Article Published January 18th, 2007 and Provided Graciously by the Ware River News

By Justine Murphy Staff Writer

WARE - Andrew Williams was still in college studying economics when he began to realize there was more to life than money.

"I wanted to be a financial planner when I graduated, but at some point I started to realize that there was something more to life than the amount of money I was going to make," he said. "I just knew financial planning wasn't for me."

The Virginia native stayed in school though, determined to finish his degree. In the meantime, other career options surfaced. After spending years as an usher in a Protestant church, he began to look at such duties a little differently in 2001 during a priest ordination ceremony. It was at that time, he said, that he experienced an indescribable presence surrounding him, telling him "this is what I should be doing with my life."

"I thought I was crazy, I thought I was just hearing things," he said. "But then I got to thinking about it, and I realized that perhaps I should consider this."

Williams however, spent the next couple of years trying to talk himself out of even considering the priesthood or pastorship as a career. The self-professed "goal setter," citing his aspirations of becoming a financial planner, said once he sets a goal for himself there is little that can stand in the way of him achieving it.

"I kept thinking about it, I kept thinking of reasons why it [becoming a pastor] wouldn't work," he said. "But every reason I came up with was answered or discounted somewhere else."

Upon completion of his undergraduate economics degree in 2003, Williams began "timidly investigating the ordination process." He soon enrolled in the Virginia Theological Seminary, an Episcopal seminary that prepares men and women for ordained leadership, setting a new goal for himself. Now 26 years old and having finished his time at VTS followed by a six-month stint at a church in Virginia, Williams has accepted his "calling" as pastor of Trinity Episcopal Church in Ware and its "sister" facility, St. Mary's Church in the Thorndike section of neighboring Palmer. Gaining this experience is a requirement of the ordination process.

"It all proved to be God's guidance," Williams said, noting that he immediately felt "at home" at Trinity. He will be spending the bulk of his time at the Ware church, with the remainder to be spent at St. Mary's.

"It worked right away for me," he said. "It seemed to be a really good match right away, and that usually takes awhile."

He and his wife, Jill, moved to Ware from Virginia very recently. After both completed their studies at VTS, where they met, he said they chose to come to Massachusetts so they could spend time with her family, who are natives of this area, before heading toward his ultimate aspiration - becoming a chaplain in the U.S. Army. Williams' goal of being a pastor evolved into this over the past several years, he said, as he began realizing there were "so many things we are ungrateful for," including our freedom and the sacrifices people continue to make on everyone's behalf as members of the country's armed forces.

"I feel like those men and women [in the military] give so much, and I just felt like I needed to try and do something for them," he said. "They continue to sacrifice, so I think they deserve at least that much from me."

He completed Army chaplain training about two years ago, and even went through the Army's basic training program. He laughed when he later learned that basic training is not required for chaplains. However, it's an experience he said he would not ever trade, as it gave him a first-hand sense of what it means to be in the military.

"Everything is a growing experience," he said.

Accepting the pastor assignment at Trinity is a requirement toward that ultimate goal, although Williams views this venture as much more.

"I don't look at Trinity as a check in the box toward my [Army chaplain] goal," he said, adding that he plans to stay with the local church for at least the next five to 10 years. "I feel like there's a definite reason why I'm here."

In the meantime, Williams, with about a week in this new pastor role under his belt, is focusing on settling in at the church. He has no goals just yet for his new assignment, instead taking time to meet Trinity parishioners and others in town. He wants to become as much a part of the local community as possible.

"I really want to get to know people, and learn about the traditions here. That's what I'm focusing on right now," he said. "Later I'll start looking at what I can offer and bring to the community."

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