Remembering the Reverend Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley

Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley and Clyde Grubbs on her birthday, August 6, 2006. Photo by Barbara Notash, courtesy Clyde Grubbs.

Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley (left) with her UUA Religious Education department colleagues, Judith Frediani, Jacqui James, and Pat Hoertdoerfer at Jacqui James' retirement party, February, 2003. Photo by Deborah Weiner/UUA.

From the writings of Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley: The good news of Unitarian Universalism "While I do not believe in proselytizing, I am an evangelical Unitarian Universalist in the sense that I want to spread the good news of our faith, freedom (freedom of conscience and freedom from oppression.) How the congregation presents itself is an important internal and external resource to witness our faith in the world and to increase commitment to the whole life of the congregation." The strength of religious liberalism "I began my journey into Unitarian Universalism as an atheist, and [now am] one who has reclaimed parts of my Christian heritage. And still, I cherish my doubts. Such is the beauty of our faith: that through adult religious education and self-study, I have been able to change and embrace ever broader theological perspectives through continued learning. What is the strength of our religious liberalism if not to truly ‘encourage a free and responsible search' for one's own truth, and to translate the great truths of the world (whether religion or science or literature) in ways that people can hear. What is our liberal faith for if not to teach respect for difference: different easy of seeing, different contexts, different cultural orientations. As a minister, I must be authentic, while at the same time not impose my personal theology on others. This is a skill acquired over time and can only be done when there is true empathy, compassion, and respect for difference." The importance of lifespan religious education "I subscribe to Maria Harris' premise that the church does not have religious education, but the church is religious education. In other words, religious education is the total work of the church. Explicitly or implicitly, religious education for children, youth, and adults takes place in many venues—in the sanctuary, in the classroom, in the home, through active involvement in the life of the congregation and community, in behaviors modeled by ministers and the leadership of the church. A structured lifespan religious education program is as important as preaching and worship, pastoral care, social justice, or administrative work. For me, religious education begins with a comprehensive program that helps people engage in life's most challenging questions through a spiritual lens." "My work with the Religious Education Department at the UUA has given me a greater understanding of and appreciation for Family Ministries as an aspect of both religious education and pastoral care. Unitarian Universalists have always had a humanistic concern—to love our neighbor as ourselves—which has placed us at the cutting edge of social activism and social change movements. This makes us uniquely positioned to probe the great questions of our times, and to support release from all that oppresses the human spirit. I believe that adult religious education plays an important role in the arena of social justice, and that as religious liberals, we must develop a theological and cultural critique—not as an end unto itself, but as a way to strengthen our understanding and help us transform dehumanizing structures. When adequately developed—in tandem with the total ministry of the church—religious education can become an important venue from which to witness to a vision of justice." Read Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley's lecture, "Nurturing Our Faith: Not by Ourselves Alone" delivered in Birmingham, Alabama, to the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association, March 8, 2002.

Faith asks us to be open to life, to participate fully in life
as it unfolds before us, even in the midst
of uncertainty and turmoil."
—Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley, March 8, 2002

The Reverend Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley died on December 10, 2006, of cancer, and her death leaves a hole in the fabric of Unitarian Universalism that will not be easily mended. In her fifty-seven years of life, Bowens-Wheatley moved in circles of art, social policy, media, and ministry, providing resources, and, everywhere she went, asking the hard questions.

She was born on August 6, 1949, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and attended Temple University. In 1979, while studying in media and public relations, she was offered the opportunity to work as a press attaché to the Ambassador from Grenada to the U.S. Returning from that assignment, she worked in public broadcasting and media, and received an M.A. in International Development, Visual Media and Public Relations from American University in 1982. In 1987 she received a World Hunger Media Award (Second Place, international category, television) for writing and production of "After the Rains," a documentary film about environmental degradation, its consequences, and U.S. policy in sub-Saharan Africa.

She joined the staff of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee in 1986, serving as Director of Public Affairs. In 1988 she joined the staff of the North Shore Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program as a program officer, where she helped shape many Unitarian Universalist programs which influenced both secular social change organizations and the public voice and outreach initiatives of the UUA. She left Veatch in 1991 to enroll at Wesley Theological Seminary.

In 1994, she received a M.Div. (Magna Cum Laude) from Wesley and was ordained in Washington, D.C., in December at her home congregation, All Souls Church Unitarian. That year Bowens-Wheatley became Affiliate, later Associate, Minister at the Community Church of New York City and also served as District Extension Minister for the Metro New York District and Field Consultant for the UUA Department of Faith in Action. In 1999 she accepted a position as Co-Interim Minister of the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Austin Texas, where she served along with her husband, the Reverend Clyde Grubbs.

In 2000, Bowens-Wheatley joined the UUA staff as Adult Programs Director in the Religious Education department. Judith Frediani, now Director of the Lifespan Faith Development staff group at the UUA said, " We are so grateful that Marjorie's unique religious journey brought her to Unitarian Universalism, and that for three years, our staff group was blessed with her extraordinary ministry. With passion and grace and soul, Marjorie lived Michah's call ‘to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.' We can best honor her life and legacy by striving to do the same."

In 2003, she accepted a call to the UU Church of Tampa, Florida, where she served through the summer of 2006. She had accepted a call in April, 2006, to serve as Minister for Social Justice and Community Life of First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego, California, but withdrew because of illness.

Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley's ministry shaped contemporary Unitarian Universalist Association programs and practices in significant ways. She was a founding member of the African American Unitarian Universalist Ministry (AAUUM); board member of the Unitarian Universalist Women's Federation (1991-93); and a member of the UUA Commission on Appraisal (1993-1999 and chair, 1996-1998). She served as co-editor, with Nancy Palmer Jones, of Soul Work: Antiracist Theologies in Dialogue (Skinner House Books, 2002); wrote the Adult Study and Process Guide to "Belonging: The Meaning of Membership" (UUA Commission on Appraisal report, 2001); co-authored "Interdependence: Renewing Congregational Polity" (UUA Commission on Appraisal report, 1997); and was a contributing author for Weaving the Fabric of Diversity, an anti-bias curriculum for adults, (UUA, 1996). She wrote "A Case for an Actual Racism 101," (Christian Science Monitor, 1988), and numerous articles in periodicals, including UU World, First Days Record, Inward Springs, the LREDA Journal, The UU Women's Federation Communicator, and others.

UUA President William G. Sinkford said, " Marjorie has been a part of my ministry since I knew that I would become a minister. We met for the first time in 1991 at a gathering of the African American UU Ministry. She was in seminary at Wesley and I would start at Starr King the following year. We served on committees and commissions, teams and task forces, and shared work on the UUA staff. I preached for her congregation in Tampa and, just last week, had the privilege of visiting with her and saying goodbye. She has been friend, confidant, co-worker and so much more. Like so many others, my grief at her passing is deep. But I know that her gentle, competent and loving spirit will remain with us, helping to guide us in the years ahead."

Bowens-Wheatley was featured in the article "Feminist Theology in the Unitarian Universalist Ministry" by Michelle Huneven (UUWorld, November/December 1998) and "A Whosoever Church: Welcoming Lesbians and Gay Men into African American Congregations" by Gary David Comstock (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press).

Outside of UUA circles, Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley was a participant on the Mayor's Clergy Task Force on Racial Justice in Austin, Texas; and on the Partnership of Faith and the Interfaith Center of Greater New York. She served as an Advisory Committee member for the Black Church and Domestic Violence Project (a project of the Center for the prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence).

A lover of music, writing, and art, she had several writing projects in mind at the time of her death, and had noted, "A distant dream is to produce a cookbook featuring flat breads from around the world."

Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley is survived by her husband, the Reverend Clyde Grubbs, who currently serves as Interim Minister of Throop Memorial Church in Pasadena, California and by her daughter, Talibah, a graduate student at Sarah Lawrence College.

Her close friend, the Reverend Rosemary Bray McNatt, wrote, "My deep grief at the death of our sister Marjorie is more than personal: Our liberal religious movement has lost one of its most brilliant and passionate advocates for justice; a fierce, tender and loving mentor to ministers and religious professionals; a gifted religious educator, and a woman filled with God's spirit and grace. I will miss her every day of my life."

Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley once wrote, "I am grateful for the many opportunities I have had to work within and know Unitarian Universalism, its greatness and its challenges." Countless individuals within Unitarian Universalism are also grateful—for the contributions and the ministry offered by Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley. Our lives are poorer for her passing, but our faith is immeasurably stronger for her life.

A service celebrating Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley's life and ministry was held at the Community Church of New York City, Unitarian Universalist, on December 30, 2006, at 2:00 p.m., Rev. Bruce Southworth and Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt, co-officiants.

In remembering someone who was, as UUA President William G. Sinkford put it, a "friend, confidante, co-worker and so much more," the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations announces the creation of The Reverend Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley Fund. This fund will be used to support Unitarian Universalist congregations and their lay and ordained leaders who are committed to the transformative work of creating inclusive multicultural communities of the spirit.

Obituary
January 9, 2007, The Washington Post: "Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley; TV Producer, Unitarian Minister" by Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb

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