REV. CHAR CORBETT, pastor at Second Congregational Church UCC in Newcastle, with Robert Breckenridge following his commissioning as a UCC missionary to Zambia.
Robert Breckenridge, a member of the Second Congregational Church UCC in Newcastle, is heading out on a mission trip.
As part of the church’s regular worship service Sunday, Jan. 14, congregants and invited guests took part in a special “Service of Commissioning” for him as he embarks on his missionary work in Zambia, Africa. More than 100 well-wishers said goodbye to Breckenridge at a reception in the church’s Fellowship Hall immediately following the service.
Born, raised, and educated in Illinois, he has lived and worked in the Twin Villages community since 2004. A professional educator, he has taught all grades and ages in diverse arenas: An English instructor in Managua, Nicaragua; a bilingual Spanish elementary teacher and junior college Spanish instructor in Dallas, Texas; an elementary and middle school ESL and Spanish teacher on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts; and most recently as a social studies teacher at Lincoln Academy. While living and working in Dallas, Breckenridge pursued graduate studies in religion at Southern Methodist University, receiving a Ph.D. in 1993. His principal area of interest was the history of the Christian church.
Breckenridge retired from Lincoln Academy this past summer and offered himself as a volunteer educator to his church denomination, submitting his application for service to the Global Ministries office of the United Church of Christ/Disciples of Christ in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was chosen to partner with an institution in Zambia — the United Church of Zambia University in Kitwe, Zambia — to teach church history and related subjects in their theology department. Zambia, in southern Africa, is a landlocked country of rugged terrain and diverse wildlife, with many parks and safari areas.
Breckenridge left for Zambia this week and expects to be gone for at least one year. His wife, Maria, will follow in a few months after spending some time caring for her elderly father in Nicaragua. The couple has two grown sons, both of whom support them in their decision to undertake this work.
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