Bexley Hall | Profile

When did you begin to think about a vocation in the Church?
Since my father was a priest in the Episcopal Church, there was a certain expectation among family and friends that I would follow in his footsteps. Instead, I studied the law, and practiced employment law with a corporate firm for 18 years. During that time I remained very active in the church and gradually began to realize that God was calling me to a new ministry as an ordained clergyperson. I accepted God’s call to ministry in 1990 at the age of 38!

Why Bexley Hall?
Family considerations narrowed my choices. Bexley was within driving distance from Cleveland and Virginia Theological Seminary was located close to my parent’s home. I chose Bexley Hall because:
• no classes were held on Friday, which allowed me to commute to the school on Sunday and return home on Thursday evenings;
• I thought the experience of being in a truly interdenominational seminary would be valuable;
• I admired the school’s involvement in social justice issues and commitment to black church studies;
• I enjoyed meeting the faculty, students and administration at the discernment weekend.

What was Bexley like?
The experience of seminary is really what you make it. Just as important as the theological training is the opportunity to grow spiritually by being part of an intentional and nurturing community. I treasured my close relationship with the Bexley faculty; at the same time, being able to interact with those from other denominations and participating in worship with them adds a wonderful dimension.

What would you say to someone considering Bexley, if you only had a minute?
Learn all you can, whenever you can, from whomever you can. Every encounter is a potential God-revealing experience. You can learn much from those who are different from you, and the diversity of religious backgrounds is a real plus. Bexley’s strength is its willingness to mix it up, to expose its students to other faith traditions but still the uniqueness of the Anglican tradition. Its greatest asset is its caring and concerned faculty. There are no better to be found in our Episcopal seminaries.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not serving the Church?
I really treasure being with my family. Ministry places a lot of demands on your time, so time away spent with loved ones is precious. I've discovered that if one is to have a life outside the Church, one must be very intentional about it, be able to draw boundaries, and then insist that you and others respect those boundaries.

Words to live by
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of god in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39:

Top