Dean Richard Sewell is British and previously served as a priest in the Diocese of Southwark in the UK. His last post before moving to Jerusalem was as Team Rector of Barnes Team Ministry which comprises three churches in South West London.
Richard
was ordained priest on the Feast of St Francis, 2003. He trained for ministry
at SEITE now St Augustine’s College. He also studied Theology at the University
of Birmingham for his B.A. He did further studies at Heythrop College for an M.A.
in Biblical Studies.
His
first encounter with the Holy Land was working as a volunteer for the Church of
Scotland Hospice in Tiberias (now The Scots Hotel) in the 1980s. For three
years he ran an Inter-Faith Project in East London.
Prior
to ordination Richard worked for the Anglican Mission Agency, USPG, as a
mission educator with additional responsibilities for USPG’s relationship with
the Churches in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
JulieAnn, his wife, was a Primary School Counsellor, but in Jerusalem she is helping with work at the Jerusalem Princess Basma Centre. This is a Diocesan institution which rehabilitates children with disabilities. Richard and JulieAnn’s adult children, Nathaniel and Eliana, continue to pursue their careers in the UK.
Dean
Richard, in addition to his role as Dean of the College, is a Residentiary Canon
of St George’s Cathedral, Jerusalem and is Honorary Canon of Southwark
Cathedral in his home diocese in the Church of England. The Diocese of
Southwark is Dean Richard’s sponsoring agency in his role as Dean.
Rodney is serving his second term as Course Director, having previously served between 2013 and 2016.
Rodney brings long experience of leading pilgrimages to the Land of the Holy One. He has an academic focus on Jerusalem pilgrimage before the Crusades and particular interests in the spirituality of pilgrimage and the formation of short-term community.
Rodney is American, an ordained Methodist minister and a published author of several books, most recently ‘Jerusalem Bound: How To Be A Pilgrim in the Holy Land’. He has most recently been working as an Adjunct Instructor for Drew Theological School in Madison, New Jersey. Rodney is married to Janet, who will accompany him in Jerusalem when he moves in April. The Community of St George’s College and the Cathedral Close are delighted to welcome them both.
He hold degrees from Southern Methodist University, Duke Divinity School, and the University of Wales, Lampeter. Along with his work in Jerusalem, he has served Christian communities in Arkansas, Scotland, Italy, and the Navajo Nation.
Prior to his arrival in Jerusalem Rodney says: “I am grateful for the opportunity to return to St George’s College. As a pilgrim, guide, and scholar, my most transformative moments in the Holy Land have always been in the company of others, and as a place of gathering, it’s the people: the staff, pilgrims, and Living Stones, that makes St George’s College and the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem special.”
As Finance and Operations Manager,
Rana is responsible for the smooth running of the College office, its financial
management and also staffing. She deals with invoicing for all pilgrims and
course members prior to arrival and is available during office hours to deal
with financial and other issues which arise.
Genia is our
College Registrar; she is the first person with whom pilgrims and course
members are likely to engage. Genia oversees the registration process and is
can be contact by email or by phone for assistance and answering queries. She
seeks to ensure that booking and arrivals at the College can be planned
smoothly.
On arrival at
the College, Genia is available at all times in office hours to assist in
making your stay at the College enjoyable and comfortable. She oversees the
departure process too.
As the head of our gardening services, Samer is responsible for the maintenance and development of the grounds of the College, including the Biblical Garden. He has served the College as gardener since 1990 and is one of our longest serving staff.
As Head of Housekeeping,
Azzam is responsible for the coordination and delivery of guest services,
including the preparation and servicing of rooms, laundry services, and the
cleaning of the interior areas of the College building. He also coordinates and
supervises other staff employed on the housekeeping team and also serves some
shifts on the security team.
Our security team are on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to provide a high level of security for the College and its grounds. They monitor requests for entry to the grounds or the College building, and also assist with the arrival and departure process for guests.
Ihab is in charge of all maintenance issues in the College. The
building was constructed to a high standard in the 1990s but there are always
issues which need attention to keep the College in a good state of repair so
that it is a comfortable place for guests to stay and an effective place in
which all the staff can work.
Footsteps of Jesus is a 10-day study pilgrimage focusing on the Scriptures, sites, and landscapes associated with Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
St. George’s College Jerusalem is pleased to announce the appointment of The Reverend Canon Mary June Nestler as our next Course Director and Lecturer in Contextual Biblical Studies.
Since 2010, Canon Nestler has served as Canon to the Ordinary of the Episcopal Diocese of Utah, having previously been the Canon for Ministry Formation. Ordained to the priesthood in 1979, she has served in a variety of parish ministries and diocesan roles, including as priest of charge of several congregations, a member of the Standing Committee and Commission on Ministry in the Diocese of Los Angeles, and as six-time deputy to General Convention from the dioceses of Utah and Los Angeles. She has been a keynote speaker, preacher, instructor and parish educator across The Episcopal Church throughout her ministry career.
Before assuming the role of Canon in the Diocese of Utah, Canon Nestler was Dean and President of the Episcopal Theological School at Claremont from 1992-2006 and a member of the faculty from 1981. This leadership in the theological education and formation of lay and clergy leaders will enhance Nestler’s collaboration with the St. George’s College staff and visiting faculty.
Canon Nestler was a member of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Anglican/Oriental Orthodox International Dialogues in 1993.
Canon Nestler brings her extensive church historical and archaeological credentials to integrate in her work as our new Course Director. She has been a consulting archaeologist and area supervisor for the Mount Carmel Project, Haifa, Israel, since 1998, and was also an area supervisor at Sepphoris for seven seasons (where her team discovered the “Mona Lisa” mosaic) and Capernaum.
Canon Nestler holds a C.Phil. from the University of California in early church history, an M.A. from St. Mary’s Seminary and University Ecumenical Institute, an MDiv. from The General Theological Seminary, and a B. Music, from The Curtis Institute of Music. As a Fellow of The Episcopal Church Foundation, she studied also at Jesus College, Cambridge, where she focused on Christian origins and Syriac language.
Well known in our college community, Canon Nestler served from 1985-1991 and since 2014 as a visiting scholar leading courses for St. George’s College.
We look forward to the extensive gifts of historical, archaeological, and biblical scholarship and institutional leadership that Canon Nestler will bring to St. George’s College. Her anticipated start date is July, 2018.
St George’s College is committed to the safety and security of our guests and our staff.
Since its establishment in 1920, St George’s College has been located at the epicenter of the political instability that followed the collapse of the Ottoman Empire two years earlier. After almost 100 years in this ‘tough neighborhood’ we have a good track record of caring for the personal safety of our guests, and the security of groups here for a course.
The College is located within the Close of St George’s Cathedral in East Jerusalem, just a couple of hundred meters north of the Damascus Gate. The entire compound is enclosed to create a secure and pleasant environment, including the biblical garden that surrounds the College and the English garden that sits in the center of the Pilgrim Guest House.
Our immediate neighbors also add to the security of the College campus, even if not intentionally.
On the southern boundary of the College we have the Israeli Police headquarters for East Jerusalem. The District Court is directly across the street from the College gate. Trouble is rarely to be expected in our immediate vicinity.
When planning our courses we always give special attention to the anticipated trouble spots, which can vary from time to time. The local Palestinian staff draw on their contacts to keep us aware of any issues likely to affect College programs. With so many historical and religious sites available, it is easy to adjust our schedules to avoid any ‘hot spots’ while still offering a rich program for our students.
Keeping in touch with both official and unofficial information sources is one of the special responsibilities of Bishara Khoury, who has recently been appointed to the new role of Liaison and Logistics Officer. Bishara comes to this role after many years working in the logistics area with the UN, and he has a broad network of contacts across both the Israeli and Palestinian communities. In addition, with his skills in Arabic, Hebrew and English, Bishara is able to deal with any situations that may arise when groups are out in the field.
The experience of course members over the past few months mirrors the experiences of pilgrims who have come here over the past several decades. The Cathedral Close is an oasis of peace and security in a sometimes tense and disturbed city. Our programs are quietly adjusted to avoid known trouble spots and, when some unpredictable incident occurs, the College staff draw on their deep experience in this part of the world to ensure the comfort and safety of our guests.
The Holy Land and the Arts, led by guest course leader, Dr. Barbara Drake Boehm (Paul and Jill Ruddock Curator Emerita, The Met Cloisters, New York), is a study pilgrimage integrating two primary foci: (1) Complimented by on-site visits to corresponding sites and landscapes, the course explores how Western art has depicted events of Christian scriptures (the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament), including Jesus’ nativity stories, his baptism in the Jordan River, his Galilee ministry, and Holy Week events culminating in his crucifixion and resurrection; (2) Recognizing the contributions, past and present, of the three Abrahamic faiths to the Land of the Holy One, the course engages the rich legacy of historical art and architecture which the land has preserved from the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions. It likewise highlights the role of women in the Holy Land (e.g., the daughters of Jerusalem).
Abraham and His Children is an Old Testament course focusing upon the Abrahamic narratives of the Hebrew Bible, Genesis 11-25, and the traditions of Abraham as developed in the Talmud, New Testament, and Quran.
In 2022 Eastern Orthodox Easter and Western Easter will be one week apart, affording the remarkable opportunity to experience two very different Holy Weeks and Easters back-to-back in Jerusalem. It will include a three-day excursion to Galilee as well.
The Introduction to the Bible Lands course visits key biblical sites from the Old and New Testaments, including a few places not commonly on our Footsteps of Jesus and Palestine of Jesus courses. Our shortest study pilgrimage (8 full days), the course traverses the principal regions and landscapes of the Holy Land in Israel and the West Bank, visiting archaeological parks, church sites, and museums. Integrating education and spirituality, the course consists of lecture briefings and on-site teaching as well as time for reflection, prayer, and worship. The course includes a two-day / one-night trip to the Galilee (For an advanced course, see The Bible Lands: Level 2 which will be offered in 2024).
During the tour you will explore some of the key biblical landscapes to the east of the Jordan River, including the lands of Moab, Edom, and Midian. The Jordan study tour is intended as an add-on to our other programmes, but can also be taken as a stand-alone module.
The Living Stones course provides an in depth overview of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem set within the larger context of indigenous Christianity in the Holy Land. The course visits the local parishes, educational institutions and medical centers of the Episcopal Diocese located in Israel and Palestine.
A short program for Jews, Christians and Muslems to encounter the Holy Land together, and reflect on the significance of this experience for their own faith and practice.
This course is an interfaith experience for Jews, Christians and Muslims in which they will encounter the land of prophets, monarchs, and holy people of the Abrahamic faiths.
The Women of the Bible course is a ten day study pilgrimage which offers a reflective spiritual experience visiting the holy sites relating to both the Old and New Testaments highlighting especially the stories of women.
“Don’t be a pew sitting, bless me sponge! Get off your rear end and get engaged!” This is how my friend, Tommy Klein, described American Christian men. Tommy may have said it a little more colorfully than I would describe it but he had a point. During my two week pilgrimage in 2009, I became profoundly inspired and awakened by the spiritual conviction, passion and discipline of orthodox Jewish and Muslim men. As a 25 year leader in men’s ministry, I had a startling realization: compared with these men of faith, many men actually are “pew-sitting, bless me sponges!”
How do we learn most profoundly? For me, it is in visiting a place where the historical events actually took place: the 9/11 Memorial, Gettysburg, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The immediacy of the place and facts become embedded in my being from these physical experiences. So is the case with Israel and the history of the Christian faith as I learned from my pilgrimage in 2009.
Through my own pilgrimage journey, led by a passionate course leader, Fr. Andrew Mayes, from St George’s College, in Jerusalem, I became connected to the land itself in a profound way. From the mysterious, soul captivity of the desert, to the refreshment of the Sea of Galilee region, to the powerful spiritual renewal of dwelling in sacred sights, the land of Israel did and has continued to call me back to dwell in the presence of God.
As I pondered this observation in the light of my ministry desire for men to live transformed lives through Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit “popped” me with a Big, Holy Audacious Goal: lead men here on their pilgrimage and allow them the opportunity to experience the history and knowledge of Jesus Christ, a conviction, passion and discipline about our faith. Thus, Behold the Man.
However, implementing such a BHAG, would take structure, strategy and resources. To that end, I enlisted the invaluable help of two key advisor groups: Fr. Andrew Mayes and the staff of St. George’s College, and Fr. Fred Robinson, Rector of Church of the Redeemer in Sarasota FL and the men of Redeemer. By the fall of 2010, Behold the Man pilgrimage program to the Holy Land was in place. Our first pilgrimage date was set for the spring of 2011.
This venture would not be a traditional, commercial pilgrimage undertaking. First, our leadership team committed to 10 years of annual men’s pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Secondly, participant fees would be set to cover only the actual costs and not fund any expenses of the leadership. And last, God made it clear that our participant goal would be twelve men.
As our first team traveled in the Holy Land and visited every important site from Bethlehem to the Road to Emmaus, spiritual transformation and renewal began to take place. Every participant was getting “popped.” Our team of men, through experience and reflection, were overwhelmed by the historical settings and sacredness of the land itself as we experienced Jesus’ daily life in refreshing ways.
Each year brought thorough evaluation and with these new insights, we began to expand our territory. In all of the following years, a priest has been treated to the pilgrimage experience. Two men from the Diocese of South Carolina, Richard Moore and Joe Nicholson, stepped forward to launch a pilgrimage partnership with the Diocese of South Carolina. Our vision was contagious!
Before we knew it, we were celebrating the fifth anniversary Behold the Man pilgrimage experiences. Sixty-five men and eight women have attended as participants, with sixteen priests attending as pilgrims or serving as chaplains. Several men have chosen to go twice!
As 2011 pilgrim Pete Mogavero described: “My faith was strengthened by all I learned, the people I was exposed to, the experience of studying and praying with Christian brothers and the overwhelming sense of pride and friendship I had while interacting with both Israelis and Palestinians. Neither words nor pictures can capture the true beauty of Jerusalem. Each holy site brought a special appreciation and a new depth to my Christian understanding.”
Behold the Man continues as a vital program of a comprehensive men’s Christian formation process in the life of the local church. The 2016 Behold the Man pilgrimage trip will be April 17-April 30. Please consider this deeply enriching pilgrimage opportunity for the men of your church.
For more information please contact Jay Crouse, USA Course Organizer at jaycrouse@aol.com or 941-320-0271.
St George’s College is a place of gathering. It is also a community of connections. It’s called the Global Church.
When the Reverend Chuck Linquist of Minnesota, Lutheran clergy and director of the World Mission Prayer League, approached me at the end of a Palestine of Jesus course last February, wondering if I would be interested in volunteer teaching opportunities at their partner seminaries, I never doubted that the experience would be extremely beneficial to my own professional formation.
After Chuck sent word of my availability through his network, I soon received an offer by the Reverend Ram Kumar Budhathoki, principle of the Nepal Ebenezer Bible College (NEBC). Based in Kathmandu, NEBC was the first Nepali college accredited by the Asian Theological Association and remains the leader of Christian education and ministry formation in Nepal.
Pastor Tik with Rodney Aist
Last summer, the Reverend Honey Becker, then the Minister of Hospitality, told me that a pastor from Kathmandu, Tik Magar, had previously been on a Palestine of Jesus course. My email greeting to Tik was immediately answered by an invitation to preach at his church. I did so earlier today. It was a blessed morning full of music, worship, and preaching in the capacity-filled small hall of Bethel Church. He asked about Honey, Dean Graham Smith, and other staff at the college. He spoke appreciatively of how the course had strengthened his ministry.
In Nepal, Christian worship is on Saturday, and today was the second Saturday that I preached in a Nepali church. Last week, Principle Ram assigned me to a church about 10 km away on the outskirts of the city, and I took a taxi there with two students from NEBC. Upon arrival, I met the Reverend Prem Tamang, an MDiv graduate of Trinity Theological College, Singapore, the same seminary attended by Ram, my host. Prem’s church, only four years old, is a poor Christian community meeting in a small rented redbrick hall adjacent to the construction site of their new church building. Pastor Prem quickly showed me the site, explaining his vision for a medical clinic inside the church building. Then he looked at me rather strangely, and said that he recognized me. At first, I did not acknowledge his words; every shopkeeper in Jerusalem says that they know you! “No,” he said, “I have been on the St George’s College website.” Then he continued by naming Dean Graham Smith, registrar Genia Stephan, and talking about the Palestine of Jesus course, which he hopes to one day take.
Rodney Aist and Prem Tamang
St George’s College has visibility in even the most unexpected alleys of Kathmandu! Christians around the world want to take our courses; they want to come of Jerusalem. We, too, want to widen our doors to the world-wide Anglican Communion and the Global Church. As a center of Christian formation, one vision of St George’s is to equip Christian leaders to strengthen, develop, and nurture the worldwide Church. It is happening in Kathmandu.
Before arriving that morning, I had not realized that Pastor Prem Tamang is Anglican. He is under the diocese of Singapore and will be ordained in May at Singapore’s St Andrew’s Cathedral. Beginning in June, he will hold a three-month leadership training course for approximately 15 pastors linked to the Anglican network here in Nepal. Once they are trained, he will prepare for a second cohort. Between this and his commitment to integrating Christian ministry with medical missions, Pastor Prem envisions church life in terms of the Kingdom of God.
Pastor Prem Preaches at his Church
Prem’s Living Hope Church is also Anglican. More accurately, they are a contextually-relevant Christian community in Nepal. Weekly worship is in the evangelical style of music, worship and preaching, but once a month they use the Anglican liturgy for communion. For Prem, the liturgy best expresses the mystery of God.
Before going to the Living Hope Church last week, the Reverend Dr. Gloria Mapangdol, the dean and principle of St Andrew’s Theological Seminary, the only Anglican seminary in the Philippines, emailed me about college business. I met her in Jerusalem last September at a reception given by Archbishop Suheil Dawani for the International Commission of the Anglican Orthodox Theological Dialogue. Conversations with Gloria has quickly led to a budding partnership between St Andrew’s, Philippines and St George’s, Jerusalem with one of her senior faculty members coming to Jerusalem this summer to take a Palestine of Jesus course.
Building Site for Pastor Prem’s Church
When I emailed her back I asked if, by chance, she had any Nepali students in her seminary. I had not realized that she, too, was a graduate of Trinity, Singapore. Two days later, she replied: “When I was at Trinity, I had good friends from Nepal; Ram Kumar and Prem. Maybe you have met them.” I replied, “I am staying at Ram’s house and preached at Prem’s church yesterday!”
Once I posted photos of Prem’s church, the Reverend Charles Tewer of Singapore, who was on the January course along with the Reverend David Lee, both graduates of Trinity, posted this on Facebook: “Hey, that’s my friend’s church!” Strangely, Asia seems like a tiny place!
Connections are not new to the Church family, and I am admittedly indulging in the revelations of my Nepali experience. But the following are certainly true:
I did not expect these connections when I decided to come to Kathmandu.
St George’s College is proudly committed to developing its Asian regional network.
You can help St George’s College realize its vision to equip Christian leaders of the worldwide Church through your designated gifts to our global scholarship fund. Christian leaders around the world want to come to St George’s. Maybe it is time to be an armchair pilgrim, vicariously experiencing the Holy Land through your gifts and generosity so that someone else can walk in the footsteps of Jesus.
For more information on our global initiative or how to make a contribution to the scholarship program, please contact me at rodney@sgcjerusalem.org.
Finally, last night over dinner, I was asking Ram about the Nepal Ebenezer Bible College’s various partners. When he mentioned the Church of Scotland, I was initially surprised. I spent two years in two different parishes working as a Church of Scotland pastor. Then I realized that Ram’s contact person with the Kirk was obviously the convener of the Asia Committee of the Church of Scotland’s World Mission Council; someone I first met in over twelve years ago!
We no longer live in a denominational world; we live in a Global Church! Thanks be to God!
Postscript: Thanks to a generous donation from the Diocese of Texas for scholarships, the North American Committee hopes to fulfill Prem’s desire to take a course at St. George’s College in the coming year.
St. George’s College is expanding its relationship with the Diocese of Jerusalem. We have just finished hosting our third annual clergy retreat for all the clergy of the diocese. Our speaker was Clare Amos of the World Council of Churches. Clare is a former course director at the college. She has written a marvelous little book entitled “Peace-ing Together Jerusalem,” which concludes with the words “The task of the Christian is not to be neutral—but to be torn in two.” She gave three splendid lectures on themes from the Gospels of Mark, Luke, and John.
We also are expanding our relationship to include “Parish Days” for parishes in the north around Nazareth, parishes in the West Bank, and parishes in Jordan. People of the diocese visited the new excavation at Migdal. This is the town associated with Mary of Magdalene, where a whole village has been uncovered together with a market place and a synagogue. We also visited Kursi, the site of the Gerasene demoniac (Mark 5), and Capernaum, Jesus’ home base during his three-year ministry in Galilee preaching, teaching, and healing.
Before Easter we will gather the churches around Nablus in the West Bank to visit some of the biblical sites, such as the church of the Samaritan woman. Within the year we hope to do something similar with the churches around Amman, Jordan. As a followup, we hope to receive clusters of parishes at the college for an overnight in Jerusalem with a day walking the events of Holy Week.
Our ministries serve to sustain and strengthen our Christian presence as we teach respect and concern for all people, bringing hope to many, regardless of faith, where the light of hope is often dim. With a dwindling church membership due to emigration caused by local strife and economic hardship, the ministry here has more than the usual challenges. The maintenance of the historic Arab Christian presence, the ‘Living Stones,’ is vital, therefore, to the future stability of the region as we put our faith into action ‘loving our neighbors as ourselves.’ ~ The Most Reverend Suheil S. Dawani, Archbishop in Jerusalem
The College is located within the Close of St George’s Cathedral in East Jerusalem, just a couple of hundred meters north of the Damascus Gate. The entire compound is enclosed to create a secure and pleasant environment, including the biblical garden that surrounds the College and the English garden that sits in the center of the Pilgrim Guest House.
