| Debbie Schmidt |
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About
Faith Journey I grew up attending a Presbyterian Church in Metairie, LA. My family was very faithful in their attendance and active in church life. I was introduced to the Christian faith and to Presbyterian beliefs but I did not really understand what it meant to have a personal relationship with God or to make him Lord of my life. The summer after I graduated from high school, I went to a weeklong church camp at Mo Ranch. Among the chaperones were the Rev. Breck Castleman and his wife, Robbie. Robbie led a brief Bible study in her room every evening for any girls who were interested. As I looked at familiar passages with her, I could sense that her relationship with God and his Word was different from that of many of the adults I knew from my own church. She spoke of Jesus’ conversations with his disciples as though they really happened and as if she knew what it was like to be there. I longed for that kind of understanding and that intimacy with God. At the close of the camp, Robbie talked about how complete God’s forgiveness is, how we can receive that forgiveness and begin a relationship with the living God. That night at Mo Ranch, I made a decision to be a disciple of Jesus. For the rest of that summer, I attended a Bible study that met in the living room of Breck and Robbie’s home. As I began college in the fall, they suggested that I seek out a Christian group where I could continue to learn about God’s word with other Christians. I began by attending Campus Crusade meetings, but in my sophomore year, Breck and Robbie put me in touch with other students who were starting an InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Through my involvement with InterVarsity, I received a good foundation in inductive Bible study, I began the disciplines of a daily quiet time and personal prayer and I met my future husband, John Schmidt! John and I were married during our senior years and went from LSU to the Boston area where John studied at Gordon Conwell Seminary and received his MDiv degree. I was able to audit classes during the three years we were there and learned a lot about Biblical theology, church history and pastoral counseling. After seminary, John went on staff with InterVarsity in New Orleans where our two children were born. We carried a sense that God was calling us into cross-cultural mission and explored that option through summer mission trips to Belize and to Oxford, England, where we worked with a coffee house ministry. In 1988, we responded to what seemed to both of us to be God’s leading and went to Japan with the PCUSA as mission co-workers. John was ordained before we went and we served in many different capacities with the Japanese church. We were living in Kobe when the Hanshin Earthquake occurred in 1995. Our time in Japan was satisfying in many ways and confusing and frustrating in others, but we learned to depend on God and to obey even when it involved sacrifice. In 1995, God opened the door for us to return to the US when John received a call to serve as pastor for Mission and Pastoral Care at First Pres. Church in Baton Rouge, LA. We served there for five years and moved to Baltimore, MD in September 2003 so John could take a call as Senior Pastor at Central Pres. Church. God has provided many venues for me to minister along side of John in each of these calls. I feel that even though I am not ordained, I am called to serve and I have been grateful for the opportunities that have come my way as John’s partner in ministry.
Speaking Topics
The following are a few topics on which I am prepared to speak:
Journey to the Cross: studies from the second half of Mark.
The Power of Praise. Studies on how our faith and outlook can be shaped by the discipline of praise.
Why Do I Speak?
Through all of these different opportunities, I have sensed that God has been confirming my call into a speaking ministry by the encouraging feedback that I have received when I speak. I seem to have the spiritual gift of encouragement and I welcome opportunities to help other Christians press on in their walk with God. I recognize that a call to a public speaking ministry of this sort is a tremendous responsibility and I find that when I am called on to speak, my prayer is that I would be able to present God’s word in a way that is clear, that is true and that challenges people to respond.
Education
I received training in Bible study methods through InterVarsity and through courses I audited at Gordon Conwell Seminary. I also received training in Stephen Ministry and led the training of one class of Stephen Ministers. I have had many opportunities to speak publicly and have tried to seek out honest feedback and suggestions about how I can improve.
PublicationsThe following are a few of Debbie Schmidt's publications: Genesis: God's Grace from the Beginning (NPWL Bible Study) Women's Words (NPWL Bible Study) Mission, Missions, Missional (article on this site)
Testimonials“Debbie is a woman of integrity and spiritual maturity. She has encouraged me and challenged me in my walk with Christ. She is well prepared, humorous and engaging.” - Darlene Glaudemans
{Publications} The following are a few of Debbie Schmidt's publications: Genesis: God's Grace from the Beginning (NPWL Bible Study) Women's Words (NPWL Bible Study) Mission, Missions, Missional (Article) Women to Women: The Joy of Sharing Ministry (Article)
FeesFrom NPWL: Talking about fees must be handled with sensitivity by both the speaker and the event planner. It is important to be up-front and have integrity in this process. It is expected that all travel expenses will be covered for the speaker. Will you accept a free will offering? Or will you accept whatever they offer to pay? Yes, I will. Do you have a range of acceptable fees for an event? My main concern is having my expenses covered. I understand that some groups have limited resources. Do you have a set fee per event? No. If you will speak more than once during an event, do you charge per number of times you speak? No. Does your speaking fee change if you have to travel overnight?
No.
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Debbie’s teaching ministry has been shaped by the years she spent in ministry with her husband in Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship, by her experience as a missionary with the PCUSA in Japan for ten years, and by her role as a pastor’s wife. She has spent many years leading small groups, teaching at churches and retreats, and helping to direct and emcee retreats and conferences. As a wife and mother of grown and married children, she brings her own life experiences to bear on her teaching as she tries to make the Word of God clear and applicable to daily life.