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Hi there! I’m Rev. Robin White.
To understand the writing of the Lectionary Studies you need to know a little bit about who I am. First of all, I was born, raised, educated, and now have returned to my home-town of Louisville, KY. I am both a Southerner and a Northerner at heart. Among my fascinations are anything involving railroads, the outdoors, classical music, cats, photography, movies, and well, a lot of things, too many to list… For those of you who are natives, I attended I. N. Bloom and Hawthorne Elementary Schools, Seneca Junior and High Schools, graduating in the Bicentennial year. I took a long 10 years to obtain a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Louisville, during which time I also served 3 years as an Infantryman in the US Army with an end rank of Sergeant. I was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Field Artillery after completing ROTC at UofL, and just to prove my home-town credentials, while I was doing all that, I served with the 100th Division of the US Army Reserve based over at Bowman Field in Louisville, only a mile from home. I was blessed to serve 3 years in Germany, learned Turkish for a year at the Defense Institute in Monterey, and ended my service with the rank of Captain when called to pursue ministry (very much to my surprise). And as the bumper sticker proclaims, “Once a Soldier, Always a Soldier.” How true, how true.
Kicking and screaming I entered Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and in due time earned a Master of Divinity. It was in that crucible of education that I finally put all the pieces together and was able to come out as the gay man I am. I served my clergy candidacy at MCC Louisville and was ordained here in June 2001. During this candidacy I worked at the University of Louisville — on the other side of the desk (yes, this is one instance where the grass is definitely greener on the other side) — in an administrative role.
I served for 6 years as the Pastor of Christ Chapel MCC in Santa Ana, CA. Very early in my ministry I faced two challenges — a 3 year old dying of cancer and a request to cast out demons that were terrorizing an apartment — that led me to translate the entire New Testament to learn what else the tradition had been de-emphasizing along with the blatant lies it was perpetrating about my sexuality. It was also while I was serving in Southern California that I met my fellow Chessie-Cat Barry. We just (11/07) celebrated our third anniversary.
So that’s a little bit about who I am and why I am doing this. As I settle into my service as an Assistant Pastor focusing on Christian Education here at MCC Louisville, I will be preparing and using these studies weekly for my and the church’s use. So, use these to your hearts content for your ministry or your studies. If you have any questions or constructive comments or would like to share your insights, you can reach me c/o MCC Louisville, or by e-mail at robinwhitemcc@earthlink.net.
Attached to this page you will also find my musings on the Sunday Nite Bible Studies. I hope others will email or post responses to my thoughts. See you on the blog
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