Emerging Seminarian Leaders Prepare for Their Pilgrimage to Ghana with Episcopal Relief & Development
In the next few weeks, two emerging seminary leaders will join others, including the Presiding Bishop, on Episcopal Relief & Development’s pilgrimage to Ghana, Africa. Charles Bauer and Lisa Jacoby are the recipients of the 2015 Episcopal Relief & Development Ghana Pilgrimage Seminary Fellowship. From February 13 – February 22, 2015, they will join a distinguished group of travelers to learn first hand the kind of programs being implemented to address some of Africa’s most entrenched issues.
Charlie Bauer is currently a second year student at the General Theological Seminary in New York City and is a postulant for the priesthood out of the Diocese of Southern Virginia. Originally from Wisconsin, he moved to Williamsburg, Virginia to attend the College of William and Mary, graduating in 2008 with a degree in medieval music theory. While in Williamsburg, he met his wife Kelly. They were married in 2010, and she is now a preschool teacher in Manhattan. He served a term on the vestry of Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, along with a wide variety of other ministries. He also served on the Young Adult Commission for the Diocese of Southern Virginia. He is currently serving as the seminarian at Holy Trinity Church, Inwood. Charlie enjoys photography and bird watching as well as baseball, especially following his hometown Milwaukee Brewers.
“At General Seminary, I will use my experience in Ghana to begin a process of conversations within the community. I see parallels in the great needs of a country such as Ghana and in the city in which I study, New York. While most of my classmates will not have the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to a place such as Ghana, We have opportunities to serve those who live around us in New York. The experience I obtain in Ghana will provide unique formation within my seminary education that will help me to better serve underprivileged people,” said Mr. Bauer.
Lisa Jacoby attends Bloy House, Episcopal Theological School at Claremont and is in the ordination process for the diaconate in the Diocese of Los Angeles. She is the chaplain for Mission Hospital, which has the area’s multi-level trauma treatment facility. Lisa settled in California after living in nine different states throughout her life. She was a Juvenile Felon Substance Abuse Counselor in Cleveland in the 1980’s. Once it was clear that the inmate population lacked basic reading and writing skills, she went back to school to study Educational Psychology. Lisa became a school psychologist, working in the public education system for fifteen years before moving to California. Lisa’s personal goal is to continue making differences whenever and wherever she can.
“The experience of traveling to Ghana will enable me to share the resources, work and education provided by Episcopal Relief & Development. The pilgrimage will provide a deeper understanding of the asset-based approach to development. Parishioners, the Bloy House Community and community members from across a broad spectrum of our demographic will benefit from my first-hand experiential relationship with the organization,” said Ms. Jacoby.
Episcopal Relief & Development awarded the fellowships based on an application and committee review. The trip will center on Episcopal Relief & Development’s partnership with the Anglican Diocese of Tamale and its implementing organization, the Anglican Diocesan Development and Relief Organization (ADDRO). With more than 20 years of experience working in communities in Northern Ghana, ADDRO administers integrated programs that address the challenges of malaria, improving food supplies, gender and reproductive health, disability rehabilitation and water and sanitation.
Images: Top, Charlie Bauer, one of two Ghana Fellows. Middle 1, Lisa Jacoby, the second Ghana fellow. Middle 3, Clean water program in Ghana. Middle 4, Women’s empowerment program in Ghana. Last, Malaria (NetsforLife®) in Ghana.
An Historical Journey
We invite you to journey with us through our 75 years of healing a hurting world. View our interactive timeline that takes you from our start in the 1940s to the present, and witness our growth in vision and direction. We thank you for your support that allows us to strive towards a flourishing future. It takes #AllHands75!
