Frank James Williamson, Junior Editor
A reading from Luke 14, closed with the familiar liturgical call-and-response: “The Gospel of the Lord; Praise to you, Lord Christ,” preceded the Reverend Christopher Epperson’s first time taking to the altar at Sewanee’s All Saints’ Chapel.
By 11 a.m. on the morning of 7 Sept. 2025, the nave would be packed with students and faculty, as well as the many Sewanee community members who make Rite ll a part of their Sunday mornings. Three hours prior, however, the few early risers willing to brave the fog for Rite l sat quietly in the much more intimate chancel, not 100 feet from the Reverend Epperson, then addressing the congregation for the first time.
“This moment is not about one thing. It’s about a lot of things. And I suppose that’s the way every moment is,” Epperson said.
In early August, a letter from the office of Vice-Chancellor and President Rob Pearigen announced that the university’s board of trustees had elected Epperson as university chaplain, as well as dean of the chapel.
“Chris brings to Sewanee more than 25 years of deeply rooted service in the Episcopal Church, including leadership in parishes of all sizes and in educational settings,” Pearigen stated.
Before coming to Sewanee, Epperson served 14 years as rector Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, Virginia, where according to the Vice-Chancellor’s letter he participated in “significant pastoral, liturgical, and reconciliation initiatives, as well as thoughtful engagement with student ministry and public witness.”
Epperson went on with his sermon to explain that because we as individuals come to moments with our own experiences and vision, all sorts of things are in operation at once, and no two people view things the same way.
“For me, this moment is a moment of joy and celebration. I am so grateful, and glad, and honored, and humbled to be among you,” Epperson said. “For you, however, there is something else happening… ‘Will this guy be any good at this at all? Is he going to have something to say that matters to us, and resonates with us?’”
Epperson succeeds interim chaplain the reverend Dr. Nancee Martin, who took over in October of 2024. Martin delivered her last rites on 31 Aug. and was given farewell and kind words by the day’s preacher, The Very Reverend Dr. James Turrell.
“This is the beginning of a conversation that we’ll have over a long period of time, where we’ll get to know each other, where we will learn about each other and gather strength from one another, that we might answer, in our own ways, Christ’s call,” said Epperson.
Epperson in an email on 4 Sept. stated that he would welcome the opportunity to sit down with The Sewanee Purple for an interview, after he and his family – who moved to the Mountain in August – have had a couple of weeks to get on their feet.
Before continuing with his sermon to shed light on the words of Luke, Epperson concluded his greeting to the university with a final sentiment: “Now, a single moment rarely defines anything, but moments are part of a whole.”