Get to know some of the facilitators behind the scenes of the Grinnell ALLiance and learn about what their work entails.
We interviewed Eric Schubert, Pastor from Grinnell United Methodist Church, and the transcript is as follows:
Question: Which Grinnell ALLiance working group(s) do you primarily work with?
Answer: I am on the steering committee but I also do a lot of work with the Connecting Culture working group.
Q: What types of activities or opportunities does the Connecting Culture group provide?
A: Cultures vary wildly, even within families who grew up in the same communities. The cultures in the community of Grinnell can be very different. We have people from families who go back generations as well as those who have moved here recently from literally all over the world. Our community includes specializations in agriculture, factory work, insurance, running multi-million and billion dollar corporations, and higher education. All of these cultures have wonderful aspects to share (especially food!), and we are working on ways to help each other see our cultural differences, not as aspects which divide and dismiss, but instead as those which enhance our community, are part of where we grew up, and from which we can learn and grow.
Q: What makes your work impactful?
A: God made us all different, but also made us to share our gifts and talents with each other to be a blessing to one another. I don't know a place where this is more present and obvious than in Grinnell. I get to be a part of helping people see the gifts and talents in others, even when they speak, dress, or act in ways that may seem weird, or even at first glance, disrespectful. The community of Grinnell has lived into, and has the opportunity to expand, an amazing assortment of gifts and talents coming together to be a blessing to each other and the world, and I love getting to be a part of it!
Q: What is your background?
A: I grew up on a farm outside of Britt, a town of 2,000 people in North Central Iowa, and am the oldest of three brothers. I was a music education major at Luther College, and then a high school choir director for 12 years in rural Iowa. I attended seminary at Duke Divinity School while being a student pastor in two small churches in Warren County, North Carolina. I have been the pastor at Greenfield, Iowa, United Methodist Church, and am now thankful to be at Grinnell UMC. I am married with five children, and the community of Grinnell has been a wonderful blessing to us.