Meet Laura!
Last weekend, Laura Callarman, our program director, graduated with her Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree from ACU. Congrats, Dr. Callarman! You can read a bit about Laura here, but we can’t think of a better time to tell you more about who she is than while celebrating this massive accomplishment!
Laura grew up in the gorgeous hills of Northwest Arkansas (something she didn’t appreciate enough until she moved to Abilene ). She completed undergrad degrees in history and European studies at the University of Arkansas, where she was also a cymbal player in the Razorback Marching Band. During her time in college, Laura joined in on several summer-long mission trips abroad and began to discern a call into mission and ministry.
In 2013, she moved to Abilene to pursue a Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree at ACU. It was there that she discovered a love of house churches and intentional Christian community, along with a passion for spiritual formation and vocational discernment, particularly when working with people who are motivated to learn and grow. It was also at ACU that Laura met Rosten Callarman, who she married in 2012. Laura and Rosten now have three rambunctious children — Asher (7), Evangeline (5), and Genevieve (3) — who bring lots of energy, excitement, and noise to their lives. They also were founding members of the Eden Community in 2013, so they’ve now walked through ten years of life together as part of this vibrant family of Jesus!
While not finishing out her doctoral studies, directing the launch of Eden Fellows, or parenting those three crazy kids, Laura likes to spend her time in reading, reflection, and creativity. She’s an Enneagram 1, so she can always find something that needs putting on a list and perfecting—and she self-admittedly has a hard time slowing down. Plus she’s an introvert, so all that time with people needs to be balanced by time alone in the quiet. To that end, Laura finds journaling a really enjoyable way to engage with God. But she’s also found that she truly comes alive when she gets to be adventurous, creative, and relationally connected. She loves travel, playing games, making crafty things to decorate her home, and cooking fun new foods. In her time off, you can catch her either scrolling Pinterest and Instagram for ideas of things to make or reading some good historical or science fiction.
Congrats, Laura, on completing your degree, and thanks for all the work you do with Eden Fellows!
