Amelia Fisher has found peace and quiet sitting on this wooden bench in the courtyard outside The Chapel of the Cross on East Franklin Street in Chapel Hill.

Ever-Present: A Story of Faith

A child of our church, Amelia Fisher graduates May 9 from UNC-Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Journalism and Psychology. In August, she begins her studies at Duke Divinity School – open to God’s call on her life and, at age 22, a published author.

Amelia wrote Ever-Present partly as a response to the question she asks herself: “Am I a person I can be proud of?” The answer, of course, is “Yes!”

Amelia, the daughter of Louisa and Beau Fisher, was baptized and confirmed in our church. Youth gatherings helped shape who she was. It’s where she asked questions. Found a community to turn to during those complicated high school years. Deepened her relationship with God. Embraced servanthood on mission trips to Mexico and sharing prayer on Sunday night visits to Charlotte gas stations and laundromats.

The number of clergy, staff and church members who mentored and inspired Amelia are too many to mention by name. Let’s just agree that a village – the village of Myers Park United Methodist Church – joined her on the journey that led to her book and the blessings to follow.

In Ever-Present, Amelia shares the challenges she and others her age face. For Amelia, that included the loss of a high school friend in a wreck, and the loss of another high school friend due to a medical issue. She refers to the mental health crisis plaguing many youth and introduces us to her friend, Molly, who created beaded bracelets that spelled out “U R Loved.”

Amelia writes: “In a season where we were grieving, wrestling with loss and uncertainty, it was like a quiet army of neon-threaded reminders. You are not alone.”

Those four words form the theme of the book, for as she writes:

“The pain I was carrying, the heartbreak, the grief the uncertainty…they weren’t meant to be skipped over. They were meant to be walked through – hand in hand with the Lord.

“He’s whispering reassurance when you’re crying alone in your room. He’s beside you when you feel unseen or left out.

“…if you take nothing else from Ever-Present, take this: God is not far.”

A child of our church indeed.

Ever-Present is available at Goodness Gracious, Park Road Books and at www.everpresentpages.com. It is in paperback, hardcover and Kindle and can be ordered online through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. This story was written by Charlotte freelance writer/editor Ken Garfield.