Growing up, April Roebuck, a senior M.Div. student at the Seminary, attended weekly worship services with her grandmother. She now attends Mount Ararat Baptist Church where she received membership, was baptized, licensed, ordained, and currently is associate minister.
April’s sense of call began about five years ago when her faith was tested. “I began chasing the Word by attending in-house theology courses at Mount Ararat, regularly attending Bible study, and any other events where I could be saturated with the Word because I just needed more,” says April.
While completing her undergraduate degree, April researched Christianity. “My thirst for the Word grew even more as I enjoyed learning and researching the religion I professed,” she says. After graduating April intended to pursue her master’s degree in Information Technology at a Pittsburgh university, but God had other plans.
“Out of the blue I began to get ‘junk’ mail in my in box about seminary. Not even knowing what it was, I deleted the messages but kept receiving them,” recalls April. Though she had completed the necessary paperwork, had the needed grades, and the financial aid approval, April didn’t hear from back from the university about her acceptance. God placed people in April’s life who introduced her to the idea of seminary. “Suddenly the weight and urgency to pursue seminary became greater and greater,” she says. She scheduled a meeting with the PTS Admissions Office and says, “After walking into the door of the Seminary it just felt right, almost like a sigh of relief.” April applied and immediately all doors were opened unlike the silence from the other university. “I felt it was the Lord leading me and I was ready to go as He commanded.” April intends to graduate from PTS next spring.
In addition to pursuing her degree, April works full time as a systems analyst/programmer for a local hospital. Though it’s been challenging balancing school and work, April says, “Everything about me is untraditional so it only makes sense.” April has remained active in the PTS community by serving as president of the NIA student group and attending cross-cultural trips through the World Mission Initiative. So far April has been to Egypt, Mexico, Israel, and Morocco.
April felt called to mission work during a Seminary class. While learning about the electrical grid of Africa April noticed that there were places on the map with white dots indicating electricity and there were places that were black. Inquiring about the dark places, the professor’s response pierced her heart. “He said the people who populate those areas do not have electricity. I was outraged! He opened my mind to think and see beyond the United States.”
After graduating from the Seminary April plans to attend Western Seminary to pursue a doctor of missiology degree. “I feel called to pastor and plant churches wherever there is a need both locally and internationally,” April says.
“I know this journey has been ordained by God. There is no way that I could have done this without Him keeping me every step of the way.”
Written August 2013