Louise "Lisa" Norris Grabarek is an American educator and Baptist preacher. She taught at St. Catherine's School in Richmond, Virginia and at St. Mary's School in Raleigh, North Carolina. A graduate of Yale Divinity School, Grabarek was the fourth woman to be ordained as a preacher with the approval of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Lisa Grabarek | |
|---|---|
| Born | Louise Norris Grabarek Durham, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Other names | Lisa Grabarek Matthews |
| Alma mater | Vassar College Yale University |
| Occupation(s) | educator, preacher |
| Spouse | Bill Matthews |
| Parent | Wense Grabarek |
Early life and education
editGrabarek is the daughter of Marion Pritchard Norris Grabarek,[1] a member of the Junior League of Durham, and Wense Grabarek, a politician and civil rights activist who served as Mayor of Durham from 1963 to 1971.[2][3]
She graduated from Calvert Method School, a predecessor to Durham Academy, in 1967.
Grabarek was presented to society as a debutante at the Durham Debutante Cotillion and Christmas Ball at the Durham Armory in the 1960s.[2] She was vehemently opposed to being a debutante due to the exclusive nature of the tradition, but ultimately decided to be presented to appease her parents.[4][5]
She studied at Vassar College.[6] She obtained a masters degree in divinity from Yale Divinity School, graduating magna cum laude.[6][7]
Career
editShe was ordained as a Baptist preacher, as the fourth woman to be ordained by the convention, at Watts Street Baptist Church in 1974.[6] Grabarek's ordination was approved by a council composed of clergy from both the Southern Baptist Convention and the American Baptist Association.[6]
She worked as a humanities teacher at Saint Mary's School, an Episcopal boarding school for girls in Raleigh, North Carolina.[7] She previously taught at St. Catherine's School, an all-girls Episcopal school in Richmond, Virginia.[6]
Personal life
editShe married Rev. Bill Matthews, a lawyer and former pastor at the United Church of Christ in Milford, Connecticut.[6]
Grabarek attends Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Marion Norris Grabarek Obituary 2018". Hall Wynne Funeral Home. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
- ^ a b Richards, Andrea (August 20, 2024). "In a New Podcast, North Carolina Debutantes Take Their Gloves Off". Indy Week. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
- ^ "R. Wensell Grabarek Obituary 2019". Gentry-Newell & Vaughn Funeral Home. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
- ^ https://www.wunc.org/show/due-south/2024-10-16/recovering-debs-unearths-the-complexities-of-north-carolinas-debutante-societies
- ^ "Recovering Debs | All Episodes". Recovering Debs. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
- ^ a b c d e f "Ordination Rites For Woman Slated At Watts Baptist" (PDF). The Durham Herald. Durham, North Carolina. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
- ^ a b "Lisa Grabarek, M.Div. | Yale Divinity School". divinity.yale.edu. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
- ^ "Exploring the Bible". Pullen Memorial Baptist Church. 2024-02-25. Retrieved 2024-12-01.