by Joleen Burgess

Bethany’s newest staff member, John Chase, is actually a familiar face around church. He first attended Bethany during his college days at SPU. Then, interrupted by a year at Duke Divinity School in North Carolina, he spent four more years here teaching adult Christian education classes, leading worship, and living in the intentional community house at 7 Howe. Last summer he served as one of Bethany’s Children and Families interns.

As Bethany’s Interim Discipleship Ministry Coordinator John is responsible for overseeing communications (including Briefs), Adult CE, Group Life, college and post-college ministries. “It’s been a smooth transition,” John says, “tying in with my past work and volunteer experience here.”

He finished his Master of Divinity degree at Duke in May 2005 and is a candidate for ordination in the Presbyterian Church. But he’s not always been a Presbyterian.

John feels fortunate to have experienced so many theological traditions. “Growing up in a Quaker church, I learned prayer and the contemplative tradition. A Four-Square church during high school was my introduction to the charismatic tradition. I grew to appreciate more liturgically structured worship at an Episcopal church in North Carolina, and learned about social justice from the United Methodists at Duke.”

Off the clock John plays guitar, loves taking walks, has recently picked up photography, and, his friends say, “always has his nose in a book.” Some day, he says, he’ll find the time to get back into fly fishing.

He’s also committed to missions. After a 6-week SPU ministry trip to Sierra Leone in 1994, he’s dreamed of returning to Africa. “That was right before the civil war broke out,” he explains. “Not long after we left, the rebels converged on Freetown, and things turned violent. Africa is a part of me now, and I have a feeling that it’s only a matter of time before I return.”

We’ll see him around, if not at church then at the Tea Cup on Queen Anne Avenue, where John spent a good deal of time studying for his ordination exams. It was there that John met some SPU theology students, which in turn led to a college/post college fellowship group which meets Thursday nights at 7 Howe for dinner and discussion. “We’re exploring ways to move from simply talking about theology, to actually living theologically faithful lives of discipleship under the lordship of Jesus Christ.”
Which fits right into his new job description.