Chalice Overy, Associate Pastor
Originally from New Jersey, I moved to North Carolina as a teenager and it has become home. I attended UNC Chapel Hill for undergraduate studies and went to Duke for seminary. For the record, I am a Tar Heel!
Why are you at Pullen?
The first half of my ministry life was marked by a lot of legalism and very little grace. My message was, “Resist worldly influences and keep ‘God’s’ rules.” However, a few years out of seminary, I noticed that my belief system didn’t always hold up against the complexities of the human experience. Instead of employing my usual apologetic gymnastics, I began to allow myself to explore and give voice to what I truly believed.
Over time, I embraced a much more robust economy of grace, and it changed my priorities, my preaching, pastoral care, and the entire trajectory of my ministry. I knew that I wanted to inhabit a faith community of radical welcome where people were encouraged to be honest about who they were and what they believed. Pullen is that place for me.
What does a great day, away from work, look like for you?
Spending some time outdoors, in quiet contemplation or catching up with friends. On any given day I enjoy physical activity, good food and live music, especially if it’s outdoors.
Why do you work in (pastoral/music/youth/children/administrative/community/education/) ministry?
My work in pastoral ministry comes from a strong sense of call. Growing up, people always ask you what you want to be when you grow up. Early on, I recognized the responses that met the approval of the adults in my life so I would say I wanted to be a doctor or lawyer. But, in all honesty, I couldn’t think of a single vocation to which I wanted to dedicate my life. By the age of 10 I had concluded that I would eventually have to select a career in which I had little interest and will myself to work everyday until retirement. It made me sad, but I figured that’s what responsible adults did. During my teens I became very involved in church, and I felt strangely drawn to the clergy in my church and community. By my senior year of high school I felt that God was calling me to ministry, but assumed I would also need a “real job” like all the pastors I knew. So I entered college as a business major, while continuing to pursue my denomination’s requirements for ordination. The more I engaged in ministry, the more I fell in love with it, and the more I realized that I had zero interest in Business. Thankfully, the church I attended in college had a full time pastor who opened my eyes to ministry as a “real job”. After college, I enrolled in seminary, and the rest is history. I continue to feel an immense amount of gratitude for the opportunity to do what I love every day!
Contact: covery@pullen.org