Former Wasilla resident ordained as minister

A former Wasilla High School student is answering to a higher call, as she was recently ordained.

Mindi Welton, a 1995 Wasilla High School graduate, was ordained as an American Baptist minister on June 8 in Newton Centre, Mass. She is currently the minister of education at the 1st Baptist Church of Newton Centre, where she also preaches about once a month.

Welton said she decided to become a minister at the age of 13.

"My grandfather was a minister and we visited him in Pennsylvania and I saw him preaching and thought that was going to be me some day," Welton said. "In high school I went back and forth with it, but in college, I knew that's what I wanted to do."

She attended Linfield College and then the Andover Newton Theological School, the oldest theological graduate school in the country. While there, she attended 1st Baptist Church of Newton Centre, where several of her professors also attended.

When the minister of education there left, her professors recommended her, and ultimately, she got the job. Now, she is standing up in front of her professors.

"It's a little weird preaching to your professors," Welton admitted. "It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to work in the church I attended for so long. It was a great opportunity."

As the minister of education, Welton works with both children and adults. She said she enjoys working with young people "because of their energy and enthusiasm. You can be yourself."

Welton said that while she would like to return to Alaska, right now she is happy in Massachusetts.

"I'm open to the opportunity of returning home, but right now I've got a great job and am perfectly happy here," Welton said. "I miss home and think of it often.

"I think that if I didn't come home, eventually, I'd at least like to get back to the West Coast," Welton said.

Her mother, Sarah Welton, said the education she received at WHS helped spur her daughter on to bigger and better things.

"A lot of our kiddos are growing up and doing really good things as a result of the education they received here in the Valley," Sarah Welton said. "There are good teachers here and a good system."

Her family attends Church of the Covenant, which was Welton's home church until she left for school.

"I think she was nurtured by the small congregation and the feel of the church," Sarah Welton said.

Each American Baptist church decides who to ordain as a minister, Sarah Welton explained, and even though her daughter had all the education and experience required, it was still a long process, complete with panel interviews about her faith and her calling. Her talents were obvious, though.

"Even today, it is still hard for some people to see women ordained," Sarah Welton said. "Even though we've been ordaining women for centuries, it's still hard for some people."