview by Hannah Heinzekehr. You can also read past seven question interviews online.