I’ve always had a soft spot for New Jersey.
For one, Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons? OBSESSED.
Second? My mom’s a Jersey girl & we have family there. (See picture! I talk about her enough, I might as well introduce her to y'all! :) )
& third, how beautiful is it?! Breathtaking!
So this trip to Drew Theological Seminary was lovely just
like the state in which it is located.
Madison is home to Drew University, the school that the
seminary is a part of. It is a beautifully old campus that was spacious and
green with old stone buildings (even one that was used as a model in the Harry
Potter movies! WOWZA!) And though it was rainy and humid the day of my visit,
it didn’t take away from the beauty of this campus.
During our tour, given by the ever kind and helpful Gerard,
a Drew student himself, we were exposed to every part of the land. As I said,
the buildings were antiquated in the most beautiful way. Even the brand new
student center was amazing! (Which may or may not have something to do with the
fact that there’s a pub right inside…that’s your call.) I’ll let the pictures
speak for the rest of it.
 |
  |
The day we visited was one of the days leading up to Drew’s
reading week, which also happened to be National Coming Out week. If you’re not
familiar with this festivity, it’s a celebration of a day on which those who
identify and claim membership of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered
community or who are in support of them as allies, are encouraged to support
fellow participants and to remember the journey that they walk daily. This
event is celebrated nationally and serves as a kind of rite of passage for its
members.
This Chapel service at Drew was quite the experience in the
celebration of the LGBT community.
The worship leaders led us in creeds that highlighted the values and
mindsets of theirs. Mark Miller led us in worship, and some of you who are big
in the UMC world will know what a great gift his music is! The sermon was given
by a recent Drew grad and communion was also student led. Lots of student
involvement as you can tell and that’s always a great thing to experience!
After the service we were able to eat lunch with students
and hear about their individual experiences at Drew. The unanimous voice said
that they were incredibly happy at their school but that it didn’t come without
a lot of self-reflection and introspective work. I respect that.
The class we attended was called "The Kin-dom of God and
Social Change" taught by Melanie Johnson-Debaufre. An explanation is probably needed for the title of this
class. At Drew, they don’t believe in assigning a gender to God. For example,
if you were to say God the Father, it
is expected that you also acknowledge God the Mother. In the case of this class, the word Kingdom implies a masculine association so they dropped the “G.”
The class itself was filled with great content and great conversation amongst
the students. Small group interaction was highly encouraged and the fact that
it was a class of 10-12 people, that was completely do-able.
This was a very different school and the students and
faculty will be the first to admit that and they’ll say it with pride.
Drew is a place that isn’t afraid to push the boundaries of
what it means and what it looks like to be of the Christian faith.
Drew is a place where those who are seeking to be pushed and
challenged can come and find an education and teachers that aid in reconstructing their theology.
Drew has an amazingly diverse student population that is
encouraging and loving and active.
Drew is a wonderful place :)
So I’m the better half of the way through this tour (ahh!)
and my next stop is in a couple weeks at Wesley Theological Seminary in the
nation’s capital- Washington D.C.!
Keep an eye out- and hopefully I won’t have to make y’all wait so long
this time!!
