Training for Ministr y in a Broken World Students interview students in new spotlight series about the CDSP experience i n t e Rv i e W s
By
eRin Wiens st. John ‘24
And the
R e v . J e c ko n i A o ko t h ‘ 2 3
That feeling of invisibility is painful. My isolation did a lot for my own personal awareness of those who might be invisible in our society.
In response to positive feedback about several recent interview series, we bring you two student conversations about life amid formation for ministry. These interviews have been edited for length and clarity. EWSJ: I’m curious, how does all You can listen to the full recordings as part of Crossings Conversations of this relate back to your overall question,“What do you think?” at cdsp.edu/podcast. AF: “What do you think?”As pastors, we are called to help others discern God’s call and their own theologies. To have us discern what we think and why we think it, and to process through how we think those things, is profound, and very applicable to our future ministries. It’s such a gift to be able to share in the stories—our own stories and the stories of others—and communally develop our own theologies and relationships with each other and God.
Angela Furlong ‘23 Erin Wiens St. John: Angela, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and where you’re from? Angela Furlong: I am a second-year MDiv student at CDSP. I come from the Diocese of Maryland, where I am a postulant for holy orders. I live normally in Frederick, Maryland, but I am currently residing at CDSP. EWSJ: What question have you encountered in the classroom that sparked curiosity related to your ministry vocation?
10 | Church Divinity School of the Pacific
EWSJ: What’s one event or issue that’s happening in the world that’s impacted how you view ministry today? AF: When I got here, my original intention was to be in a closed, quasi-monastic community. As the death toll rose in the pandemic, we immediately went into a lockdown. I moved across the country into an efficiency apartment, knowing no one out here. I was in complete isolation. Even the streets were empty for a very long time. I suddenly found myself in a position where I was socially isolated. I didn’t know anybody. Most people were already in an established community with each other. I started imagining, “What must life be like for people who were this isolated before the pandemic and so invisible in society?”
AF: I’m involved in an ecumenical ministry in Hyderabad, India. When the pandemic struck, I became keenly aware of the caste system in India and those most devastatingly impacted by the pandemic. We are involved with a pastor in Hyderabad who offers free computer classes to the poorest people there, and his wife was running an orphanage. They joined together with my internship parish in Frederick. We’ve brought several areas together. Through this partnership and the seminary, we provide food for the families who lost any hope for survival during COVID because they were the lowest caste.They were typically day laborers counting only on the day’s wages to eat one meager meal each day. The CDSP Celtic Cross Grant I applied for and was awarded helped secure a building that has become their focus for community. It is where they attend worship services, receive food, clothing, social services, healthcare, everything. EWSJ: What creative or experimental ministry opportunity have you explored over the last year that has been inspirational to you?