Alumni News
Professor Christopher Evans’s Reflections on Summer 2017 Visiting Fellowship
Professor Christopher Evans’s Reflections on His John Rylands Research Institute-MRWC Joint Visiting Fellowship
This blog post was initially published on the Manchester Wesley Research Committee Blog site. Please click here to view the original post.
October 14, 2017: My research centered on transatlantic Methodism in the late nineteenth century, focusing on the rise of the Deaconess Movement. I was especially interested in studying the role of British Methodist “sisterhoods” formed in the 1880s, culminating with the establishment of the Wesley Deaconess Institute in the Wesleyan Methodist Church in 1890. During the six weeks of my fellowship, I examined how these women contributed to what I consider to be a vital, yet overlooked, component for understanding the development of Methodism’s social witness in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
The John Rylands Library has an extensive collection of materials related to Wesleyan Deaconesses, including personal papers, correspondences, and several diaries/journals kept by different women. Additionally, the examination of important periodicals, such as the Methodist Times and Flying Leaves (the early twentieth-century journal of the Wesleyan Methodist Deaconess Movement), provided an invaluable look into the lives of these women and their work.
Part of what I discovered in my research was the extent that these late nineteenth century Methodist women were influenced by the international women’s temperance movement. While striving to get people to sign “the pledge” (a vow that individuals would abstain from buying and consuming alcohol), Methodist women in cities like Manchester, Cardiff, Birmingham, and London saw alcohol abuse connected with larger problems of late nineteenth-century urbanization.
The highlight of my research occurred when Rylands archivist, Gareth Lloyd uncovered a diary kept by a Wesleyan Methodist Deaconess, Jeanie Banks. The diary, covering the years from 1888 to 1893, provides a vivid depiction of her work at the Wesleyan Methodist East End London Mission. In detail, Banks discusses her weekly routines of teaching children, leading open air revivals, and most especially, the door-to-door visitation that represented the backbone of Deaconess work. Banks, and other Deaconess women, took to heart John Wesley’s belief that ministry could not be accomplished by proxy. That is, one needed to be exposed to the living conditions of those who struggled with poverty.
What I took away from reading Banks’s journal, as well as reading the narratives of other Deaconess women, is that understanding the development of late nineteenth century Methodism moves beyond formal theologies. These women were anchored in a passionate commitment to lead their communities to Christian conversion. Yet their beliefs were often forged out of the multiple roles that they took on as teachers, preachers, social workers, and community activists. As they shared their understanding of Christianity, they also strove to provide urban poor a sense of personal agency and self-worth.
My research will not only contribute to a transatlantic understanding of the Deaconess Movement, but also show how late nineteenth-century Methodist women were able to create the space within male-dominated church structures to engage in visionary forms of ministry. My time in Manchester will contribute to several articles that explore the history and work of the Deaconess movement, as well as to a book project on the International Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, and its charismatic Methodist leader, Frances E. Willard.
Response from Dean Moore on the California Wildfires
October 13, 2017
Dear Beloved Community,
The news from Northern California describes the worst fire in more than a century – a fire that has destroyed nearly 200,000 acres and killed at least 32 people, with the death toll still rising. The School of Theology community has many students, alums, families and friends in Northern California, and our prayers soar on their behalf. Neighborhoods, farms, and wineries have been devastated, and many hundreds of people are facing catastrophic loss. At the same time, first responders have been doing wonderful work, as have congregations and non-profits, propelled by compassion. In such a setting, we can pray and give, and many of you will give time and energy “on the ground.” All of us can carry the people and land of California in our hearts and daily actions. Such action is at the heart of faith and faithfulness.
We can also do more. We need to respond to the larger issues that surround us. While raging fires destroy the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of people and wipe out vast acres of land, the people of Puerto Rico are still living with limited and polluted water, lack of food and power and almost daily refusals and insults from the U.S. government. We need to continue holding them in prayer, as well as the victims and rebuilders in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, the Virgin Islands, and beyond. We cannot lose our focus on caring for and acting communally and politically to address the issues that follow all of these terrible disasters. They are a collective cry of the Earth and its peoples for support and justice. We must respond to all communities that cry out for emergency and long-term help. The Latin American tradition of acompañar (accompaniment) has much to say to the human community at this moment. Individuals, congregations, and agencies need to find ways to respond now, and then commit to the long road of assisting and rebuilding communities and infrastructures for many years to come.
We can also do more. We can act for our fragile ecology. We can educate ourselves on climate change and the policies and practices that can contribute to stabilizing, slowing, and even reversing parts of the terrible downward spiral that WE have allowed the earth to enter. Without debating the scientific details in this moment, please be aware that, in this year of the worst hurricanes and worst fires, we are culpable. We are culpable in our collective refusal to believe and respond to the increasing extremes in weather – droughts, climate warming, melting ice caps, storm-building, and other extremes. As we travel the long road to assist devastated communities in addressing immediate and long-term needs, may we also travel the long road of responding to the cries of our earth. We CAN make a difference.
With despair, prayer, and hope,
Mary Elizabeth Moore
Rev. Jeanne Audrey Powers (STH, ’58)
The Rev. Jeanne Audrey Powers, 85, died peacefully on Sept. 29, 2017 while traveling in Switzerland with friends. Rev. Powers was a pioneer ecumenist who represented The United Methodist Church as a respected teacher, workshop leader, writer, preacher, spokesperson, campus minister, and missions executive. Her best-known role was staffing the United Methodist General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns and therefore holding leadership roles in the World and National Councils of Churches.
Raised in Minnesota, she was a leader and active member of the Minnesota Conference of the United Methodist Church. Always on the leading edge of historical shifts in culture, Rev. Powers was a global-level advocate for a more progressive, inclusive faith, focused on inclusive language, relevant liturgies, LGBTQ struggles, and opening leadership opportunities to women, young people, and people of many cultures.
Rev. Powers received her bachelor of science degree at Mankato State University in 1954. That same year, she was chosen to be a Danforth Graduate Fellow, a prestigious honor that encouraged her to pursue theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. She also studied theology at The University of St. Andrews in Scotland, as well as in England, Switzerland, and at Boston University School of Theology.
She had an enormous and gracious capacity to befriend and mentor many future church leaders, including those whose ideas and experiences were different from hers. In 1958, she was ordained in Minnesota as a deacon in the Methodist Church. When ordained an elder in 1961, she was among the first women in the Methodist Church granted full clergy rights.
For a decade, Rev. Powers was the state director of the Minnesota Methodist Student Movement as well as the Wesley Foundation Campus Minister of the University of Minnesota, at both its St. Paul and Minneapolis campuses. In both cities, she created gathering spaces where students lived and worked together as she challenged them to risk unfamiliar territory and broaden their horizons. While in that role, she also staffed University United Methodist Church and the Minnesota Conference.
Starting in 1968, she staffed the Methodist Board of Missions personnel office in New York, where she gave leadership to “US-2” program, an ongoing exciting way for young adults to serve two years.
Rev. Powers was a key representative to the World Council of Churches. She had a role in three General Assemblies and was a guiding force in the creation of "Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry," a document that has prompted reform and convergence among Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Christians since its approval on January 15, 1982, in Lima, Peru. She gave outstanding leadership to the development of the life-changing Ecumenical Decade: Churches in Solidarity with Women 1988-1998. During that decade and the years following, women in many denominations were empowered because of her work.
Within this country Rev. Powers worked tirelessly as a vice president of the National Council of Churches of Christ (NCCC), chairing its Faith and Order Commission for six years and then chairing its Commission on Regional and Local Ecumenism (CORLE). She was a member of teams leading to the NCCC’s Middle East Policy Statement and critique of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.
Rev. Powers was the first woman to be nominated for the office of a bishop in The United Methodist Church, an honor she declined in 1972 and 1976. She was also a volunteer with The United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women, organized in 1973. Throughout her life, she was committed to feminist issues. Until her death, she was a driving force in the Reconciling Ministries Movement, and she came out as a lesbian during her sermon at its national gathering in 1995.
Her alma mater, Boston University School of Theology, named her a “Pioneer Woman” in 1995 and bestowed upon her the highly esteemed Anna Howard Shaw Award. She was well-loved by colleagues who relied on her remarkable ability to summarize meetings and large events and to accurately remember information from earlier meetings and events. She is remembered as a talented writer and a leader who inspired and graciously mentored many future church leaders.
In 1996, Rev. Powers was the first recipient of the Jeanne Audrey Powers Award, established by the Minnesota Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns. Since then, the award has been given annually to a person, congregation, or group that exemplifies the spirit of ecumenism on an individual, local, state, national, or international level. In 2014, Rev. Powers was again recognized at Minnesota's Annual Conference Session and presented with a plaque that read, “In recognition of your many years of visionary leadership and service to the Minnesota Annual Conference, The United Methodist Church, and the people of God everywhere.” In accepting her award, Powers said, “No matter where or what I have been doing, this annual conference has been my home. I am so grateful for it.”
She said, “I have chosen to swim against the stream in many areas of controversy [in the church] because I truly believe that the Church is the Body of Christ, called to share its message of healing, reconciliation, and yes, salvation…I do not choose the Church simply because I want to belong, but because I believe in its transforming Spirit.”
In 2002, Powers took up active retirement at Pilgrim Place in Claremont, California, where her life will be celebrated in a memorial service at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 23. She will be buried in Mankato at a later date, and her tombstone will read “Subversive to the end.”
Arrangements: An out-of-town memorial service will take place at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 23 in the Decker Building at Pilgrim Place (625 Mayflower Road, Claremont, CA 91711). A local celebration of life will also take place at 11 a.m. Nov. 11 at Centenary UMC (501 S. 2nd St., Mankato, MN 56001), with lunch following.
Appointment information: Rev. Powers was ordained as a deacon in 1958 and as an elder in 1961. She served St. Anthony Park UMC in St. Paul and spent more than a decade as the state director of the Minnesota Methodist Student Movement and the Wesley Foundation campus minister at the University of Minnesota; while in that role, she also staffed University UMC and the Minnesota Conference. She later staffed the Methodist Board of Missions personnel office in New York. Rev. Powers retired in 1996 and moved to California in 2002.
Rev. Powers was preceded in death by her mother and two aunts. She is survived by many close friends who were like extended family.
The following was published in the October 13, 2017 edition of the Claremont Courier:
The Rev. Jeanne Audrey Powers, an activist resident of Pilgrim Place in Claremont the last 15 years, died peacefully on September 29, 2017 while traveling in Switzerland. She was 85.
“Jeanne Audrey was a true pioneer of the church,” said Rev. Kathy Black, a professor at Claremont School of Theology. “Her decades of denominational leadership in ecumenical and interreligious concerns paved the way for current attitudes and practices that influence the church today. On the forefront of the LGBTQIA movement, Jeanne Audrey funded students and centers to support the church in wrestling with issues of human sexuality and equal rights for gay and lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons.”
Rev. Powers represented The United Methodist Church as a respected teacher and leader, writer, preacher, spokesperson, campus minister and missions executive. Her best-known role was staffing the United Methodist General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns and holding major leadership roles in the World and National Councils of Churches. She was a global-level advocate for a more progressive, inclusive faith, focused on inclusive language, relevant liturgies, and opening leadership opportunities to women, young people and people of many cultures.
Rev. Powers grew up in Mankato, Minnesota. After graduation from the local state university in 1954 she was chosen to be a Danforth Graduate Fellow, a prestigious honor that encouraged her to pursue theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. She also studied theology at The University of St. Andrews in Scotland, as well as in England, Switzerland, and at Boston University School of Theology.
She had an enormous and gracious capacity to befriend and mentor many future church leaders, her friends shared, including those whose ideas and experiences were different from hers. In 1958, she was ordained in Minnesota as a deacon in the Methodist Church. When ordained an elder in 1961, she was among the first women in the Methodist Church granted full clergy rights.
For a decade, Rev. Powers was the state director of the Minnesota Methodist Student Movement as well as the Wesley Foundation Campus Minister of the University of Minnesota, creating gathering spaces where students lived and worked together as she challenged them to risk unfamiliar territory and broaden their horizons. Starting in 1968, she staffed the Methodist Board of Missions where she gave leadership to an ongoing exciting way for young adults to serve in missions for a shorter formative period of their lives.
Rev. Powers was a key representative to the World Council of Churches. She had a role in three general assemblies and was a guiding force in the creation of “Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry,” a document that has prompted reform and convergence among Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christians since its 1982 approval in Lima, Peru. She also guided development of the Ecumenical Decade: Churches in Solidarity with Women 1988-1998. Women in many denominations and countries were empowered because of her work, her friends said.
In the United States, Rev. Powers worked tirelessly as a vice president of the National Council of Churches, chairing its Faith and Order Commission for six years and then chairing its Commission on Regional and Local Ecumenism. She was a member of teams leading to establishing the NCCC’s major Middle East policy and critique of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.
Rev. Powers was the first woman to be nominated for the office of a bishop in The United Methodist Church, an honor she declined in 1972 and 1976. She was also a volunteer with The United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women, organized in 1973. Until her death, she was a driving force in the Reconciling Ministries Movement. She came out as a lesbian during her sermon at its national gathering in 1995.
Most recently, Rev. Powers worked tirelessly for election of the first openly gay UMC bishop, Bishop Karen Oliveto.
“Jeanne Audrey was a fierce ‘she-roe’ who paved the way for so many of us in the church,” said Bishop Oliveto. “She taught me to make room for others, always, as well as the importance of mentoring. I loved laughing and debating with her. It was all done with great love and passion and I always learned so much.”
“Rev. Powers exercised bold and courageous leadership throughout her life,” said Dr. Grace Yia-Hei Kao, a professor at Claremont School of Theology and Co-Director of the school’s Center for Sexuality, Gender, and Religion. “She made CSGR possible by a generous founding gift to the school to foster intellectual inquiry, open dialogue, and spiritual care within religious communities grappling with the complex issues of gender and sexuality.”
In 2013, CSGR founded the Jeanne Audrey Powers Award for students.
“Jeanne Audrey had a love of people and their stories,” said Rev. A.J. Bush, one of many protégés of Rev. Powers. “She had an uncanny knack for making you into a better person. As a seminary student (graduating from CST in 2015) and new pastor, I developed as both a person and a pastor through my friendship with Jeanne Audrey. She was always pushing me to be better than I was, and at the same time recognizing and appreciating what was going well. She knew what was good from good food to good people to good ministry, it brought her deep joy.”
Boston University School of Theology, named Jeanne Audrey a “Pioneer Woman” in 1995 with the highly esteemed Anna Howard Shaw Award. Rev. Powers said, “I have chosen to swim against the stream in many areas of controversy because I truly believe that the church is the body of Christ, called to share its message of healing, reconciliation, and yes, salvation. I do not choose the church simply because I want to belong, but because I believe in its transforming spirit.”
No relatives from Ms. Power’s biological family are alive, but her many friends at Pilgrim Place, Claremont United Methodist Church and worldwide have been a widespread extended family.
A memorial service celebrating Rev. Powers’ life will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, October 23 in Decker Hall at Pilgrim Place, 625 Mayflower Rd., Claremont. A second service will take place at 11 a.m. November 11 at Centenary United Methodist Church in Mankato, Minnesota.
Her tombstone in Mankato reads “Subversive to the end.”
A Message from Dean Mary Elizabeth Moore on the Las Vegas Shooting
Dear Beloved Community,
This battering with bullets HAS to STOP! We come together yet again to mourn the horrific tragedy in Las Vegas, Nevada, which has already claimed more than 50 lives, with hundreds of others injured, some critically. I join with the whole BU School of Theology community to share our overwhelming grief and concern for the people who have been killed and injured and for all of their loved ones. We want the people closest to this tragedy to know that your grief is our grief. Your devastation is ours, though we know we cannot fully know the depths of your sadness and your raging range of emotion. Our hearts are broken, and we pray and cry and act for you in this tragic time.
The sounds of tragedy are a barrage of bullets, screams and tears, running footsteps, breaking into a night of open-air music, intended for enjoyment. The sounds of tragedy are the tears and wailing in hospitals and in homes as families and friends try to find their loved ones, and as some of those loved ones receive the worst possible news. The sounds of tragedy are the internal groans of all the people who will not and cannot forget this night of horror. We cry with you and we cry for all of the tragic actions, policies, damaged individuals, and damaged society that led to this moment.
The sounds of tragedy are also sounds of sickness in our society. The public will learn more about the presumed shooter later and about whatever sickness led to his horrible acts of violence. What we know NOW is that our society is sick. We have allowed a gun culture to flourish under the guise of the second amendment, which is a thin veneer to hide our willingness to tolerate escalating violence and death. We feed this acceptance of death with inadequate gun laws and with a culture that accepts killing as routine and unstoppable. The United States was founded on principles of freedom – freedom to live and not freedom to kill. The isolation of the freedom to bear arms from the freedom to live is a tragedy. We as a society can do better. May the sounds of tragedy and the sounds of sickness awaken us finally to pray and work for radical change in ourselves and in our society.
With prayers of sadness for all of you who lost your lives in Las Vegas,
And for all of you who are still struggling with injuries and loss,
With prayers of gratitude for all of you who risked your lives to save others,
With prayers of hope that we can respond to the depths of your grief,
And to the depths of tragic loss and sickness in our society.
-- Mary Elizabeth Moore
Dr. Christopher B. James (STH ’16) to Release New Publication “Church Planting in Post-Christian Soil”
Dr. Christopher B. James' (STH '16) new publication Church Planting in Post-Christian Soil: Theology and Practice will be released on December 8th, 2017. By utilizing a methodological approach to church planting, Dr. James' work offers churches practical proposal for successful church planting. Rooted within deep theological reflection, his work allows minsters and congregations discover techniques for robust ministries within a shifting landscape.
More information, reviews, and purchasing options for Dr. James' publication can be viewed on the Oxford University Press website.
Rev. Dr. Neal F. Fisher Publishes “Introduction to Christian Faith: A Deeper Way of Seeing”
Rev. Dr. Neal F. Fisher (STH '60, GRS '66) has published a new work entitled Introduction to Christian Faith: A Deeper Way of Seeing. Focusing on the abiding love of God, Rev. Dr. Fisher carries his readers into a deep exploration of what is real, what matters, and what is true.
More information, reviews, and purchasing options for Rev. Dr. Fisher's publication can be viewed on the UMC General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
A Message from Dean Mary Elizabeth Moore: Hurricane Maria and Mexico Earthquakes
Dear Beloved Community,
Please pause during this day and pray mightily for the people of Mexico affected by the earthquake, and for the people of Puerto Rico affected by Hurricane Maria. All of you who are from Mexico and Puerto Rico, together with your families, are close in our hearts these days, and we ask that you tell us about anything we can do to respond.
I also encourage all of you to find the disaster-response organization that you most trust for its good work, and support it in any way you can. We are part of a human community, and the suffering of any part of that community is devastating for the whole.
With prayers for ALL of you, and especially for people who are suffering terrible disasters this week,
Mary Elizabeth
Jessica Davis Appointed to Allentown UMC
Allentown, NJ—The United Methodist Church of Greater New Jersey announces the appointment of Jessica Davis (STH '93, LAW '96) to Allentown United Methodist Church. Davis has served St. Paul’s UMC in Mt. Holly since 2013. She is the president and founder of the Faith & Public Policy Institute in Princeton which educates the faith community on domestic and foreign policy. She authored “The One Woman Show: A New Voice in the Desegregation Movement” and received a BA from Franklin and Marshall College, a Master of Divinity from Boston University School of Theology, a Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law, a Doctor of Ministry from United Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Philosophy at Southern Illinois University.
About Allentown UMC
Allentown UMC has a blended style of worship that appeals to all ages. They have short term studies on Wednesday evenings and participate in A Future with Hope, CROP CWS, Loaves & Fishes, Allentown Food Pantry, Good Neighbor Fund, Food Baskets, Harvest Festival, and involvement in ecumenical services and events. Their ministries include a SONshine Club for kindergarten to third grade children and they support groups including AA, Scout Troops, and local groups who use the church for their meetings. For more information on Allentown UMC, please visit their website www.allentown-umc.org.
About the United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church of Greater New Jersey has 560 churches and more than 50,000 worshipers in the region. United Methodist mission helps to feed, train, and house the most vulnerable in our communities. In 2016, 22,282 United Methodists in Greater New Jersey served 452,572 people in need throughout the state, region, and world.
Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministry, Arlington, MA
Position: Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministry (part-time)
Company: Christian Church with a vibrant and growing congregation of approximately 200 and a staff of 5.
Location: Arlington, MA
Job Type: Permanent part-time
Schedule / Hours: 20 hours per week
Pay rate: $20/hr
Job Description: Reports to Pastor. Responsible for developing a vision, providing leadership for, and integrating programs related to Children, Youth or Families (CYF) for the church. Responsibilities include:
- Lead the Children, Youth, & Family Ministry Team (CYF Team) in setting the vision, priorities and goals
for CYF Ministry. - Implement the goals and priorities of the ministry as set by the CYF Team.
- Recruit, organize, supervise and train all lay teachers and leaders; provide leadership for curriculum development.
- Serve as the primary point of contact and communication for CYF Ministry.
- Partner with the Pastor and Director of Music to provide opportunities for children and youth to be incorporated into worship.
- Supervise two staff nursery attendants through weekly check-ins and annual performance reviews; monitor nursery activity, condition, and needs.
- Advocate for an environment of inclusion by paying close attention to special needs and issues in classes and in worship and supporting families.
- Implement the Safe Church Policy as set by Church Council.
- Maintain classrooms and order all necessary supplies and curriculum.
- Provide support and resources for families to assist in Christian faith formation at home.
Qualifications:
- Graduate College
- Associate in Ministry preferred
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to communicate and interact respectfully and effectively with the Pastor and other Church staff, parents, children and youth, volunteers, members and guests.
- Excellent organizational skills with the ability to oversee and prioritize multiple projects and activities.
- Proven ability to supervise staff nursery attendants and all volunteers.
- Basic computer and office equipment skills to include MS Office.
- Ability to recruit and support volunteers and incorporate their feedback and efficiently.
- Ability to initiate new projects and programs.
- Ability to work independently.
Korean/Asian Communications Manager, United Methodist Communications, Nashville TN
Job description and information: Manager Korean Asian Communications 2017 EXT