Originally broadcast at 9:15 a.m. EDT Thursday, August 6, 2020.

Psalm 130

On May 17, 2009, the historic St. Paul's Baptist Church (Philadelphia, PA) called Reverend Dr. Leslie D. Callahan (from Gary, West Virginia) as the church’s first female pastor. She was installed on September 27, 2009.

Dr. Callahan, who began the public proclamation of the gospel at age 19, earned the Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Harvard University/Radcliffe, the Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary, and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Religion from Princeton University. She was ordained in 1997 at Judson Memorial Church and served as Minister of Christian Education at the First Baptist Church of Princeton, New Jersey. She also served as interim pastor of Salem Baptist Church of Jenkintown, Pennsylvania.

A gifted professor, Dr. Callahan, has served on the faculty of New York Theological Seminary (NYTS) as Assistant Professor of Modern Church History and African American Studies. Prior to her time at NYTS, she was a member of the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania as assistant professor of religious studies.

This program is made possible by the Jackson-Carnahan Memorial Chaplaincy & the Harold F. Reed, Sr. Chaplaincy.

About Chautauqua Institution: Chautauqua Institution is a community on the shores of Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York state that comes alive each summer with a unique mix of fine and performing arts, lectures, interfaith worship and programs, and recreational activities. As a community, we celebrate, encourage and study the arts and treat them as integral to all of learning, and we convene the critical conversations of the day to advance understanding through civil dialogue. CHQ Assembly is the online expression of Chautauqua Institution's mission.