News Release (February 21, 1974) TESC faculty member discusses her educational journey becoming a minister
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Identifier
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Release_1973-1974_1974-306
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Title
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News Release (February 21, 1974) TESC faculty member discusses her educational journey becoming a minister
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Date
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21 February 1974
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extracted text
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The Evergreen State College
NEWS
Olympia. Washington
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February
For Further
Judy Annis,
21, 1974
THE EVERGREEN
98505
Information:
866-6128
STATE COLLEGE FACULTY MEMBER TO BE ORDAINED
She wanted
to become a minlster,
but at the time women were only allowed
to
direct Sunday School programs.
But Linnea Pearson
a faculty member
the urge to deal with the "ultimate
spring,
of The Evergreen
questions"
by the Unitarian-Universalist
Ms. Pearson,
So, she transferred
journalism,
death that I wanted
literature
Virginia
to the University
political
her education,
church school,
of Illinois,
where
to be
says "Everythen."
she changed her major
I could come to the ultimate
earning
a master's
to
issues of life and
degree and then a doctorate
south to teach at an all black college
Civil Liberties
Union)---and
Chapter of the National
activities
'radical'
started
for social action and I started
southern
Organization
a women's
"I began thinking
the ACLU
group which became
the first
Church, which was one of the
about the way the church could be used
she says.
more
Dick
Nichols.
Infor mation
Virginia.
politics--like
to tune into my own religious
we all must deal with,"
in Norfolk,
in
of Women."
led her to the Unitarian
forces in the area.
questions
the sixth woman
Come
to deal with."
and heading
Her community
paid off.
lost
Church.
There, she says, "I got involved with
(American
never
to become a minister ••.but there were no lady ministers
"which was the closest
She continued
will become
who began college at a small Illinois
one going there wanted
ultimate
and her persistence
the journalist-"turned-college-professor
ordained
State College,
Director
Services
interests
and the
In 1972 she won a fellowship to Harvard University and began work on a master's
degree in theology, which she hopes to complete this summer.
Her next step was to
apply for a ministerial license-from the Unitarian-Universalist Association.
She
passed an extensive oral examination covering theology, religion, social action and
the history of the Unitarian Church and delivered a sermon to the Ministerial Fellowship Board of "The Need for MysL.!ry and Celebration Within the Church."
Permission
for ordination followed shortly thereafter, and the "Ms" became the Reverend.
The Reverend joined Evergreen's staff last fall and began making what she
describes as "the sermon circuit."
She's made guest sermons at Unitarian Churches
in Everett and Seattle and has several more planned for later this year.
Teaching will remain Rev. Pearson's main occupation, but she "may consider" a
part-time ministerial appointment in the future.
"The idea of talking with people about religion in some sort of way that's both
emotional and intellectual is still very new to me," she admits.
"It's a very hard
thing to do because you're dealing with the ultimate values in your life.
We're
so conditioned not to do that ...we get embarrassed and want to shy away from it.
But,"
she adds, "we need to find the words to speak about these things ...to share thoughts
instead of keeping them as private experiences."
Ms. Pearsons says talking about one's religious beliefs is almost taboo, like
talking about sex or death used to be.
"But," she says, "we're learning to talk
about the other two and we're starting to talk about God."
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