35-year-old will lead Syracuse?s Plymouth Congregational Church

In 1851, Syracuse residents planned an escape. Hundreds of abolitionists broke into the city jail to rescue William ?Jerry? Henry, an escaped Missouri slave held under the Fugitive Slave Act.

Those same abolitionists later founded Plymouth Congregational Church, a stop on the Underground Railroad. A legacy of promoting social justice for change continued over the years.

Now, the Rev. Quinn Caldwell, Plymouth?s new pastor, seeks to carry on the church?s history by making his voice, and those of the congregation, heard.

?It?s in our DNA,? Caldwell said. ?Wherever people are in chains, we want to be part of helping to free them. That might be literally in chains or cells, but also bound by poverty or circumstance.?

Rev. Quinn Caldwell

Age: 35

From: Fabius

Why he?s in the news: Caldwell is the new pastor and teacher at Plymouth Congregational Church.

Education: Cornell University, bachelor?s in natural resources, 1999; Union Theological Seminary, master?s in divinity, 2003

Family: Partner, Terry Howell; son, Asa.

Caldwell, 35, held his first service at the downtown Syracuse church Oct. 28. After serving as associate minister at Boston?s Old South Church for more than six years, he and his partner decided to move closer to home.

A native of Groton, in Tompkins County, Caldwell said he was called to be a minister in his early 20s. It was an internal struggle at first, he said, after seriously debating a career in forestry, and coming out as gay before his senior year in college. He found acceptance from his hometown minister, who reassured him he was on the right path.

Plymouth Church is under the United Church of Christ, a Protestant Christian denomination known for its progressive support of social issues. In 1853, the UCC ordained its first woman minister, and in 1972 it ordained the first openly gay minister in a main Protestant denomination.

?It?s one step beyond just acceptance or welcoming, it?s a sense that we need everyone in on this work,? Caldwell said. ?I had a sense of call by God, an overwhelming sense that I was supposed to be doing this.?

At first glance, he doesn?t seem the typical minister. Dressed in a tweed vest, denim tie and Ray-Ban glasses, he brings a youthful vibrancy to the church?s offices. His desk is decorated with knickknacks, including a plastic Jesus toy. A tattoo on his forearm ? Greek text overlayed with a magnifying glass ? reads ?The Lord.?

?It?s a reminder to me that my soul is supposed to be magnifying the Lord,? the pastor said, referencing his favorite part of the Bible, Mary?s Magnificat. ?By the way we live, the shape of our life, God is supposed to be made easier to see.?

Plymouth Congregational Church

?Founded in 1853 as an abolitionist church.

?Designed by Syracuse architect Horatio Nelson White.

?Named for Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, whose pastor, Henry Ward Beecher, was an abolitionist.

?Early pastors, including the Revs. Michael Strieby and Augustus Beard, who helped found the American Missionary Association, which sought to abolish slavery and educate Africans brought to America.

?Over the years, the church supported social causes, including sheltering refugees, welcoming the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, helping undocumented and immigrant families and endorsing the Syracuse living wage law.

Caldwell said breaking stereotypes is an important goal, and seeks to change the way people see progressive Christians. Plymouth?s congregation marries intellect and faith, he said, and he plans to let people know they?re here.

?Plymouth is such an old and strong presence on the landscape of Syracuse. Downtown is in a midst of a revival and that felt exciting to me, to potentially be a part of that renaissance,? he said. ?Plymouth wants to be present in that rebirth as its been present in all the other iterations.?

Stan Ayres, a 55-year member of Plymouth, said he?s seen many changes during his time at the church, and is confident in Caldwell?s leadership.

?I believe Quinn will guide us to stretch ourselves a little bit to make us a better congregation,? Ayres said. ?It won?t just be Pastor Quinn out there, but all of us.?

Source: http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2012/11/35-year-old_will_lead_syracuse.html

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