S.H.A.P.E. Assessment Results

Thank you Nancy J McFadden for taking the SHAPE Assessment. We encourage you to meet with a Church Leader that you respect, to go over your results, so that they can help you discover a place to serve in the church and/or community, and also to help you fine-tune your 5 Main Focuses/Priorities listed at the bottom of this email under the ‘Wrapping it up’ section. May God Bless You!

[S]piritual Gifts

Here is how your spiritual gifts scored (in alphabetical order):

31%

43%

53%

59%

59%

40%

21%

65%

43%

To see descriptions on the Spiritual Gifts and how you can use them to further Christ’s Kingdom on earth, visit this link.

This gift’s evident in my life in the following ways:
I usually am more comfortable helping than leading. I have a ministry of such through cards and showing concern (visitations, phone calls etc). I have been told I have a gift of hospitality, though I panic when it comes to cooking for others. I love to decorate and have people over, but cooking is not my gift. I am capable, but don’t enjoy doing it.

This gift’s evident in my life in the following ways:
I am a joyful giver and love to help financially, as able.

This gift’s evident in my life in the following ways:
I have a heart for people and see each one as a child of God, especially those who are most difficult. I try not to judge others, but also tend away from ministry in this area because I worked with very needy, ill, poverty- stricken people for 28 years as a representative payee for persons with mental illness in an inner city ministry that had a food pantry and clothing room. I saw a lot of alcoholism, and struggled greatly with the dishonesty in every area of these persons lives. While I realize much of it was a survival mechanism, of sorts, it made trust and empathy very difficult on my part. I care deeply, but am not a “bleeding heart fixer- type” for this reason. I do have a heart for those with mental illnesses. I have struggled with mild depression most of my adult life, and worked with many very ill persons. With a few exceptions, they were lovely. I still keep in contact with many of them, even after retiring 8 years ago.

[H]eart

1. For 3 years I have been seaching for 300 Vietnam Veterans that my deceased mother sent care packages and letters to between 1966-1971. Though many of them have died, and many are unreachable, I have reconnected with many of them and shared the letters they wrote to her 55 yrs ago. It has been a joy and blessing to both them and to me, and surely also makes my mother smile, as well.
I serve on a Norwood Alumni Veterans Committee and do what I can to love on them: hospital visits, emails, cards, phone calls etc.

2. I have been collecting litter in my neighborhood of Madisonville for 4 years now. I just received an award for doing so. Weather permitting, I go out from 2-10 times a month and collect 1-3 kitchen bags of trash each trip.

3. I love decorating my home with seasonal decor: Valentines, St. Patricks, April Showers, Easter, Mothers Day, Fourth of July, Ladybug, Sunflowers, Fall, & Christmas. I have been hosting “theme” potluck luncheons for my girlfriends from high school. I organize games, wrap prizes, have theme favors for each luncheon. It has been a wonderful time of fun and fellowship. I enjoy creating things with art, sewing, baking etc. I loved decorating tables for meals at our former church

I love babies and young children but don’t seem to have the patience that I used to.

church directory (what happened to ours?)

Abortion/sanctity of Life
Financial stewardship

[A]bilities

wife, mother/grandmother/retired

some teaching, payee for persons with mental illnesses, volunteer training in mental health,

administrative volunteer work over the years: collating orders in a food coop, LaLeche League secretary; church directories; church newsletters; outreach committee reports,check writing and mailings/

young children’s sunday school, presentation/talk on abortion; led a sharing circle with grade school children (Magic Circle),

Communication/Writing. I am able to put into writing effective communications on many different levels: articles for several newsletters, postings on Social Media concerning faith, greeting card outreach ministry, organizing family letters, notices, written life stories, 30 piece post on Facebook on Norwood Soldiers in Vietnam, etc

[P]ersonality

Reserved

Low Risk

Peace Maker

50-50 People/Project Driven

50-50 Follower/Leader

50-50 Routine/Variety

Your Primary was ‘The Beaver’, with your Secondary coming in as ‘The Retriever’, and here are the descriptions of your Personalities, and how they can be used for God

Beaver- Organized. Beavers think that there is a right way to do everything and they want to do it exactly that way. Beaver personalities are very creative. They desire to solve everything. Desire to take their time and do it right. Beavers do not like sudden changes. They need reassurance.

Strength: High standards, order, respect
Weakness: Unrealistic expectations of self & others, too perfect.
Limitation: Seeing the optimistic side of things, expressing flexibility

Golden Retriever- Good at making friends. Very loyal. Retriever personalities do not like big changes. They look for security. Can be very sensitive. Very caring. Has deep relationships, but usually only a couple of close friends. Wants to be loved by everyone. Looks for appreciation. Works best in a limited situation with a steady work pattern.

Strength: Accommodating, calm, affirming
Weakness: Indecisive, indifferent, unable to express emotional, too soft on other people
Limitation: Seeing the need to be more assertive, holding others accountable

[E]xperience

My dad was an Episcopal minister. I always felt close to God and loved going to church but my faith didn’t become personal until I participated in a women’s group Bible study. The Word came alive and personal to me at that point.

Good Shepherd Episcopal Church – Norwood Ohio ( 1955-1972) altar guild,youth group, Sunday School, (dad was pastor there until it closed)

Holy Trinity Episcopal Church – Madeira, Ohio (1973-1986) Senior warden, Sunday school teacher, choir, youth group leader, Cursillo renewal weekend teams, newsletter editor

Church of the Advent (charismatic Episcopal church) (1986-94?) choir, representative payee for 28 yrs, abortion sidewalk ministry convention delegate; our pastor left the Episcopal church when it became very liberal. Half the congregation went with him and started :

The Fellowship of Jesus Christ – Silverton, Ohio – Non denominational (1994-2012?) church directory, choir, Outreach ministry secretary, greeters, hospitality chairperson. The church closed and building was given to:
Messiah Community Church Silverton, Ohio 2014-2023? church directory, helper with funerals, janitorial, greeters

Being raised by loving parents in a Christian home. The example my parents set for honesty, kindness, generosity, forgiveness, faith, love and fun molded me into the person I am today. I am very grateful for their modeling love and sharing with us the very precious gift of faith and belief in Jesus Christ.

I have been very blessed with many things since I was a child. We had very little money, but I never knew it. Most of the furniture in our home was given to us. We never went without anything we needed and I later learned why….my parents were faithful givers and tithers, even on Dad’s very low salary. I was shocked to hear that they tithed 10%, when as an adult I asked how much I should give. It has impacted me greatly and led me to do the same no matter what our finances were (and they were often very meager). We have been showered with blessings over and over again, as well.

When I was in my first year of college, I was dating a man who was uneducated, and very different from me. He drank and I realized he was cheating on me. I was in nurses training and part of our training was to go to the burns unit of Children’s hospital. When I looked at those children who were suffering , yet so brave, it really opened my eyes and turned my life around. God spoke to me through that moment and I soon broke up with him. I realized life was too precious to spend it with someone with values so different from mine.

My husband broke our engagement when I was 20 yrs old. I really sought solace in the Lord when I discovered I was pregnant. I kept that secret to myself until he returned several months later. We married when I was 6 months pregnant.

I struggled through an alcoholic marriage for years. Even after Tim quit drinking, he never got counseling and continues with some dry drunk patterns of relating. It has affected our marriage greatly. We have remained faithful but still need healing in many areas.

Our first granddaughter was conceived when our eldest son was 16 yr. old. He and his girlfriend got money from friends at school and went to get an abortion in Kentucky. Because she was so far along, she was required to spend the night and they didn’t have the money to do so, so they returned home. They ended up placing our first grandchild for adoption. It was heartwrenching but the best thing for all. We have never heard from her, and it took many years to recover from the loss.

Wrapping It Up

The Challenge: Based upon your S.H.A.P.E. Assessment above (the way God wired you), If you knew you couldn’t fail … and ‘lack of money, or time’ was not an obstacle… list your Top 3 Things you would ‘Focus’ your Life on, next to #1 Loving God & #2 Loving Your Neighbor (these would be your ‘3 God-Sized Dreams’ for your life)?

1. My Relationship with GOD

2. My Relationship with Others

• Putting Your Spouse First
• Your Kids Second
• Everyone Else After those

3. more spiritual discipline

4. healing in my marriage

5. comfort witnessing to others