We are overjoyed to welcome the Rev. Bruce Epperly, PhD as our Visiting Scholar on Saturday, November 9 and Sunday, November 10.
A New Pentecost for Progressive Christians
Saturday, November 9
Reception at 6:30 p.m. in Fellowship Hall
Lecture from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. in the Chapel
These are exciting times for Progressive Christians. In the wake of the election, we have a vocation to respond creatively to the spiritual, cultural, and political world in which we live. Inspired by the Spirit, we can live out a progressive vision, claim our role in healing the soul of the nation, reach out to spiritual seekers, and learn and share inclusive and transformative spiritual practices.
The Quest for God and the More Perfect Union
Sunday, November 10
9:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. in Havighorst Lounge and Zoom
Our visions of God shape our attitudes toward the world, religious and cultural diversity, personal and social decision-making, and political involvement. In many ways, it is more important to ask “what kind of God do you believe in?” than “do you believe in God?” We will explore contrasting images of God – particularly the contrasting relational, companioning, and unilateral, authoritarian images of God – and their impact on our spiritual and political lives.
Here We Are, Send Us!
Sunday, November 10
11:00 a.m. Worship in the Sanctuary and Online
Rev. Bruce Epperly, PhD will offer the morning’s sermon based on Isaiah 6:1-8 and Mark 1:14-20.
About Rev. Bruce Epperly, PhD
Rev. Bruce Epperly, PhD served over forty years as a university chaplain, congregational pastor, seminary administrator, and university and seminary professor. Prior to concluding his full-time ministry at South Congregational Church, UCC, Barnstable, Massachusetts in 2021, Bruce served in various administrative, pastoral, and academic roles at Lancaster Theological Seminary, Wesley Theological Seminary, Claremont School of Theology, and Georgetown University. He was ordained in 1980 in Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and has joint standing with the United Church of Christ. He remains on the faculty of Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington DC as an adjunct professor in the areas of theology, spirituality, and healing and wholeness.
Rev. Bruce Epperly, PhD is the author of over eighty books in theology, spirituality, healing and wholeness, scripture, and clergy wellbeing, including The Elephant is Running: Process and Open and Relational Theology and Religious Pluralism; The Jubilee Years: Embracing Clergy Retirement; A Center in a Cyclone: Twenty-first Century Clergy Selfcare; Francis of Assisi: From Privilege to Activism; Mystics in Action: 12 Saints for Today; Prophetic Healing: Howard Thurman’s Vision of Contemplative Activism; 101 Soul Seeds for Grandparents Working for a Better World; and 101 Soul Seeds for a Joyful Retirement. His most recent books are The God of Tomorrow: Whitehead and Teilhard on Metaphysics, Mysticism, and Mission; Head, Heart, and Hands: An Introduction to St. Bonaventure; Homegrown Mystics: Restoring the Spirit of Our Nation through the Wisdom of America’s Visionaries; and Jesus: Mystic, Healer, and Prophet.
In “retirement,” Rev. Bruce Epperly, PhD describes his life as spacious, meaningful, and busy enough. His days are filled with writing (he has six more books planned over the next few years!), preparing for and leading classes and talks, mentoring pastors and seminarians, walking, watching British Nx foreign language mysteries, reading, and spending time with his wife Kate (Rev. Dr. Katherine Gould Epperly) and his grandchildren who live in the neighborhood. He wakes up eager at 4:30 a.m. for today’s holy adventure, which always includes an afternoon nap! On occasion, he even does part-time ministry for congregations, focusing on theological reflection, preaching, teaching, and reviving congregation’s spirits. He is committed to creating a sustainable world for his grandchildren and future generations, hospitality and welcoming of immigrants and asylum seekers, human rights for all, and the realizing of the Beloved Community “on earth as it is in heaven.”