Union College economics professor and vice chairman of Schenectady's Metroplex Development Authority board, Lewis has lately had a lot of church work on his busy schedule. As an elder at the First Reformed Church in the Stockade section of the city, Lewis has played a big role in the congregation's new 8 a.m. service, and will also serve as a delegate to the Reformed Church of America's General Synod beginning next week in Schenectady.
“I began to think that I was being called back to the church,” said Lewis, who grew up in Aurora, Ill., and moved to Schenectady in 1969 to work for the General Electric Co. “I don't know how I can prove that, but that's the language I use, and I believe that to be the case.”
His parents were regular churchgoers, both of them Methodists, and Lewis was quite active in the church as a youth.
“Then I went to college and drifted away a little bit,” he said. “I'd come home from school and go to church with my parents, but I really wasn't thinking that seriously about my faith.”
Like many other Americans going to college in the turbulent '60s, Lewis wasn't content with the condition of the world he lived in.
“Growing up, you were taught to be a good American, but from a Christian perspective, I couldn't understand how you could be a segregationist,” said Lewis, who spent part of his childhood in Oklahoma and Missouri, and his senior year in high school in India, his father having been granted a Fulbright Lectureship at Meerut College. “I was deeply affected by the death of Martin Luther King, and there were other things going on during that time I was wrestling with, and I felt like the church wasn't addressing these issues. I was never antagonistic, but I felt like much of the church wasn't living up to its values.”
Lewis majored in economics at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., worked for GE for six years and then left the area to get his doctorate from the University of Chicago. In 1979 he returned to Schenectady, but this time as a professor at Union College.
RETURN TO CHURCH
“After I took the position at Union I started feeling like it was time to get back to church,” said Lewis, who by this time had married his wife, Cathy, currently a member of the Schenectady City Council. “We had some friends that took us to the First Reformed and we felt quite at home there. I felt like it was a serious place that allowed you to think and discuss things about your faith. I was being encouraged to think about why I was there, and I liked that.”
Lewis joined the church and soon became a deacon. When the Rev. Al Smith left First Reformed in 1991, Lewis was named chairman of the search committee that would find his replacement. The experience reinforced his faith.
“I wanted to fully understand why I was doing this, because we weren't just hiring a new employee, we were finding a minister for our church,' said Lewis. “I wanted to make sure I was qualified to do it. I had started taking some Bible studies earlier and learning more, and I was convinced I had to continue to learn. It was a real important moment for me in my faith development.”
Lewis' faith took another big step on Sunday morning when he and First Reformed associate minister Justin Meyers shared the duties of conducting the church's new 8 a.m. service.
“We wrote a dialogue, labeled it as a homily and substituted it for a sermon,” said Lewis, who portrayed the prophet Abraham. Meyers was the gospel writer Matthew. “I think it went pretty well. We're going to continue to have different lay people get involved, and I intend to remain involved.”
Lewis wrote the dialogue with the approval of Meyers and the rest of the ministerial staff at First Reformed.
“Brad came up with a beautiful dialogue, and we just had to make sure it was all consistent with our denomination's teachings,” said Meyers. “But Brad is pretty savvy with that kind of stuff. He's very intelligent, and he's not afraid to get involved.”
According to Meyers, it was Lewis' input that got the 8 a.m. service off the ground.
“Brad is very enthusiastic and forward-thinking,” said Meyers. “He wants to be on the cutting edge, and I had a lot of people come up to me after the service and tell me how that was one of the most engaging times they've ever had with Scripture. Myself and the other ministers gave Brad a few ideas, but it was mostly his product. He did a great job.”
CIVIC WORK
Lewis' good works are also felt outside his church family.
“He really cares about the community, and he wants downtown Schenectady to be vibrant again, as much as anyone,” said Ray Gillen, chairman of Metroplex. “He works on a number of other boards, and he's not afraid to step up and get involved.”
Gillen didn't always realize how big a role First Reformed played in Lewis' life, but when he found out it certainly didn't come as a surprise.
“He doesn't wear his religion on his sleeve, but he does live it,” said Gillen. “He's an intelligent guy, but he's also kind and thoughtful. It was always obvious to me that he was a caring guy.”
Lewis recently completed work as the co-chairman of First Reformed's renovation committee, and next Thursday will begin serving as a delegate to the Reformed Church of America's National Synod to be held at Union College.
“It's the yearly conference of our national governing body,” explained Lewis. “In the Catholic church, the pope has the clear authority, but in our denomination it's these little groups, or classes, that make up the rules and determine where we side on the issues of the day. Officially, our authority comes from Scripture, but it's our interpretation that matters, and obviously not everybody agrees on every issue.”
As involved as he is in his church, Lewis said he never seriously considered becoming a minister himself.
“I feel called to be a lay person, I enjoy it, and to do what I do in education I have to remain a lay person,” he said. “But I certainly wouldn't have expected years ago that I would have become as involved in the church as I am. I do have an opportunity with our denomination of becoming what is called a preaching elder. I might consider doing that.”