God has called me to minister not just in the States but all over the world. He has taken me into Appalachia, Peru, and Haiti. God has used my nursing degree in such wonderful ways. He never wastes anything.

Benita Harris has a heart full of compassion. Having served as a nurse for over 35 years, she knows how to take care of other people. Now in full-time ministry – she is Lead Pastor of Asbury United Methodist in Salisbury, Maryland – she is sharpening that skill in new ways every day. To deepen her understanding of the inner life and spiritual care, Benita has finished the Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Direction at Richmont as of December 2015, and is now looking ahead to beginning the brand-new master’s degree in Spiritual Formation and Spiritual Direction in 2016.

As it turns out, Benita’s congregation has been hungry for spiritual direction, too. She leads a Tuesday night study group where members are encouraged to discuss and practice concepts of spiritual formation and soul care. Noticing the need for more opportunities like this, Benita has begun offering spiritual direction retreats both for her own church and for others. She has worked with laywomen and clergy to hone their understanding of the practices also. “We need this, the church needs this,” she says of spiritual formation training. “There’s such a scarcity of spiritual directors in the church today.”

Yet, ministry was never an obvious career choice to Benita. She says, “God called me into ministry two years before I listened. I kept thinking it was a wrong number, so I hung up!” She fully expected her family to question her decision to pursue ministry as a vocation, so she was touched and amazed when they were fully supportive and affirming. Since graduation from seminary and ordination in the Methodist church, Benita has combined her two great loves, medical care and spiritual care, into medical missions work. “God has called me to minister not just in the States but all over the world. He has taken me into Appalachia, Peru, and Haiti.” In fact, Benita was in Haiti just 10 weeks after the earthquake in 2010. “God has used my nursing degree in such wonderful ways. He never wastes anything.”

Perhaps that is why Benita has found a home at Richmont. She says of the university, “My cohort became a family. We were from all different backgrounds, but God developed us into a family.” The other students are not the only thing Benita loves about Richmont. She says of Sharon Rowland and Tim Harben, two professors in the School of Ministry, “They have really walked the path with me for the last year. They have opened themselves up to school-related things and spiritual-related things as true people of God.” Additionally, Richmont fits Benita’s busy lifestyle as a lead pastor and medical missionary. “It’s amazing that a school with an excellent reputation – that I did check out prior to applying – would be so convenient to attend.” Benita expresses deep gratitude for both “Richmont and the God that brought me here. This is the perfect place for me.”