An Episcopalian at Wycliffe Hall: Parker Williams
Wycliffe Hall equips students into mission and ministry around the world, including the Episcopal Church. Here's an introduction to one such student who graciously agreed to an interview!
There are over 60 new students this year at Wycliffe Hall this year. Of these, 27 are training for ordination in the Church of England which means there are lots of men and women studying for other reasons. Many of these also come from England, but many come from different places across the world. In my few days there last week, I chatted with one person who'd been in Bangladesh for the past 10 years, others who are from the USA, China, Canada and elsewhere.
The American students come from quite an interesting mix of backgrounds. In my very unofficial and anecdotal survey of which states in the US they come from, I got Georgia, Colorado, Oregon, Missouri (and even Texas a year or two back!). Some are younger, others older. Some have studied theology before. Some have not. Denominationally it's a bit of a mix too. But Wycliffe has long had a tradition of Episcopalians coming over for their seminary training. They were there when I was an undergraduate almost two decades ago.
Click here to view our full & unedited conversation.
This week I got to chat with Parker Williams, a student at Wycliffe Hall. He's a great guy who moved with his young family from Missouri to Oxford a little over a year ago to train to be a priest in the Episcopal Church. We sat down and talked about why he came to Wycliffe Hall, what he's passionate about and why he's an Episcopalian in the first place. I'm glad to be able to share this with you as an example of the kind of people Wycliffe has train for ministry.
(And best of all, while he's from Missouri he's a BIG fan of Texas BBQ. So Stephen and I are looking forward to trying out his brisket sometime. I solemnly swear to report back...)
