Associate pastor to assume top role at new church.Byline: Profile by The Register-Guard Name: The Rev. Shannon Kearney, 51, Eugene Claim to fame: After 13 years as an associate pastor at Eugene Faith Center, Kearney has started her own church - SouthHills Church - in south Eugene. She is the first woman to lead a new church "planted" by Faith Center. Why start a new church?: "Because I felt directed by the Lord. It was the next step in my journey of faith." Isn't south Eugene a tough place, demographically, to start an evangelical church Evangelical Church: see Evangelical United Brethren Church. ?: "That's precisely the reason to do it - to give people another opportunity to practice Christianity. Plus, this is where (husband) Mike and I have lived for 25 years. We like the lifestyle of the south Eugene hills." What do you mean when you speak of "gender reconciliation"?: "It's my hope to put aside some of the patriarchal pa·tri·ar·chal adj. 1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a patriarch. 2. Of or relating to a patriarchy: a patriarchal social system. 3. structure that is so often misunderstood in the Christian community. I really believe men and women are called to mutually serve in the church. There's also the issue of generational reconciliation: If I do this, it's one more step in the path to let young women come behind me to do this." It's not always been easy being a female pastor within your denomination Denomination The stated value found on financial instruments. Notes: This term applies to most financial instruments with monetary values. The denomination for bonds and securities would be face value or par value. ?: "It's been difficult. But I have often felt that the difficulty of the journey has been the importance of the journey. The difficulty is what's challenged and changed me." Is there a stained-glass ceiling The stained-glass ceiling is a sociological phenomenon in religious communities similar to the concept of the "glass ceiling." This concept revolves around the apparent difficulty for women who seek to gain a role within church leadership. for women pastors?: "Yes, definitely. I would be dishonest if I said there wasn't in our own denomination (Foursquare Gospel). But I think our record is better than average among traditional churches. Our denomination was founded by a woman." Are you a feminist?: "Yes, very much so. It means a woman has the possibility and opportunity to achieve all that God intended her life to be." Got any hobbies?: "The job is pretty 24/7. I love to read, and snow ski when I can. I love people, spending time "Spending Time" is the first single released by Christian artist Stellar Kart. The lyrics describe the band members desire to spend "more time with God". "Sometimes it’s a real struggle to spend time with God. with my friends. I'm just a people person." You once worked as a scuba-diving mermaid on a glass-bottom boat A glass bottom boat is a boat with sections of glass (or other suitable transparent material) below the waterline allowing passengers to observe the underwater environment from within the boat. in Hawaii. What was that all about?: "In 1974 I went to Hawaii to recover from my parents' divorce. I was a scuba diver diver, general term used to refer to many diving birds, e.g., the loon, the grebe, and some ducks, auks, and penguins. , and to support myself I got this job as a tour guide. I'd put on my scuba gear and tell them about the creatures of the sea. It's also where I met my husband." - Jeff Wright Jeff Wright can refer to:
If you know someone who would make a great subject for a Register-Guard Profile, send it to Jim Murez at jmurez@ guardnet.com . |
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