The Rev. Scott R. Lee grew up in a city in the northwest part of Texas. The land is incredibly flat. A person can stand at the edge of a town and literally see a two-lane highway come to a point on the horizon. This perspective of roadways impacted the way that Fr. Scott understood what it means to walk in faith. From that understanding, faith is a walk in a straight direction towards a destination that you can see miles and miles before you arrive. It’s boring, but it is predictable.
Life, however, is not predictable and is seldom boring. No one can know what will happen next.Life, however, is not predictable and is seldom boring. No one can know what will happen next. Fr. Scott came to realize that a life of faith is not a mind-numbingly boring trudge down a straight road to an obvious destination. Instead, faith is a stroll down a tiny path in dense woods. It may be raining for a while, or the day might be perfect. Often, we can only see a few feet down the path of life in front of us, then the trail twists and turns around a corner. We don’t really know what is around that next bend. All we can know for sure is there is One who walks beside us as we take our steps down the path of life.
It is this meandering path of faith that led Fr. Scott to St. Barnabas in 2017. He grew up in The United Methodist Church and was later Confirmed as a Roman Catholic. He has a deep appreciation for the many expressions of the Christian perspective. He finds a home in the Episcopal Church because it offers a well-rooted tradition that remains flexible enough to meet the challenging questions of today. This is a place that relies primarily on the belief that the love of God extends to anyone and everyone.
Fr. Scott is married with two children and several pets. He has been a teacher, restaurant manager, and youth minister. Those are all part of the journey that led him to be ordained as a priest in 2012. Eventually it brought him to Warwick, RI. Through many denominations, many careers, from one of the largest states to the smallest, Fr. Scott calls life, “A wonderful journey.”
“All of this,” he says, “has taught me three important lessons. 1) Cherish every moment you have because life is short and unpredictable, 2) Remember our Savior who walks with us through this life while guiding us towards everlasting life, and 3) Enjoy the people of faith you meet along the way.”
Speaking of people of faith along the way, Fr. Scott invites you to visit St. Barnabas, so that he can share some of those winding steps of faith with you. May God bless you in your Journey!
The kind of thing you’re likely to hear from the pulpit.