April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
MINISTRY DEGREE
'Doctor Mom' a boon to Schenectady parish
'Doctor Mom' a boon to Schenectady parish
At St. Luke's, the pastoral associate organizes adult activities, with a focus on supporting the greater Schenectady community.
Lately, her ministry has been enhanced following the completion of her doctorate in ministry, congregational and community renewal.
After retiring as the CEO of Bethesda House of Schenectady, Dr. Anderton made it her mission to go back to school. She got her master's degree in divinity from St. Bernard's School of Theology and Ministry in Albany.
The day before the baccalaureate service from St. Bernard's, Dr. Anderton's father passed away. She still participated in the ceremony, in memory of her father.
Long-ago vow
Then, as she was sorting his belongings, she found one of her old journals. As a young woman, she had written about her brother's dream to one day become a medical doctor -- something he did achieve.
She'd also written that "I was going to get a doctorate in something myself."
Dr. Anderton took the discovery of that journal entry as a sign that she should continue her education even further. When an opportunity came along to attend New Brunswick Theological Seminary in New Jersey, she began working on her doctoral degree.
The classes in the three-year program were mostly online, but Dr. Anderton's cohort met locally once a month at Lisha's Kill Reformed Church in Schenectady for a solid week of classes.
The group of students was made up of clergy from various religious backgrounds, including Presbyterians, Baptists and members of the Reformed Church.
Dr. Anderton was the only layperson and the only Catholic in the program. In fact, she was the first Catholic to ever graduate from New Brunswick, one of the oldest Protestant seminaries in the country.
Spreading the Word
"It was really an opportunity for a little bit of evangelization and catechesis," she told The Evangelist.
The pastoral associate already had experience with other faiths: Born and raised Catholic, she had left the Church for a while and even spent 14 years as an ordained deacon in the Reformed Church of America before returning to the Catholic Church.
This gave Dr. Anderton the ability to view her classwork from multiple perspectives.
"Everyone was well-steeped in their own traditions, but not so much [with others]," she remarked, noting that she often had to clarify Catholic beliefs for her fellow students.
As part of the doctoral program, Dr. Anderton had to create a group of seven individuals, called a covenant, with whom she met every six weeks, checking in and discussing her journey throught the doctoral program. Her covenant included a teacher, a priest and a gardener.
Also helpful was Dr. Anderton's work at St. Luke's. During her very first class, Dr. Anderton used insights from her work as a pastoral associate to change a conversation among classmates from, "What can we do?" to, "What do people need?"
"You have to figure out how you're going to change your community for the better," she explained.
Dr. Anderton made that idea the basis for her doctoral thesis, which is titled, "Community Soup: Conversation Around the Table as a Catalyst for Building Transformative Relationships."
"Sharing a table means sharing a life," she said, noting that when people gather around a table, they become equals and leave their baggage behind.
Post-doc plans
Dr. Anderton has proposed that community members gather at the church four times a year for a potluck dinner. There, they will propose ideas that benefit the community, such as beautification projects.
After a free-will offering, the guests will vote on which proposal they support; the winner of the vote will get the money from the free-will offering to help complete the project.
"The table is the great equalizer," Dr. Anderton told The Evangelist. "It's the idea of conversation as a catalyst for change."
As she completed her degree, the doctoral student was supported by her covenant; her husband of 29 years, Jack; and their children, Kate and Jack. In fact, her son, Jack, had minored in theology as an undergrad at Fordham University in the Bronx at the same time his mother was completing her master's degree.
"We took some similar types of classes," Dr. Anderton recalled. "We got to compare theologians and their written work."
At St. Luke's, Dr. Anderton believes her work as a pastoral associate has benefited from her new doctorate. She said the coursework has helped her to see the parish community for what it is.
She's also proud of her accomplishment. She joked that she wanted to frame the first piece of mail she received addressed to "Dr. Margaret Anderton."[[In-content Ad]]
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