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Friends of Duke Chapel | Fourth Quarter 2009

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Photo by Mark Manring

Friends Newsletter Fourth Quarter 2009

A BUSY YEAR FOR DUKE CHAPEL

President: Patricia Philipps

by Sam Wells, Dean of Duke Chapel “This must be your busy time.” From the time they are first ordained this has been something clergy get used to people saying in the run-up to Christmas.

T

Vice President: Gina Harrison Secretary: Karen Rhodes, T ‘92 Immediate Past President: Janet Gwyer, PhD

Being busy is a way we communicate to one another our importance, our independence, a sense that wherever we are, there must be a buzz of activity. Whoever it is we’re talking to, we find a way to communicate to them that they’re not as significant in our life as the person we’re on our way to talk to. We don’t have time to assess the quality of our interactions with people: the vital thing is to ratchet up the quantity.

Advisory Board: Jean E. Carr WC ‘61 G. Paul Carr Leigh Edwards, T ‘09 Gus Grant, MD Steve Harper Annelise Mesler, E’12 Nan Schiebel, WC ‘53, P ‘92 Anthony Sease, E’91 Ella Jean Shore, D ‘56 Beth Gettys Sturkey Emeritus member: William E. King, PhD, T ‘61, G ‘63, G ‘70

INSIDE Abby’s Farewell Letter

2

2008-09 Financial Summary

4

Leading by Listening

6

Giving Back

7

Reflection on Hosea

8

The Friends of Duke Chapel

10

Families of Abraham

20

and-a-half years ago I told her “Your job is not to be busy. Your job is to love the people of Durham’s West End so much that after a few years they can’t imagine life without the Chapel and the Chapel can’t imagine life without them.” I didn’t have a precise picture of what that meant. That was for Abby to find out.

And she did. If her ministry at the Chapel and in the West End could be summed up in one word, that would be gentleness. Duke Chapel has long been associated with many things – size, majesty, grandeur, beauty – but if it is now associated with gentleness, that is Abby’s doing. It is a wonderful legacy. We wish her This makes it humiliating to be unemwell for what ployed or underwe hope will be I’ve come not to mind so much when employed, and a ministry of extremely diffipeople... say, “This must be your busy gentleness and cult to contemtime.” Because it suggests we’re not abiding faith in plate retirement. busy any other time. And I like that. Virginia. How can one find

It suggests the Chapel is living in words to admit This year the God’s time. one has an eager Chapel has heart but no exhad much to plicit activity on which to focus it? The be busy about. There have been many only route is to disappear from the hubgrand things, many majestic things, bub of working and social life, to protect many beautiful things. But the most oneself from having to speak the truth: important things have not been rushed, “I am not busy.” Fortunately, the busy or frenetic, or hurried. They’ve been conare generally too preoccupied to notice stant, and faithful, and gentle. One way one’s disappearance. in which I believe Duke Chapel can serve the wider church is that in most church One person who has taught me a lot communities there is a perpetual sense about how not to be busy is the Rev. of urgency and fluster. At Duke Chapel, Abby Kocher. When she joined the ChaContinued on page 2 pel staff as Community Minister three-


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