At the end of the week, after lawmakers, businesspeople and lobbyists put aside their worldly pursuits at least for a while, they can retire to First Presbyterian Church of Tallahassee for spiritual renewal.
Since arriving at First Presbyterian on North Adams Street, the Rev. Brant Copeland has been leading the elite and general populace of Tallahassee in prayer and service to others.
Pastor Copeland took some time to talk to Sunshine State News about his job and life.
What is your job? Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Tallahassee
How old are you? 58
Where were you born and where do you live now? I was born in Brownsville, Texas. My father was a pastor, so I grew up in two places: San Antonio, Texas, and Lake Charles, Louisiana. I came to Tallahassee in 1985 for this job.
Where did you go to college? I did a bachelors degree at whats now called Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. I got a double major in classics and philosophy in 1974. I got a masters in theology at the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland in 1977. Then I got my doctorate of ministry from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, and Master of Arts in Christian Education from the Presbyterian School of Christian Education.
What were you doing before you started this job? I was pastor at a church in Altavista, Virginia.
What is the biggest success youve had in this job? I dont really measure effectiveness as a pastor in terms of success. Thats not for me to assess. But I hope the criteria would be faithfulness to the Gospel and pastoral care of the congregation. If theres any success to be assessed, it would be the congregations.
Does politics ever become part of your job here? Presbyterians are part of the reform tradition of Christianity that dates back to the 16th Century Reformation. And one of the affirmations of reform tradition is the Lordship of Christ over the whole of ones life. And not only ones individual life, but the community and the states life. Therefore, we think that one aspect of faithfulness to Jesus Christ is working for a just and properly ordered society. That requires political engagement.
Were not partisan, but we are engaged in issues that affect the community. Homelessness, human rights, poverty, early childhood education are a few of the issues that we concentrate on.
What was the best advice youve ever received about how to do your job, and who gave it? At my ordination, the person giving me the charge said, 'Never walk into the pulpit unprepared,' and Im trying to keep that charge. It entails working with the biblical text, and the old saying, supposed to come from Reinhold Niebuhr: that youre supposed to work with the Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other.
Who is the person you most admire, dead or alive? President Barack Obama. I admire his engagement. His commitment to the values that form his presidency. I think he embodies a generational hope, and he is a fitting symbol of the diverse society that is America.
What was your most embarrassing moment in the capital? I was testifying for some legislation that would have limited the sales of certain types of guns, and one of the members suggested that a Uzi machine gun would be an easier for an elderly person to use. And I thought the guy was being facetious. And he was actually being serious. So that was an embarrassing moment.
What are your interests outside of work? I tinker with things, some very kind of rudimentary carpentry. Music and reading. I sing a little, and I enjoy concerts. I like novels and thats mostly what I read thats not theology.
Reach Alex Tiegen at atiegen@sunshinestatenews.com, or at (561) 329-5389.
