The Presbyterian Outlook welcomes Jay Blossom into the role interim publisher/editor! Jay lives in Philadelphia and comes to the Outlook from the In Trust Center for Theological Schools, where he was editor and publisher of In Trust magazine for almost 16 years.
What do you want Outlook readers to know about you?
For the last 16 years, my passion has been theological education. As publisher of In Trust magazine, my readers were the boards, faculty and administrators of more than 200 theological seminaries in the United States and Canada. Some of those readers were Presbyterians, and we at the In Trust Center were privileged to have both American and Canadian Presbyterians on our board. I cherished their insight, their tough questions and their wisdom.
At In Trust, our focus was in some ways broader than the Outlook’s. We served schools of many denominations, including Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox. But our focus was also narrower, since we always homed in on what the leaders of seminaries needed to know in order to do their jobs well.
Over the last few years, I’ve also been a member of the board of the Associated Church Press (ACP), the nation’s oldest professional association for religion journalists, and I served as president of ACP for one term. The Outlook is a valued member of that association and over the years has won many of its “Best of the Christian Press” awards. I’m pleased to continue serving a publication that’s been recognized for its excellence multiple times.
How has the Presbyterian Church shaped your ministry?
I grew up Pentecostal in Southern California, but for the last 25 years I’ve been a member of the Episcopal Church. I’m currently rector’s warden (a board officer position) at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, near my house.
Nevertheless, Presbyterians and the Presbyterian Church have been part of my faith journey for more than 30 years. In both my undergraduate years and during my graduate studies at Duke Divinity School, many friends and even roommates were members of Presbyterian congregations, and the pastor of the Presbyterian church near Duke used to call me “Bishop” as a friendly nickname. My own beliefs were formed, challenged and strengthened by meaningful conversations about, and engagement with, Reformed theology.
I’m also proud to say that as a 20-year-old I was employed for a summer as assistant director of Presbycamp, the children’s day camp offered by the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Barbara in California. Those kids were delightful and exhausting! My boss, a graduate of the Presbyterian School of Christian Education, was the church’s director of Christian education, and I have nothing but respect for her and all Christian educators. Their work is challenging and ever so important.
What’s the last great book you read?
I try not to read “great” books — too much pressure! Instead, I read little books about quirky topics. I just finished “Chickens, Gin and a Maine Friendship: The Correspondence of E. B. White and Edmund Ware Smith.” It’s a collection of letters between friends. But it has some real gems from one of the great writers of the 20th century. Here’s a portion of what White wrote for the New Yorker after John F. Kennedy’s assassination: “He was impatient of topcoats and hats, preferring to be exposed. … He did not fear the weather, and did not trim his sails, but instead challenged the wind itself, to improve its direction and to cause it to blow more softly and more kindly over the world and its people.”
For my own spiritual growth, I’m reading Robert Alter’s translation of the Hebrew Bible. I’m reading the sacred text aloud so that I can appreciate the mellifluous poetry that Alter brought to the work of translation. And I’m reading his copious notes silently. This is a multiyear project — I’m only halfway through Exodus right now.
How are you surviving the pandemic?
I have stayed very connected during the past year. I’m on Zoom almost every day for work and church. The Bible study that I have led for 15 years moved to Zoom last March without a hitch. I’m also in a play-reading group that switched from in person to Zoom.
I have also started walking during the pandemic. Most nights after dinner I walk four to six miles on a lighted pathway along the riverbank. It’s safe, socially distant and good for body and soul.
How will you and Roger Gench function together in the coming months?
Roger Gench and I have been talking weekly since early December; those conversations will continue. I value his knowledge, his experience and his friendship. Going forward, I will be serving as interim publisher/editor and Roger will serve as an editorial consultant, collaborating during the interim period until the board names a new editor/publisher. Roger will continue to write both the editorial and the lectionary commentary. We will work closely with the magazine’s amazing staff to ensure that the Outlook remains the preeminent publication for Presbyterians in the United States.
