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Theologian in Residence
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he Reverend Becca Stevens visited Episcopal Jan. 14-16 as the 201213 Theologian in Residence. Stevens is an Episcopal priest serving as chaplain at St. Augustine’s at Vanderbilt University and founder of Magdalene & Thistle Farms, a community and social enterprise that supports women recovering from violence, prostitution trafficking, addiction, and life on the streets. Magdalene, the residential model, serves women for two years at no cost to residents. Thistle Farms employs 35 residents and graduates who manufacture, market, and sell all-natural bath and beauty products in over 200 retail stores across the globe. Stevens is the author of eight books and has been featured on NPR, PBS, CNN, The Huffington Post, Southern Living, Christian Century, and Victoria Magazine. She was named “Nashvillian of the Year” and “Tennessean of the Year” by Nashville Scene and The Tennessean, respectively. In 2010, Stevens became the youngest and first female recipient of The University of the South’s “Distinguished Alumnus” award. Most recently, the White House named Stevens one of 15 “Champions of Change.” She was named the 2011 Social Entrepreneur of the Year in Nashville, Tenn., and has received awards from the Frist Foundation and the Academy of Women of Achievement. To date, Stevens has raised more than $13 million for the organizations she supports. Her latest books are “Funeral
The Reverend Becca Stevens with members of the Vestry. Front row, from left: Abby Halm ’13, Mary Ann Broughton ’15, The Reverend Becca Stevens, Ali Alford ’13, Sarah Merrill Barringer ’13, and Mary Helen Tarbutton ’15. Back row, from left: Head Chaplain Gideon Pollach, Sydnor Kerns ’13, and Jack Glover ’13.
for a Stranger” and a walking Bible study series, “The Path of Peace, Justice and Love.” Stevens lives in Nashville with her husband, Grammywinning songwriter Marcus Hummon, and their three sons. During her stay, Stevens spoke in chapel and attended multiple classes, lunches, and meetings during which she spent the majority of her time interacting with students. “Rev. Stevens spoke to us about the five different categories of prayer in the Psalms: thanksgiving, adoration,
petition, confession, and lament,” said Abby Halm ’13. “She urged us to see that love is all around us and is the most powerful component of recovery. She told a story of how one drop of geranium oil made its way from Africa to the Thistle Farms headquarters, in Nashville, Tenn., and finally to a prisoner in Houston, Texas. She told us how that one drop of sweet smelling oil gave the woman hope and encouraged her to find the love in her life so that she could begin to heal.” n
EHS The Magazine of Episcopal High School
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