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The Work God Has Given Us to Do: Call it Social Justice, Call it What You Will
Not every student will be a Naya Bakaes.
By that I mean, not every student in an Episcopal school will start a robust peer mentoring program, as Naya did, before graduating from high school. That said, at Christ Church Episcopal School (CCES), in Greenville, South Carolina, where since 2018 I’ve served as Senior Chaplain, and at Episcopal schools across the country, students are consistently invited, encouraged, even urged, we could say, to claim their unique part in helping this world be more the way God intends the world to be.
Periodically, in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd, at the heart of our campus, I’ll homilize on how the liturgy, our worship, trains us for the world. At the Eucharist, there is room for everyone at the holy table. No one is turned away. We exchange peace. Beauty elevates—beauty in faces, in spirit, in glass, in song. We are in harmony. We give thanks, we celebrate. We are mindful of God’s presence and of the worth and dignity of all gathered. And then we take all of that out into the world with us, as a vision of what God wants for the whole human family: welcome, kindness, belonging, peace, joy, and love. It’s what we’re talking about in the post-communion prayer, just before we head out the Chapel doors when we speak of the work God has given us to do. It’s what Jesus was talking about when he taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” It’s what Dr. King was talking about when he spoke of the Beloved Community. It’s what we mean when we say Social Justice. Making the world more the way God intends the world to be.
And at CCES, as at countless other Episcopal schools, we don’t just preach about Social Justice, of course. We aim to live it, to embody it. Through simple acts of kindness and welcome each day. Through a student body that over time mirrors still more fully the people of upstate South Carolina. Through steadily working to help everyone at CCES have a true sense of belonging. Through financial aid opportunities. Through having honest if sometimes uncomfortable conversations about how things are versus how things should be. Through service learning experiences across the greater Greenville-Spartanburg area.
Last week, in honor of Dr. King, we sent our 438 upper schoolers out to spend a morning serving around Greenville. A colleague and I were with a group of our seniors at Greenville’s Triune Mercy Center, where we packed bags with food items for an upcoming distribution. While there, we talked with one of the Triune pastors, the Reverend Jennifer Fouse Sheorn, about what it’s like to live on the streets of the city. In particular, Jennifer helped us think about just how hard, if not downright impossible, it is for a person who is unhoused in Greenville to find a place to use the restroom. And, in turn, just how easy it is to end up getting arrested for relieving oneself in, say, an alley. And how such arrests can all too easily stack up. And how getting such arrests expunged from one’s record is impossibly expensive. Pastor Jennifer also spoke about the whole array of ministries Triune has for and with the homeless of Greenville: meals; medical and legal aid; addiction and mental health counseling; and social services. All of these, of course, have the aim of helping men, women, and children who are unhoused find their way out of homelessness and into stability and, ultimately, into a flourishing worthy of their dignity as beloved children of God.
At CCES, our hope is that in part through experiences like the one our students had last week at Triune Mercy Center, each of our students will find, as Naya Bakaes did in her years with us, those special ways to play a part in making the world a kinder, more humane, more welcoming, more peaceful place. Inevitably we will have different ideas about what Social Justice looks like. And given how language easily becomes freighted with distracting associations, there are students and families at Episcopal schools who think of what they do, not as “Social Justice,” but simply as living out their faith, or perhaps as just being a good neighbor.
The Reverend Wallace Adams-Riley is Senior Chaplain at Christ Church Episcopal School in Greenville, South Carolina. NAES invited Father Wallace to write a post on Social Justice, one of the Four Pillars of Episcopal Identity.
The Enduring Impact of Chapel
Recently, I texted a former student of mine whose mother, an actress, is featured in the series Elsbeth. I was delighted when I received an immediate reply from the young man I had coached in lacrosse and soccer, his secondary sports (he starred in basketball and plays in college). And, despite our Episcopal school requiring 3x weekly chapel, this student-athlete was decidedly not a chapel enthusiast. That being said, he had recently returned from China where he reported “listening to a lot of podcasts and reading from religious texts.” He continued, “I used not to think religion would have been a big part of my life but I’ve recently been interested in implementing it into my daily life.” After telling me he was reading Genesis, he asked for my recommendation for religious practices and texts. Knowing how brief and cryptic my twenty-something son’s texts can be—I was deeply moved by the fact that this young alum had replied and done so with a clear desire for spiritual growth. As school chaplains, we are very familiar with those students who seem to have no interest in our weekly worship services and sit seemingly disengaged through the required chapel gatherings. Then this same young person comes back to an alumni gathering and reports that they feel as though something is “missing” from their lives post-graduation. They find themselves searching for spiritual belonging and the opportunity to gather in worship. How many of our former students have surprised us by asking us to officiate a wedding, baptize their child, or bury their loved one? Alums whom we didn’t think were paying attention while they were attending our chapel services who later felt a pullback to devotional experiences. Read More »
The Angels and Saints Among Us
In the week before coming to the NAES conference this year, our chaplaincy and school came together to prepare a memorial service for a beloved faculty member who died suddenly on Halloween. One evening, in the difficult days that followed her death, I opened a file in the chaplain’s office containing years of memorial service bulletins faithfully prepared in the midst of similar tragedies. These service bulletins, compiled by chaplains, like the Rev. Preston Hannibal, who will soon celebrate 50 years of school ministry, serve as a reminder that we are not alone. For we are accompanied by those who walked this way before us–the men and women who faithfully ran chapels, pastored students and faculty, taught classes, and served as advisors and coaches. Read More »
How Inclusivity Lets our Light Shine and Strengthens our Community
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 Amid a disgruntled parent, a leaking roof, or dismissal... Read More »
Letting Your Light Shine
In the middle of September, I marked the occasion of my birthday in a typical Coloradan fashion: by hiking a “fourteen-er.” A picture-worthy occasion, I shared it on social media and a dear friend commented, “Radiant creature!” “Sleep-deprived and super tired creature,” I replied. A week earlier, the same friend comforted me by reminding me that my “greatness” doesn’t stem merely from what I do, but from who I actually am, in God. Read More »
Growth Moves at the Speed of Trust
“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be... Read More »
The Practice of Intentional Pausing: A Reflection on Community in Episcopal Schools
A fellow teacher at the first Episcopal School where I taught gave me a piece of profound advice. It was centered on intentional pausing and has helped me consistently delight in the three Episcopal school communities I have been blessed to join. Read More »
Pastoral Care: A Ministry of Being
Both Episcopal and non-Episcopal schools are in the business of educating students of all ages, backgrounds, races, religions, cultures, and abilities in caring, nurturing environments. What is unique about Episcopal Schools however, is that Episcopal Schools are “embodiments of the Christian faith…that honor, celebrate and worship God as the center of life,” and as such “are created to be models of God’s love and grace.” One important way we share God’s love is through pastoral care. The Episcopal Church defines pastoral care as “The ministry of caring at the heart of the church's (or school’s) life.” In my ministry as a school chaplain, pastoral care is woven into every aspect of my day. Tending to Jesus’ sheep is multifaceted, and the following are a few of my reflections about pastoral care after serving forty years in education, the last ten as a chaplain in an Episcopal School. Read More »
Embracing Diversity and Inclusion: The Episcopal School Perspective
In recent months, the role of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in schools has faced increasing scrutiny, with some arguing that it promotes indoctrination rather than education. More than two dozen states, including here in North Carolina, have taken legislative steps to restrict or outright eliminate DEI initiatives and roles in public colleges. This debate has significant implications for the education sector, particularly for schools rooted in principles of diversity and inclusivity, such as those affiliated with the Episcopal Church. Read More »
The Synergy of Community
I have lived and worked in boarding and day schools—secular and Episcopal—for thirty years. Throughout this time, I have appreciated the different ways that schools sustain community. The... Read More »