Rev. Mary Barrett shares her call story: childhood pain, a marriage marked by sacrifice, and a faith that never let go.
REV. MARY BARRETT
Salem Grove and Waterloo Village UMCs
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of articles highlighting call stories from recent Course of Study graduates, who were honored at the 2026 Michigan Annual Conference. Course of Study is a required theological and leadership education program for licensed local pastors in The United Methodist Church. Read the whole series.
My calling came to me as a young girl, around 14. I attended our local United Methodist church with my family and couldn’t sit through a worship service without a sense of holiness, mystery, and yearning. I wanted more. I needed more. I went to our Methodist Youth Fellowship meetings and fully engaged in the evening’s conversations and topics.
I felt the power of Jesus in His words shared on a Sunday morning. I wanted to know Him better. But I grew up in a household where harshness, judgment, and a lack of encouragement were the norm. Oh sure, on the outside we looked like a normal family, but on the inside, the truth was different. I was certain I was unlovable. That’s what I’d been told many times. And I truly believed that even if Jesus couldn’t love me, I could surely love Him.
Years passed, and life scurried by. I graduated from high school, and within a couple of years I married and became a mom to two delightful sons. Life was good, most of the time! It could be hectic, scary, and chaotic. But in a nutshell, it was good. I kept my love for Jesus, though the church never seemed to find us there. I didn’t feel I belonged. I was a misfit. Boy, I really didn’t know Jesus, did I? I was exactly the person Jesus used!
During this time, my husband, Michael, was experiencing the effects of Agent Orange exposure from his military service. He had been sent to Panama for training to search for prisoners of war in Vietnam, and in the process, he and his fellow soldiers were sprayed with the toxic dioxin compound used to eradicate unwanted foliage. It is equivalent to Roundup on steroids.
The exposure led to cancerous tumors, loss of part of his jawbone, and eventually paralysis, leaving him wheelchair-dependent as a paraplegic. He never let his limitations define his abilities. Mike passed away on May 2, 2026, after a very courageous battle. He loved his Lord and leaned on Him through it all. I may have had the training, but we definitely shared in the ministry together. Mike was so pleased and proud of me when I completed my Course of Study in August 2025.
I have to say my husband was my biggest champion, but I’ve also had many people support me along the way. Sometimes my family didn’t understand where this calling came from. I don’t think they fully embraced that my journey didn’t happen overnight. It was a process of storms and epiphanies, joy and tears, and fear and confidence.
But at every step, I knew who was leading me. The Holy Spirit guided and comforted me through every nook and cranny of my calling. Through much prayer and reflection, I can now see clearly how God was grooming, shaping, and molding me into the vessel He needed me to be, or maybe the vessel He wanted me to be. I just needed to listen and obey.
To be a United Methodist in these trying and uncertain days means that we, as leaders and teachers, must be aware of the needs of those around us, listen to those seeking our attention, be mindful of those on the sidelines, and be loving examples of what we have been sent to do. We have been called to be the feet and hands of Jesus to our community, which encompasses all walks of life and all peoples in every corner of creation. We need to show a world that doesn’t always believe we have the best intentions that what is truly in our hearts and souls is to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. A very simple command in a very complex world.
I believe these challenges we face, including discrimination, war, the marginalization of our fellow man, and injustices based on race, color, creed, and sexual identity and orientation, will not cease to exist. But I do have hope that with our commitment to Jesus, our faith in God, our obedience to our calling, and perseverance, we can, one step at a time, bring hope, joy, and love into a hurting world.
It is my hope that I can be one small cog in the wheel of progress, helping people see a life beyond themselves. A life where they realize they are loved. A life where they truly feel connected to Jesus, and a life where they want to share their experiences with others. Bringing hope, joy, and love to those who ache as I did, with a sense of unworthiness, is one of the greatest joys of my journey. Helping others see the beauty of grace is such a blessing.
I hope we will walk together by the grace of God and fill hearts, minds, and souls with what it truly means to be a Christian in The United Methodist Church: a meaningful connection to God, love for all humanity, and joy along the way. With God, all things are possible.
The publication of this series of articles is made possible by generous financial gifts from local United Methodist churches in Michigan through Ministry Shares. Thank you! Learn about the impact of Ministry Shares on mission and ministry in Michigan and around the world.
Last Updated on September 29, 2026