College as Parish

In 2005, I retired from full-time parish ministry. I was invited to serve as an adjunct professor at Florida Community College in Jacksonville, leading two “World Religions” classes and two in “Introduction to Religion.” When I began teaching, I did not realize the extraordinary new ministry into which the Lord was leading me.

 
I continue to rejoice at the incredible hunger for God and the things of God I have found among my students...Each day I marvel at the searching for God...from those students who practice some type of faith, and from those who seek to find faith. My joy has been to lead them in this search....
 
I am not now nor have I ever been much of an evangelical, and yet in this teaching ministry I am an evangelical. I lead my students to see that the revelation of God is much broader than they could have ever imagined, that God is revealed in all the great religions of the world, and that the great religions have more in common than they have ever recognized...
 
...God dances with us in life, leading us into ever deepening and diverse ministries to serve the purpose of God. The college is now my parish, and I rejoice.

 

Richard M. Turk (D.Min.’02) | Retired rector

St. Andrews Episcopal Church | Jacksonville, FL

 


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