Our swim lessons this week reminded me of my first summer Duke Divinty Internship in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. I broke several glass ceilings that summer. Not real ceilings, but figurative and symbolic ones. Let me explain...
I was their second female seminary student to preach, teach and led at these 2 small churches. These good folks were still trying to figure out women in ministry. There I was being me. I did not offer excuses or explanations about gender and ministry, I just assumed leadership and went forward! I recall the men liked me but, the women well... that was a little odd. The younger ones and I had a ball. The mid-life and almost retired aged women looked at me funny and gave me little thin smiles.
Add to my gender, I was from the north. I had no idea until I lived in North Carolina that the Civil War in the United States is actually the War Between the States. (I usually did really well in US history- hugh!) And I also was misinformed about how northern Indiana is considered by tarheels. My ancesters were either Quakers who moved to Indiana to avoid the conflict or had not yet immigrated from Lithania. So I was a female leader and a Yank! Are you getting this picture?
Now the crowning jewel in that summer internship happened mid-summer. The family I lived with had an inground pool that I very much enjoyed using throughout the summer. It didn't take long until my blond hair (made even more blond from the summer sun) turned green from exposure to chlorine! Yes- green. Very green. Noticably green. Shocking green.
You got the picture now- single leadership-minded Yankee female pastoral intern with GREEN HAIR!
Now you know why the women looked at me funny.
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