My call to ministry came thirty years ago when I was still serving in the United States Air Force in Colorado Springs, but my spiritual journey started long before. I was raised in the Seventh-day Adventist Church and was educated in their school system through college. I was planning to follow the family tradition by becoming a Seventh-day Adventist minister as my father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had been. Fortunately, I entered active military service in 1971 during the Vietnam conflict and volunteered for duty in Southeast Asia. Naturally, to honor my wishes, I was sent to Alaska. There, I began reading about Eastern philosophy and studying the Tibetan Book of the Dead. I also converted to the Catholic Faith, largely because I had been told as a child that Roman Catholics had torture chambers in their churches, preparing to torture Seventh-day Adventists, so I set out to find the torture chambers. Instead, I made some wonderful friends and discovered an inspirational form of worship. As the years passed, I continued to study Eastern religion while I attended Mass every Sunday.
In 1975, I was transferred to Colorado Springs to close down Ent Air Force Base and move on to Peterson Air Force Base. My first summer there, I had a training and was partnered with a Buddhist, who invited me to attend his worship. I did, they fed me, and I stayed for two years, while continuing to attend Mass every Sunday. Practicing Buddhism showed me a new path to the experience of God, and though I decided that I needed to explore my own tradition further, I never came all the way back. I feel that all religions have something to teach us. During my transition from Buddhism, I returned to a Protestant church, as I never fully accepted the concept of transubstantiation . I experienced what I considered a call to ministry in 1978 and returned to Northern California to attend Seminary and begin service as a Methodist minister.
I served a church for about eight years, but did not like being told where I would live and what my politics would be. It almost felt as though I never left the Air Force, so I left active ministry, still filling in as pulpit supply and doing weddings and funerals as requested. I am currently working as a history teacher and still do pulpit supply for Lutheran and Methodist churches. I am an active member of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church and serve on the church board. I teach adult Sunday School and just finished an eleven week series on World Religions using Professor Huston Smith's book as a textbook. On September 3, 2007, I was formally ordained by the Universal Life Church. I support religions freedom and believe that the ULC provides an incredible forum for interfaith fellowship.
I am currently enjoying my classes at the ULC Seminary and plan to continue with my ministry as a main stream protestant minister. I do not intend to return to parish ministry, but certainly enjoy pulpit supply and performing weddings.
Rev. R Helmerson
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