Elizabeth, A Godly Friend: Karla Nivens

Karla Nivens, now Director of Justice Ministry, was on the Cornerstone’s worship team when Rev. Elizabeth Moseley joined the HPUMC staff.

“The message was, ‘She was a Rhodes Scholar, we've got the smartest person ever that has come through theology school,’” Karla said. “We were like, ‘Well, what is she going to do? The answer was, ‘Well, we don't know.’”

The staff got their answer when Elizabeth joined the Cornerstone team. “She came on staff and was the sweetest person,” Karla said. “She could talk to a whole room, get to know everybody, remember their names, remember details about their lives, and then her position just grew from there. She was just a dynamic person.”

Karla had weekly team meetings with Elizabeth as part of the Cornerstone staff, but their friendship grew beyond the walls of HPUMC.

“Elizabeth and I and a couple of the ladies on staff would always head to Luby’s to have a good meal on a day when it was raining to cheer us up,” Karla said. “We also got our families together and went to dinners or lunch after church at certain times.”

Karla describes Elizabeth as a friend to everybody; someone that people, including her, felt that they could be open and honest with.

“We talked about everything,” she said. “We talked about politics. We talked about our faith. We talked about theology, and that would help me when I was talking to other congregants. If there was a tragedy, she and I could have a conversation about where God is and how God is bringing the body of Christ together to minister to people in need and minister to the world.”

Elizabeth kickstarted Small Groups at HPUMC with Rev. Paul Rasmussen during the time that she and Karla were colleagues.

“We have so many pathways in our discipleship area because she thought about them and started them,” Karla said “She's really good at relating to people, really good at problem-solving, and really good at starting new ministries.”

Karla recounted a time she saw Elizabeth preach at what is now The Table, HPUMC’s missional church, and how a strong start helped to make her sermons compelling to a varied audience.

“When she starts out, she gives several real-day examples before she gets into Scripture,” Karla said. “That is a staple of how she preaches. Even that day, she came in like a whirlwind. She came in, sat down, put her purse down, got her Bible out, and they were like, ‘And Elizabeth is here to preach.’”

Karla has had a front-row seat to Elizabeth’s impact at HPUMC.

“She dove in completely and did some phenomenal work here at Highland Park, and I'm sure she'll do the same at First United Methodist,” Karla said. “She's done a beautiful job at being truly herself, being truly pastoral, being truly caring, and communicating the word of God.”