Bexley Hall | Profile

When did you begin to think about a vocation in the Church?
Early on in life. My maternal grandfather was an Episcopal priest and I recall with vividness a moment of anointing that I experienced while receiving laying on of hands by my grandfather during Communion. I would have been six or seven, but remember the experience with haunting clarity. Growing up, people would tell me on occasion that I should become a priest, but I never took those affirmations seriously until I had started my own family. However, when the epiphany of my call finally arrived, my path to ordained ministry was direct—in fact you could describe it as a whirlwind.

Why Bexley Hall?
When it came time for seminary, I was married, had two infant children, and was only three years into a new home. Even the suggestion of moving or going away to school and leaving my family was preposterous! Bexley was convenient. All this is not to deny that Bexley was also an exceptional school with top notch resources and opportunities. It was!

What was Bexley like?
I remember being intimidated by the very thought of seminary at the outset. Those feelings melted rapidly as I was quickly and warmly welcomed into the nurture of Bexley's community. I've discovered that, overall, my Bexley Hall education prepared me for the challenges of ordained ministry, and, more importantly, formed me in such a way that I am able to experience ongoing spiritual growth and Christian life in community.

What would you say to someone considering Bexley, if you only had a minute?
Don't pick a seminary for any reason other than a true sense that you can pray, worship, and participate in the sacraments within their community. Libraries, big name faculty, prestige, reputation and alumni connections are all good and important things; however, what's most important is that you experience prayer; that you become formed; that you receive the sacraments and are thereby nourished—that you learn what it means to be nourished by the sacraments. These are the things that the people in our churches are seeking for life. Bexley Hall's size and commitment to spiritual life offers this experience.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not serving the Church?
My refreshment comes from time spent with my family. I love to play with my 8 year-old daughter and 7 year-old son. They have a great spirit for joy and energy for discovery. My wife, Lisa, delivered a third child in spring of 2001, another boy. His presence has added to the joy and refreshment of time spent at home. I also enjoy as many quiet moments as possible, jogging or simply sitting and doing nothing.

Words to live by
Without a question they are: ‘The foolishness of God is wiser than we are and the weakness of God is stronger‘. (I can imagine sitting on a desert island and calling on those words with great frequency).

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