Zeke Epps, center, credits Kat Burgett (left) and Sarah Lapp (right) for setting good examples of how faith and academic inquiry come together at Blacknall to inspire him and others.
After graduating from Campbell University in May, Zeke Epps worked as a Seminary Intern at Blacknall. He’ll now pursue a MDiv degree at Duke Divinity School. Here, he reflects on his time serving at Blacknall this summer, which has included working with our Children’s and Youth Ministries as well as participating in Sunday services.
Blacknall has been a really good, living demonstration that there doesn’t have to be tension between a life of faith and scholarship or academic inquiry. At Campbell, there was that tension with students who wanted to learn and do deep academic dives, but not really exercise their faith in the same way.
I’ve seen that having a deep faith and a deep education is not an either/or thing. There are so many people at Blacknall who do a great job of showing this in their day-to-day.
Kat (Burgett, Director of Youth Ministry) and Sarah (Lapp, Associate Director of Middle School Ministry) do a really good job at modeling that. They go about their day practicing their faith and then they’ll hit you with a really thought-provoking question out of nowhere that makes you stop and think. Kat can offer a Greek translation of Scripture during a staff meeting that helps us understand it better!
Zeke leads a skit during Blacknall’s Discovery Week for rising fourth through sixth graders.
One thing I learned this summer is that middle schoolers already know a lot. The first week I started, I spent a lot of time talking in our Bible study and it felt really disjointed, as if all my talking made it harder for them to understand. So, I talked to Sarah afterward and she gave me encouragement to just ask them more questions next time. They know the answers, you just have to sort of walk them there. I gave it a try.
The next couple lessons I did, it was like night and day. Those middle schoolers really are very smart. And since I want to eventually be an educator, the takeaway has been that I don’t have to talk down to people to get them to understand something. I can walk alongside them because they’re doing the work already.
One of the nice things about interning at Blacknall is that there are moments of slowing down, breathing, and thinking about all these things. I’ve got to learn and then think about what I learned.
I feel like I’ve been able to hear the voice of God through this community. It’s been very encouraging as I’ve seen joy in the people around me. Going on retreats and seeing how much joy kids take in fellowship with each other, learning about Scripture, and doing a deep dive in their faith were big moments of gratitude for me. I’m seeing God at work in people’s lives.
Watching the success of others has helped me learn from them. That’s Kat and Sarah, but Brandon (Miller, Director of Children's Ministry), too, with how he thrives with kids in what can be a difficult, busy environment. Or Suzanne (Pape) and Avyi (Hill). Being with other interns around my age has been a gift.
These are things I’m going to use and continue to learn from. Not just as I study at Duke Divinity School, but as I continue to come to Blacknall.