I am Gabrie'l, the moderator of Grace at the Circle. I was born in the Bronx, NY. I have two sisters, Dominique and Nicole (or Niki) and I am the middle child. And, I have typical middle child syndrome type issues. I have lived in New England for most of my adult life. I spent the longest period of time in the Boston/Cambridge area. I've also lived for short periods of time in Atlanta, Philadelphia and College Park Maryland. My moves have been for love, for higher education or for better job opportunities. My most recent move was to Buffalo, NY, where I live now. I found an interim summer position working for a church, Trinity Episcopal Church on Delaware Avenue - and just could not leave at the end of the summer. I have been working as the Director of Congregational Development for a little over a year. Earlier this year, a second opportunity opened up at St. John's-Grace Episcopal Church as the part time Parish Coordinator. I currently find myself fully engaged in the life of the Episcopal Church in Buffalo.
I started Grace at the Circle, because I have a profound love for the Bible. The Bible is full of interesting stories and humor and lessons which can only be fully enjoyed if you do not limit yourself by looking for literal meaning in scripture. The Bible is a complex text (set of texts) which has been carefully organized into a canon. It has been translated from other languages and interpreted through the lens of ever changing social contexts. It can be used to liberate or to justify slavery. I enjoy reading the Bible, because it is complex. The Bible does not offer any straightforward answers. And, I believe we are supposed to analyze and grapple with scripture in order to find meaning in what the Bible says and in order to find purpose in our lives.
Grace at the Circle is a space for us to explore the Bible together. I am so glad you are interested in this journey. Thanks for reading my intro!
- Gabrie'l J. Atchison
-- Edited by atchison71 on Wednesday 30th of August 2017 08:25:54 AM
