For 18 years, Rev. Dr. Mary Paul helped shape the spiritual life of the PLNU community. For her, Point Loma was a place to live out her calling to pastoral care. Now, as Paul moves across the country and steps into a new phase of life, we pause to express our gratitude and to celebrate her work.
Rev. Dr. Mary Paul first sensed God’s call on her life when she was just 8 years old. She even wrote about it in a contest for her local district within the Church of the Nazarene.
“I just remember at the end, I wrote: ‘I have this call,’” she said.
Paul explored how her calling might be lived out as she grew up. As a social work major in college, she was involved in urban outreach, work she continued in the years after graduating. When speaking at a local church mission event she sensed God’s voice saying, “This is what I want you to do.” She was speaking on Matthew 25, a passage that challenges us to respond compassionately to those who are hungry, thirsty, a stranger, etc., which is still immensely important to her.
Paul’s husband, Bruce, who passed away last year, was also a pastor, and they shared a desire to serve others. “Matthew 25 is part of my heartbeat,” she said. “It’s part of what Bruce and I had the joy of being able to live out together.”
Paul received her Master of Divinity from Boston University School of Theology and her Doctorate of Ministry from Asbury Theological Seminary with an emphasis in biblical preaching and leadership. She was ordained as an elder in the Church of the Nazarene in 1991. She served as pastor at various churches in the New England region before joining the faculty at Olivet Nazarene University in 2005 as an associate professor of Christian ministry. In 2007, she was appointed vice president of Spiritual Development (now Student Life and Formation) at PLNU. Paul attributes her coming to PLNU to Dr. Bob Brower, president emeritus, who recruited her after she spoke as a guest in chapel.
“Coming in, one of the things that drew me to Point Loma was that they had this depth of commitment to spiritual formation, which was evident in the resources of both budget and personnel they had put aside to ensure programs could be offered with excellence,” Paul said. “Point Loma had made the personnel commitment to offer good spiritual opportunities.”
Inspired by the legacy of Drs. Norm Shoemaker and Dana Walling, Paul and her team worked to provide exceptional, responsive care for students that included a four-year rhythm of spiritual growth opportunities.
“If someone has been here four years, we want them to have a year where they have dwelt with the Lord’s Prayer, a year focused on holiness and the power of the Holy Spirit to transform lives, a year on the Great Commandment to love God and love neighbors, and a year unpacking a church tradition that connects to the practices of the historic church.”
Paul’s team has also placed great importance on the practice of communion and on special liturgical experiences such as Ash Wednesday, Easter Celebration, and a Christmas candlelight service. They have also emphasized opportunities where students can live out their faith by serving God and others.
“It’s been a powerful gift to have a team to do that creative, prayerful thinking with,” she said.
“My prayer for the students is that ultimately while they are here that they will encounter Christ and also encounter people whose faith life is vibrant.”
Reflecting on her time at Point Loma, Paul said: “Most life-giving for me were the places in which I was able to connect with students deeply. That could be in chapel, small groups, LoveWorks trips, Spring Break Build, retreats, the Civil Rights Pilgrimage — those places where they see you less as the pulpit person and more as a real person.”
“One of my deep desires for this place is that there would be this experience of truly being a vital Christian community,” Paul said. “My prayer for the students is that ultimately while they are here that they will encounter Christ and also encounter people whose faith life is vibrant. Hopefully, a part of my legacy is: students knew I loved God with all my heart and that I was committed to being somebody who loved their neighbors well and that this faith in Christ is real and continues to transform us across all of our lives.”
