Minister finds calling in Santa Fe

Today at 4 p.m., the United Church of Santa Fe’s congregation will host a special worship service and reception for Arnold, celebrating her 25 years at the church, her strong commitment to Santa Fe and the countless numbers of people she’s helped.

“In this day and age, people don’t stick around that long,” said Brandon Johnson, associate minister at the church. “I think when you have someone who has committed 25 years to one place, it’s phenomenal.”

The Rev. Johnson said what Arnold has been able to accomplish in that time is equally amazing.

“Since Talitha has been here, the congregation has increased in size and number and with its commitment to outreach,” he said, noting her advocacy for social justice and environmental issues. “The fact that the church has grown is testament to her. Her joy, passion and energy is visible each and every Sunday.”

United Church of Santa Fe had a congregation of 90 when Arnold agreed to come to Santa Fe in 1987. Not only that, the church was $500,000 in debt and had a $60,000 mortgage payment to meet each month.

Now, the church has 300 adult members, 90 children and about another 100 who aren’t officially church members but can still be categorized as faithful followers.

The church has also doubled in size physically and all its debts are paid.

“We’re self-sustaining, and I think we’re thriving,” Arnold said. “Now we’re trying to invest in a wider community.”

A life’s journey

How Arnold came to be the church’s leader is a story in itself. She first interviewed for the job in 1985 after Marty Baumer, who founded the church five years earlier, decided to move on.

At that time, Arnold was associate pastor at a church in Middletown, Conn. It was a good situation, with what she described as a “lively” and “energetic” congregation of 700 at a church built in the 1870s.

She first came to Connecticut to attend the Yale Divinity School in the late 1970s. She didn’t see herself as someone who would become a minister or a pastor then.

“Partly because of my personality,” she said. “I like to argue; I like to engage. And I wasn’t sure about the Christianity thing, or the faith thing.”

But she thought she’d try it for a year and do some advocacy work and go from there. She ended up completing the three-year program and, after a one-year stint as associate minister back at her home church in Tempe, Ariz., she returned to Connecticut.

“At that point, I experienced a call to parish ministry,” she said.

Arnold spent six years at the Middletown church before the opportunity came up to come to Santa Fe. She came out to interview for the job at United Church, but decided against it.

It didn’t feel right, she said. The Rev. Baumer had left only two weeks earlier. She didn’t think the church was ready to move on, and neither was she.

The church hired someone else, but he lasted less than a year. So the church reached out to her again.

“I went into it thinking I’d say no – that it wasn’t a good match,” she said.

While she was in town for the interview, she was asked to give the sermon that Sunday. She planned to tell the search committee of her decision when she was done.

But something happened when she stood before the congregation. Perhaps a little divine intervention?

“At the end of the second service, I raised my hand to do the benediction,” she remembered. “I looked out at the congregation and thought that, if they have to go through another search, it wouldn’t last.”

She was also thinking about her strong belief in the church and her love for her native Southwest.

“As I was giving the benediction, by the time I lowered my hand, I knew I was going to say yes to the job,” she said. “I’m not usually a mystical kind of person, and there was no chorus singing ‘Hallelujah.’ The heavens didn’t open up, but that’s the closest thing I felt to a bona fide calling.”

Still, she didn’t think she’d stay more than three or four years.

“I didn’t think (the church) would last that long,” she said.

But it did. Loans were renegotiated, and though it took 10 years, the church climbed out of debt. During that time, she helped build up the church’s programs, expanded outreach and led a major fund drive.

Most significantly, she said, she remembered the advice she got from her mentor, the Rev. Ruben Sheares.

“He told me two things,” she said. “One was to focus on worship. He said you get just one shot a week, so make sure it’s your best shot. If you get that right, everything else will follow suit.

“The other thing was, the healthier you get, the healthier the church will be,” she continued. “You have to consistently work to be the best church you can be and consistently be engaged. … God is the one who calls us into the future. We have to be open when God calls.”

Open to God’s calling

Arnold’s impact on the community is immeasurable. During her first year here, United Church of Santa Fe became the founding congregation for Habitat for Humanity. She was instrumental in helping start St. Elizabeth’s Shelter and Esperanza Shelter for Battered Families. She helped start a partnership at Salazar Elementary School that grew into the Communities for Schools program. She’s testified before the state Legislature advocating on gay and lesbian issues, organized interfaith events on behalf of the Jewish and Muslim communities, and has fought for environmental causes, to name a few.

“I think her community leadership, both inside and outside the religious communities, is one of her strong marks,” said Larry Rasmussen, a member of Arnold’s congregation. “She has a remarkable sense for what is happening around us. She’s very well-informed about the issues of the day and is able to combine that with the ability to connect with the biblical material, so you have a sense for what is happening and understand what connection that has with your own life and faith.”

Arnold said she thinks its important to do that.

“Part of what I see as a mission of the church is engaging the community,” she said. “For me, it’s something powerful to be a part of an inter-generational community and to help create an inter-generational community – bringing together people from diverse backgrounds.”

Arnold deflects the credit. She said nothing she’s been able to accomplish could have been done without the support she’s received from her church staff and congregation.

“A great staff and a good congregation is what makes good ministers,” she said. “I’ve been incredibly blessed. (Today) is a celebration of my 25 years, but it’s also a celebration of a number of great people who are a part of this church. They’ve enriched my life and have empowered others.”

Arnold laughed when asked how long she intended to stay in Santa Fe.

“They say that the way to make God laugh is to tell him your plans,” she said. “I think you have to take time in your life on a regular basis to say, ‘Here I am. Here are the gifts you’ve given me. What do you want me to do with them?’

“It’s not about me. I don’t know the future. I just try to be open to it.”