most recently served as rector and priest in charge<\/a> at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She connected with the church while studying at the seminary. From her time at EMS, Sewards notes the \u201cgreat listening skills\u201d and \u201cthat peace ethic and conflict resolution [that] rippled through every class.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn her new position, Seward leads the mission priorities with half of the parishes in the diocese. She will work with the northern canon missioner and the canon for mission resources and chief operating officer, while also reporting to the diocese\u2019s bishop. Her other responsibilities include helping to guide priorities and build partnerships among congregations and in the communities they serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seward began the discernment process of serving in this role during the pandemic. She recognized a need within struggling communities, she says, both because of the pandemic and because of the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAll that fell into my sense of call, it raised up so much within me,\u201d Seward said in a recent interview with EMS staff. \u201cI wanted to be more than an establishment priest.\u201d Her call, she says, is still unfolding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of the priorities in the diocese are racial reconciliation and justice, clergy and lay formation, and creating healthy churches. Developing congregations is a skill Seward has \u201calways had,\u201d but she discovered that it was \u201cbetter utilized from my being on the outside coming in.\u201d This applies both to congregations and communities. \u201cWherever I go, I’m paying attention to the systems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What excites her most about the new role, Seward says, is getting to \u201chelp people see that we’re part of something bigger, even something bigger than the Episcopal church, but the church itself, regardless of denomination.\u201d Seward draws energy both from \u201cworking with wonderful people\u201d and \u201cparticipating in the formation of the church.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Rt. Rev. Kevin D. Nichols spoke of Seward\u2019s \u201cwarm pastoral presence, deep commitment to the most vulnerable and her diverse experience in serving congregations in the midst of difficult transitions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to her Master of Divinity degree from EMS, Seward holds a bachelor\u2019s degree from Fayetteville State University, a master\u2019s degree from Johns Hopkins University and a Diploma in Anglican Studies from Virginia Theological Seminary. She has also served parishes in Minnesota, Illinois, and Maryland.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Rev. Barbara Harrison Seward is the inaugural southern canon missioner in the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She began her ministry on Feb. 15, 2022. [Read the ... read more about Seminary grad appointed to inaugural position in Pennsylvania Episcopal diocese<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48474,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[266,17562,265],"tags":[],"feature":[],"class_list":["post-51552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-digest","category-seminary"],"yoast_head":"\nSeminary grad appointed to inaugural position in Pennsylvania Episcopal diocese - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2022\/seminary-grad-appointed-to-inaugural-position-in-pennsylvania-episcopal-diocese\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Seminary grad appointed to inaugural position in Pennsylvania Episcopal diocese - EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Rev. 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