Podcasts religion Episode 57: Deaconcast- serving where one is led

Episode 57: Deaconcast- serving where one is led

Published: Aug. 2, 2019, 5:12 p.m.

Alli interviews three deacons, the Rev. Patricia (Pat) Jackson, the Rev. Bonnie Matthews, and the Rev. Felix Rivera. 

The Rev. Patricia (Pat) Jackson is a retired clinical researcher within the pharmaceutical industry. She is a “child of the soil - Jamaican soil, that is.” She came to Connecticut over 30 years ago from Jamaica by way of Canada, England, and New York. She was ordained a deacon in September 2007 and currently serves at Church of the Holy Trinity in Middletown. Pat’s diaconal passion centers around reaching out to the poor, lonely, sick, forgotten, housebound, and marginalized both inside and outside the Church community. This passion has led her to be an advocate for our retired deacon community whom she faithfully serves both in their lives and at the time of their deaths. Pat is a proud mother of two grown children and a nana to six grand babies.    The Rev. Bonnie Matthews was ordained in 2012. She is the chair of the Deacons' Council and was elected to Mission Council during the 2018 Convention. Her diaconal interests include working with and for the homeless in such projects as The Boot Party (which we will learn more about later on). With the season of Racial Healing, Justice, and Reconciliation, she is working with the Racial Healing Network. In her paid vocation she has been a Certified Surgical technologist at Hartford Hospital for 45 years. Bonnie is a grandmother of 3 boys and enjoys structured downtime such as reading and counted cross stitch.   The Rev. Felix Rivera is a retired electrical engineer. Felix is one of our most recent deacons, as he was ordained in June. He is interested in teaching English as a second language and leadership development in the Latino community. Felix and his wife have two sons and three grandchildren - ages 7 to 21. In his free time, Felix and his wife, Carmen,  like to do trips to NYC where he is from, and Chicago to visit their granddaughter. They also enjoy the arts in music and the visual arts.    Welcome Felix, Bonnie, and Pat!   Read more at coffeehour.org.