As this month begins, we are getting ready to welcome our summer Peirson intern. The Peirson program—named for a founding family of the church that left a bequest in 1989 for the training of ministers—brings a seminarian to
South for the developing of skills and the sharing of gifts. The program commenced in 1992 and since then we have had a variety of students from a half-dozen seminaries.
This year our seminarian, Jim Day, is from the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge. Jim is on a non-traditional track. He is a creative artist who is pursuing his Master’s in Liturgical Arts in order to enrich the life of worship and deepen the life of faith. Jim Day is also a resident here in the Berkshires and a member of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church.
Jim responded to our ad posted in a number of seminaries that said in part: “Are you a seminarian with an interest in the arts who is seeking a different kind of ministry experience to enhance your overall pastoral training? South Church, UCC, in Pittsfield, MA, in conjunction with Cathedral in the Night, a local outdoor worshipping community, are together offering an innovative ministry experience that will enable a seminarian to explore the intersection of art, worship, and social justice in a growing collaborative effort.”
Jim will work 20 hours a week with us over the summer to add an artistic dimension to worship on Sundays, share his gifts with our Church School, and bring an artistic presence to the Pantry, St. Joseph’s Kitchen, and the ecumenical Outdoor Cathedral community that gathers Sunday afternoons on the lawn of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.
Jim will not be focused on preaching, teaching, and visiting as would a more traditional seminarian. The wider church is in a time of great change and more non-traditional paths are being explored. Jim offers us the opportunity to walk with one who is exploring the interface of art and faith. In doing so his skills will be strengthened and our vision of ministry will be enlarged. Such ministerial experiments are what the Peirson program enables us to provide. And while I am on vacation this summer pastoral support will be provided by Rev. Art Kaufman, Rev. Bob Skidmore, and Rev. Jenny Gregg.
The world of art has the capacity to strengthen the vision of faith, deepen relationships as people share together in artistic expression, and melt barriers that so easily form between individuals, races, classes, and traditions. For example, our “Take Another Look” photo exhibit by Nick DeCandia, that documented the struggle and dignity seen every week at the Pantry and St. Joe’s Kitchen helped our community see our neighbors more clearly. Could deepening our collaborations around artistic expression further the evolving ministry here at South, in our Food Ministry, and with Outdoor Cathedral? This is the question Rev. Jenny Gregg and I discussed after our week-long retreat at Kripalu in February. As the pastor for Outdoor Cathedral Rev. Gregg also had some funding that could be used toward an intern. This summer will be our opportunity to discover where these growing buds of hope, faith, and collaboration are leading.
Be sure to greet Jim warmly when he arrives next week. He will be with us through the end of August.