Duke Chapel

Minister Reflects On Decades As Elder In Methodist Church

Alex Granados and Frank Stasio — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 15:51:59 +0000

Will Willimon has served at Duke University in a variety of roles for decades, but he always left to continue his calling as a Methodist minister.

He knew from an early age that he had a special connection to God.

"I think I always had an extraordinary sense of the divine," he said.

Though, he said that his fundamentalist upbringing in rural South Carolina scared him off from faith for a while.

"I sort of decided that Christianity was for people who weren't very good at thinking things through," he said.

When he went off to Wofford College, he was exposed to a religous studies professor who helped him see a different view of Christianity.

Meet Luke Powery

Frank Stasio and Shawn Wen — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 14:12:00 +0000

Luke Powery’s father was a minister, but Powery wanted to go a different route.

He considered pursuing computer programming, but ruled it out after one of his first classes. Eventually, his father’s calling came for him, and he didn’t resist. This fall, Rev. Luke Powery became the first black dean of Duke Chapel. He joins host Frank Stasio to discuss his career and preaching suffering in the light of hope.

Duke Chapel Names New Dean

Dave DeWitt — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 14:51:00 +0000

There's a new Dean of the Duke University Chapel. The Reverend Doctor Luke Powery is the first African-American to hold the position.

Dave DeWitt: Powery comes from the Princeton Theological Seminary, where he was an assistant professor. He replaces Samuel Wells, who left Duke Chapel to return to England.

Powery was one of several who gave guest sermons at Duke Chapel in recent months. The one he delivered in June was called "Why Are You Afraid?"

Mary DBT Semans Remembered at Duke Chapel

Leoneda Inge — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:45:00 +0000

The Duke family and hundreds of their closest friends and supporters filled Duke Chapel yesterday in Durham to say good-bye to Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans. Duke President Richard Brodhead described Semans as the university’s principal link to Duke’s founding generation. Leoneda Inge produced this audio postcard from Semans’ funeral.

Music performer: The Ciompi Quartet

The Rev. Dennis Campbell: When Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans was born Duke University was no more than a twinkle in her great uncle’s eye.”