Steve Andrews is a third year student at Columbia Theological Seminary. He is newly married to Kari Pellegrino (who you will meet in the next blog post). He and Kari attend Ormewood Park Presbyterian Church. Steve is one of the organizers of a GED tutoring program in the neighborhood. Steve will share about how his studies at Columbia Seminary intersect with life at the Capitol View Dwell house and what he has learned from being involved in the GED program. Steve talks a little bit about New Monasticism. Both of our Dwell houses follow the 12 Marks of New Monasticism.
“I am currently doing an independent study about the eschatological views of living in intentional Christian community and I am using the readings that the entire house is doing in that study. I am especially interested in the intersection of how the desert mothers and fathers viewed the desert and how the new monastics view the city. I’ve found that both the experience of living in the house and reading and discussing about new monasticism fit right into my work at the seminary. Most seniors live off campus, so it is not strange that I live in a different neighborhood. But it is important to me to live in a place where I thought that I could do some good. And living in the neighborhood of Capitol View gives me that opportunity. What I’ve learned about Christian faith at seminary tells me that Jesus is a challenging Messiah. Among the things that he challenges us to do is to live in closer community with other people, to conserve our resources, and to be in places where others don’t want to be. Living in the Capitol View house allows me to do all of those things.
My work with the GED program is interesting. There are three of us who are the main organizers of the GED program. One young white Presbyterian male and two middle-aged black women. One of the organizers has a seminary education and one with no seminary training and who is an apostle. We have different experiences that we bring to the conversation. Working with these two women has taught me not to make any pre-judgements about what type of packages people come in. I didn’t see myself working with a charismatic pastor; I didn’t see that we would have a common cause. But we have a really great relationship. Working with the GED program has allowed me to see the things I have learned put into action. In a place like Capitol View things can seem kind of hopeless. But there is all kinds of hope peeping their heads out. In GED class, community happens, relationships are built, Kingdom of God stuff is happening. For awhile I have been interested in intentional Christian community and different and more prophetic ways of being a Christian in the world. I have tried to put those values into action before and haven’t been able to. To be in the Capitol View Dwell house and to be involved in this neighborhood is an opportunity to have the rubber meet the road and see what happens in all of its glory and non glory. I have always seen myself as someone who in ministry would be working outside of the normal places…going to places where other people aren’t going and doing things other people aren’t doing. My experience in Capitol View is confirming that call.”
