THE TEAM
REV. JENNY GREGG |
Life is as much an educator to the Rev. Jenny Gregg as is formal education. Her path to ministry has been influenced by her own experience: participation as a youth at her local Episcopal Church; social work and Christian faith formation work in various demographic settings; a MDiv from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale; transformational workshops at Kripalu; and Professional Coaching training. All of these experiences enlarge Rev. Jenny’s heart and vision of her ministry.
Rev. Jenny is deeply connected in the Berkshire Community. She is a founding member of Berkshire Interfaith Organizing. She founded Cathedral of the Beloved and continues to develop this ministry with the support of the Episcopal Diocese and Lutheran Synod (ELCA), as well as ecumenical collaboration with other local churches. She serves the Diocese in the position of Missioner for Servant Leadership, the spirit of which is central to her ministry locally and regionally. Rev. Jenny is married with two children, one grown stepchild and one rambunctious black lab. She and her husband live in Pittsfield. |
Personal Statement: Call is often something that disquiets and makes us uncomfortable. This discomfort is the way to our transformation of self and community. We come as we are, from the communities we inhabit, and take a step into understanding our common humanity. This is the invitation of Jesus.
Two extraordinary communities I served were separated by only a mile geographically, but by hundreds of miles socioeconomically. This is the core of my call – to bridge the worlds of difference and to find other as self in the difference in our communities.
Jesus invites us to live our lives out loud in a place of vulnerability, authenticity, equity and love. We can hide behind our perceived vulnerabilities or privilege, but the place where God’s light and love dwells is in the simple unprotected place knowing that we are loved, worthy of love, capable of giving and receiving love. To embody this takes courage. We risk a lot to move out from behind our walls, but those who dare greatly and step into this practice find the power of connection, the goodness of humanity that is revealed when we go to the common ground of meeting each other as we are. Jesus welcomed everyone as they were. This journey of opening ourselves to be a place where the fully embodied presence of God’s light and love can dwell is a life long journey. We unlearn as much as we learn. This is the discomfort of the journey.
The experience that people share with me over and over as the walls come down is that they find the inner world of love and compassion transforms their heart. We are in this together. I am grateful for all those who have welcomed me as I am, allowed discomfort to deepen my relationships, and to find a common language of Love between us. With deep gratitude to those who walk with me as I serve this community, I offer my hand to those who may be hungry for this sustenance that we have found in this community as we take this journey together. Welcome to the Cathedral of the Beloved where we journey together open to knowing we are loved and that our neighbor is loved. Come join us.
Two extraordinary communities I served were separated by only a mile geographically, but by hundreds of miles socioeconomically. This is the core of my call – to bridge the worlds of difference and to find other as self in the difference in our communities.
Jesus invites us to live our lives out loud in a place of vulnerability, authenticity, equity and love. We can hide behind our perceived vulnerabilities or privilege, but the place where God’s light and love dwells is in the simple unprotected place knowing that we are loved, worthy of love, capable of giving and receiving love. To embody this takes courage. We risk a lot to move out from behind our walls, but those who dare greatly and step into this practice find the power of connection, the goodness of humanity that is revealed when we go to the common ground of meeting each other as we are. Jesus welcomed everyone as they were. This journey of opening ourselves to be a place where the fully embodied presence of God’s light and love can dwell is a life long journey. We unlearn as much as we learn. This is the discomfort of the journey.
The experience that people share with me over and over as the walls come down is that they find the inner world of love and compassion transforms their heart. We are in this together. I am grateful for all those who have welcomed me as I am, allowed discomfort to deepen my relationships, and to find a common language of Love between us. With deep gratitude to those who walk with me as I serve this community, I offer my hand to those who may be hungry for this sustenance that we have found in this community as we take this journey together. Welcome to the Cathedral of the Beloved where we journey together open to knowing we are loved and that our neighbor is loved. Come join us.