Raynor currently serves as a hospice chaplain as well as the chaplain for the Rye Fire Department in Rye, NY. At one time she was the chaplain for the 9/11 morgue in NYC. However, in her earlier life she attended Harvard Divinity School. Her new memoir is her journey of leaving her comfortable home life in Ohio to attend one of America's most prestigious seminaries. It is there, at Harvard where Raynor goes on her journey. She attends Harvard not to be on the ordination route, but to find herself. However, in the end she does get ordained to the ministry.
As someone who also went to seminary I can vouch for the fact that even though many people do attend seminary for ordination, or some other preparation for Church leadership, one does find oneself, usually! How can it be otherwise. After all, you are put into a place with people from different racial and cultural backgrounds, forced to attend chapel together, have common meals, and attend classes.
While at Harvard Raynor works at a local homeless shelter where she volunteers. She also gets involved in a local parish as a seminary assistant and has to deal with parishioners "projecting" emotions and feelings on her (spoiler alert: my jaw dropped with the hot tub scene). But after reading that part twice I had to remind myself that our parishioners often see us through their eyes and do project their feelings, emotions, and thoughts on us too. Sometimes pastors are not so sensitive to that fact.
Raynor has a fine writing style and a good eye for description. Very often I felt like she was right next to me taking me through the mouse ridden Harvard dormitory (which I also couldn't believe, Harvard mice?). Incognito is also funny too. Raynor has a keen eye for humanity and is not afraid to make fun of herself without being self-hating. As a reader I appreciated that very much.
While reading Incognito I wanted to hear more about her classes too. While she mentioned taking classes with Henri Nouwen and a few other big name professors I wanted to know more. I wanted to know if anyone dissuaded her from ministry or whether or not she felt like she wanted to quit. I wanted to find out if anyone didn't like the fact that she was a woman. I know this book took place in the late 1970's and early 1980's but even back then there were not a whole lot of female pastors even in the Methodist Church. Maybe Raynor is saving up for her second memoir, her post seminary years.
Anyway, don't let these small comments dissuade you from reading this book.
For more information about Incognito click here
For Andrea Raynor's webiste click here
