Phillips Church Stewards
Every Sunday at 12:30 pm, a group of dedicated Exonians join Reverend Heidi Heath, the school’s interim religious minister, for brunch in the Phillips Church basement. Touching on their reactions to current events and assemblies, they discuss the events of the past week over eggs and French toast. Then, the students assist Heath in planning the church service for that day. The church stewards are a small club that consists of six students who help Heath with everything from preparing Phillips Church’s hymn sheets to reading scriptures during services. While the group rotates from year to year, the current members are uppers Sarah Shepley and Oluwadara Okeremi and seniors Jada Huang, Kelvin Green, Mel Duenas and Elizabeth Cleveland.
Shepley, who’s been a church steward since the spring of her lower year, is in charge of writing the church’s weekly newsletter, The Wooden Door. “During our brunch meetings, I will ask if any of the stewards want to write a personal reflection or devotion for the newsletter,” Shepley explained. She, along with the rest of the stewards, also prepares daily bulletins, lights the candles during ceremonies and helps to turn on the sound system during the weekly church service at 1:30 p.m. every Sunday.
While the group generally works exclusively with Phillips Church, they’ve also hosted events open to the entire school. On Feb. 3, the church stewards hosted a study break in conjunction with the Christian Fellowship, a club which discusses Bible passages and issues relevant to the Christian faith every Friday. Together they planned a study break in the church basement, complete with snacks, coloring books, puzzles and games. “It was a big hit,” Shepley said. “We had about 30 to 40 people show up, which was good for a Friday night.”
Okeremi has also served a church steward since her lower winter. Although there is no official application process, the current church stewards are usually chosen by their predecessors. “You just have to attend the service regularly,” Okeremi said, explaining the qualifications. “The people who come regularly are Christians or are discovering their religion.”
Heath emphasized that all are welcome to join, regardless of religious background. “While our church stewards are generally folks who identify in some way as Christian, we’d welcome anyone who wanted to be part of us,” she said. As Shepley explained, Phillips Church itself is a non-denominational Christian place of worship, and is open to anyone and everyone.
Duenas, who has been a church steward for almost two years, has found being a member of the group to be a unique way to form lasting friendships. “Throughout the years, I have gotten to form relationships with people I probably wouldn’t have otherwise met,” she explained, citing the chance to meet Reverend Thompson and Heath as another great opportunity she received thanks to her membership in the club.
Similarly, Okeremi finds a sense of community within the small group. “Being a church steward has been comforting,” she said. She elaborated on the companionship between the club members. “I know that I have a solid group of people to talk to and relate with.” Like Duenas, Okeremi also commented on the joy of getting to know Heath through the time that they’ve spent together eating meals and preparing for the week ahead.
Huang shared the same sentiments. “Being a church steward has been a very rewarding experience,” she said. “The community dynamic between the stewards just at Phillips Church as a whole is so warm and comfortable.” Huang also cited the weekly brunches as a space to relax and unwind. “I always feel myself letting go of a lot of stress and tension because that’s just the sort of environment the other stewards and the church create.”