We are so excited to announce Franklin Lowe as our new Associate Youth and College minister at FBG! Franklin officially joins us on Wednesday, June 1, and will jump right into our summer schedule, attending our various events and trips including Unidiversity Youth Camp and high school mission trip! We will celebrate Franklin’s arrival with our Youth Family on Wednesday, June 15, at noon in the AYMC!
—Mary Carol
Technically, I have never met God face to face…unlike Moses, I have not been to the mountaintop…unlike Hagar, I have not been lost in the desert…unlike Peter, James, John, Martha and Mary, I have not sat down at the feet of Jesus to break bread or to learn, but I have met God in the supreme joy of creativity—designing collages, drafting liturgies, exploring museums and ancient churches—and in deep relationships with people who have challenged and inspired me.
My name is J. Franklin Lowe. Much to the confusion of every substitute teacher, I have always gone by my middle name, but I have never felt much like a Frankie or a Frank. I grew up as a pastor’s kid, a PK, in Fayetteville, GA. I studied history at Samford University, where I sang in the A Cappella Choir, studied abroad in Israel and Italy, and helped to foster student leadership across campus. I then earned an MA in History from the College of William & Mary, and most recently, earned an MA in Religion from the School of Theology at the University of the South, in Sewanee, TN. I’ve studied nuns in Colonial New Orleans, civil rights activists in the rural South, LGBT+ Christians, and other small communities that have worked to improve the larger society that surrounds them. In between graduate programs, I spent a year in central London, living with the Community of St. Anselm, an ecumenical, intentional community for young people from around the world. Our main objective was to just live life together. With members from over a dozen countries and different denominations, that community was difficult to forge, but it was beautiful to behold, and I miss it daily. Every time I recreate a meal we shared—curries that my sisters from Pakistan and Sri Lanka perfected or the spice-laden tacos I would make with my Canadian-Argentinian brother—I remember the community we formed around shared tasks, shared tables, and shared moments of vulnerability and trust. Here at FBG, I hope to inspire the youth and young people of this congregation to find their own moments of vulnerability, of creativity, of community, challenge and growth. Whenever you want to explore nature, visit a museum, or try a new recipe, I hope you’ll give me a call. Together, I think we can keep trying to meet God face-to-face, and I’m certain we’ll enjoy every adventure along the way. Thank you for welcoming me into your congregation, and I hope we can get to know one another soon!
—Franklin