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Bible academically, rather than through the lens of faith. I had some fear of what that said about the validity of the faith that I held so dear. But T.W.’s comments challenged me to consider, What is it that determines validity or would make some things not valid?” According to Lewis, that course “pushed students into scripture and dialogue with scripture,” as well as with others in class. “It got students to go more deeply into their understanding of the text. Lisa had thoughtful, probing responses to what she had heard and what she had read.” In one journal entry, Garvin pondered whether God called people to work in areas other than ministry, such as law or politics—those secular fields that so strongly attracted her at the time. “T.W. didn’t let on in his comments to me, but I suspect he knew, even then, that I’d eventually end up in ministry,” she said. In another, she reflected on a Summers Lecture that focused on homosexuality and the church. “I vividly remember that day, which included a panel discussion,” she said. “What I did not remember is my own mind opening up on the ordination of homosexuals. As a college chaplain, at Millsaps and at Emory, I’ve spent a lot of time talking with and walking with gay and lesbian students, some of whom have been called to ordained ministry.” Garvin likes to challenge boundaries. She and Dr. Darby Ray, former professor of religious studies, conceived 1 Campus 1 Community, a nationally recognized program designed to bring the College community out from behind its gates. “Her commitment to social justice and community engagement was central to her identity, and that commitment was essential to the development of IC1C,” said Ray, director of a community engagement program at Bates College in Maine. Ray said 1C1C, which reaches out to the off-campus community
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to develop mutually beneficial relationships and projects, “has grown into a highly regarded program that is front and center to Across the Street and Around the Globe, the College’s strategic plan.” While Garvin may gravitate toward community and global action, she also knows how to connect on a deeply personal basis. “One Millsaps student who will always be dear to me is John Forrest Douglas,” she said, “who I think knew as a student that ministry was his vocation, and that led us to many heart-to-heart conversations.” Douglas can testify to her impact on his life. “Lisa was a very important mentor to me while I was discerning my own calling to the ministry,” said Douglas, 28, a 2007 graduate with a degree in religious studies. “Faith was a struggle for me during college. I felt blessed that Lisa was always there with an open door, willing to talk to me about whatever theological crisis I was having. She never gave cheap, easy answers to hard questions, but rather she modeled openness and acceptance. Lisa is now more than my mentor; she is my dear friend.” So dear, in fact, that Garvin participated in Douglas’s April ordination in Washington, D.C. His first pastorate will be in Long Beach, Calif. “It’s interesting,” Garvin said. “If you’d asked me about meaningful moments and places where I would have had impact, I don’t always remember the specifics. You often in this work don’t know the kind of impact you’re having. You’re just with people. You journey with them. You don’t know what kind of influence you’re having, but you’re just being there.” Being there, indeed, from war-torn areas of the Middle East to the Millsaps Bowl. “Theologically, God is always with us,” she said, “and as clergy we represent that in a tangible way.”