2007
Paul William Greeley
Saying YES to the Unexpected Voice of God
The purpose of this thesis is two-fold. It is a memoir of the early formative years of hearing a call, a Voice, which would eventually incarnate itself in the form of a ministry known as The Holy Innocents Ministry, a home and residential treatment center for abuse and neglected children in Chelsea, Alabama. In July of 1985, I “heard” the Voice that led me in a vocational direction for which I had never planned. I was the Ministry’s founder and served as its executive director until November of 1994. I am also an Episcopal priest.
As a memoir, this thesis is intended to be inspirational, and to bear witness to the fact that God’s Voice sill calls some of us, particularly we who are entrepreneurial risk-takers, in unexpected ways. I also learned that if we faithfully respond to that Voice, God will provide all that is necessary to see the ministry brought to completion.
Secondly, it is my hope that the reader of this thesis will find throughout this work some practical resources and helpful information that will be of use, should he/she be wrestling with a similar Voice calling him/her to make a difference by being different, while wishing to walk a different road on our common early pilgrimage.