Two M.Div. seniors from The General Theological Seminary, Tommie Watkins, Jr., and Nancy Hennessey, began their Wisdom Year internships this semester at Newark Shared Ministries. A collaboration between St. Paul’s Chatham, Christ Church Short Hills, The Apostles’ House, Inc., and House of Prayer in Newark, the effort to share ministry began more than 18 months ago with the support of the Rt. Rev. Mark Beckwith, Bishop of Newark. The rectors and wardens of each of the three parishes, along with the Executive Director of The Apostles’ House, began to meet with diocesan staff on a monthly basis to explore collaborative possibilities, including shared preaching and mutual ministry.
The Very Rev. Kurt H. Dunkle, Dean and President of General Seminary, was invited to participate in the monthly meetings, and it became clear that a Wisdom Year residency could be a natural fit. “Often seminaries talk about investment, as if it were a one-way street—you invest in us,” Dunkle reflects. “At General, however, in The Wisdom Year, investment is a two-way street. We are learning from Newark about this new way of doing ministry, and we expect that Tommie and Nancy will contribute to its flourishing.”
