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The Rev. Becca Stevens
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Looking for a woman doing ministry... differently? Look at Vanderbilt University, which has been a living model of �church in mission� since Becca Stevens became their chaplain in 1995.
Becca is college chaplain to the vibrant Vanderbilt congregation, St. Augustine�s (with an average Sunday attendance of 230 at their two services, and as many as 400 for special occasions), the coordinator of annual student trips to Ecuador, where she and her students helped open a school for children in 1998, and is working with the congregation to build a new sanctuary.
In addition to all that, Becca is the founder of Magdalene House, a non-for-profit recovery community for women with a criminal history of prostitution and drug abuse, and Thistle Farms, a for-profit cottage industry launched to help support Magdalene House and its residents.
In 2000, Becca was named Nashvillian of the Year and, in 2003, was a delegate to General Convention from the Diocese of Tennessee. She is married to a Grammy-nominated country music songwriter named Marcus Hummon (part of the reason Becca�s in Nashville in the first place) and is a mother to three boys � Levi, Caney, and Moses � ages 12-4.
Look out for two new books by Becca, a Bible study and book of meditations, coming soon from Abbington Press.
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| St. Augustine's & Vanderbilt, Becca Stevens Chaplain |
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Becca Stevens, Staff Bio
Chaplain, St. Augustine�s Chapel, Vanderbilt Campus
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St. Augustine's Episcopal Chapel
Our model for ministry at St. Augustine�s is one of contemplative justice wherein thoughtful actions of justice arise from steadfast love of God reflected in individual prayers and common worship. We live out this model through regular worship, outreach to the Vanderbilt campus and from the campus to the wider community, and attention to study and learning.
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| Magdalene House & Thistle Farms, Becca Stevens Founder |
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Magdalene House
Magdalene is a two-year residential recovery community for women with a criminal history of addiction and prostitution. Founded in 1996 by the Reverend Becca Stevens in conjunction with a city-wide task force on prostitution, Magdalene was created to provide sanctuary in Nashville for women in need of a safe, disciplined and compassionate community. Magdalene provides opportunities for addiction recovery, education and employment.
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Thistle Farms
Named for the wildflower that grows on the road Nashville prostitutes frequent, Thistle Farms is a creative and sustainable workplace for residents and friends of Magdalene. Thistle Farms creates products -- balm, candles, sachets -- as well as a market for those products. All proceeds from Thistle Farms go to support Magdalene's houses and residents as well as provide outreach to women who are in jail or still on the streets.
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"it's not so much a program, but a gift to the women... and to all the folks involved" Becca
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| More About Becca |
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