Neichelle R. Guidry Jones

2011-12 FTE Doctoral Fellow & 2006 Undergraduate Fellow

The conversation about God takes seriously ways people reach in – and reach out – to connect to the divine in their daily lives. I’ve always felt I had something to contribute to this conversation as it takes place through worship, community and activism.

As a young girl growing up in West End Baptist Church in San Antonio, Texas, I witnessed my Sunday school teacher, Sister Williams, standing up – hands lifted with tears rolling down her face – during worship service. I didn’t understand what was “wrong,” but my mother explained some of the ways the Holy Spirit manifested in the lives of Christian people. She told me about the joyfulness that’s exhibited in church services – and she also spoke about the discernment and wisdom that the Spirit brings to everyday lives.

I’ve realized that I will spend my life pondering the worth and role of the Spirit in corporate worship and in the lives of those who believe in the Spirit’s presence.

All worshippers participate in liturgy, and leaders must take a congregation’s willingness to respond to God in worship very seriously. It’s important to create an atmosphere that fosters meaningful worship and experience for people in varying social and emotional conditions.

Since my days at West End, African-American worship has taken many turns, as have Black families, neighborhoods and congregations. Local congregations are undergoing transitions in leadership and membership, with the accompanying financial and theological shifts. I believe a congregation’s liturgical history can be the “telling” of its willingness to transition. I propose that transition is the opportunity to become more liturgically welcoming.

In my undergraduate years, I was one of the only women in my Religion department, and I recognized the value of my voice in places it had been underrepresented and even silenced. When I’m teaching or leading a workshop, I want to hear a woman say, “Maybe I can have this conversation with God.” And I want to provide a model for doing it.