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Rev. Zina Jacque to Bring ‘Energetic, Dynamic’ Preaching to Pulpit

The Rev. Zina Jacque, who will serve as chaplain for Week Two at Chautauqua, is the “soul of effervescence,” according to her colleague and friend, the Rev. Carol McVetty.

An American Baptist minister, Jacque is “an energetic and dynamic preacher who is in demand at regional and national gatherings,” McVetty said. “She has a rich, deep faith and preaches on topics that connect to people’s lives. She is great at bridging the black/white church divide. She serves an all-white suburban church in Barrington, Illinois, and is helping lead a community-wide program there to begin the conversation on race and privilege.”

Jacque will preach at the 10:45 a.m. Service of Worship and Sermon Sunday, June 30, in the Amphitheater, and share her faith journey at the 5 p.m. Vespers Sunday in the Hall of Philosophy. She will preach at 9:15 a.m. Monday through Friday at the Ecumenical Worship Service in the Amp. Her sermon title for Sunday is “What’s That in Your Hand?” Her topics for the week are “Holy Objects — An iPhone”; “Holy Objects — An Eraser”; “Holy Objects —Salt”; “Holy Objects — A Lamp”; and “Holy Objects — Clouds.”

The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, vice president for religion and senior pastor, first met Jacque when a priest in his diocese “did an Epsicopal version of a revival. They had a different preacher every night for a week, but they brought Zina back every year. I even had her at my house for Thanksgiving one year. I called her and she said she would be delighted to come to Chautauqua.”

Jacque is the lead pastor at the Community Church of Barrington, Illinois and has done extensive work in education, counseling and support programs.

Jacque was the founder and first executive director of the Pastoral Counseling Center of Trinity Episcopal Church in Boston. In this role, she implemented training on mental health issues for local pastors and led the center in the delivery of direct service hours to economically disenfranchised people across the greater Boston area. Now in its 18th year, the center continues to serve the Boston metropolitan area.

Previously, Jacque served as the Protestant chaplain at Bentley College, and as the executive director of the Boston TenPoint Coalition, where she served as a key member of the Boston program of violence reduction, called Operation Ceasefire.

Prior to entering ministry, Jacque spent more than 20 years in higher education serving in senior positions at Northwestern University; the University of Chicago; Mills College in Oakland, California; and the University of California, both in Santa Cruz and the Office of the President.

She holds a Ph.D. in theology (practical theology) and a Masters of Divinity from Boston University — in which she graduated summa cum laude — a Master of Arts from Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University.

At the University of Chicago and Boston University, Jacque has served as an adjunct professor of pastoral care. She also serves on the boards of the American Baptist Churches USA, Journey Care Hospice and Palliative Care Center, National Senior Campuses, Samaritan Counseling Center of Northwest Illinois and the Barrington Area Ministerial Alliance, among others.

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The author Mary Lee Talbot

Mary Lee Talbot writes the recap of the morning worship service. A life-long Chautauquan, she is a Presbyterian minister, author of Chautauqua’s Heart: 100 Years of Beauty and a history of the Chapel of the Good Shepherd. She edited The Streets Where We Live and Shalom Chautauqua. She lives in Chautauqua year-round with her Stabyhoun, Sammi.