Monday Ministerial Musings
By Rev. Mark William Ennis
2022 Blog #20
May 23, 2022
New Brunswick Theological Seminary Prophetic Ministry Award
It was a pleasure to return to New Brunswick Theological Seminary this past weekend. I haven’t attended an in-person event there since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. There are certainly mask restrictions and medical precautions, but events are in person again. I attended baccalaureate this year for a specific purpose: to join Dr. Pamela Pater-Ennis in celebrating an honor that she received. The Alumni Association of the seminary gave her the “Prophetic Ministry Award.” This award is given to an alumni who has a ministry that is prophetic in nature.
Certainly Dr. Pam does not fit our image of an old testament prophet. Such prophets were often eccentric and lived on the fringe of mainline society while proclaiming God’s message to various individuals and/or institutions. The role of the prophet was often to confront non-just systems and demand in God’s name that the institutions conform to God’s righteousness and justice.
So, what makes Dr. Pam eligible for such a prophetic ministry award? She was nominated because of her newly created program, “My Sanctuary Healing.” Dr. Pam, angry that people have been abused by various churches, upset that often blamed themselves for their abuse, wanted every Christian in every church to be diligent in preventing abuse in Christ’s Church, formed “My Sanctuary Healing.” The goal is to help abuse survivors heal and to develop programing to keep future abuse from happening.
With “My Sanctuary Healing” Dr. Pam speaks God’s word to abusers, the abused and institutions that have fostered and tolerated abuse. The goal, of course, is that there will be no more abuse in the church of Christ.
I am pleased that the Alumni Association of New Brunswick Seminary had chosen Dr. Pam to receive this award. I am also happy that many of the National Staff of the Reformed Church of America were present for the seminary’s festivities and now word of “My Sanctuary Healing” is known in national Reformed Church circles.
I thank Dr. Pam for starting this prophetic program of healing.
I thank her for speaking out against this modern evil.
I thank the consistory of the Clinton Avenue Reformed Church for endorsing this program.
I thank the alumni association of New Brunswick Theological Seminary for honoring Dr. Pam in this way.
May this program bring healing to many and prevent the abuse of even more people.
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To read more of Pastor Mark’s writings, please order copy of his book:https://deepriverbooks.com/books/the-circle-of-seven/
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