Its A Small World

The Presbyterian world is tiny…which I just love.  Yesterday I had the pleasure of participating in an installation service for my friend Rev. Crystal Varner Parker at Providence Forge Presbyterian Church.  Our New Testament professor from Union Presbyterian Seminary, the Rev. Dr. Frances Taylor Gench delivered the sermon at the service.  I adore Frances.  She was a wonderful teacher; always available to us not only in the classroom but also in supporting our personal lives.  As a professor, Frances invited me into the gospels as a female scholar and highlighted angles of Jesus’ ministry I had not yet considered.  As a preacher, Frances embodies a beautiful balance of powerful presence and deep humility.  She is at once witty and wise, kind and convicted. 

Yesterday, Frances and I discovered a wonderful connection.  Frances was an intern here at New Providence under Rev. Tom Biggs in 1980. She spoke so warmly of her time here and how much she loved the people of New Providence.  She has over the years kept the church on her radar and has celebrated your triumphs and grieved your obstacles.  She told me that after the long search for an installed minister, she was so glad to know that I was serving here. You could have knocked me over with a feather.  

I want you to know that you had a significant impact on the ministry of a young, aspiring female seminary student who became a professor of biblical interpretation and authored six books! This church helped to form the life of a woman who would forge the way for my generation of women in biblical scholarship and pastoral ministry, a woman that so many of us look up to with great admiration! And now I am here, serving in a pulpit where she stood, and learned and felt supported feeling blessed and supported as I continue to grow and serve.  What a gift you are, New Providence!