By LORETTA FULTON

“Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?”

For a young couple who had just been ordained as ministers in the Presbyterian Church, these words from the refrain of “I, the Lord of Sea and Sky,” were especially meaningful.

Sunday afternoon, July 16, members of First Central Presbyterian Church, family, and friends, affirmed the calling of Carlo Sosa-Ortiz and Grace Sosa. They are both associate pastors at FCPC.

“We are honored and thrilled to be a part of First Central,” Carlo said. 

The two met as students at Hardin-Simmons University their freshman year and were married in 2019. They joined First Central Presbyterian Church and then were hired on a part-time basis, which has now changed to full-time. The see serving as a husband/wife team as a plus in their calling.

“In all honesty, being a couple in ministry is very helpful,” Grace said. “Ministry is not a nine-to-five job, and we both understand that. If Carlo is having a busy week, I can take something off his plate, and vice versa.”

BIO
GRACE
Current position: Associate Pastor for Youth Ministry, First Central Presbyterian Church
Hometown: Wolfe City, Texas, and Pecos, Texas
Education: B.A. in English Education (7-12 certification) from Hardin-Simmons University, Master of Divinity  from Abilene Christian University’s Graduate School of Theology
Family: My parents, Kevin and Alicia, live in Pecos. My brother (Christopher), sister-in-law
(Nicole), and nephew (Watson) live in Brownwood. My sister (Ruth), brother-in-law (Luke) and
niece (Sophia) live in College Station.
Experience: I’ve been serving and volunteering in the church since I was a youth. My first official position was as a children’s ministry intern at Pioneer Drive Baptist Church. I have served as the Coordinator of Children’s Ministry for FCPC, the Director of Youth Ministry, and now as an Associate Pastor.
Hobbies: I enjoy yoga, reading, walking and running, watching movies, and hanging out with
friends.

BIO
CARLO
Current position: Associate Pastor of Christian Education, First Central Presbyterian Church
Hometown: Weslaco, Texas
Education: B.A. in Biology from South Texas College, B.A. in Psychology and B.A. in Biblical Studies from Hardin-Simmons University, Master of Divinity from Logsdon Seminary
Family: Parents are Melinda and Noe Ortiz. Aaron Serna is my older sibling, and Chloe Ortiz is my younger sibling. Grace and I married in 2019 and have three cats, a dog, and a tortoise!
Experience: Since high school, I have volunteered or worked in churches. I previously served as a youth minister in Roscoe before coming to First Central.
Hobbies: I enjoy playing the piano, reading, and watching movies. I probably watch three or four movies a week! When I’m not inside, Grace and I enjoy going to Abilene State Park to hike and canoe. We both also love to travel and always have a trip planned!

Q: Your ordination service was beautiful and meaningful. Did you have any input or did someone else do the planning?

GRACE:  An ordination order of worship must include several elements, but we got to choose our hymns and special music, write liturgy, and deliver the benediction. “I the Lord of Sea and Sky” is one of my favorite hymns, and I thought it was especially appropriate at an ordination.

CARLO: Grace and I had a lot of input in planning the service. We knew we wanted Cliff (Stewart) to give the sermon and our former associate pastor, Janice (Six), to give us our charge. From there, we thought of people from our church and presbytery who we’d love to participate. Grace and I also selected the hymns and asked two of our friends from church to sing the anthem just before the sermon. We loved having so many people be a part of that special worship service.

Q: What does your ordination mean on a practical basis? What can you do as ordained ministers that you couldn’t do before?

GRACE: Before we were ordained, we could still preach and assist with the sacraments (communion and baptism). But now we can administer the sacraments. We can also perform marriages. In some ways our jobs are very similar now to what they were before. But we definitely feel more official and enjoyed the special service with our loved ones.

CARLO: As one church member told me, “a lot has changed and nothing has changed” since ordination. While we are now allowed to perform baptisms and serve communion, much of our daily responsibilities remain the same. However, ordination in our denomination is a recognition that the minister has met certain requirements. Not only do we feel a calling into ordained ministry and have had the call affirmed by those within our church and presbytery, our ordination is symbolic of the work it took to get to his point: seminary coursework, examinations, interviews, and prayer. I like to think of the ordination service as an “ebenezer” moment, a point in my life that I can look back at and see the many people who helped prepare me for ministry, and there are many for whom I am so thankful.

Q: What led you to the Presbyterian Church?

GRACE: We both grew up Baptist, but when I began feeling a call to ministry, I wanted to be a part of a denomination where I would be fully affirmed as a pastor. We visited other churches in town that affirm women in ministry, but First Central was the best fit. We felt very welcomed and loved by the members. The love for Presbyterian theology and polity came later. Some of my favorite things about being a Presbyterian are following the colors of the church calendar, the structure of church government, and the beautiful hymns.

CARLO: I always joke that I fell in love with First Central long before I became Presbyterian. From that very first Sunday that Grace and I attended, people seemed to take a genuine interest in us. We were so humbled by the friendliness and kindness of people from the pews. Not only that, but we appreciated the church’s missional mindset and how active they were in the local community. It wasn’t until later that I came to appreciate the Reformed tradition and their openness to change. I remember someone told me that the unofficial motto of the Presbyterian Church is “reformed and always reforming.” That really struck me. I hadn’t been a part of a denomination before that valued its history so well while still being open to what the Spirit might be leading them to do in the future.

Q: How did you meet at Hardin-Simmons? (In a class, at an event, etc.)

GRACE:  We met in a ministry class during our first semester freshman year. Carlo would walk with me to my next class, and I assumed he had a class in the same direction. It turns out, he would walk me to the door and then speed walk to the other end of campus for his class. We got to know each other better when Carlo was the manager of the club tennis team where I played. Most of the players would fall asleep on our long drives to meets, so Carlo and I would spend the drive talking and learning more about each other.

CARLO: We met during the fall semester of our freshman year. Grace and I both took a Logsdon undergrad class. Grace sat at the very front, and being a good Baptist, I was in the very back. But she really was the better Baptist: she could quote scripture and references better than anyone I had ever met. Later that semester, we were studying for an exam together, and I wanted to impress her. I confidently mentioned that I had come in third place at regionals for Bible Bee to which she then responded: “Oh, I went to nationals.” I remember being so intimidated by her. I thought she was so smart, a great student, and kind. But Grace really does live up to her name.

Q:

You’re probably tired of school for now, but do you see yourselves someday getting doctorates?

GRACE: I’m actually currently pursuing my M.A. in New Testament at ACU. I am writing my thesis on John 7:53-8:11. After I finish that, I will want a break! But I would love to pursue my Doctor of Ministry. in the future. I am especially interested in programs that focus on spiritual formation.

CARLO: I’m not entirely sure. I do miss school, but I’m enjoying not having homework after work every day! If I do go back, I have considered going to Austin Presbyterian Seminary for my Doctorate in Ministry degree.

Q: What long-term goals do you have, such as church co-pastors, teaching at a seminary, etc.?

GRACE: This is a difficult question to answer because for so long, being ordained has been my long-term goal! Carlo and I love working together, so I definitely could see us as co-pastors. For now, I am excited to focus on serving First Central. We have lots of ideas, and FCPC is always willing to try them.

CARLO: We’re both open to anything. Grace and I really do love working together, so we have thought about co-pastoring sometime in the future. Our strengths are complimentary, and I think that we work so well as a team that co-pastoring is definitely an option. But for now, we are happy to serve the wonderful people at First Central Presbyterian Church together.

Q: It’s unusual for a husband and wife to work together. Do you have any “rules” in place about what you will and won’t talk about at home?

GRACE: Sometimes we will find ourselves discussing “work things” over dinner or late at night, and we have to remind ourselves to think about it at church instead. But in all honesty, being a couple in ministry is very helpful. Ministry is not a nine-to-five job, and we both understand that. We can support one another as our workloads fluctuate. If Carlo is having a busy week, I can take something off his plate, and vice versa.

CARLO: Grace and I have actually always worked together since we were dating. We both worked as graduate assistants at Logsdon, chaplains at Hendrick Hospital, and now as associate pastors at First Central. I think that we’ve developed healthy habits along the way since we’ve been having to balance work and our personal lives for the last seven years. But every once in a while, we do have to remind the other person: “Let’s table this and save it for Monday.”

Q: Anything else you’d like to add?

GRACE: An ordination is like a wedding in a lot of ways (even when it’s not for two married people). For both, we had to plan a service with people to speak and lead music. We invited our friends and family to the celebration. We took pictures until your faces hurt. We were given gifts and heartfelt congratulations. We joke that in our former positions, we were just dating the church, but now we are married to it. And what a celebration it was!

CARLO: We are honored and thrilled to be a part of First Central. Looking back at these past four short years, it is hard not to see God’s hand in it all. We’ve been blessed to observe excellent leadership under both Cliff (Stewart) and Janice (Six), who have prepared and mentored us so gracefully. I quite honestly have never been a part of a church as giving and open to change as First Central, and I am eager to see where the Lord is taking us next!