One of the blessings of a sabbatical time is the opportunity to experience and learn completely different things. As we invest in the rest of Kent’s sabbatical, we open ourselves to the same kinds of exploration that he is experiencing in his travels.
We have some fantastic gifts of preachers of the Word here in Berea. One of them is the Rev. Gail Bowman, the Director and Chaplain of the Willis D. Weatherford, Jr. Campus Christian Center at Berea College. The Worship Board, on your behalf, has invited Rev. Bowman to lead us in worship for the entire month of November. Working with Rev. Rachel, Larry, and the Worship Board, she is preparing and planning the worship services, and will serve as our preacher for the month.
As part of this experimental time, Rev. Bowman has been asked by your pastors and Worship Board to shake us up, try new things, and challenge us in worship. This is almost guaranteed to feel uncomfortable for each of us at different times. It’s key to remember that this is all an experiment – an opportunity to stretch our comfort zones. Our hope is that this stretching will lead us to new experiences of the Holy, and a deeper understanding of who we are as a church. Just like trying new and strange-looking foods, we might night like everything we try, but we might love some of it! We hope you will come to worship with a spirit of wonder and openness, as we see what God and Rev. Bowman have in store for us.
To give you a little background, Rev. Bowman has been at the College for just over a year, having come from similar callings at Dillard University in New Orleans (where she survived Hurricane Katrina) and Spelman College in Atlanta. She has also served on the staff of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and worked as a lawyer in the Carter Administration and on Capitol Hill. She is a native of Morgantown, WV (where Rev. Rachel grew up!), but grew up mostly in Iowa. Her broad experience and perspective, combined with a strong and vibrant faith, are sure to a treasure to Union Church.
Berea College has published a wonderful article on Rev. Bowman’s incredible journey of faith. It’s at http://bcnow.berea.edu/2012/11/dr-gail-bowman/ and we really encourage you to check it out. In it, she is quoted as saying, “Berea is so interesting! There is so much to learn here. The community and what we are trying to do resonates with me because it brings together so many aspects of my life experience. Berea is race, it is history, it is possibility, it is quality; it’s Appalachia but it’s also the world…Howard Thurman said ‘A crown is placed over our heads that for the rest of our lives we are trying to grow tall enough to wear.’ The ideals of Berea, our commitments, are such a crown, and we in the CCC are honored that we have a role to play in the everyday and overall growth of this ‘beloved community.’”
Like what you read? Come to worship this month to hear and see even more from Rev. Bowman!
Leave a Reply