We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jeremiah Williamson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jeremiah , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s go back in time to when you were an intern or apprentice – what’s an interesting story you can share from that stage of your career?

I did not begin seminary with the intention of becoming an Episcopal priest. My college religion professors had had a profound impact on my young life and faith, and so, I enrolled at Drew Theological School thinking I would one day follow in their footsteps, to the front of a classroom.

But then on a Fall Sunday, during my first semester, I wandered into Grace Episcopal Church in Madison, New Jersey and found my spiritual home. Before the dismissal sounded, I knew that my life would never be the same. It wasn’t long before my plans became complicated; I started to realize I might be called to be an Episcopal priest, not a professor.

The Master of Divinity seminary degree typically takes three years to complete. During the second year, students are expected to complete an internship in their chosen field. My problem was that my field was not exactly chosen; I was still torn between academia and the Church.

The Dean who arranged these internships asked me to interview with the Rector (lead pastor) of St. Paul’s in Chatham, New Jersey. I was new to the Episcopal Church and had never heard of the priest, Elizabeth, despite her fairly high profile within the tradition. Had I known I might have been a bit more reticent. But in the midst of a vocational crisis, I felt desperate to find a sure path.

I sat down with this experienced, respected priest and said, “I’m not sure but I think God might be calling me to be a priest and I need to figure this out. I will work with you if you can promise to provide a fulsome experience of parish life.” Little did I know at the time, Elizabeth relishes a challenge. I was speaking her language.

She accepted my terms and I became her ministry intern. It was exactly the experience I needed. I was convinced of my church calling within the first couple of months.

During that first semester, Mother Elizabeth invited me to preach the Sunday services. I had never preached before. I took it very seriously; I prepared; I revised; I prayed…a lot.

On the day of my preaching debut, the ground was covered with a fresh blanket of snow – actually many blankets of snow. It was a blizzard. But, I couldn’t let the congregation down. My old Honda Accord and I slowly found our way to the church.

There were two Sunday services scheduled: one at 8am and one at 10am. On that day, there was not a large crowd gathered for that early service. In fact, there was one man in the congregation. A man who perpetually wore a frown.

But I preached that sermon. I preached every carefully prepared word to that man. I stared down his frown with my message of hope. Neither one of us gave an inch.

Between the services the snow plows were hard at work. There were many more people at the second service. And so my second time preaching felt way more normal, but was, of course, way less memorable.

Twenty years later, I now preach to hundreds of people each Sunday. But I still think about that first sermon I ever gave. To one person. One precious grump. Created in the image of God. I don’t know if that sermon even registered in his mind or heart. But the memory reminds me that I am simply called to offer my best and trust God with the results.

Jeremiah , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am the Rector of Grace and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, a large parish in downtown Colorado Springs. Before arriving in Colorado Springs in February of 2016, I served urban Episcopal Churches in Youngstown and Toledo, Ohio.

I discovered the Anglican tradition while completing my undergraduate studies in music at Greenville University. I went on to receive his Master of Divinity from Drew Theological School. After finishing my M. Div., I completed a diploma in Anglican Studies at the General Theological Seminary in New York City. More recently, I completed an Executive Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University.

I am the author of Praying the Scriptures: Litanies for Sunday Worship (Church Publishing, 2014), Baptismal Promises (Forward Movement, 2018), and a contributor to the book Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil: Stories about the Challenges of Young Pastors (James Ellis III, ed., Smythe & Helwys, 2015).

I have presided over exciting growth throughout my ordained ministry. The churches I have served have seen increases in average worship and class attendance. I have also sponsored four ordained minsters, supervised two newly ordained priests and two newly ordained deacons, and currently have two members of my congregation in the ordination process. Out of the pandemic, I have baptized 32 people in just the past 17 months.

I currently serve on the Standing Committee of my diocese, am one of the diocese’s General Convention Deputies, and I am on the Advisory Committee for the Episcopal Church’s Development Office. I was a regional Dean in Ohio, formerly chaired the Colorado Commission on Ministry, and was a General Convention Deputy in 2012 and 2015. I have served on a number of community boards and am currently on the board of the Colorado Springs Downtown Partnership. My wife, Jennifer, a United Methodist pastor, and I have two sons (11 & 9), and one mini-Schnauzer.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

I would not. Being a priest is not always easy. It requires a significant amount emotional and spiritual energy. The rhythm is relentless. And I work with a lot of people. And people can be exhausting and fickle.

But it is a beautiful vocation. I walk through life with people. They trust me with their best and their worst. I hold the hands of the dying. I sing hymns to the sick. I listen to confessions and hold precious secrets. I speak absolution to the guilty and the radical, inclusive love of God to the despondent. I bless couples at the beginning of their married life. I baptize babies into the Body of Christ. I inspire people to live lives rich with meaning.

I stand in a deep and ancient tradition that stretches back to the times of Jesus. I handle holy mysteries. I teach ageless texts. I preach hope in the midst of this despairing world.

I can’t imagine doing anything else – even on the most challenging days.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The early days of the pandemic demanded resilience and creativity. In early March of 2020, we consistently packed more than 350 people into our worship space. By late March of 2020, we were unable to welcome any. Obviously, being a church, gathering is a significant of what we do and who we are. And so, very suddenly, we found creative ways to connect and gather through digital channels.

And mostly that worked…for a while. A few months in, we developed a way to turn our lawn and parking lot into a wide-open worship space – while beaming out a radio broadcast to the folks who arrived but were anxious about leaving their cars and still streaming to folks at home.

And that was great for a typical Sunday, but we knew we had to be even more creative if we were to give people a special Christmas worship experience.

Christmas Eve, as it is at many churches, is a big deal at Grace and St. Stephen’s. In more normal times, well over 1000 people spend that evening worshiping with us. In 2020, that was simply
not possible.

But we knew, during such a difficult year, it was essential to find a creative way to invite people into a
meaningful Christmas experience. And so we created “The Heart of Christmas.”

It was a mostly outdoor stations experience that included the elements that make Christmas special: prayers, carols, the Gospel story, Communion, and candle light. And, at the end, Silent Night. We had members of our youth choirs make a video, which we projected onto our tower. With candles burning under a starlit sky, I watched our members have an experience of Christmas they will never forget.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://fatherjeremiahwilliamsonsermons.blogspot.com/
• Instagram: @fr_jeremiah10
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fr.Jeremiah
• Twitter: @FrJeremiah

Image Credits
Photos by Steve Starr Photo of the church tower by Jeremiah Williamson