Being There Dissident Daughter the Violence Among Us Wesley At
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DIVINITYDUKE UNIVERSITY Being There The Ministry of Presence Dissident Daughter Encounters with the Holy The Violence Among Us Offering Survivors Sanctuary Wesley at 300 Controversy and Consensus S PRING 2003 Duke Divinity School Archives School Divinity Duke From the Archives — 1985 Graduates of the Class of 1985 line up outside Duke Chapel for the Baccalaureate Service. L to R: L. Gregory Jones, Laurie Johnson, Harriet Isbell, Jim Huskins, Mike Holder, Lois Hodgkinson and Leonard Higgins. CONTENTS S PRING 2003 • VOLUME T WO • NUMBER T HREE 4 Features Wesley at 300 4 The Ministry of Presence 6 The Violence Among Us 9 Haitian Orphans Inspire Student Filmmaker 13 A Dissident Daughter’s Encounter 4 with the Holy 14 A Prophetic Voice Moves Ministry Beyond the Pulpit 17 Sally Bates: Divinity School Chaplain 20 Distraction Disarms Devils’ Opponents 22 24 Departments Letters 2 9 News Makers 3 Bookmark 23 Shelf Life 24 Gifts 26 Faculty & Staff Notes 28 Comings & Goings 31 Class Notes 32 20 Coming Events 35 Ministry at Large 36 EDITOR End Quotes 37 Elisabeth Stagg Associate Director of Communications CONSULTING EDITORS Front Cover: John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, is the central Wesley F. Brown D’76 figure on the tympanum above the doors of Duke Chapel. This year Associate Dean for External Relations marks the 300th anniversary of his birth. Photo by Les Todd. David W. Reid Back Cover: Cape Point, the southern tip of the Cape of Good Hope, Director of Communications appears out of the mist hundreds of feet above the sea, near the meeting point of the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Photo by Clay Musser. CONTRIBUTORS Julie Anderson D’98 NATIONAL COUNCIL DIVINITY SCHOOL Director of the Annual Fund ALUMNI ASSOCIATION DUKE UNIVERSITY 2002-2003 Reed Criswell D’87 Frank Stith T’63, D’66 Greensboro, N.C. President Publications Coordinator Ashley C. Stanley T’77, D’80 Fletcher, N.C. President-Elect Javier Viera D’96 Mamaroneck, N.Y. Secretary Deirdre Gordon Kevin Armstrong D’85 Indianapolis, Ind. Director of Continuing Education Programs Sheila Cumbest D’90 Jackson, Miss. Bob Wells Ralph Eanes D’65 Thomasville, N.C. Associate Director of Communications Regina Henderson D’97 Raleigh, N.C. M. J. Kim D’65 Alexandria, Va. PUBLISHER Bill Lamar D’99 Orlando, Fla. L. Gregory Jones D’85, G’88 David McEntire D’81 West Palm Beach, Fla. Dean & Professor of Theology Joe Mitchell D’53, G’62 Durham, N.C. Tom Pietila D’77 Florence, S.C. Copyright © 2003 Duke Divinity School. All rights reserved. Angela Pleasants D’99 Wingate, N.C. Eric Porterfield D’94, D’96 Sanford, N.C. Production: Duke University Publications Group Scott Rimer D’93 Portsmouth, Va. Design: Paul Figuerado Dave Kirkland D’90 Falls Church, Va. ex officio Leslie M. Marsicano T’78, D’81 Charlotte, N.C. ex officio Wes Brown D’76 Durham, N.C. ex officio Divinity magazine is published three times during the academic (2002-03 Council was elected 10/14/02—will serve through 10/03) year–fall, winter and spring–for alumni and friends of Duke Divinity School. LETTERS Taking Issue with End Quotes have entered the ministry. Actually, it is more than men- toring; it is a “friendship of the heart” as Dick Meyer of I enjoyed reading through the Winter 2003 edition of the One Anothering Institute in Omaha, Neb., calls it. At Divinity and was ready to put it away until I read the last the current time, every Sunday morning at 7 a.m., I send “End Quote” (Post 9-11). Stanley Hauerwas’ observation an e-mail of encouragement and affirmation to 10 minis- is interesting and probably true that Americans are ters. The recipients range from the chief of chaplains at unwilling to accept the idea that we can die as victims, Kirkland Air Force Base in New Mexico to ministers who but instead must be touted as heroes when we do. But are still working on their elders’ orders. The e-mails are that is because we are not accustomed to being the under- in addition to the letters and telephone calls to a more dog and need some time to adjust to this undeniably trag- inclusive number. I have called to Bishop (Marion) ic loss of life. And I wonder why Professor Hauerwas Edwards’ attention that this could be a vital role for finds it necessary to attribute turning these deaths into retired ministers. Many feel “put out to pasture” with martyrdom to a sinister motive on the part of a war-mon- their 40 years of ministry not benefiting the younger min- gering government – “something done for war-policy isters. This is special to me because, as a young minister, reasons,” he says. I had a “friendship of the heart,” and it kept me focused, Our news media is not yet the handmaiden of the gov- encouraged and stimulated. ernment and they are the ones who report current events I hope that the (Pulpit & Pew) Colloquium on to the public, along with the commentary. They are aware Excellence in Ministry will not overlook the role that that to effectively market their product to the public you retired ministers can play when they consider the “place need portrayals of heroism, sensation, and celebrity status of friendship in ministry.” to get attention. Bill Lowdermilk D’58 I am troubled by Professor Hauerwas’ statement that Fayetteville, N.C. this “current heroization of the people who died” is a scheme of our government to fuel the desire for revenge. The desire for revenge lurks in the heart of us all and has Clergy Care been exploited most clearly in the teachings and practice of militant Islam. My biggest concern now is with those I have recently been working with the West Ohio in our country who still do not realize that we are being Conference leadership on development of a Retreat & confronted with people who are dead (literally) serious Learning Center, including a clergy care services division about doing us in. And they have honed the sword of and a comprehensive employee assistance program. I revenge into a deadly weapon. So, to accuse a man of the shared the “Which Way to Clergy Health?” article from character and integrity of our president of the same the fall issue of Divinity … and it stimulated intense motive, I don’t like it at all either. interest. In fact, our conference treasurer and the insur- ance board want to send copies to around 2,500-3,000 Phillip A. Lomax T’57 conference clergy and lay leaders. Thank you for this Athens, Ga. fine publication. Rev. Keith R. Vesper D’78, D’82 Retirees’ Vital Role Columbus, Ohio The 2003 winter Divinity … is a most thought pro- voking issue, and I appreciated particularly the article, Share Your Feedback “Friendship, It’s Okay to Go There.” When I read the part about clergy saying that among the things that they want- WRITE TO: Editor, Divinity Magazine ed was mentoring, it struck a chord with me…. I have Duke Divinity School recognized the need for some time. Over the years, I have Box 90966, Durham, NC 27708-0966 served in this role to Methodist College graduates who E-MAIL: [email protected] 2 Letters NEWS MAKERS Learning Place: One House of Enlightenment Draws Eager Kids By Bill Lohmann Warm and friendly – as well as young and white in a community populated mostly by blacks – Percy Strickland Times-Dispatch T’98, D’99 and his wife, Angie, were a curiosity to kids on their block. When the children stopped by to visit, the Stricklands talked to them and invited them in to play checkers and chess and Nintendo. They even threw parties for them on holidays. After a Valentine’s Day party last year, the Stricklands Edlund/Richmond Welch Alexa Percy and Angie Strickland on their front porch with neighborhood children. decided they could do more to help the children than sim- ply offering fun and games. The Stricklands wondered There are upward of 30 children in the program, with aloud if any of the kids would be interested in a little tutor- 15 or 20 coming on any given day. The Stricklands would ing. We’ll start Monday after school, the Stricklands said, like to take in more kids, but there isn’t sufficient space. having absolutely no idea how many – if any – kids would Their primary goal is to encourage others to open their actually show up to do homework at their kitchen table. homes for such programs. Percy, 27, is a campus minister working with Their efforts already have encouraged Tina Johnson, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at the University of a neighbor with five children. Johnson has seen how the Richmond; Angie, 26, is a first-year medical student at Stricklands’ home has become a safe gathering spot for Virginia Commonwealth University’s Medical College of neighborhood children, and she is now trying to drum up Virginia. They met at Duke University, where both earned interest in opening a community center that would be their undergraduate degrees and Percy earned an M.T.S. at staffed by volunteers. the Divinity School. They have no children of their own. Marquetta Vaughan, an 8-year-old second-grader When the Stricklands arrived home that Monday whose favorite subjects are math and science, said she afternoon, their porch was full of kids waiting for them. likes visiting the Stricklands . “because it’s a great The Stricklands were, at once, gratified and over- place to help us learn. This is helping us.” whelmed. They determined they couldn’t adequately offer It seems the Stricklands and their friends have taught assistance to all of the kids who wanted it, so they started the kids a lot.