Julius D. Jackson, Jr. (Senior, M.Div.) American Baptist Churches, USA
Twenty years ago, Julius Jackson never imagined that he'd be enrolled in a seminary pursuing a calling from God to be a preacher. Now in his 40s, he sees how he has been on that path his whole life. The son of parents who relocated to Rochester, New York, from Louisiana, Julius has led many successful community initiatives for nonprofit organizations like AIDS Care, Wilson Commencement Park and Action for a Better Community. In all of these roles he found himself again and again helping people most by doing one thing really well: public speaking. Today he looks back and sees how that tenacity to speak publicly was a way of supporting and encouraging others and was actually a nascent form of preaching. "I was speaking the language, but not claiming it," he explains. "i never dreamed of taking this path." Julius is now just a few months away from graduating with his M.Div. and he feels that CRCDS has definitely made an impact on his formation as a minister. While reflecting on his experience of the course "Introduction to Preaching" with Profs. Gail Ricciuti and Barbara Moore, Julius says, "I feel that's where I really got my voice." Dr. James Evans's course on the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Howard Thurman ("Thurman and King and Life in the Spirit") gave Julius's call to preach the Word of Jesus a foundation in political, social and cultural realities. Julius currently is completing his hospital-based Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), which requires 18 hours per week as a chaplain at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. He found this practical format for learning incredibly rewarding, explaining that "a hospital offers many different challenges that a congregation or a seminary doesn't." It has given him the opportunity to use his faith in new and creative ways. Julius's supervised ministry placement was under the Rev. Dr. Vera Miller (D.Min.,'95) at Genesee Baptist Church in Rochester. This placement was such a positive experience that he is now an active member of the church. "Why do i believe that?" The call Julius feels to serve Christ in the world is something that he sees very much reflected in the history and tradition of CRCDS's focus on issues of social justice and working to minister to "the least of these." Another dimension of his seminary education that he believes has strengthened him is the diversity of beliefs and identities he has encountered in the classrooms and hallways of CRCDS. He found his long-held assumptions were challenged in ways he had never anticipated. "Having to test your beliefs against different perspectives definitely strengthens your faith." Following graduation, Julius will pursue congregational ministry once he completes ordination with the American Baptist Churches USA. He lives in Henrietta, New York, with his wife Mary and four children.
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