UP THE HILL As young staffers dream of public servanthood, Sue Vernalis asks Christians on Capitol Hill to think about helping change the world for Christ.
By Angie Bring
Photographs by Tom Mills
On Washington, D.C.'s Capitol Hill, most everyone is looking for something from others. A 5-foot-3-inch Campus Crusade for Christ staff member operates under a different premise. Sue Vernalis stands out with a desire to give, not take.
Sue's average day on the Hill is inaugurated with her passage through security screening. As her brown handbag stutters along the belt, she walks through the gate and smiles at the guard. She grabs her bag and clicks down the hallway, freely traversing long, underground tunnels between the House of Representatives office buildings, the Senate office buildings and the Capitol.
She's on her way to meet women "staffers" employed by senators. Time is politics on Capitol Hill—escaping the gravitational pull of their desks is nearly impossible on many days, but the staffers still meet Sue for a weekly Bible study. These are 60 precious minutes.
Sue is an unpretentious, no-watch-wearing staff member with Christian Embassy, the arm of Campus Crusade that reaches out to men and women working in government. On a team of 26 at Christian Embassy, D.C., Sue is the only one who spends all her time with spiritually interested female staffers, helping equip them to integrate faith in Christ into their life and job.
Today a handful of women meet in a conference room in the basement of a Senate office building. Their discussion revolves around recent promotions and then shifts to the week's homework from the Book of Nehemiah. Soon the hour wraps up.
"If I don't have a business card from you," says Sue to a high-heeled legislative assistant, "can you get me one?"
Sue isn't a lobbyist looking for a vote or wanting to pad her Rolodex. Instead, the 40-year-old requests cards to keep in her pocket each day, pulling them out whenever she has a few minutes to spare in order to pray specifically for each woman.
She knows that the high aspirations and frenzied pace draw a certain type of person to Washington. "You don't come here to figure out what you believe," says Sue. "You're here because you have a vision."
Sue's car serves as a mobile office.
That resolution poses a problem for Sue. While she works hard, trusting God to change lives, the missionary has not seen anyone indicate a decision to become a Christian and follow Christ during her six years in Washington. The battle is uphill.
Even building relationships and trust with Christians takes time, and squeezing into a staffer's schedule often transpires slowly. At times it can be discouraging to consider the sheer number of staffers—very conservatively calculated to be at least 5,480—and their frequent job turnover rate.
"The task of spawning movements within our ministry audience is overwhelming," says Bob Varney, who directs Christian Embassy, D.C. "It is something only God can do."
Sue stays because she knows God is working. The challenges, though daunting, do not dissuade her.
Julia Koppius, looking back to her time as a young staffer, admits she was initially skeptical toward religion. Her chief of staff continually challenged her to consider the claims of Christ. As a result, in 1997 she began attending a Christian Embassy Bible study. "I felt nonjudgmental love," says Julia, now senior advisor for the Netherlands Embassy. Over time, sincere friendship and God's truth won her over, and she chose to trust in Jesus.
"Christian Embassy has such an important role to play in Washington," Julia says. "Think of the impact that a redirected life for the Lord could have on our nation."
On the Hill, Sue knows that demonstrating personal interest in others is a key to life change. The women Sue invests in appreciate how she engages them about their lives and jobs. And Sue understands the quickly revolving culture of two-year House of Representatives terms and six-year Senate terms. When their boss' job changes, so do theirs.
Aware of the urgency, Sue heads to the House every Monday. McCall Cameron hosts a study for staffers in her boss' office. The volume increases as women trickle in, each choosing a seat on the leather couch or a chair. An American flag stands tall in the corner.
"How do I know whom to trust?" Sue asks, beginning their book discussion. Knowing that the staffers immerse themselves in media reports, Sue prompts them to consider questions like, Is this the truth? The ultimate standard for truth, she explains, is not up for a vote.
Sue meets with young staffers in the House.
"We're always going back to the Scripture-based lens," McCall says. One week Sue gave the women a handout that addressed rest. "You don't hear about Jesus running from place to place," McCall remembers from the resource. "It was a great reminder. There was rest."
"It is encouraging," says Melissa Purswell, another Senate staffer, "to have someone who understands what we do and face at work, and in turn applies God's Word directly to it."
For Sue, understanding life in Washington took time. She arrived in 1999 after 10 years of working in campus ministry with Campus Crusade and with little knowledge about government. After settling in, she signed up for an image-consulting class so as to meet people, as well as build a wardrobe suitable for Capitol Hill—trading her jeans and fleece for tailored suits.
Sue felt ill-equipped for ministry on the Hill but was sure God wanted her there. "I was intimidated by these people." Sue says, remembering her early impressions. "I see now, in many ways, they're the same as college students, only they wear a suit to work."
Today, Sue admits that she can get caught up in the glamour of Washington. "I can forget," Sue says, "if I learned something on [the television drama] West Wing or if someone actually told me." Recently, she spotted her favorite White House news correspondent, David Gregory of NBC, on the street and trailed him to the post office in order to introduce herself.
But Sue is very grounded when she envisions what she desires to see happen on the Hill. "I want staffers to know and believe how much God loves them," says Sue, "so much that it guides their lives and decisions."
Until then, Sue plods along in her "shoe-leather ministry." She pounds the pavement in her tan-and-white dress mules, walking up the stairs and down the hallways of the Hill buildings, visiting various women.
Opening an office door, Sue smiles at Laurel Edmondson, a staffer from her Monday Bible study. She says hello—and asks for Laurel's business card.
You can contact the writer at Angie.Bring@ccci.org
By Angie Bring
Photographs by Tom Mills
On Washington, D.C.'s Capitol Hill, most everyone is looking for something from others. A 5-foot-3-inch Campus Crusade for Christ staff member operates under a different premise. Sue Vernalis stands out with a desire to give, not take.
Sue's average day on the Hill is inaugurated with her passage through security screening. As her brown handbag stutters along the belt, she walks through the gate and smiles at the guard. She grabs her bag and clicks down the hallway, freely traversing long, underground tunnels between the House of Representatives office buildings, the Senate office buildings and the Capitol.
She's on her way to meet women "staffers" employed by senators. Time is politics on Capitol Hill—escaping the gravitational pull of their desks is nearly impossible on many days, but the staffers still meet Sue for a weekly Bible study. These are 60 precious minutes.
Sue is an unpretentious, no-watch-wearing staff member with Christian Embassy, the arm of Campus Crusade that reaches out to men and women working in government. On a team of 26 at Christian Embassy, D.C., Sue is the only one who spends all her time with spiritually interested female staffers, helping equip them to integrate faith in Christ into their life and job.
Today a handful of women meet in a conference room in the basement of a Senate office building. Their discussion revolves around recent promotions and then shifts to the week's homework from the Book of Nehemiah. Soon the hour wraps up.
"If I don't have a business card from you," says Sue to a high-heeled legislative assistant, "can you get me one?"
Sue isn't a lobbyist looking for a vote or wanting to pad her Rolodex. Instead, the 40-year-old requests cards to keep in her pocket each day, pulling them out whenever she has a few minutes to spare in order to pray specifically for each woman.
She knows that the high aspirations and frenzied pace draw a certain type of person to Washington. "You don't come here to figure out what you believe," says Sue. "You're here because you have a vision."
Sue's car serves as a mobile office.
That resolution poses a problem for Sue. While she works hard, trusting God to change lives, the missionary has not seen anyone indicate a decision to become a Christian and follow Christ during her six years in Washington. The battle is uphill.
Even building relationships and trust with Christians takes time, and squeezing into a staffer's schedule often transpires slowly. At times it can be discouraging to consider the sheer number of staffers—very conservatively calculated to be at least 5,480—and their frequent job turnover rate.
"The task of spawning movements within our ministry audience is overwhelming," says Bob Varney, who directs Christian Embassy, D.C. "It is something only God can do."
Sue stays because she knows God is working. The challenges, though daunting, do not dissuade her.
Julia Koppius, looking back to her time as a young staffer, admits she was initially skeptical toward religion. Her chief of staff continually challenged her to consider the claims of Christ. As a result, in 1997 she began attending a Christian Embassy Bible study. "I felt nonjudgmental love," says Julia, now senior advisor for the Netherlands Embassy. Over time, sincere friendship and God's truth won her over, and she chose to trust in Jesus.
"Christian Embassy has such an important role to play in Washington," Julia says. "Think of the impact that a redirected life for the Lord could have on our nation."
On the Hill, Sue knows that demonstrating personal interest in others is a key to life change. The women Sue invests in appreciate how she engages them about their lives and jobs. And Sue understands the quickly revolving culture of two-year House of Representatives terms and six-year Senate terms. When their boss' job changes, so do theirs.
Aware of the urgency, Sue heads to the House every Monday. McCall Cameron hosts a study for staffers in her boss' office. The volume increases as women trickle in, each choosing a seat on the leather couch or a chair. An American flag stands tall in the corner.
"How do I know whom to trust?" Sue asks, beginning their book discussion. Knowing that the staffers immerse themselves in media reports, Sue prompts them to consider questions like, Is this the truth? The ultimate standard for truth, she explains, is not up for a vote.
Sue meets with young staffers in the House.
"We're always going back to the Scripture-based lens," McCall says. One week Sue gave the women a handout that addressed rest. "You don't hear about Jesus running from place to place," McCall remembers from the resource. "It was a great reminder. There was rest."
"It is encouraging," says Melissa Purswell, another Senate staffer, "to have someone who understands what we do and face at work, and in turn applies God's Word directly to it."
For Sue, understanding life in Washington took time. She arrived in 1999 after 10 years of working in campus ministry with Campus Crusade and with little knowledge about government. After settling in, she signed up for an image-consulting class so as to meet people, as well as build a wardrobe suitable for Capitol Hill—trading her jeans and fleece for tailored suits.
Sue felt ill-equipped for ministry on the Hill but was sure God wanted her there. "I was intimidated by these people." Sue says, remembering her early impressions. "I see now, in many ways, they're the same as college students, only they wear a suit to work."
Today, Sue admits that she can get caught up in the glamour of Washington. "I can forget," Sue says, "if I learned something on [the television drama] West Wing or if someone actually told me." Recently, she spotted her favorite White House news correspondent, David Gregory of NBC, on the street and trailed him to the post office in order to introduce herself.
But Sue is very grounded when she envisions what she desires to see happen on the Hill. "I want staffers to know and believe how much God loves them," says Sue, "so much that it guides their lives and decisions."
Until then, Sue plods along in her "shoe-leather ministry." She pounds the pavement in her tan-and-white dress mules, walking up the stairs and down the hallways of the Hill buildings, visiting various women.
Opening an office door, Sue smiles at Laurel Edmondson, a staffer from her Monday Bible study. She says hello—and asks for Laurel's business card.
You can contact the writer at Angie.Bring@ccci.org
Reprint from: Worldwide Challange Magazine March/April 2006
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