Alumni Spotlight: Anna Clingon

Anna’s evident desire to seek Jesus and lead others to Him marks her life.  

Since graduating from TBC’s Elementary Education program in 2007, Anna has served in many different ministry capacities in the U.S., west Africa, and the middle East. So it may come as a surprise to learn that she says serving in ministry has — at times — taken the shape of an idol in her life. “It can be a weakness of mine to find my identity in ministry… like that can become my idol. It’s just a constant struggle for me.”

In fighting this natural tendency, Anna has learned to intentionally prioritize seeking Jesus over serving Him.

Reflecting on her own story, Anna says that her time as a resident assistant at TBC under the leadership of Mike Grover (former dean of students at TBC) planted the seed of evaluating scripture, seeking the heart of Jesus, and adjusting her life accordingly. (In contrast to simply doing what she had always been taught and being busy in ministry.)  Since that time, Anna pinpoints experiences from her time in Togo, Iraq, Orlando, and now in Alabama, that have that have been instrumental in journey of learning to seek Jesus over service.

Her time as a teacher-missionary in Togo stripped away the illusion of cultural Christianity.

No familiar hymns, no dress codes, and no traditional routines forced her to confront the core of what it means to seek and follow Jesus. She learned that seeking Jesus was not merely adherence to a set of moral standards but the realization that the gospel is a daily necessity for everyone, including herself.  

Teaching English in Iraq, she witnessed the unwavering faith of Iraqi believers.

Seeing how they literally risked everything for their faith challenged her to reevaluate her own spiritual walk. Their reliance on prayer and a deep personal relationship to Jesus amid chaos showed a level of dependence that Anna longed for in her own life. During this time she learned that seeking Jesus both demands and results in a deep, thriving relationship with Him through prayer.

When Anna transitioned back to Togo as a hospital chaplain, she found herself overwhelmed by the suffering she witnessed daily.

She says this time in her life highlighted for her the emotional strength of Jesus.  She learned that seeking Him reveals His compassion and the need for us to demonstrate that compassion to others.  She recalls with vivid clarity the emotions that moved her so deeply during that season. 

“All manner of problems came to the hospital… there were instances of severe illness or even death by domestic violence, or malaria , or AIDS, or cancer… hard, hard cases… it was overwhelming!  I’d come home exhausted from it all, but to think that Jesus sees every corner of the world every day and everyone’s whole story… and he’s saying, ‘I want you to abide in me! I want you to just come to me!’ The emotional capacity that Jesus has to want people to be that needy for him and not be annoyed, and to be able to carry all of that just really blows my mind.”

It was on the heels of this season that Anna experienced a sequence of profound personal losses in her life. 

This led to her move back to Orlando, Florida where she became involved with ministry to foreign exchange students and a ministry focused on reaching the LGBTQ community.  Anna describes this season of her life as a healing one; it was when she learned to accept the comfort through seeking Jesus.

“I was coming off the time in Togo with the thought ‘others have suffered so much more’ which was valid in a sense.  But by staying in that thought process I wasn’t receiving the comfort that Jesus has to offer me. And there’s always going to always going to be someone whose story seems harder than yours. But the fact is that Jesus is the comforter, and He cares so deeply no matter what it is.”

Looking back over the past 15+ years, Anna sees she was learning key lessons that now enrich her current life stage.

Recently, she stepped back from public ministry into the role of wife and mother.  She describes her current season as “experiencing the sweetness of being hidden in Him”.  

Two years ago, Anna married Will Clingon.  After multiple miscarriages and health scares, Anna and Will were overjoyed by the birth of their daughter, Eden.  Not only has Anna begun the new journey of motherhood, but her beautiful daughter, Eden, was born with special needs. As she settles into a season of snuggles, feeding schedules, and learning the intricacies of raising a child with Down Syndrome, Anna also finds joy in serving as a prayer warrior and behind-the scenes encourager.

Seeking Jesus for decades prior to this season has taught her aspects of the gospel, prayer, compassion, accepting comfort, and healing, that have opened her eyes to the joy and responsibility of “the other side” of ministry.  Her experiences have grown her empathy and ability to strengthen others through prayer and friendship.

For Anna, the transition has reinforced the truth that no matter what her circumstances or geographical location, there will always be opportunity for service, but seeking Jesus must always be the priority.  We are primarily called to seek Him in order to know and love Him for who He is.

The timing of Anna’s story feels particularly fitting.

This year’s theme at TBC is “Seek 2 Know”, which highlights the importance of seeking Jesus in order to know Him, as opposed to simply living our lives knowing about Him. “Seeking Jesus” may feel an ambiguous idea for some, so we asked Anna to close out her story by sharing practical ideas that may help others seek Jesus with intention, and continually grow in their relationship with Him.

She mentioned two main practices that she has found helpful: 

  1. Look for ways to “waste time” with Jesus; slow down and be still in His presence.  This might look like journaling, meditating on Scripture, or listening to/reading about the testimonies of others who walk with Jesus.
  2. Find community.  Specifically, a group of people to pray with, whether in person or over the phone. This sense of accountability and shared faith can provide strength and encouragement.

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