Religious Studies Teacher/ School Chaplain Update: Filled
December 12, 2017

 

St. Paul’s Episcopal School, an independent, coeducational infant through 8th-grade school in New Orleans, Louisiana seeks a full time experienced religious studies teacher for Pre-K through eighth grade beginning with the 2018-2019 school year.  The teacher in this position also serves as school chaplain coordinating weekly chapel services for the school and for the 2 and 3-year-old early childhood program.

Overview

The curriculum of St. Paul’s Episcopal School combines traditional instruction in a classroom setting with hands-on activities, sustainability education, outreach, a strong sense of community, and an awareness of personal responsibility. Supportive relationships between student and faculty and purposeful collaboration define the educational community. Creative teachers who have embraced St. Paul’s mission and philosophy strive to meet the needs of learners and embrace the strong sense of community that remains a core value of the school.

At St. Paul’s, focus on Christian character and behavior is at the forefront and is emphasized in every aspect of the school. The head of school, with the assistance of the school chaplain, communicates the school’s Episcopal identity and its goals of inclusion and appreciation for diversity, which are an integral part of an Episcopal education.

Responsibilities

The religious studies teacher designs hands-on projects and activities that reflect the school’s commitment to Judeo-Christian values and Scripture. The successful candidate demonstrates respect for the world’s major religions, understands the concept of sustainability that fosters awareness and respect for the natural world and our place in it, appreciates a sense of service rooted deeply in Christian principles, while recognizing and meeting the individual needs of each student at St. Paul’s.

The chaplain is a member of The Administrative Team and works with the pastor, associate pastor, musicians, technology team, teachers, and others to plan, facilitate, and present three chapel services per week for the whole school, one chapel per month for middle school students, and one chapel service per week for the two and three year old students.

Qualification

Experience as a lower and middle school teacher, knowledge of the major world religions, and Godly Play training are essential. A Bachelor degree or certification in a related field is required.

To Apply

Please submit resumes and any letters of recommendations to: Head of School, St. Paul’s Episcopal School, 6249 Canal Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70124 or via email to: blyons@stpauls-lakeview.org. No phone calls please.  Visit our website at: www.stpauls-lakeview.org.

St. Paul’s does not discriminate against any person in employment, or otherwise because of race, religion, national and ethnic origin, sex, or sexual orientation or gender identity, or disability in violation of existing state or federal law or regulations.

You belong. You are children of God. No exceptions.

Bishop Duckworth’s sermon called us to remember the UpStairs Lounge fire in the French Quarter, a violent act of deadly arson that killed 32 gay men in nineteen minutes. In the aftermath, no church in the city would bury the dead. The exception was St. George’s Episcopal Church. Its rector, the Rev. Bill Richardson, did what he knew Jesus called him to do — he buried those men. He did so not without cost: he faced active condemnation from the larger community, but also from within his own congregation and from within our own diocese.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of two pivotal resolutions from the 1976 General Convention of the Episcopal Church. Resolution 1976-A069 and Resolution 1976-A071 declared that “homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church,” and that LGBTQ+ persons “are entitled to equal protection of the laws with all other citizens.” While we can celebrate many clear advancements for the full inclusion of our LGBTQ+ community in church and community life, the work is ongoing.

It has not always been a straight path. The church is human, and humans stumble. But consider how far we have traveled: from a church being rebuked for praying over the dead, to bishops wearing rainbow stoles given as gifts by LGBTQ+ Episcopalians at ordination. From closed communion tables to fully open sacramental life. From whispered exclusion to the joyful, public, Spirit-filled worship we offer tonight.

In our own Diocese of Louisiana, the transformation has been remarkable. Inclusive Louisiana, our network of LGBTQ+ Episcopalians and their allies, has been a light in this region for years — marching in Pride parades, offering pastoral care, and equipping congregations to proclaim God’s all-inclusive love. And here at St. Anna’s, you have led the way: becoming the first congregation in this diocese to celebrate same-sex marriage.

Bishop Duckworth’s conclusion made plain that actively creating a joyfully inclusive church is what we are called to do:

Not someday. Not when things are more comfortable. Not when the political climate improves. Today. The work of liberation is always a present-tense call.”

To speak that truth in this moment is not a partisan act. It is an act of Christian faithfulness. It is what prophets do. It is what the Church, at its best, has always done — even when it cost us something.

We serve a God who said: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” That includes everyone. Everyone is a child of God.

The Rt. Rev. Shannon Rogers Duckworth

Bishop Duckworth offered the Prayer for Travelers from the Book of Common Prayer for Deacon Luigi, who is relocating to Chicago. His contributions to Inclusive Louisiana, St. Anna’s, the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, and the broader community have been immeasurable. We are grateful for all he has given us, and we trust that though he leaves us physically, what he has created here will continue to grow.

You May also Like…