I have been fortunate enough in my life to belong to a number of churches that encouraged my education in the faith. From the congregation of my youth, which prompted me to ask critical questions and experiment with how I made sense of belief, to the college chapel that invited me into hands-on experimentation with liturgy and preaching and the ways that the rhythms and life of the church can shape our consciousness of God, I have been lucky to worship in communities where my intellectual growth was fostered and challenged. It is with gratitude for those experiences, then, and with excitement for the future, that I begin my role this month as the first Farmington Scholar at the University Church.

The University Church's Farmington Scholarship is designed to facilitate the accumulation and curation of resources for religious education at the secondary level. In my work as the church’s Farmington Scholar, I will be engaging with religious education teachers to understand what kinds of resources are needed to assist in their work with students and to then assemble a collection of primary and secondary texts along with other relevant media to be housed on the University Church’s website for easy access by teachers and students. The University Church offers a natural setting for such work because of the way the church, the world of academia, and the history of Christianity in the UK all intersect within our congregation. This unique position postures us well to be a resource for religious educators and passionate students across the country and will hopefully enhance the gift we are able to provide. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to engage in religious education in this way, and I am excited for the new work that is about to begin here at the University Church.