Pulling the Threads Together

Thirty flags line the walls of Mackay Dining Hall, only a fraction of the countries represented in the Princeton Theological Seminary community. We sat down with some of our international students to hear their stories.

Rory Chambers, a third-year MDiv student, says that the friendships he and his family have found at Princeton Seminary have been the highlight of his experience as he looks ahead to ordination in the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Q: Where is home?
A: I’m from Australia, originally from Tallangatta (which is near Tangambalanga and Kergunyah); Melbourne is home though. Melbourne is to Brooklyn as Sydney is to Manhattan; it’s a great city of artists, bakers, baristas, musicians, academics, parks, and weirdness. It’s like an uptight Berlin.

Q: What drew you to Princeton Seminary? What has your experience here been like?
A: My family and I were living in Manhattan, attending a PC (USA) church. I was studying theology at a college in Melbourne by distance, so I wanted to continue those studies and get out of the city. Our pastor suggested Princeton Seminary and now here we are! We’ve loved it; it’s been an incredible time for our family, particularly the way that the community has embraced our kids. Our time here and the relationships we’ve formed are things that we will treasure forever.

Raimundo Barreto’s Readings in World Christianities course was paradigm-altering, and there are a whole slew of folks here who I’m happy to just sit at the feet of and drink in whatever they have to teach me: Keri Day, Erin Raffety, John Bowlin, Heath Carter, Jan Ammon, and others.

Q: What’s next for you?
A: I’m a chaplain on the track for ordination in the PC (USA), so I’m looking for something to do with that. Music is really important to me, so there’s a thread to pull on there as well. I don’t have firm plans yet, but I’m looking forward to seeing how the garment comes together once all those threads are pulled.