Wesley Student Journal: Reemerging

WESLEY STUDENT JOURNAL

The Wesley Student Journal Returns As Wesley Reemerges Anew!

Celebrating Women Wesley Happenings About Campus and More!

April 2023

REEMERGING

Moving Onward and Upward

The Wesley Student Journal Returns!

Reemerging Anew: Editor's Note

Moving Onward and Upward As We Reemerge to Continue the Mission and Navigate the Journey of 'The Call' Ahead.

The Wesley Student Journal has traditionally been a space of expression for graduate students to explore faith tensions, theological praxis and journal about the seminary journey. Over time and throughout a myriad of circumstances, disheartening events, and grief related to the pandemics of a global health emergency, ongoing social injustice and uprisings, and the uncertain state of the church, the Wesley Student Journal has transformed into a space of reflection for the Wesley community that includes collaborative efforts from seminarian students and faculty and writers across the globe.

The Wesley Student Journal’s reemergence intends to be a space for reflection for the Wesley Community to reveal the journey of “the call” from varied perspectives, including academia, worship, liturgy curation, and ponderings about traditional and non-traditional ministry, mental health matters and self-care. This issue focuses on the periods of reflection throughout the liturgical year from Advent to Easter. It explores sorrow, hope, and what it means to care for self-care and take seriously the concerns of others throughout the seasons as we navigate the ebbs and flows of life, recognizing the liturgical calendar. The WSJ reemergence issue also honors women’s sacred existence sharing how the Wesley community has celebrated women’s voices in myriad ways.

As the Wesley Student Journal reemerges, it is symbolic of the intentional fellowship and imaginative prophetic efforts of the Wesley Community sprinkling about our community. May the visuals of fellowship, words of encouragement, and reflections of our contributors offer encouragement along the seminary journey and urge imaginative, responsive hope as you navigate “the call”.

Amen and Ase

Yasika Bigham

In

Yasika Bigham Editorial Director

Meet the WSJ Team!

We hope to capture the journey of “The Call” from the ebbs and flows of discerning the variations of "The Call" and theological formation to the nuances of transition and building community along the way! "

Allison Schwarz Student Council Vice President and Associate Editor

Kristin Berkey-Abbott Associate Editor

CELEBRATES WOMEN

Women's History Month A Celebration of Women

Women have been present, existing as creation, and we recognize them as equal beings as images of God throughout time So often, women are commended for their work, how they withstand, and how they aid others’ wellbeing only. However, this month we honor and celebrate women, existing, perfect as they are ….in their being

We acknowledge and commemorate women’s existence not as a monolith and celebrate the masculine, feminine, and myriad of existence of women throughout time, historically, in our present, and in our future yet to come This month and every month, we invite you to celebrate women existing, just as they are, as imago Dei, unique images of God. Here’s to celebrating women

Oxnam Chapel: Honoring Women's Voices

Wesley Oxnam Chapel honors women’s sacred existence and celebrates their voices and contributions to our worship experience. We celebrated women’s voices throughout the spring semester as liturgists and through curated music and worship in song to artistic expression and sharing the preached word.

Oxnam Chapel worship service has celebrated women, their divinity, and their voices as they challenged us to reexamine our faith and to be intentional about loving our neighbor and one another, taking seriously the needs and voices of those among us and persons who are othered.

Celebrating Women Encouraging and Challenging Us Along the Journey

InAServiceofCelebrationfortheinstallation of Dr. Veronice Miles in The Mary Elizabeth McGeheeJoyceChair,ourcommunityleaned in to receive her encouraging words as she urgedusto“breathe”inherlecture.

Rev. Dr. Veronice Miles

InAServiceforRenewalandHope,Dr.CarlaS. Works shares 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 to urge our heartstorecognizethespiritualgiftsthatwe allhave,challengingustobecome“Repairers oftheBreach.”

“The whole Gospel rests on agape love. It is the kind of love that expects nothing in return;itisnotsensical.--thereisnohonorin it."“...thewholeGospelrestsonthiscareless, recklesslove.”Dr.CarlaWorks.

Rev. Dr. Carla Works

Dr. Martin Luther King Lecture & Korean Student Association Celebration

Celebrating Women Calling Forth Our Remembrance

In a Service of Word, curated by Taehwan Roh and the Korean Students Association, Hyepin Im shared her journey through 'the call' and the importance of commitment to service for reconciliation and peace.

In her sermon lecture, The Power of Dreaming Out Loud, Dr. Teresa Fry-Brown encouraged us to reexamine our faith, challenging us to think critically, ask questions, and give voice to those who have been othered.

Rev. Dr. Teresa Fry Brown

Hyepin Im

A Service to Celebrate Women:

Celebrating Women and their Existence in Myriad Ways

Ruth Jackson and Holly Metcalf are our Spring 2023 Student Preachers!

Our Spring 2023 Student Preachers, Holly Metcalf and Ruth Jackson share in sermonic expression to celebrate women’s existence! Each uplifted the lived experiences and nuances of women’s lives, challenging our notion of redemption and how we envision and support women in our Celebration of Women Service!

Dr. Hyemin Na has successfully defended her dissertation!

Elder, Dr Na shared in our Celebration of Women Service as we honored women and their existence throughout time, past, present, and future to come, also sharing in celebration as Dr. Na has successfully defended her dissertation and completed her Ph D journey!

LOOKING BACK TO LOOK AHEAD:

ADVENT TO EASTER SEASON WESLEY WEIGHS IN: A TIME

TO REFLECT

Time is ever-moving. And what’s sure is that time is moving right along as we have moved from the Season of Advent through Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and Easter celebrations. For some, January may have felt like a long year, while for others, by now, the variations of vision boards may not appear to be visioning as one might have hoped. As we navigate through the Easter Season, having experienced a time of prayer and reflection, we share reflections from our community to encourage our hope throughout the journey.

IT'S TIME TO BE AND NOT DO.

BY REV. DR. LISA C. BANKS-WILLIAMS WESLEY PROGRAM COORDINATOR FOR STUDENT CARE OFFICE OF COMMUNITY LIFE

In this season of Advent, we often focus on the liturgical themes of Hope, Joy Love and for this week it’s peace.

Isaiah called the coming Messiah Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Everlasting Father. There are over 400 references to peace in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament We say, “Peace on earth and Goodwill towards mankind”. But, does this declaration include the peace we need for ourselves?

Jesus came to be the savior of the whole world. You did not, cannot, and should not attempt to do the assignment that Jesus came to fulfill. We are made in God’s, image. And as we have accepted the call to ministry,

We are imbued with God’s power. But, sometimes we get overwhelmed, not just with the enormity of what is required of us; but with the wonder of being used by God. That power is weighty, it is exciting to be used by God to do the work of ministry. Unfortunately, we can become trapped in the mindset that we can and must do it all.

In this season of Advent, I encourage us to be intentional about seeking peace. The peace that comes when we really accept that we are saved by grace and not by our works And sometimes peace comes, when we recognize that the things that we avoid the most, are the things that we need to embrace Peace comes when instead of trying to be gracious, and compassionate to everyone else, we save some of that grace and compassion for ourselves.

Make this Advent season, a season of rest, relaxation, and reflection. Make this Advent season, a season of rest, relaxation, and reflection. One way to do this is to stop doing and just BE. It’s bad grammar, but good theology.

Here are some ways to practicing just BE(ing):

Be intentional about the activities and the use of your time.

Be intentional about exercising self-care

Self-care is not self-indulgence.

Self-care is not selfish.

Self-care is not self-sufficiency.

Self-care is a survival skill.

Self-care means seeking the things that bring you peace. Self-care means trusting the spirit of God that lives within you to lead and guide you. Self-care entails learning to live with contentment when joy may be just out of reach. Self-care also means having selfcompassion

We must be willing to forgive ourselves when we fall short of our own expectations as well as the expectations of others.

Self-care means committing your goals wants and dreams to the Lord by putting those things into the only hands who can make them into realities.

Peace comes when we exercise selfcompassion, it is time to give yourself the gift, you readily give to others-compassion. Peace comes from Being instead of doing. In this season and from now on, take time to be and not just do.

Next semester we are going to be sharing information and strategies to help us be more intentional about self-care. Stay tuned for Self-care Survival Skills.

"Peace comes when we can just be still, be quiet, and be intentional about slowing down."

PREPARING FOR CHRISTMAS

By Sathianathan “Sathi” Clarke, Interim Dean and Professor of Theology, Culture, and Mission

In the United States, the signs that Christmas is approaching emerge the day after Thanksgiving. The gods of the Market work overtime during the week between Thanksgiving and Advent Their goal is twofold They labor to help us forget all the toil that was involved in making sure the turkey feast was sumptuous and successful. But they also motivate to quickly take on the role of Santa Claus to keep family and friends gratified by buying and wrapping and mailing gifts in time for December 25th

Sidebar: some or many of these gifts will be returned after waiting in long lines well before the New Year!

Through this busy month, the Church calendar has its own objectives that runs counter to the business world It invites us to mindfully respond to the good news of Jesus Christ. On the one hand, Advent bids us to look far into the future in trusting anticipation. We reflect upon Christ’s coming again to establish God’s reign on earth as it is in heaven, which in most Churches is liturgically marked by lighting the four candles of hope, peace, joy, and love On the other hand, Advent also calls us to gaze backward in grateful thanksgiving. It remembers the momentous historical event of God becoming flesh in the birth of Jesus. So, the season of Advent stretches our expectation into the future to celebrate God’s promise of hope, peace, joy, and love for all creation even while it gratefully looks backward to rejoice in the fact that this conviction arises from the inimitable event in which the Word became flesh (Jesus Christ) around 4 BCE.

In all our expectant watching for Christ, who will come to emancipate all flesh, and our grateful celebrating of Christ, who came as Jesus to reconcile the world to God and restore relationships between human beings, we must not ignore the many guises by which Christ comes to us every day in the here and now. The work of Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. It always has to do with what was revealed in the God-Human. In Christ Jesus, God and human beings were reconciled to an intimate relationship of communion, and human beings were reunited with each other in neighborly love.

What is unique about Christmas is that all the re-telling of the story of Jesus’ birth as the Christ-child reminds us that the God who comes to us now might still take on the features of the flesh that appeared then in the lowly and messy stable in Bethlehem. Kings (wise ones) and wandering laborers (shepherds); unwed mothers (Mary) and business owners (the inn manager) are brought to their knees before the Christ-child Perhaps even as one knee was bent in adoration of God-in-Christ the other was bent toward each other open to a new relationship promised to all flesh through Jesus-asChrist. This leads me to a specific thought as we prepare for Christmas. Let us not ignore the lowly and humble Christ who does come to us in the here and now as we are busy gratefully looking back and expectantly looking forward in celebration of the gift of God that has and will come to dwell among us. After all, Jesus the Christ as he appeared in lowliness, helplessness, and strangeness a couple of millennia ago still shows up daily as the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and imprisoned among us. (Matthew 25) So, in all the hustle (sometimes hassle) and bustle (often mad rush) of the season of Christmas let us not pass our lowly Jesus by!

…the season of Advent stretches our expectation into the future to celebrate God’s promise of hope, peace, joy, and love for all creation even while it gratefully looks backward to rejoice"

From the Wilderness to Wonder—and from the Desert to Destiny

Rev. W. Antoni Sinkfield, Ph.D. Associate Dean of Community Life

In the Bible, the word desert usually means without habitation & without vegetation! It means nobody can live there because there’s nothing to live on there! And the wilderness is often thought of as a barren wasteland, uninhabited, and perhaps even uninhabitable. The two original words of that have been translated as wilderness are the Hebrew word pronounced mid-bawr, and the Greek word pronounced er-ay-mos. And while both words are sometimes used to mean a desolate wasteland, they are also used to describe a very good place to pasture sheep-whether actual sheep or God's “sheep.”

For God has so ordained it so that those things that would usually tear us down; God uses to build us up! Those things that would usually bruise us, God uses to bless us! For God has so enabled and empowered us so that the barren wilderness produces bountiful wonder! And the dryness of the desert gives way to the delight of our destiny!

For God took…

• Abram and Sarai through the wilderness from Ur of the Chaldees to the wonder of becoming Abraham and Sarah of Canaan— the parents of the faithful and the parents of many nations!

• Hagar (and her son Ishmael) through the wilderness of ostracism, racism, patriarchy, being an outcast, and dying of thirst to the wonder of seeing God, hearing God, being blessed by God, and receiving God’s promise that her son and his progenitors would be a great nation!

• Jacob ran through the wilderness from his Uncle Laban’s cheating house and on the run from his brother Esau to the wonder of wrestling with God until he was blessed to become Israel, God’s Holy Nation!

• The children of Israel moved through the wilderness of slavery in Egypt’s brick pits water from a rock bread from the sky quail on the ground and snake poison’s antidote on a stick to the wonder of enjoying a land flowing with milk and honey!

And who else has gone from the wilderness to wonder and from the desert to their destiny?

• David went from the desert of running from Saul to his destiny of running Israel! • John the Baptist went from the desert of making straight the way of the Lord to his destiny of being on the “Mount Rushmore” of saints for the Lord!

• Saul went from the desert of persecutor to God’s Church to his destiny of preacher for God’s Church!

• And then, we’ve got Jesus who went through the desert of temptation to his destiny of overcoming all trials and temptations EARLY ON SUNDAY MORNING…

And so, I want to encourage us (as we journey together through this 2022 – 2023 academic year) to not worry, be afraid, anxious, intimidated, or apprehensive about what your wilderness experience is RIGHT NOW!

Don’t be overwhelmed, stressed out, frazzled, messed up, or torn up about the deserts you’re having to deal with TODAY! Because if we allow all these times to draw us nearer to our God, the wilderness is only in our way to get us to our wonder! And the desert is only designed to land us in our destiny!

Don’t be overwhelmed, stressed out, frazzled, messed up, or torn up about the deserts you’re having to deal with TODAY! Because if we allow all these times to draw us nearer to our God, the wilderness is only in our way to get us to our wonder! And the desert is only designed to land us in our destiny!

It is my great joy to share these words of encouragement, joy, and challenge with you as our Wesley Community moves intentionally and systematically forward from the desert place that was AND is the Coronavirus 19 pandemic (along with the wilderness of the myriad of pandemics that are afflicting us within the social order of our world). For I want to encourage you to join with me as we move TOGETHER from the wilderness to wonder AND from the desert to our destiny!

In closing, listen an excerpt of these very poignant words from Brian McLaren as we move from wilderness to wonder and from desert to destiny:

"What would it mean for us if we happen to live during the decline of the old humanity, when a new humanity is in the painful, fragile process of being born? . . . What if the growth of the new movement, the new humanity, the new social creation or construction depends on the old one losing its hegemony?"

Name the Thing

Reverend Olivia Tate

SooutofthegroundtheLordGodformedeveryanimalofthefield andeverybirdoftheairandbroughtthemtothemantoseewhat he would call them, and whatever the man called every living creature,thatwasitsname.

Genesis20:18-20

“Chile, ain’t nothing wrong with me. I’m just tired as hell.” The combination of her words and body language as she spoke were all too familiar to me. I was a clinician in training, working as an intern at a mental health clinic. I had my Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM) on hand, and I was prepared to check off the criteria to make a diagnosis to describe her symptoms. “Keisha” had come into the clinic at the encouragement of her best friend, whom she stated was concerned about her. She insisted that there was “nothing wrong” with her, but that she’d promised her friend she would come in and getcheckedout.

Then, I asked her to describe how she was feeling, and she was able to describe an internal warfare that was taking place in her mind and body. She talked about how shehadlostinterestinsomeof the things she loved, and that her motivation to do simple taskswasnonexistent.Shehad not missed work, nor was she sleeping excessively because those were not viable options for her. As a Black woman, she felt obligated to continued showing up in all the ways, because that what she was expected to do. That was all sheknewtodo.

KeishawassotetheredtotheStrongBlack Woman trope of self-sacrificing and toxic independence that she did not realize how these behaviors were negatively impacting her. She acknowledged that she had been feeling “off,” but she couldn’t really put her finger on what the problem was. Besides, the religious culture in which she had been indoctrinated in, did not make space for non-medical, or non-tangible illnesses. The tension between her faith and the emotional crisis that she was experiencingaddedtoherdistress,soshe insisted that there was not anything wrong with her. She did not exhibit many of the external signs that the DSM suggests are normative for patients diagnosed with Major or Persistent Depressive Disorder (MDD/PDD), but the internal conflicts that this sister was battlingwasundeniable.

The reality is, there is a very thin line between saying things that are not as though they are, and flat out lying. A thin line. Indeed, there is power in speaking over yourself and believing God for supernatural healing. There is also power in acknowledging our reality and trusting our Creator to show up in creative ways. What might it look like, if we were honest withourselvesandcalledathing,athing?

As a student clinician, I was tethered to the DSM to diagnose and treat clients livingwithmentalillnesses.

As a Black woman, I had some lived experiences paired with a gift of discernment that allowed me to look beyond the clinical presentation of this clientandseeher.Forthefirsttimeinher life, she had a name for the cycles that she had been experiencing since childhood. She reflected on how there was a common thread of what was deemed “moodiness” among several of her family members. It ran in the family, andnow,ithadaname.Thereispowerin thenaming.

In the first story of creation, found in Genesis1,GodassignedAdamthetaskof naming all the animals. God had already createdtheanimalsoftheearth,butthey remained unnamed. It was important to label each animal, so that each creature could be addressed individually. As they roamed the earth, it became necessary to be able to distinguish between the goat and the turtle. The distinction between the eagle and the camel was necessary, because their purpose was different. When we name a thing, we can speak directly to the thing. Once Adam named the four-legged, hump-back creature “camel,” he was able to call out to the camel and give directives. Otherwise, when he called out and said “come,” several creatures would likely showup.

When we name our experiences and symptoms,wegainthepowertoaddressthem directly.Refusingtonameoracknowledgethe existenceofthesethings,donotmakethething cease to exist. Instead, the thing becomes larger, stronger, and more persistent. It holds thepoweruntilwefaceitandcallitbyitsname. Let’sreclaimourpower,sis.

While there are different types of depression, and it can show up a myriad of ways, particularlyforBlackwomen,hereareafewtips forridingthewaves:

Embrace the power of naming and acknowledgingyourexperience.

Have your doctor rule out any medical conditionsorhormonaldeficiencies.

Engage your village, granting them the opportunitytoshowupforyou.

Change up your daily routine, engage a newactivity.

Fuel your body regularly with lots of water andlife-givingfood.

Explorecreativewaystomoveyourbodylearn a new dance, start kickboxing, play basketball,etc.

Protect your ear gates and eye gates. Be mindful of your media intake, as well as energyzappersinyourcircle.

Consider meeting with a clinical therapist thatlookslikeyou.

Abouttheauthor:

Reverend Olivia Tate is the Director and a licensed psychotherapist for Flowing Well Therapy Center. As a certified trauma specialist, Olivia incorporates her knowledge to curate safe spaces for individual therapy sessions to assist peoplewithvariousmentalandemotional challenges. Reverend Tate is also the creator of The Well Black Woman Collective, a wellness group that centers thelivedexperiencesofBlackWomen;itis a space designed for Black women to process the overwhelming weight of just being.Throughsacredsafespacepractice inindividualandgroupwork,Olivia’swork andultimatedesireareforBlackwomento healandthrive.

Happenings Happenings At Wesley At Wesley

SEMINARIANS CLAIMING SABBATH

Wesley Student Council hosted an offcampus event for students to enjoy food, games,fellowshipandfunincommunity!

STUDENT COUNCIL OUTING!

SPORTS & MUSIC DEBATES

WesleyStudentstookabreakforfellowship inthecommunitytoweighinontheSuper Bowl Fun and Festivities! Who’s team are youon?!?Didyoutuneinforthegame,the half-timeperformance,orboth?

KOREAN BBQ FUN!

MDiv. Student Jisu's Korean BBQ brought smilesoutwithabreakandsavorycuisine amongstfuninthecommunity!

LOOKING AHEAD: REST

As the semester winds down and we begintoponderwhatliesaheadbeyond finals, please take a moment to reflect andhonoralltheworkyou'vedonethus faralongtheseminaryjourney.

Thank You.

Thankyoutoourcontributors

DeanAntoniSinkfield,Ph.D.

DeanSathianathanClarke

Rev.Dr.LisaBanks-Williams

ReverendOliviaTate

ArtworkandPhotography: SimonLee

LayoutDesign: YasikaBigham

PleaseNote:

Theartworkonpagethreeisaportionofafullwork titled"TheLastSupper"createdbyCatherineKapikian.

WESLEY STUDENT JOURNAL

Reemerging: Moving Onward and Upward