It was in the family shoe store in North Carolina where Steve Flowers, M.Div. ’04 began “sounding out” his call to ministry.
“We were set up to really be attentive to the needs of our customers. The family business was a community where we welcomed and knew our customers. Unfortunately, there are not many of these places around anymore,” said Steve. “It was customers that initially helped me to sound out my call. As I would sit and hear about their stories, it was very filling to do that.”
After three to four years of intentional discernment, Flowers enrolled as a Master of Divinity student at Duke Divinity School in 2001, where he met his wife, Kathryn Flowers, M.T.S. ’05. Now serving as a chaplain in a United Methodist retirement community in Richmond, Va., he said, “When I started Divinity School, I didn’t think my calling was going to be chaplaincy…it was a journey. But once I started practicing hospice chaplaincy 13 years ago, my sense of calling became very clear.”
The years spent living out his vocation have only made his education at Duke Divinity School more valuable to him.
“I think about the courses I was able to take: homiletics with Richard Lischer, Church History with Warren Smith, Christian Ethics with Stanley Hauerwas…it was life changing,” said Flowers.
Now 60 years old, he has been sounding out another calling toward legacy impact, making Duke Divinity School a beneficiary of his retirement plan. “I was beginning to think about legacy. And I wanted to create a legacy with a community that meant a lot to me—in my formation not only as a minister but as a person…I made a series of lists and the only place that influenced me as a person and in my vocation was Duke,” he said.
“I wanted to say thank you as a way of remembering the people that helped me on my journey.”
Flowers's bequest will help ensure that students continue to have access to the same excellence in formation that he experienced, empowering him to “preach the gospel with clarity and confidence.”
When asked what he would want others to know who may be considering a similar planned gift, Flowers said, “It is very simple to do once you make up your mind. It’s discerning what you really need, and then with the remaining abundance, thinking about giving to an institution that will be good stewards. We (Duke Divinity School) have been doing this for 100 years.”
You can join Flowers in empowering the Divinity School to continue equipping Christian leaders for the church, the academy, and the world by including Duke Divinity in your estate plan. Please contact Rev. Daniel Corpening, D.Min. at 919-660-3534 or external@div.duke.edu to learn about the many giving options that are available to fit your needs and goals.