December
12 , 2003
New
Mary Lyon Pastor to Forge Closer Ties with College
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Sherry Tucker M.A.T. '92
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The
First Congregational Church in Buckland, Massachusetts, commonly
known as Mary Lyon Church, recently named as its new pastor Sherry
Tucker M.A.T. '92, a woman with her own connections to Mount
Holyoke's founder. Lyon was born in the small hill town of
Buckland and started her first school there. She was baptized
at the church, where she also worshipped.
Tucker received her master of arts degree in teaching from the
College in 1992 after moving to Granby with her husband, Kenneth
Tucker, who began teaching in the Mount Holyoke anthropology department
in 1990.
Tucker said she has found her parishioners to be "excited
to have the Mary Lyon roots reinvigorated. Many people remembered
her name but had forgotten all she accomplished. I have been paying
attention to Mary Lyon in my sermons. I'm trying to make
her part of the church in a real way," Tucker said.
Tucker's appreciation of Mary Lyon runs deep. "I have
a huge appreciation for the groundbreaking work she did in women's
education," she said. "My daughter went to Mount Holyoke
and it changed her life. I got my M.A.T. there, and it was a wonderful
experience." Tucker said she also finds inspiration in what
Lyon—"one person from a small, rural community"—was
able to accomplish in the world. "She set a precedent for
us. There's a lot of potential that one person or one church
can aspire to with a dream, perseverance, and support from others."
She is particularly interested in getting young people involved
in the church and hopes that girls and boys can draw inspiration
from Lyon's legacy and avoid feeling that "we're
small so we can't do very much."
As a child, Tucker attended a Methodist church in a small town
in Indiana, but stopped attending church when her family moved
to Florida. "Religion in the south is different. It's
pretty conservative," Tucker said. "I wasn't entirely
comfortable with it." She always had her personal faith,
but it was not until moving to Massachusetts and becoming acquainted
with the United Church of Christ that she became involved again
with a church. "The United Church of Christ allows for more
free thinking; it's socially liberal," Tucker noted.
"I'd never seen women ministers before."
She enrolled in the Andover-Newton Theological School five years
ago and earned her degree while teaching computer skills three
days a week in the Longmeadow, Massachusetts, public schools.She
graduated this past May and served as interim pastor at the Congregational
Church in Belchertown before coming to the Mary Lyon Church in
early November.
Tucker is finding her new position both "exciting and daunting."
She said that theology school prepared her well "to step
into a new, pastoral identity." However, she has found it
challenging to take responsibility for where the church is headed.
"There's no real road map," Tucker said. "The
church has been doing things in a certain way, but what is our
vision now?”
Tucker has been in contact with Andrea Ayvazian, the College's
dean of religious life and Protestant chaplain. She is hopeful
that they can find ways to strengthen the ties between the College
and the church of its founder.
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