Be Bold

be BOLD Getting Personal on the Pages

Michelle Hoverson shares life lessons from her pastoral career in book

BY: » Lara Tumer PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF : » Michelle Hoverson

Michelle Hoverson, a female pastor based in Cornelius, brings a fresh perspective on faith and fortitude to her growing community. Serving as an Associate Pastor at Grace Covenant for nearly two decades was simply the start of her vocation in service and mentorship, most recently authoring a book called Mentoring Moments with Myself.

Following God’s plan

Her career as a pastor stemmed from an inner invitation she felt. Simply put, “it was never in my personal plan, but was in God’s.” With both of her grandfathers serving as pastors in their communities, this level of commitment in the church was not foreign to Hoverson.

She recalls the way the book came to life, shortly after she was invited to speak as part of a guest series on unsung heroes. She spoke about Jonathan in 1 Samuel 14, concluding that “In the end, people most often regret the chances they failed to take—not the chances they took and failed.” She then shared a letter she had written to her younger self, which is now the first letter in her book, titled “Go for It.” A friend of Hoverson’s posted the video of her reading the letter, and soon it had close to 20,000 views—with many requests for her to write more. Like other moments in Hoverson’s life, she felt a calling to do something she had never expected—write a book.

In just over a year she had a collection of 16 letters on life, faith, love and leadership, allowing her to share her learnings and missteps with others. Her hope is that anyone who reads her book will see that those in ministry are not perfect, they are simply gaining a new perspective. She hopes readers of her book might change courses and avoid going down the wrong path through her personal reflections.

“In the end, people most often regret the chances they failed to take—not the chances they took and failed.”

Going above and beyond

The proceeds of the book will all go to fund her non-profit organization, Above and Beyond Missions, which is dedicated to granting funds for short-term mission trips through local service. What once started as a local foundation has now gained headway, allowing more than 1,300 individuals to go on missions and resulting in over 18,000 hours of local non-profit service. The motto “serve local to go global” is an important aspect of the organization, with hopes that even after the individuals return from their trip, they will continue to serve their community. Salvation Army, Second Harvest Food Bank, and Habitat for Humanity are just a few of the many organizations that Above and Beyond Missions works with.

Through speaking with Hoverson, it is apparent that her faith will continue to guide her through whatever is in store next. After a short break in 2020, her organization is now accepting applicants for mission trips in early 2021. As it says in the first chapter of her book, she will to continue to “go for it,” refusing to “settle for less than divine adventure.”

To learn more about Michelle Hoverson, or to purchase a copy of the book, visit www.michellehoverson.com.