Lucy Enge ’25
Greetings Friends!
As I sit at the end of this journey, I find myself stepping back in time.
Nearly two years ago, I arrived in Richmond with all my possessions in my car, ready for a fresh start and this new adventure. I did not just take on my seminary studies at ESR; I also took on the management and operations of Earlham College’s Miller Farm.
I had just finished nearly a year of exhausting political work after college, and suddenly I was faced with hundreds of pages of weekly reading, questions to ask, queries to reflect on, essays to write, and the responsibility of a farm that was overgrown and completely cluttered.
My first year of seminary was a creative assortment of classes, but it was my second year that took the patchwork of my first year and emphasized spiritual formation and deepening, both internally and externally.
With the farm, I have gone from decluttering to slowly moving into formation with it as well. There has been something particularly beautiful about being so within my own head and body academically, but at the same time, being in nature and growing vegetables in a way that reaches different parts of my mind, physically moves my body, and enlivens my soul.
“While many have had wonderful experiences in seminary, I feel particularly grateful for the uniqueness of mine and for the opportunities and connections that this integrated experience has allowed for. I came to ESR for its interdisciplinary approach, and I have carried that with me in and outside of the classroom.”
While parts of my coursework were a strong continuation of my undergraduate studies in political science and peace and nonviolence, I have been able to grow in significant ways as a Christian, as a Quaker, and as a person. The last two years have been full of learning and discernment, community and friendship, and growth as a person, a Christian, and a Quaker. It has been a beautiful and challenging journey of hermeneutics, theology, history, and spirituality.
Some of my favorite papers I wrote were on the theology of the lifecycle of tomato plants and researching polarization and politics within families. It is hard to pick just one reading, but the book The Violent Take It by Force: The Christian Movement That Is Threatening Our Democracy stands out. I have traveled with my fellow seminarians to Koinania Farm in Georgia, and even got to go to Bolivia last May and June for a contextual theology class. Best of all have been the friendships, all the Dairy Queen and Pizza King outings, bowling during intensives, and the countless potlucks.
Through seminary, managing the farm, and my first year of becoming a recorded Quaker minister, I’ve come to understand more deeply that my call to ministry is rooted in service: doing good and walking alongside others, creating space, and moving together toward a better world.
I seek connection with God and right relationship with humanity and the Earth, guided by God’s love and the Light within each of us. My hope is that every part of my life reflects this commitment.
I am not a congregational minister, but I am a minister, and this is what kind of minister I am. The farm and seminary have taught me more about myself and my gifts, guided my spiritual formation, and helped me build community. I feel ready to go out and spend my life doing “what makes [me] come alive” as Howard Thurman once said.
Not long after submitting my last paper, I decided to start giving back financially to this place that has given me so much. My time at ESR would not have been possible without the generous scholarships I received.
I believe in the work of the seminary and the transformative power of the community it nurtures and grows in and beyond Quakerism. It is my hope that you will join me in giving a financial gift to ESR and investing in its bright present and future.
In peace and light,
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