Beeson Podcast, Episode #587 Reverend Ruby Heard-Bustamonte Date >>Announcer: Welcome to the Beeson podcast, coming to you from Beeson Divinity School on the campus of Samford University. Now your hosts, Doug Sweeney and Kristen Padilla. >>Doug Sweeney: Welcome to the Beeson Podcast. I’m your host, Doug Sweeney, here with my co-host, Kristen Padilla. Today we continue our special four week series on the ministries of African American Beeson alumni. February, of course, is Black History Month. At Beeson this is also our third annual African American Ministry Emphasis Month. Its purpose is to shine a light on what God is doing in our African American churches, especially those pastored by family members at Beeson. Before we get going, let me put two very important dates on your mind. February 15th and March 1st. February 15th is our Tier One Scholarship deadline for those applying to matriculate at Beeson in the fall of 2022. Tier One scholarships are anywhere from 65-100% of tuition for students in the Master of Divinity program (MDIV). If you want to be considered for one of these scholarships you need to have submitted your application by February 15th. March 1st is our Fall General Admission Deadline. We would love to have you join us this fall as you prepare for faithful, lifelong ministry of the gospel. Learn more at www.BeesonDivinity.com/admission. All right, Kristen, let’s jump right into today’s conversation. Who do we have on the show with us? >>Kristen Padilla: Thanks, Doug. We have the Reverend Ruby Heard-Bustamonte. She is a 2012 graduate of Beeson Divinity School and she is the Pastor of Wayman Chapel AME Church in Valley Grand, right here in Alabama. I’m proud to say, Doug, that she is the newest member of the Advisory Board for the Center for Women in Ministry here at Beeson. I’m grateful to you, sister Ruby, for agreeing to serve in this way. Welcome to the Beeson Podcast! >>Ruby: Thank you so very much. I am so proud to be here, and honored. Thank you for thinking of me. >>Kristen Padilla: Well, of course. We are honored that you would be with us and spend your time with us today. I would love for our listeners just to get to know you a bit better. I wonder if you could tell us more about where you are from? Anything about your spiritual faith journey and what you’re doing today? >>Ruby: Okay. Sure. Thank you. Well, born and raised in Bessemer, Alabama. I am the second of two girls that was born to my deceased parents, Jesse and Evelyn Heard. My father worked at Pullman Standard in Bessemer, Alabama. He was employed there during the daytime but at night he had what we would call ... he was a backyard mechanic. He went to work on cars in our home in the backyard until night time. My father was a faithful member of Allen Chapel AME Church, as well as my mother. They both were active members of the church. My father was a trustee at the church. He was the president of the senior choir. He was also the custodian for the church as well. My mother was YPD Director. She was over the Girl Scouts. She was a stewardess. And I grew up in the church. Because I grew up in the church I don’t even know a time when I was not in the church, because that was our form of recreation. That was our form of outlet, because during that particular time we’re talking about I was born in 1952, so during that particular time it was very racially segregated. And so our only outlet of having any type of recreation was through the church. And so it became a vital part of who I am today and for us as we were growing up. I never knew of any day that I wasn’t in church. So, it was just a big part of us. And I think that as I have grown older I see that that has been so instrumental into where I am today. I came to really realize that God was in my life, he was a part of my life, my parents were old school and I say that because when we were growing up we had to go to what we call “the mourner’s bench.” I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of that before, but that meant that we had to ... every day after school we did nothing but come into the house, we had no playing, we went no place, we did nothing other than read the Bible and get our homework done, talked to nobody. We were on the mourner’s bench and we had to come to God for ourselves. Our mother and father told us that you had to seek him and as you seek him that he would find you. And so that’s what we did. I was called on that Wednesday night and my sister was called on that Thursday night. We were immersed in the baptismal pool there. As you know, in the AME church you can have immersion or it can be poured or sprinkled. So, my mother always believed that you had to be immersed. And so that’s what we did. We were immersed. So, that was the beginning of who I am today. >>Doug Sweeney: Pastor Ruby, tell us if you would just a little bit about how it is the Lord pulled you into pastoral ministry and how you got to the Wayman Chapel in particular? >>Ruby: Okay. Well, it’s an interesting story for me to talk about how I got into the pastoral ministry. My secular jobs were I taught the science section of the GED for six years with JCCO. Then after that I was a police officer with the Birmingham Police Department for three years. Following that I was recruited by the FBI and the US Marshall Service because they were in need of Black females. And so I went to the US Marshall Service and was a Deputy US Marshall for one year, stationed in Savannah, Georgia. Following that I was recruited by the FBI and joined the FBI in 1986. I was there for 20 years. My first office was in Newark, New Jersey. I retired out of Huntsville, Alabama. So, when I was in Newark, New Jersey the pastor there at St. James AME Church preached a sermon from John 5, “Do you want to be healed?” The man at the pool of Bethesda. From that particular sermon it just stayed with me and it still stays with me. From that particular sermon, even though I left New Jersey, when I got to Alabama I joined St. John AME Church in Huntsville, Alabama. But I only stayed there for about a year. Then I moved over to [Progressive Union 00:07:29] Missionary Baptist Church. And during that time God was working in me, before I’d even left Alabama. About two years before I left in 1982 or 1983 I started having a very close walk with the Lord. His Holy Spirit was moving in my life. He was moving to become more vocal in my worship, to become more demonstrative in my worship, and from that I took that with me and did not know what it actually was. And so it was when I was in Huntsville and I was attending the Huntsville Bible Institute, I was taking a class. And one of the requirements was for us to write a sermon and to either preach it or to pass a paper in. So, I had already told everybody, “I’m not no preacher. I’m not preaching nothing. Okay? So, I’m going to pass this paper in.” And so that night, the night prior to our having to turn the paper in I guess you know God does what God does. Okay? He woke me up in the middle of the night and said, “You will be preaching this sermon and you will be my preacher.” And so from that, that’s where I got to where I am now to be a preacher. I still ran, I still doubted the calling, I still did not want to accept the calling because for me I said, “I don’t know anyone in my family who is a minister. Why me? That’s not a part of us.” And so needless to say I just went on this ... kept doubting, but finally found out that some people on my father’s side who were pastors and so I said, “Okay, maybe that makes sense.” But still a little shaky there, not 100% sure that’s what I was supposed to do. And so from that calling I went and told my mentor who was Reverend Dr. William DeWatley who was at St. James AME Church at the time and told him about the calling. And he told me to make sure that I got into a good seminary. I told him what was around me and he said, “Well, for me, I think that you need to go to Beeson.” And so that’s how I ended up at Beeson and from that training and everything. As you know, in the AME church we have to have an MDIV in order to be a pastor. And so from that it led to where I am now. I first got my first church in 2009, New Cedar Grove AME Church, and I was ordained as a local deacon at the time. Because of the rules in the church I would have had to retire before I was able to become an itinerant elder. So, therefore, I was a part of the writing of the legislation in order for the rules to be changed so that we could retire at a later age and come in at a later age. So, from that time up until after New Cedar Grove I became a pastor at St. Paul AME Church in Sylacauga. Then I was a pastor at Grant Chapel AME Church in Calera, Alabama. And from that, after I had pastored at Grant Chapel for three years I started having self care problems. I was not taking care of myself. I needed to have taken a vacation. I needed to have taken a break after driving from Huntsville to Beeson twice a week and having to be at work at 6:00 AM every day so that I could leave to come to Beeson every day. And doing that from 2002 until I retired, it wore me out. Still trying to study and still trying to go through the board of examiners, still trying to do all of those things. I just had, not a mental breakdown, but a physical breakdown. So, after three years at Grant Chapel I had to get what they call supernumerary status, which I requested in order to stay under the care of another church, and that’s when I came into St. John AME Church where Reverend Dr. Ronald [inaudible 00:11:48] is the pastor. So, he was able to minister to me those two years that I was away. And so when I came back in December of 2020 I was appointed to Wayman Chapel. So, I came there in 2020 at the height of COVID-19. So, it has been (laughs) a journey. It’s been a journey. >>Kristen Padilla: We were talking before the show about your time at Beeson and that it was a ten year journey. You said you began in 2002 and you finished in 2012. The word that keeps coming to mind is perseverance. Now, starting back full time ministry as a pastor at the beginning of a pandemic. What have you learned about perseverance? How did maybe your time at Beeson prepare you for such a moment as this? >>Ruby: And it really did. I must admit, having been at Beeson and those ten years it really engrained into me, “Don’t quit. Keep pushing yourself. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. Keep trying. Keep going.” And that’s what I have had to use now because when I came to Wayman Chapel in December of 2020 no one was in the church. Everything was ... for them, they did not have any platform for virtual and so they were ... no one’s really coming for the drive-in services that they were having. So, it was hard. And it still is hard because as you can see we’re still in a honeymoon season. Okay? I just got there in December 2020. So, we really do not know each other. So, I’m still having to find innovative ways to connect with my people and prayer has been the one thing that I have had to rely on. Making sure that I’m covering the people with God’s Word. And in reference to that, every Wednesday I send out a prayer to each person who has allowed us to have their telephone, because Dallas County where my church is located, the telephone reception is poor as well as internet service is poor. And so that’s a challenge. I have been preaching and starting to preach and in the middle of a sermon and the internet goes out. I’ve been on the telephone when the telephone won’t even connect. So, it has been a challenge. But if I persevered at Beeson to get where I am (laughs) I know that I can do it now. And so God has been with me. He has done some exciting things there in terms of our turning around, because at one time Wayman Chapel was very [inaudible 00:14:48] in the Montgomery [inaudible 00:14:52] District. Because of children growing up, leaving, moving and others have not replaced them the congregation is about 58 members on roll and of those 58 members only about seven are youth. So, it’s a matter about having to bring back the youth into the church. It’s a matter of reaching out to those who have been there and who have left. So, that’s what we’re in the process of doing now. That’s one of the things that we are trying to do. We’re trying to get social media up. We have no Facebook page, we have no website. So, we’re trying to get social media. We have no Twitter account. We’re doing that now, as a matter of fact. The young lady who is doing this with us – she’s just completed it and so we’re now getting ready to launch it. And so we’re having drive-in movie nights on Friday nights once a month. So, just a matter of trying to get the people back. And trying to let them know that they are loved. I love them. God loves them the most. But just trying to do something to make them want to come back. Because as you know, they have said that many of them are not going to come back, and so we’re just trying to make sure that they will be coming back. >>Doug Sweeney: Pastor Ruby, if I may, I want to try to draw out a little bit more wisdom from you on this notion of being resilient in ministry. At Beeson we spent a lot of time this last year talking about this challenge, the challenge of resilience. Resilience in ministry. We talked about it some in the last issue of our magazine. It was the theme of our first annual alumni conference this past fall. We’ve talked about it on the podcast. We’ve talked about it in classrooms and so based on a decent amount of experience I can tell our listeners a lot of pastors and others are flagging these days. They’re tired. They’re struggling with the challenge of resilience. And even just having listened to you for a few minutes talk about the way the Lord has used you and what your life story has been like. So, you sound like somebody who knows as much as anybody else around about the challenge of resilience. Do you have any wisdom? I mean, just imagining some of the folks listening right now are going to be feeling pretty low, pretty tired. They’re going to be feeling like they need a little encouragement. What do they need to hear? Do you have any advice for folks like that about staying strong and resilient in ministry? >>Ruby: For me, having come through that and going through it even now still, I think the one thing that I can ... I’ll say two things that we have to make sure that we are doing. Is taking care of ourselves through it all. And making sure that we are focusing upon what needs to be focused upon. And that for us it’s got to be God. I tell my congregation all the time that, “Don’t be no people pleaser. Be a God pleaser.” So, for us to be resilient, for us to get through, and for us being people of color, we’ve always had to bounce back. We’ve always been knocked down. As God’s Word says, the righteous are knocked down seven times, each time we rise up again. And so we have to continue to know that even through this challenge that we are facing right now, and it is really ... it wears you down. Because for me I’m a solo in ministry. There are no other paid ministerial staff. I’m it. So, therefore I grew up in the rotary telephone season. Okay? So, therefore, I am having to learn Zoom. I’m having to learn how to do all of the things in order for us to communicate with our congregation. And so for me it’s just to know that I always remember that God is doing a new thing. And we cannot continue to stay where we are because God is calling us to a new place and a new time in a new way. So, I always tell them that’s what we have to do. You can endure this because God is doing something new. And because he is we can bounce forward, we can continue. Sure, it’s going to be hard. That’s why self care is so very important. That is my message now since I had those two years of supernumerial status. That’s what I tell all. And especially females, because we tend to overwork. We tend not to say “no.” And as a result we tend to be overworked and not getting the rest, not getting the spiritual retreat that we need, and then so I just make sure that I tell everyone to take care of yourself but make sure that you’re looking to the Lord because he’s doing a new thing. >>Kristen Padilla: You are on the podcast for our series on African American Ministry Emphasis Month. So, I wonder if we can pivot now to just talking about the richness of the African American Church? Specifically, the AME Church. What makes the AME Church different from other African American denominations? What do you love about it? Just anything that you can do to shine a light on the African American Church in general and then the AME Church in particular. >>Ruby: I love the rich history, as you said, of the AME Church. The AME Church was founded by Richard Allen in 1787 and it started mainly because they were the slaves, they were mistreated in St. George Church in Philadelphia. They had helped build the church. They had helped do everything that needed to be done for their church to stand as a congregation. They went to worship one Sunday and they were relegated to the balcony. Going up into the balcony they were praying. They were praying on their knees and then the usher pulled them off of their knees and told them they had to move. They had to go someplace else. Richard Allen and the others were saying, “Just wait till prayer is over and you won’t be bothered with us anymore.” And so that’s how the AME Church began. It began because of un-Christian-like acts towards us because of racial discrimination, because of those things that we’re still dealing with on today. For me, that is who I am – that is part of my background. Because as I said I grew up, I was born in ’52. So, therefore, I was born in those time periods when I could not go to swimming pools. I had to go into the back rooms of restaurants. I could not go into the department stores to try on clothes. I could not eat at a restaurant, which was famous in the area. I could not do those things. So, as a result, I can relate to how our church began, how our denomination began, and because it began like that and because we are where we are now, an African American church feeds me because it knows what I’ve been through, and it knows what I’m going through. It knows that there’s still a lot of bigotry, a lot of racism, and because they do someone in their church is going to be able to relate to what I’m going through. So, as a result, we can be able to talk it through and be able to talk it out. We’ll be able to be a sounding board. We’ll be able to help each other out in the struggles, in the challenges we face, and so for me the AME Church was the background of that. It started from that. That’s how we began. Because they walked out and they said, “You won’t be bothered with us anymore. We will not be a part of you anymore.” And so they started their own church from a blacksmith shop that Richard Allen purchased and from that they started the AME Church. From the AME Church the other denominations came because we saw that we could not express ourselves. We could not worship in a manner that we had grown to love. And so that is still a part of me. That’s still a part of the social injustices that we are dealing with now. And the church has been in the forefront of that. Our church is making sure that we are taken care of the needs of everyone spiritually, emotionally, physically, and socially. And because of that we are involved in the entire person, not just their spiritual development. We want the entire person, the whole person to be whole – because that’s who ... God created us to be whole. He created us to be a part of the world in which we’re in, but not of this world. In it but not of it. And as such we are to go through it knowing that God has equipped us as well to go through all of the challenges that we’re facing because we know that he is still God and he will bring us through, just like he brought the Israelites through. We can always go back to that. The crossing of the Red Sea. Always go to that. He brought them through and how he continues to bring them through. If he did it for them, he can do it for us. So, for me, that’s why I love the AME Church. I have been Baptist when I first got to Huntsville after I left New Jersey. I joined Progressive Union Missionary Baptist Church and then when I moved further down into Calera I joined Liberty Missionary Baptist Church. So, I have been in a Baptist church as well but I still was not able to relate to it as keenly as I am to the AME Church because of the history of it. So, that’s why I decided to come back. I love the ritual. I love the liturgy. I love everything about the church. And so that’s why I decided to come back from being a Baptist, back to my roots of an AME church. >>Doug Sweeney: Ruby, Kristen and I always like to end our interviews with people by asking them what the Lord is doing in their lives these days? What is he telling you these days? What is he teaching you these days? Because we like to end with a pastoral word of encouragement for our listeners. So, how about you? What’s the Lord doing in your life these days that we might conclude with as a way of lifting up our listeners a little bit? >>Ruby: Right now God is really speaking to me in terms of waiting upon him. One thing that I have been accused of in the past (laughs) is not waiting long enough on the Lord. And so God is telling me to, “Wait and let me fight your battles. Wait and let me work it all out for you. Wait on me and you will see what I can do in your situation.” And so for me my word of encouragement to everyone, even though it may look dark now, even though it may look like God is not moving, it may look like you’re at a crossroads in your life and you don’t know which road to take, wait on the Lord and let him direct your steps. Wait up on him and let him show you the way in which you ought to walk in. Because he will do it. When I was going through my two year supernumerary status, God came to me in such a profound way. When I was at my lowest point. I was at Kirkland Hospital and I was riding around in the parking lot trying to find a parking space and as I went further and further up I ended up on the top floor. I had never been up on the top floor before. Every time I’ve gone to the Kirkland Clinic I’ve always been able to find something. Went all the way up and during that time God was talking to me. I was talking back to God. “God, why you got me way up here on this floor? I’ve never been up here before.” But God was working it out because he was telling me to call Reverend Dr. Ronald Sterling. I was telling him, “God, I don’t know how to get in contact with him. You’ve got to show ... you’ve got to talk to me.” And so when I walk up to the elevator to go to the floor that I’m on I punched the elevator, open up the door. Who’s standing there? Reverend Ronald Sterling. That was nothing but God orchestrating it. And he was telling me to “Wait. Just wait on me to let me work it out. Wait on me for your healing. Wait on me for your deliverance. Wait on me for the direction in which your ministry is to go. While you’re waiting, pray. Pray the prayer of Solomon.” For God to give me wisdom and knowledge to be able to go out and to come in before his people. Because who can govern his people? [inaudible 00:28:00] They’re his people. And so waiting and praying. Those are the two things that he has been showing me. Those two things he has been talking to me about. And those are the two things I want to share with you to make sure that you’re waiting on the Lord. As you’re waiting, make sure that you’re praying. And as you pray, just watch and see what God would do in your life. >>Doug Sweeney: That is a good word indeed. For those who may not know, Dr. Ronald Sterling is the Director of Student Services here at Beeson and a Professor of Spiritual Theology on our faculty. He is also an ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. In fact, his congregation was mentioned over the course of this interview. Well, listeners, you have been hearing the Reverend Ruby Heard-Bustamonte, Pastor of the Wayman Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Valley Grand, Alabama. We are very grateful to her for sharing her time with us today. We’re grateful to you for tuning in. We pray that God will bless you, and we say “goodbye” for now. >>Kristen Padilla: You’ve been listening to the Beeson podcast. Our theme music is written and performed by Advent Birmingham of the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama. Our engineer is Rob Willis. Our announcer is Mike Pasquarello. Our co-hosts are Doug Sweeney and, myself, Kristen Padilla. Please subscribe to the Beeson podcast at www.BeesonDivinity.com/podcast or on iTunes.