Sam Wells Returns to Saint Stephen’s for Lecture and Preaching, Oct. 15 & 16

On Saturday, October 15, Saint Stephen’s is pleased to welcome back the Rev. Dr. Sam Wells, who will give a lecture, “The Hurt and the Damage: Letting Horror Turn into Wisdom,” beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall. The event is open to the public. Seating and childcare are available by reservation.

Wells will also preach in the 9:00 and 11:15 services in the Nave on Sunday, October 16, in addition to being with us for the 10:15 Sunday Forum in the Parish Hall.

In February, Wells visited Saint Stephen’s to present a lecture in which he reflected on the question “Does God Heal?,” focusing on the ways in which healing is interrelated with forgiveness and salvation. He ended his reflection with two questions: “Does God heal? Sometimes. Does God save? Always. Always. Always.”

Now, in light of all that we at Saint Stephen’s have been through since the shooting in our Parish Hall on June 16, Wells is returning to be with us at Saint Stephen’s. In his lecture and the discussion that follows, Wells will guide us in reflecting on how we respond to unexpected horror in a way that is consistent with our Christian faith.

A priest in the Church of England, prolific author, noted preacher, and public theologian, Wells just marked 10 years as Vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London, and 30 years in ordained ministry. Prior to his tenure at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Wells was Dean of the Chapel and Research Professor of Christian Ethics at Duke University in North Carolina. He holds a Ph.D. in theological ethics from the University of Durham and is the author of over forty books.

This fall, Wells will publish Act Justly: Practices to Reshape the World, the final book in the trilogy begun by Walk Humbly: Encouragements for Living, Working, and Being (2019) and Love Mercy: The Twelve Steps of Forgiveness (2020), together forming an introduction to Christian faith and life. Taking their inspiration from a question posed in the Old Testament, “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God,” each book in the series offers a practical ethic for living that is rooted in timeless wisdom.

As an outgrowth of his work at St. Martin’s and the wider church, in 2017 Wells founded HeartEdge, an international, ecumenical movement meant to “galvanize churches to be at the heart of their communities, while being with those on the edge.” More recently, Wells (along with his colleague the Rev. Sally Hitchiner) has developed the Being With course for small group formation and theological reflection.

If you have questions about the lecture or participating in an upcoming Being With group at Saint Stephen’s, contact becky@ssechurch.org.