Release_1973-1974_1974-306.pdf

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Part of News Release (February 21, 1974) TESC faculty member discusses her educational journey becoming a minister

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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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