Alumni News
Chaplain, Part-Time, Chaplains on the Way: Waltham, MA
Chaplains on the Way (COTW) is a small interfaith nonprofit, based in Waltham, Massachusetts, which works with and for people experiencing housing deprivation. Our primary function is to serve as chaplains to people who are unhoused: we build trusting relationships, offer spiritual companionship and accompaniment, and support community. We also run a breakfast program and help to facilitate meetings of the Waltham Community Leadership Group (WCLG), a grassroots collective, founded by COTW in 2018, which is led by people without homes.
Chaplains on the Way is an equal opportunity employer. We value every kind of diversity, including diversity of racial, gender, and sexual identity, lived experience, faith tradition, and belief.
All Chaplains on the Way staff are currently paid $25 per hour or the equivalent in annual salary.
Position Summary:
The chaplain will join the current chaplain and Executive Director, Jill Gaulding, in carrying out COTW’s mission. We are seeking an experienced chaplain with a passion for the intersection of chaplaincy and social justice. Experience with non-profit organization work will be a plus. This position will be part time, 16 - 24 hours per week, depending on the candidate and fit.
Chaplaincy: Roughly 12 hours per week is spent in chaplaincy, generally two or three days a week, 4 - 6 hours per day. This involves four parts:
- Offering individual chaplaincy at sites around Waltham, including outdoors, inside the Community Day Center, and inside our breakfast program space; plus occasional work supporting community members in settings such as hospice.
- Helping to lead group practices, including meetings of the WCLG, weekly interfaith services, and memorials.
- Supporting community members with ad-hoc meetings, phone calls, or text messages.
- Providing occasional accompaniment to medical appointments, court dates, and the like.
Non-profit organization work: Depending on the skills and experiences of the applicant, somewhere between 4 - 8 hours per week would be spent on administrative, fundraising, or other organizational work. This could include social media, newsletters, grant writing, etc. The exact shape that this part takes will depend on specific fit between the experiences of the applicant and the needs of COTW; job title may vary accordingly.
Required Skills and Experience:
Chaplaincy related:
MDiv or equivalent (in progress or completed)
At least one unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)
Experience working with several of the following:
- People and communities experiencing poverty
- Homelessness or housing instability
- Incarceration / re-entry
- Mental health
- Substance use disorders
- Trauma-informed care
- De-escalation
- Restorative Justice
- Political organizing
- Group facilitation
- Mediation and conflict resolution
Non-profit experience:
Ideally, at least two years of experience with some aspect of non-profit work, such as fundraising, grant writing, development work, social media communications, etc.
Excellent written and oral communication skills
How to Apply
The application process is rolling and start date is negotiable. If interested, please send a cover letter and CV to Jill Gaulding at jill@chaplainsontheway.org
Campus Minister/Director, Full-Time, UMC: Glen Allen, VA
The Virginia Conference Learning Ministries Office in partnership with the Board of Higher Education and Campus Ministry announces the job opening for the University of Virginia Wesley Foundation Campus Minister/Director. A successful candidate for this position will be a creative and visionary leader who provides pastoral and relational care, relates well to students, and crafts a nurturing and welcoming environment for all whom they encounter. Resumes are being accepted now and will continue to be accepted until February 28, 2022. Submit your application with cover letter, resume, and three references to Rev. Nickie Moreno Howard, Associate Director of Learning Ministries at learning@vaumc.org. Learn more at www.vaumc.org.
Pastor, Full-Time, UCC: Yorkville IL
Full-time settled pastor
Yorkville Congregational United Church of Christ
409 Center Parkway
Yorkville IL 60560
Yorkville Congregational United Church of Christ, located in a fast growing suburban area about 50 miles west of Chicago, is looking for a full-time settled pastor. While we cherish our 188 year history, we are open to new opportunities in worship and in service to the community. As an Open and Affirming church, we warmly welcome all.
Our active congregation values our worship services and music ministry; service to people in times of hardship; spiritual nurturing of children and adults; identifying and responding to local, national and worldwide needs; our time of fellowship; acting as good stewards of the environment; direct and open communication; the Bible as Holy Scripture and a guide for life's journey; and our local church autonomy.
Missions which our church and its members support include the community food pantry, area homeless shelters, programs to assist refugees, local non-profit agencies, and environmental projects.
We are seeking a pastor who is:
- Engaging
-Welcomes all church members and guests.
-Develops worship services and classes that show how Christ’s teaching remains relevant in our lives today.
-Demonstrates good communication skills. - Energizing
-Inspires members to grow their faith, serve God to the fullest, recognize needs in the church and community, and develop new ministries where needed.
-Works with the full-time Christian Education Director in creating programs to grow the knowledge and faith of youth and adults. - Empathetic
-Provides counseling, comfort and pastoral visits to those who are sick, grieving or homebound.
Duties will include preparation and leadership of Sunday worship services and special worship programs; development of Bible study and classes; pastoral care and counseling in collaboration with lay people; participation in community outreach activities; participation in strategic planning and vision planning; attendance at lay leadership meetings; administrative oversight and staff supervision.
The time commitment will be 40 to 50 hours weekly.
Qualifications:
Master of Divinity degree and some ministerial experience. The ability to work with lay leaders and church members of all ages.
Primary skills include a commitment to lifelong spiritual development, the ability to do leadership development, recognition of social justice needs, encouragement of mission and outreach work of the church, and communication.
Benefits:
Our church pays a salary, housing allowance and pension contributions in accordance with United Church of Christ guidelines.
Contact info:
Search Committee Chair Deanna Bazan
search@yorkvilleucc.org
630-803-0514
Local church profile sent at candidate request.
Prof. Christopher Evans was Featured Speaker at Frances Willard House Museum Online Event
On Sunday, January 23, Professor of History of Christianity and Methodist Studies Christopher Evans was the featured speaker for the online event “Views: Women, Faith, and Activism” hosted by the Frances Willard House Museum. The event featured a conversation about his upcoming book Do Everything: The Biography of Frances Willard. This biography will be the first new Willard biography in over 35 years, and will be published by Oxford University Press later this year.
“I have been following [the book’s] progress for five years,” said Janet Olson, archivist of the Frances Willard House Museum archives, as she introduced Prof. Evans. “We are glad he has chosen Willard’s motto ‘do everything’ for the title of his book, because he has done everything to present a thorough and multi-faceted assessment of Willard’s life and work. He is the right person for the job, as his credentials show.”
“My book makes a very important contribution in terms of looking at the role of Willard’s faith in relationship to social activism,” Prof. Evans reflected on how his biography builds on the work of other scholars before him. “But the other component I am quite excited about...is the way [my book] casts a new lens on the broader history of women, particularly in the [Women’s Christian Temperance Union].”
The full event can be viewed below. Additional information about the Frances Willard House Museum is available on its website.
BUSTH Announces Faculty Publications for January 2022
The School of Theology is pleased to announce the following faculty publications for the month of January 2022:
- Choi Hee An
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(2022). A Postcolonial Relationship: Challenges of Asian Immigrants as the Third Other. State University Of New York Press.
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(2022, January 11). Choi Hee An: Postcolonial leadership is a new model for Asian immigrant leaders (S. Hicks, Interviewer) [Interview]. In Faith & Leadership.
https://faithandleadership.com/choi-hee-postcolonial-leadership-new-model-asian-immigrantleaders
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- Steven Sandage
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Sandage, S.J. (2022). Relating within Wildman’s integrative engagement with psychology, spirituality, and humility. In F.L. Shults & R.C. Neville (Eds.), Religion in multidisciplinary perspective: Philosophical, theological, and scientific approaches to Wesley J. Wildman (pp. 223-248). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
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- Steven Sandage, et al
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Crabtree, S.A., Captari, L.E., Hall, E.L., Sandage, S.J., & Jankowski, P.J. (2021). Mental health, well-being, and experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed methods practice-based study. Counseling and Psychotherapy Research. https://doiorg.ezproxy.bu.edu/10.1002/capr.12503
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Goodman, D.M., Sandage, S.J., Rupert, D., Manalili, M.M.C., Owen, J., Farchione, T., & Zanarini, M.C. (2022). The virtue of virtue for psychotherapy: Contextualizing and situating the conversation. In B. Slife, S. Yanchar, & F. Richardson (Eds.), Routledge international handbook of theoretical and philosophical psychology: Critiques, problems, and alternatives to psychological ideas (pp. 497-515). Abingdon, UK: Routledge Press
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Jankowski, P.J., Murphy, S., Johnson, J., Sandage, S.J., Wang, D.C., & Tomlinson, J. (2022). The influence of experiential avoidance, humility and patience on the association between religious/spiritual exploration and well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-021-00488-w
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Mr. Omar Wallace Brown (STH ’16)
Obituary coming soon...
Below is an excerpt of Remembering Omar Brown by St. Paul's School where Mr. Brown taught Humanities. The full article can be found here.
During an employee Chapel service held to honor Brown following his death on Jan. 4 from a sudden illness, Rector Kathy Giles described him as someone who “pursued wisdom and understanding in the context of being a robust intellectual of deep and abiding curiosity and faith.” Recalling the many profound and wide-ranging conversations she and Brown had shared during his three years at SPS, she added, “Perhaps so much of his good energy came, in part, from the ways he reconciled curiosity, intellect, and faith. These huge questions, the apparent and tragic flaws in our world, were not irresolvable conflicts for him. Rather, he seemed to me to be willing to regard what today seem truly like mysteries with an unblinking focus; an unwavering courage; and an open, questing, accepting heart.”
Noting that Brown frequently spoke of his desire to work toward making SPS “Beloved Community” — a place where diversity of perspectives is honored, affirmed, and included — SPS Teacher of Physics and Astronomy Rick Pacelli observes, “Omar’s presence among us is a big reason why our community is as strong as it is. His influence seeped into so many aspects of community life here, perhaps more than any person I know.”
Teacher of Ceramics Becky Soderberg ’94 recalls Brown’s influence in faculty meetings. “Omar’s words always meant something important was going to be said,” she says. “He had a presence in the meeting, and you could tell everyone respected him and knew whatever he said would be coming from a place deeply rooted in love and faith. Omar made us all better people sharing his perspective and wisdom.”
Brown grew up in a household of educators, administrators, and teachers in Kingston, Jamaica, raised alongside sisters Nicole and Janelle as the only son of Omar Brown senior and Claudette Crawford-Brown. After attending a Jesuit high school in Jamaica, Brown completed his B.A. in sociology and music at Amherst College in 2013 and his master’s degree in theological studies at Boston University in 2016. It was at B.U. that SPS Humanities teacher and Chaplain Sam Lovett first met Brown, who was a year ahead of him in the divinity program.
“I remember Omar as a serious student who was also seriously lighthearted and caring,” Lovett says. “He would ask me how I was doing, and I would answer with something about a course reading or assignment. He would ask the same question again: ‘How are you doing?’ It was a gentle invitation to go deeper.”
Lovett says it was “happy serendipity” to reunite with Brown at SPS in 2020 as members of the same Humanities team and describes him as an amazing teacher who was well-loved by his students. “He had the ability to look beyond a syllabus, to read a room of students, and to care for them as people,” he says. “His students remark lovingly how he’d start classes with his signature, ‘how are you?’ and they knew he really wanted to know the answer. I learned so much from Omar about how to care for the whole person of a student. Omar was so supportive and loving and curious about everything and everyone around him.”
During his time at SPS, Brown taught Humanities V, a required class for Fifth Form students; Contemporary Black Literature; Religion, Race and Gender; Contemporary Ethics; and Economic Theory and Practice. After spending an afternoon photographing one of Brown’s classes last fall, SPS photographer Michael Seamans fell into a wide-ranging conversation with Brown that touched on food, photography, Black literature, and more. “He was genuinely interested in knowing what I thought of his teaching and of his class,” Seamans recalls. Brown’s inquiry wasn’t idle conversation; the two men had planned to sit down sometime during Winter Term to continue their discussion.
Read the full article here.
Ms. Janjay Innis (STH ’13) Named One of Worcester’s Women to Watch by Worcester Magazine
This press release was originally published by the UMass Chan Medical School Communications on January 04, 2022, and can be found here.
Janjay Innis, communications content specialist for diversity and inclusion at UMass Chan Medical School, was named one of the Worcester Magazine’s “Worcester’s Women to Watch 2022.”
Innis, who joined the Medical School in August 2021, noted that her desire to work where she grew up stemmed from the public conversations about race and bias the nation was forced to confront in light of the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, among others, in 2020.
“I moved back to Worcester with all my skill sets,” she said in the Worcester Magazine story, “ready to partake in the shift that ensures power is shared and access is available to all.”
Originally from Liberia, West Africa, Innis grew up in Worcester, where she attended local public schools. She is a graduate of UMass Amherst, where she majored in English, and has a graduate degree from Boston University where she studied religion and conflict transformation. She has worked in refugee and immigrant advocacy in Tacoma, Washington, and has directed community engagement and social justice advocacy work with various faith communities in Atlanta, Georgia.
“As we continue to lean into candid conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion through institutional commitments, I want to be part of facilitating a shift in this city where our engagement with diversity, equity and inclusion doesn’t start and end with a display of culture by way of festivals and parties, but it includes intentional conversations where we listen to and amplify the voices and stories of unrepresented communities, uplift the gifts and insights they bring to our shared communities, name the disparities they face so that together we can address them, and celebrate gains that will be beneficial to all of us,” Innis said.
Read the full Worcester Magazine story here: Worcester’s Women to Watch in 2022
Bishop William P. DeVeaux (STH ’68)
The Right Reverend William P. DeVeaux Sr. was born to Chaplain John and Della DeVeaux in Fort Huachuca, Arizona on August 3, 1941. After remaining steadfast to his faith and family for over eighty years, Bishop DeVeaux followed the Lord peacefully on the morning of December 31, 2021 with his family at his side.
A foundation that was WELL...
At an early age, Bishop DeVeaux saw the value of faith and service as his father was an AME student in the Army’s first class of chaplains. While his father served his country in World War II and the Korean Conflict, he and his siblings lived with their grandmother. It is the African Methodist Episcopal Church that became foundational in his spiritual upbringing and maturity throughout his young life.
Growing up in a military family, Bishop DeVeaux was the youngest of three children in the DeVeaux household. He attended elementary school in Germany. Upon returning to the states, he spent his remaining educational years on army bases in Maryland, Kansas, and Colorado. It was in the United States that Bishop DeVeaux experienced racism for the first time and decided to further his education at a Historically Black College.
An academic journey that was WELL...
Upon graduating from high school, he entered Howard University. An academically astute and socially active student, he was elected junior and senior class president as well as Basileus of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Howard University as well as a Bachelor of Sacred Theology from Boston University. A believer in education, Bishop DeVeaux would later earn both his Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy from Vanderbilt University.
A service that was WELL...
While a student at Howard, Bishop DeVeaux answered the call to the ordained ministry in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Following in his father’s and brother’s footsteps, he served in the United States Army as an AME Chaplain. In the midst of enemy fire, he brought comfort and solace to troops in combat during the Vietnam Conflict.
A marriage that was WELL...
While a student at Howard University, Bishop DeVeaux met his beloved Dr. Patricia Ann Morris DeVeaux (Pam). Bishop DeVeaux was a perfect fit in the eyes of Dr. Pam’s family because of his easy-going nature, friendly demeanor, and love for good food. He was embraced by the family. Bishop DeVeaux and Dr. Pam were joined in devoted and loving matrimony in October of 1961. They built a marriage and family of nearly 59 years. To this union, they were blessed with six uniquely gifted children: Dawn, Dana, William Jr., Paul, Robin, and David.
A career that was WELL...
Outside of his military service, Bishop DeVeaux has served on the faculties of Meharry Medical College, Princeton Theological Seminary and Howard University School of Divinity. In the field of theological education, Bishop DeVeaux is recognized for his achievements as the Executive Director of the Fund for Theological Education Inc. During his tenure, scholarships to Black, Hispanic and Native American students were granted to support their theological education. Many clergy around the world credit their ability to access quality theological education to Bishop DeVeaux and his dedication to the future of God’s preachers.
A ministry that was WELL...
As an Itinerant Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Reverend Dr. William P. DeVeaux served as the Pastor of Bethel A.M.E. Church in Lynn, MA; St. John A.M.E. Church in Nashville, TN; Wayman A.M.E. Church in Dayton, OH and Metropolitan A.M.E. Church in Washington, DC. While at Metropolitan, Bishop DeVeaux energized the church membership into active participants in community outreach efforts. His leadership style, academic expertise, and diverse ministerial experience aided in the upbuilding of God’s kingdom and community at Metropolitan from 1986 until his election to the office of Bishop.
On July 2, 1996, the Reverend Dr. William P. DeVeaux was consecrated as the 113th Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Louisville, Kentucky and was assigned to the 18th Episcopal District (Southern Africa) where he lived and served for four years. He also served as the Presiding Bishop of the 16th Episcopal District of the AME Church which includes the following conferences: Guyana/Suriname, Windward Islands, Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, and London/Holland. He then served as the Presiding Bishop, with distinction and grace, to the Sixth Episcopal District (the state of Georgia) for eight years as well as the Second Episcopal District (Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, and North Carolina) for four years. While serving as the Presiding Bishop of the Sixth Episcopal District, Bishop DeVeaux also served as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Morris Brown College as well as Turner Theological Seminary at the Interdenominational Theological Center. It was as the Chairman of the Board of Turner Seminary, Bishop DeVeaux and Dr. Pam established The Reverend David DeVeaux Scholarship to aid in the financial needs of Turner Seminary students.
As a Bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, with his dedicated wife as his Episcopal Supervisor, Bishop DeVeaux became a beloved servant of the Lord. He furthered his desire to impact the lives of the next generation of God’s servants—Chaplains, clergy and lay. He did not meet a stranger and worked creatively with his wife throughout their Episcopal service. In his ministry journey, Bishop DeVeaux became the spiritual father of a number of devoted sons and daughters.
A Legacy that IS WELL...
Bishop DeVeaux was preceded in death by the love of his life, Dr. Pam DeVeaux, and their beloved children: Dawn Della DeVeaux and David T. DeVeaux (Tina). He leaves to carry out his legacy and cherish his life well-live: loving children: Dana, William Jr. (Denise), Paul, and Robin (Charles); fifteen grandchildren, Ryanne Patricia, William Samir, William III, Alexis, Daleah, Maya, Jordan, Clayton William, Maxine, Jalen, Cameron DeVeaux, Keith David, Connor Morris, Malachi, and Joshua DeVeaux; spiritual sons and daughters, and a host of other relatives and friends.
It is, indeed, WELL with HIS Soul!
To God be the glory!
The family request in lieu of flower donations may be made to the Turner Theological Seminary
To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Bishop William Phillips Deveaux please visit our Sympathy Store.
Minister of Youth and Families, Part-Time, UCC: Sudbury, MA
Memorial Congregational Church in Sudbury, MA is a progressive faith community with the United Church of Christ. We are searching for an energetic and creative leader for our growing youth ministry. This is a great opportunity to inspire children to explore their faith through story, music, food, and fun.
MCC continues to invest in our youth through programming on Sunday mornings, Youth Group for middle and high school, and youth choirs covering pre-K through High School.
You will be supported by our spiritual team of staff and volunteers as you work with youth and their families to help them explore the many ways to discover the still speaking God in scripture and in their everyday lives.
While the vast majority of this position focuses on the youth, should the candidate be ordained or ordainable, this position may include other pastoral opportunities.
This position requires 25 hours/week. However, specific days and hours are flexible and ample vacation time is offered to allow for a healthy work/life balance.
Salary offered is $27,000 - $32,000/year depending on experience.
MCC is an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ. We welcome everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. Most areas of the building are universally accessible; the Church School wing is accessible by portable ramps present in the building. An accessible, gender-neutral, family restroom with changing table is available.
Please contact Rev. Tom O’Brien at pastor@mccsudbury.org to learn more about this position or to submit a resumé. A full job description is available here.
Pastoral Residency Program, Two-Year, UCC: Wellesley, MA
As a Pastoral Resident at the Wellesley Village Church in Wellesley, Massachusetts you will
• Be a full-time pastor, participating in all aspects of the life of Wellesley Village Church and our partner congregation, the Congregational Church of Weston. The two settings provide the experience of working within the large staff of a large congregation and as solo pastor of a small one.
• Gain experience in core areas of pastoral work: Worship, Faith Formation, Pastoral Care, Transformational Leadership, Social Justice, and Professional Development.
• Learn the basics of church management: worship planning and leadership, staff management, church finances and stewardship, all with the support and mentorship of pastoral staff at Wellesley Village Church and congregations in Wellesley and Weston.
• Be supported by a peer Resident, then mentor a peer: the program trains two Residents at a time, and the staggered call process enables the more established Resident to mentor the newer.
• Respond to the Spirit’s movement. Personal spiritual development is supported by the program. So is participation in a New Clergy Group through the UCC’s Southern New England Conference.
The next Pastoral Resident will participate in a major joint stewardship campaign between Wellesley Village Church and our Boston partner, the Charles Street AME Church, and also play a role in designing a community center for faith and justice at the Weston Church.
We are looking for a candidate who has discerned a call to parish ministry, has a passion for God’s justice, a heart for Jesus’ way of compassion, and an openness to the Holy Spirit. Excellent candidates have or will have graduated with an M.Div. within the last two years, be Members in Discernment in the UCC, be on track to be ordained within the time frame of the program, and be able to commit to serve from August 2022-June 2024.
This position is an ordainable call in the UCC, with a salary and housing allowance of $60,000 a year (or $55,000 with free parsonage housing, if available), and full benefits.
The Information Sessions for our Pastoral Residency Program will be held on:
- Mon Jan 31st at 7:30pm
- Tues Feb 15th at 7:30pm
The information presented at each will be the same, so they may chose whichever is the more convenient date to attend.
Zoom link here
Click here to read more about the position and application instructions: 2022 pastoral residency application FINAL 4Jan22