By Peter Vankevich
Ocracoke Islander Desirée Christa Adams officially became the new pastor for Ocracoke United Methodist Church on July 1.
With this appointment, she replaces Logan Jackson who, after three years on Ocracoke, was reassigned to the Newbegun United Methodist Church in Elzabeth City. Her first service was July 7 and can be viewed along with others on the OUMC Facebook page.
The rules of the United Methodist Church are complex and the path to becoming a full pastor or reverend involves several steps, including education, candidacy and ordination.
People may enter into the candidacy process only with the support of a local church who affirm they have witnessed ministerial gifts in that person (based on a majority vote by two councils).
All NC pastors are appointed by Bishop Connie Shelton after a long discernment process by the cabinet and District Superintendents. A lot of consideration and months of discussions went into her appointment.
Adams was moving towards full ordination when Jackson was reassigned, which created a vacancy.
So, at this stage, Adams is what is called a supply pastor, a role when a church is without a permanent pastor due to a vacancy, illness, sabbatical or other circumstances.
Supply pastors can be ordained ministers, retired pastors or qualified laypersons.
Their responsibilities can include leading worship services, preaching, administering sacraments, and providing pastoral care.
In addition to taking steps towards full ordination, Adams is completing a master’s degree at Duke Divinity School.
At her first three services, she could be seen and heard welcoming new visitors, giving the sermon, at times playing the piano or the organ, directing the choir for one song, and with the hymn book in her hand singing as part of the choir and sitting with the children who joined her at the altar.
Prior to her appointment, she took a week-long storytelling workshop with islander Donald Davis, who is a retired Methodist minister.
“That workshop was tremendously helpful for me,” she said. “He’s been influential and a mentor in this process, in many ways.”
Adams’s love of her new position is obvious.
“I’ve loved everything so far, meeting so many new people, the visitations and giving the sermons,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed looking at the ways that we can just be better, better humans to one another, in the church and in the community. And truly, it’s just been a joy every single day. Even when it’s challenging, it’s been amazing. That’s just how it feels.”
Married last year to Will Adams, she previously went by Desirée Christa Ricker and grew up in Hendersonville, North Carolina.
On her personal website, Adams describes herself as an artist, healer, seeker, and an adventurer. Multitalented, she is an actor, dancer, singer and songwriter and a yoga instructor and has put all to good use since she moved to Ocracoke in 2012.
In addition to her college degrees, she has a certificate in integrated somatic trauma therapy which helps individuals heal from traumatic experiences by addressing the physical, emotional, and psychological impacts of trauma
In the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, she and Ruth Fordon created a support group for those who were impacted by the storm and the group continued, evolving into Zoom weekly meetings when Covid-19 struck the world.
Adams also is the president of Ocracoke Alive, the nonprofit that focuses on enhancing the community through arts and culture and is most noted as the host of Ocrafolk Festival.
This is the first time in many years that an islander has been named pastor of the OUMC.
“I never actually thought about the fact that a church is a place where the skills I’ve spent a lifetime cultivating all get put to use,” she said. “Both with education and the performing arts. It certainly makes me feel very complete, instead of broken into different versions of myself. And it kind of affirms my belief that, you know, someone had a plan.”
