MC names three to new positions in the Center for Campus Ministry
Aug. 20, 2024
Students returning to Maryville College this fall will notice new faces in the Samuel Tyndale Wilson Center for Campus Ministry (CCM). In July, the Rev. Jessica Kitchens Lewis ’07 was named chaplain for the College, while the Rev. Paul Earheart-Brown ‘15 was named associate chaplain/MAST director. Jamie Webster, who served as interim campus minister from August 2022 until this summer, will continue her work in the CCM but now as interim director of interfaith ministry.
A search committee made up of faculty, staff and student representatives was formed in May to fill the campus minister position permanently. Members of the College’s Faith and Learning Committee were also represented. In addition to filling the vacancy, the committee saw — and took — the opportunity to add more resources to this area.
“We are very pleased to announce this new staffing structure for campus ministry,” said Dr. Alayne Bowman, vice president for Admissions and Financial Aid and interim vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students. “After meeting with the candidates, the search committee felt very strongly that there were two candidates who possessed different educational backgrounds, skill sets and experiences in ministry, all of which would allow us to provide our campus community with a richer and deeper exploration of faith and learning.”
Maryville College is related by voluntary covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA), and a Faith and Learning Statement describes how the College strives to live out its church-relatedness every day. The statement was revised this year by the Faith and Learning Committee.
“Recently affirming and clarifying that statement led the search committee to envision a different structure in the CCM,” Bowman added. “We want to reach more students where they are and be able to minister to their needs.”
Lewis joined MC staff in 2022
Lewis, who graduated from the College in 2007, has been on staff of Maryville College since February 2022. Serving as program director of the Maryville Adventures in Studying Theology (MAST) for two years, she planned and implemented Expanding Horizons, which is an annual, week-long summer theology and leadership program for high-school students. Lewis assisted in the Admissions Office and also served as adjunct staff for campus ministry and the Presbytery of East Tennessee, which supports MAST as a College partner.
“Jessica is a phenomenal source of guidance, strength and stability for our student population. Supervising her, she has been an amazing attribute to our team, and I have seen firsthand how well she relates to youth and young adults,” Bowman said. “She brings a breadth of knowledge to the position because of the various roles she has held and her relationships with and connections to the Presbytery of East Tennessee.”
In January, Lewis was ordained and installed to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in an on-campus service that was believed to be the first of its kind in the College’s 205-year history. Lewis’s ordination followed completion of a master of divinity degree from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary in August 2023.
She worked as the director of Christian education at First-Trinity Presbyterian Church in Laurel, Mississippi, for 12 years, and has served as a temporary supply pastor at Farragut Presbyterian Church. This summer, she has served as worship leader at Faith Lutheran Church in Farragut.
As Maryville College’s chaplain, Lewis will provide overall leadership for the Center for Campus Ministry and foster religious and spiritual life through a multi-faith and pluralistic approach. She will provide leadership for weekly Chapel and the annual Easter Sunrise Service.
Lewis is responsible for integrating the College’s Presbyterian Church (USA) church-relatedness into the fabric of college life, providing, as stated in the College’s Statement of Purpose, “a nurturing environment that equips students with resources to help them build a mature and credible faith for an increasingly complex world.” She will join Church Relations Director Kathleen Farnham in work with the PC(USA), the Presbytery of East Tennessee and the College’s Board of Church Visitors.
Earheart-Brown will oversee MAST
Earheart-Brown graduated from MC in 2015 and earned a master of divinity degree from Memphis Theological Seminary in 2018. While there, he served as associate pastor for youth and leader of contemporary worship for First Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Olive Branch, Mississippi. In 2020, he was named pastor of the church, providing pastoral care and counseling to children, youth and adults.
His volunteer service includes being a mentor for the Cumberland Presbyterian’s Kaleo Program for high-school and college students and participation in the Young Adult Engagement Denominational Cohort. He also has served on Maryville College’s Board of Church Visitors.
As associate college chaplain at MC, Earheart-Brown will support the role of chaplain in fostering religious and spiritual life at the College. He will collaborate with faculty, staff and the MC community to foster dialogue across faith-based identities through guided conversations and activities. As director of MAST, Earheart-Brown will partner with the presbytery in cultivating youth leaders for the church and world.
“Paul brings an energy and enthusiasm to the position that the search committee felt would be a win for our campus,” Bowman explained. “He has extensive experience working with youth groups and has coordinated different types of camps and conferences for this age group, as well as serving as in a pastoral role at a church where he was the only administrator.
“He is interested in ways the church can better involve young adults in ministry,” she added. “The search committee felt Paul’s strengths would complement Jessica’s ministry nicely.”
Webster to support interfaith initiatives
Webster, as interim director of interfaith ministry, shares similar job responsibilities as her colleagues in Maryville College’s Center for Campus Ministry. Among her areas of focus will be coordinating co-curricular educational opportunities and programming for students with the designed learning outcome of intercultural competence and positive interfaith dialogue.
Webster holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee and a master of divinity degree from Boston University School of Theology. She assumed the role of interim campus minister at MC following the departure of the Rev. Dr. Anne D. McKee, who left the College to resume service in the church. For nearly two years, Webster provided pastoral counseling and support, led worship services, participated in College ceremonies and special events, served as a liaison for religious- and spiritual-based student organizations and collaborated with the Office of Church Relations and other faith-based initiatives on campus.
Bowman thanked Webster for providing transitional leadership and departmental continuity.
“Jamie will be a great complement to Jessica and Paul,” the vice president said. “She has provided guidance and counsel to many current students and will be able to strengthen these relationships and form new ones. We are grateful for her commitment to our students and campus community.”