Menu
Cottey student partners with church in honoring female pastor
By Steve Reed
Special to the Daily Mail
This story is about faith. Not necessarily religious faith, although certainly that is important to all of the people involved. No, it's about keeping faith in what you know to be right and true --keeping the faith regarding the rights of women and in your own ability to do what you believe you are called to do, even when others discount it.
Second-year Cottey student Portia Hurney has faith -- the kind that led her at age 14 to drive herself to church every Sunday when she was the only person in her house interested in attending.
"You can get a license in South Dakota at age 14," she pointed out, quick to note she wasn't doing anything illegal.
The Rev. Dorothy Burningham had faith. The kind that led her to become one of the first women pastors in the Methodist Church in 1956 when women had not been allowed to become ordained as full clergy members.
Hurney, an Episcopalian from Pierre, S. D., and Burningham, a trailblazing Methodist pastor from the 1950s, would appear to have little in common. Cottey College holds credit for making the connection.
Tiny Moundville, approximately 15 miles southwest of Nevada, was looking for a student or intern who could help with some research on the Rev. Burningham. The church was wanting to celebrate the 50th anniversary of full clergy rights for women in the Methodist Church and their own unique niche in that history as they had one of the first women pastors.
Lindell Haverstic, of the Moundville UMC, said, "Burningham served the Moundville and Bronaugh Methodist churches from 1956-1958, and we decided we had an ideal and unique opportunity to do something to observe the anniversary, remember Burningham, and partner with Cottey and its efforts to focus on women's leadership." Haverstic and the Moundville church contacted Cottey's Kolderie Academic Assistance Center asking if there was a student who might be interested in such a project. The Academic Assistance Center placed a short notice in the Cottey Connection, a weekly newsletter distributed to students on campus. Hurney saw the notice and answered the call, so to speak.
"I read about it in the Connection," she explained. "I was interested in it because I know I want to work in the church. I thought it would be the perfect project: Women in the Church."
Her research project on Burningham became a directed study course under the guidance of Dr. Angela Firkus, associate professor of history. At Cottey, a second-year student with a GPA of 3.3 or higher may receive credit for pursuing, on an individual basis, a topic or project related to, but beyond the scope of, regular course offerings.
"I had to visit with my advisor for an hour every week," explained Hurney. "I also had to do all of the research, write down all the information, and format it into a booklet." Dr. Firkus also had Hurney read articles on how to conduct interviews and some general guidelines on how to be an historian, as Hurney is not a history major. As part of her directed study, Hurney did conduct an oral history project with members of the Moundville church.
Hurney researched the ministry of Burningham, and the church funded a stipend for research costs and the publication of Hurney's work for local libraries, United Methodist archives, and others.
On Nov. 11, Hurney presented her work to the Moundville Church at its annual Lord's Acre dinner. It was the 50th anniversary of that dinner, which was originated by Burningham. The first Lord's Acre at the church took place in 1956 as an auction of grain and other farm produce donated by members of the congregation and community. Organized by Burningham during her first year of appointment to the congregation, the event became a favorite tradition of fellowship while also helping to fund construction of the fellowship hall in 1961.
Researching a female pastor in rural Missouri from 50 years ago did prove to be a bit of a challenge for Hurney.
"It was the hardest thing," she admitted. "I got some information from the church and its records. I wrote other churches Rev. Burningham served after Moundville, but got no responses. I ended up going through all the old issues of the Nevada Daily Mail that are archived in the Nevada Public Library to get a lot of my information."
Hurney hopes to follow in the footsteps of Burningham and other women clergy. She knew this as far back as age 14.
"I grew up in the Episcopal Church," explained Hurney, "but my parents left the church when I was in sixth grade. When I turned 14 and got my driver's license, I drove myself to church because it was something very important to me; it was what I wanted. I since have ended up teaching a middle school youth group, and I've worked as a youth counselor. God kept putting things in my lap for me to do." Once she finishes her degree at Cottey, Hurney plans to enroll at Sewanee -- The University of the South in Tennessee to pursue a bachelor's degree in theology and perhaps a master's in divinity. Hurney sees herself as either a youth pastor or an Episcopalian priest.
When she reaches her goal, Hurney will be continuing in a long line of women who did not give up on their dreams of full clergy rights. Hurney found a quote from Gwen Jones-Lurvey who became one of the first ordained female clergy in the Methodist Church.
"I've been feeling God was calling me to be a pastor, but I didn't think women were allowed to do that. I haven't told anyone because I thought they would think I was crazy."
A handful of women pioneers have had a huge impact on the face of the church.
From the granting of full ordination rights in 1956, today nearly 12,000 United Methodist clergywomen serve the church at every level. One of those is the Rev. Elizabeth Hadler, who serves as Cottey's coordinator of spiritual life.
Hurney's priest in the Nevada All Saints Episcopal Church is also a woman, the Very Rev. Mimi Savidge.
Interestingly enough, in this 50th year of Methodist female clergy ordination, the Episcopal Church announced the election of its first female Presiding Bishop.