Breona Hawkins Named CHHSM’s Rev. Jerry Paul Scholar

The UCC’s Council for Health and Human Service Ministries (CHHSM) announced today (Jan. 6) that  the Rev. Breona Hawkins, a D.Min. seminary student at Eden Theological Seminary in Webster Groves, Mo., is CHHSM’s newest Rev. Jerry Paul Scholar.

Hawkins, who will receive her D.Min. degree in 2026, currently is an ordained social worker. She serves as the lead co-responder manager for the City of East St. Louis (Ill.) Police Department (ESLPD), a team she helped co-found. As a co-responder, she responds to behavioral and mental health calls by providing de-escalation and wraparound services. Additionally, she provides training for the departments’ volunteer police chaplains as well as pulpit supply for local churches as needed.

“My work as a theologically trained social worker is at the intersection of theology and the public square,” Hawkins said. “I hope my experience as a CHHSM Scholar will give me tangible tools to bring back to my areas of impact, improve new ways to provide holistic are for those I serve, and inspire new ways to minister in my region.”

Hawkins answered an early call to ministry at age 18, when the youth pastor at her local church asked that she teach the five youth the music to a song for a Black history event. After that, she was asked to teach music to lead worship every fifth Sunday. Eventually, she led the group, which grew to approximately 15-20 youth.

After graduating from Southern Illinois University with a B.S. degree in social work, Hawkins said she felt called to pursue graduate school while also working as campus staff, creating space for Black students on campus, within the organization, and throughout the region through conferencing. 

These experiences led Hawkins to a call to joint ministry. She pursued a non-traditional path to ordained ministry through Eden and Washington University-St. Louis, earning a master’s degree in social work and an M.Div. degree in 2021. After various pastor and co-pastor experiences, she began her work with the ESLPD and returned to school for her D.Min. degree with an emphasis in urban chaplaincy. 

In January 2024, the Mid-America region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a UCC partner denomination, approved Hawkins for ordination as a social worker.

“My interest in the Rev. Jerry Paul Scholar Program is rooted in my passion to be a faithful steward and practitioner in both fields,” Hawkins said. “I view the work that I get to do as sacred, especially as a millennial Black woman who works in systems that have been historically deadly for Black people and people of color. The work that I do as a social worker allows me to provide advocacy for people living with mental health conditions by diverting them from being unnecessarily incarcerated or hospitalized (if needed) and instead connect them to resources that can get them the care needed.

“The Rev. Jerry Paul Scholar Program [will] allow me to dream bigger of the endless ministerial possibilities that exist — or do not exist yet — as a theologically trained social worker.”

In 2015, the scholarship program in CHHSM was renamed in honor of the Rev. Jerry Paul, who oversaw the sale and conversion of CHHSM member Deaconess Health System in St. Louis into a grant-making foundation, for which he served as president and CEO until his retirement in 2012. He died in May 2015 after a lifetime of serving leadership.

“What moved me deeply during the interview process was Breona’s conviction, courage, and heart to make the world a more just place for all people,” said the Rev. Dr. Elyse Berry, CHHSM’s associate for advocacy and leadership development. “It was powerful to witness the ways Spirit has been speaking and moving in her life and work, but perhaps all the more so how she shared with us how she is accompanying Spirit in that movement and conversation. I felt it. And I can’t wait to join in the journey with her and what ‘good trouble’ and healing God works in her life.”

The CHHSM Scholar program is structured to bring maximum benefit to the chosen seminary student. It includes:

• $10,000 per year paid to the seminary toward tuition and other educational expenses. 
• Enrollment in The Nollau Leadership Institute and commissioning as a Diakonal Minister upon completion of the program (tuition, travel, and board provided) 
• Opportunity to engage with leaders in CHHSM member organizations, including site visits 
• Opportunity to attend CHHSM Board of Directors meetings (travel and board provided) 
• Registration for the CHHSM Annual Gathering (travel and board provided) 
• Mentorship and monthly conversations with CHHSM staff members

Hawkins said she is looking forward to her experience as a CHHSM Scholar. 

“My hope for my career is to find new and innovative ways to help local faith communities care for their neighbors in holistic ways that are rooted in trauma-informed care,” she added. “I hope to take everything I can from this experience, specifically the ways in which my theology may change or evolve from being connected to the scholar program. Sound theology is the foundation of doing good practical theology, so I welcome whatever the Spirit has for me in being part of this amazing opportunity.”