Hi, I’m Mary Dotson. My husband, Ash and our goldendoodle, Bella are thrilled to make Las Vegas our home. I was born in northern Michigan and have lived many places – Nevada is now the seventh state I can call home. My paternal side of the family is Anabaptist (Mennonite, Church of the Brethren, Brethren in Christ.) My father, uncles, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all pastors. I lived and breathed church-life for as long as I can remember. Through a series of dreams/visions, I sensed a call to ordained ministry when I was in eleventh grade. However, women could not be pastors in my denomination and so I was encouraged to study to become a missionary. After college, I taught English as a Second Language in Tokyo Japan.
It wasn’t until my two children (Ian and Susan) were in high school and after spending hours on soccer fields and attending many many track meets did I again hear the call to ordained ministry. I attended an American Baptist Seminary in west Philadelphia, about 2 hours from my home. It was during my systematic theology class, I came to realize my love of the sacraments, liturgy, and the concept of prevenient grace. While completing a year long internship at a very large United Methodist Church near my home, I took the necessary and very holy steps of becoming a member of The United Methodist Church. I then began the long – and holy – process of being ordained.
My years in Japan helped plant the seed of contemplation within me. I practice daily meditative prayer – lectio divina. I find joy in water-coloring, sewing, and hand built ceramics.
My husband, Ash and I felt called to the desert while on retreat at Desert House of Prayer in Tuscon, AZ. Four years ago I was appointed to First United Methodist Church of Safford, AZ. Ash and I loved the Sonorian Desert, and now look forward to experiencing God at work in the southern Mojave.
