Teresa Eads of CLI proclaims – God has called Me into Ministry

My name is Teresa Eads, I’m 49yrs old and I live in East Tennessee, USA. I am married and have two children that are grown. They have blessed me with seven beautiful grandchildren. My husband and I sing and play bluegrass gospel music. We love going to other churches and venues when invited. Many folks tell us that they receive such blessings from our music.

Some of my earliest and most precious memories from my childhood are going to church and my great grandmother reading stories to my brother and me while lying in the middle of her feather bed. I always went to church even though my parents didn’t always attend. I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior when I was 12 although I wasn’t baptized until I was 33. I can remember talking to friends at school and on the school bus as well as other places about Jesus. Even, praying with them during VBS as they accepted the Lord. So, looking back I guess I have been in ministry all along. God has called me even when I was young.

I have served as Sunday school teacher and worship leader in church. I also helped to begin the first home school groups (when it wasn’t popular) in our area. In most recent years, I have worked with the local Women’s Care Center, talking to young women and counseling them against abortion.
The Lord has placed this feeling of “You need to be ministering to people” more and more onto me. It’s hard to explain to folks. The more I try to do otherwise, the more He put someone in my path that needed counseling, prayer, teaching, hand holding, encouragement, etc. People would just come up and tell me, “You should be a preacher”.

I live in the South. The majority here are of the belief that women should not be in charge of a congregation. I kept trying to let it go, but as you know, if God wants you he will get you. We were visiting a church in our area one Sunday and they had an evangelist there that day. While he was preaching and singing and giving words from the Holy Spirit, he kept looking over at me. Yes, he said it. The Holy Spirit told him that I was going to be in ministry and possibly a healing ministry. Holy Spirit told him to tell me to stop overthinking it. Just do it! So, I quit running before God decided to throw me overboard and into the belly of the fish. Amazingly, when I stopped running and said yes, the heavy gnawing gut urging stopped. Amen!!! Hallelujah

I have a wonderful church family, and they do believe that I have been called into ministry. It is a very small Baptist church. However, I really do not have a denominational preference. Our Pastor still clings to the theory of “No Women Preaching in the Pulpit” so I do not expect to be ordained by him or our elders. But I know that God has called me and that is enough.

Right down the road from my home is a Bible College and the tuition is $10,800 per year to attend. Just like many people in our country and especially in our state, the economy has not been kind. On our income we cannot afford for me to take classes there. Our church is very small and could not help me either. So, I began searching for other ways to get more knowledge of what the Lord has called me to do. There are many places online.

Most are not what they say they are and other are very expensive. Then I came across CLI. This is truly a blessing from God.

This is absolutely the plan He has for me.  God has called me and I cannot turn back. I am so thankful for the donors and others that have put this wonderful gift of learning together online. Now folks like me can get a more rounded education to preach the gospel to the entire world. What a blessing!!!

Where He leads me I will follow, as the hymn goes. Indeed, God has called me and I would be happy for the Holy Spirit to lead us to more churches and more areas with opportunity to evangelize and do healing serves for people.

I ask all of you to please be in prayer for me to be more open in response to the Holy Spirits urgings. So the He may use me more abundantly.