In the summer of 1983, the Rev. Neil Zabriskie invited a number of parishioners to a presentation on Education for Ministry (EFM), a new program developed at the School of Theology at Sewanee. Six persons signed up for this EFM group including Charlotte Hutchison and Beverly Gaines (the others have since died or moved away). A few years later, Alice Myers joined. From that beginning, the EFM program at All Souls has continued with at least one class each year—for a few years there were three groups meeting at the Cathedral.
The first mentors (or group leaders) were the Rev. Heber Peacock and Al Salley. All mentors must be trained and certified by the School of Theology at Sewanee. Other mentors over the years have included David Peacock, the Rev. Jim Melnyk, Dr. Keith Green, Howard Jackson, Bev Gaines, Flower Ross (originator, along with the Rev. Charles Winders, of the program), Sheila Ingersoll, Molly Wilson, Judy Rudolph, Tom Crook, and Susan Weatherford. In October 2010, the Rev. Ross Jones and Lisa Sellers were certified.
The Asheville-Hendersonville area is fortunate in having several groups at different churches. This allows attendees to join a group on a convenient night and results in more diverse group membership. Thus, some EFM graduates at the Cathedral attended groups elsewhere. All Souls groups have had persons attending from Holy Spirit, Mars Hill; Trinity, St. Mary’s, St. John’s, St. Matthias, Redeemer, Calvary (Fletcher), Grace, St. Andrews (Canton), Church of the Advocate, Holy Family, the Quaker Fellowship, a Roman Catholic group in Mill Springs, and Hominy Baptist. So far as religious background is concerned, the most prevalent are Baptist and Roman Catholic, with representation from Methodists, Presbyterians, Disciples of Christ, Church of God, Lutherans, and others. Currently, one of the class members has a background in the Coptic church. On occasion, we have had “unchurched” members. Several students have incorporated Buddhism into their study.
While the primary target audience of EFM is the interested lay person seeking to discern a ministry, a number of students have pursued Holy Orders. The Rev. Gary Kovach (deacon) and the Rev. Anne McClearen (priest) are two who have followed this path. Ginny Wilder is one who is pursuing ordination. At present, Bill Doyle has begun the discernment process for the diaconate, as has Don Miller, a group member from Church of the Advocate. Lesley Morgan has been accepted into a convent.
At the Cathedral, we have benefitted greatly from Flower Ross and the Rev. Charles Winters, who designed the EFM program. Also in this area are the Rev. Ed deBary and wife Marcia at Deerfield; Ed was a long time Director of the EFM program at Sewanee.
Currently, there is a long-running group meeting on Tuesday evenings mentored by Tom Crook and Beverly Gaines. Contact one of the mentors about enrolling in next fall’s group.