Student Ryan Cagle, who grew up in what he describes as the “backwoods of Alabama and the foothills of Appalachia,” is pursuing both an MDiv in Social Transformation and an MA in Eco-Justice. For the past three years, he has also been the driving force behind a social justice ministry in Parrish, Alabama, called Jubilee House Community. It is a big lift, but Ryan finds that his academic work at United is complementing his home ministry.
“Seminary has always been a dream for me—something I always wanted to do,” Ryan shares. He’s been involved in ministry since he was 18 and supplemented his ministry with extensive reading. When he decided to pursue seminary, there were no local options. United, however, seemed like a good fit. “The theology and the place and the diversity that is here and embodied in the community,” Ryan explains, was what he needed.
Social transformation was an obvious choice since Ryan was already engaged in community organizing and social justice work. Still, much of his ministry in Alabama deals with “ecologically oriented” issues, so he wanted to explore that side too. Fortunately, Rev. Dr. Justin SabiaTanis, associate professor of Christian Ethics and Social Transformation supported by the McVay Endowment, allowed Ryan to create a self-directed study in Land, Food, Faith, and Justice. Once United added the MA in Eco-Justice, Ryan couldn’t resist adding that degree.
Ryan asserts he cannot “quantify the number of ways that what I’m learning [at United] is actively helping me refine the actual on-the-ground work that I’m doing.” His academic work, Ryan says, is enhancing how he relates, leads, and ministers to others, how they approach decision-making, and how they effectuate eco-justice for those in their community.
With no state funding, Jubilee House Community operates a 24/7 food pantry, a free store for non-perishable items, a community garden, and Alabama’s first, second, and third free 24/7 Narcan® (naloxone) distribution sites (part of their harm reduction efforts). It’s an amazing, heart-filled, and transformational ministry. “I love United.” Ryan avows. “It’s been one of the most life-affirming and vocation-affirming places I’ve ever been and experienced in my entire life.”