Name: Donna Pearl Manning
Hometown: Nacogdoches, Texas
Present City: Fort Worth
Education: Bachelor of Music, Stephen F. Austin; Master of Religious Education and Master of Divinity, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Post-graduate studies, Brite Divinity School, TCU; Clinical Pastoral Education, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth.
Profession: Retired chaplain
Tell us about your family.
I am a single (cat lady) and an only child, so dear friends have become my family. I have one big tom cat, Buddy, who is king of my home.
How about your work or volunteer life?
I served with the Federal Bureau of Prisons for 22 years as chief chaplain at both the Federal Correction Institution in Seagoville and the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth. After Civil Service retirement, I served an additional 14 years as a part-time contract chaplain in various area hospitals, hospices and senior living facilities. I also served as a chaplain in the Army Reserves.
Any favorite hobbies?
I enjoy playing trombone. I play in two community concert bands in addition to Wilshire Winds. I also enjoy reading.
What brought you to Wilshire and when?
I joined on Palm Sunday, 2004. I had been a member of a Fort Worth church but enjoyed George Mason’s preaching, and I had many friends who were already Wilshire members.
Where are you engaged at Wilshire?
Discovery Class, Wilshire Winds and the Pathways to Ministry Committee.
What has surprised you most about Wilshire?
I don’t think it is so much a surprise as a feeling of belonging with like-minded, theologically progressive Christians who keep asking the hard questions of life.
What do you think God is up to in your life right now?
My Epiphany star this year is “play.” I believe the star is God’s way of confirming my enjoyment now in retirement years.
Tell us about your faith journey.
My faith journey began as a child in a small Baptist church in my hometown. As my faith grew, so did my call into ministry, leading to ordination at University Baptist Church in Fort Worth in 1986. I believe I was one of the “women in ministry pioneers” who hopefully paved the way for younger women to embrace their call in Christian ministry.
What is something interesting most people would not know about you?
Most don’t know I play trombone, but at Wilshire my secret is out.
What adjectives best describe you?
Caring, encouraging, listener.