Left to right: Dr. Charles Bretan, the Jew & The Rev. Christopher D. Henson, the Gentile

Meet the Jew, Dr. Charles Bretan: “I am a Jew by choice. For those of you still reading this post, allow me to elaborate.  Both of my parents were Jewish, but that is not what makes me a Jew.  I am a Jew because I choose to be: because I choose to live my life in a Jewish way.  I choose to study Torah and to live by its precepts; I choose to keep Shabbat and to follow mitzvot; and I choose to eat toasted bagels with a shmear of cream cheese, lox (not nova), and a nice slice of onion. Born and raised in Miami, I now live in Greensboro, NC with my wife, Gail, and our two sons, Lee and Evan.  I am a teacher by trade and by disposition.  With degrees in education from the University of Florida and from Nova Southeastern University, I have taught middle school, high school, undergraduate, and graduate students.  I have taught in public and private schools, and in for-profit and not-for- profit institutions.  I have taught almost everything from composition to scuba diving and from leadership to life saving.”

Meet the Gentile, The Rev. Christopher D. Henson: “I graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in Psychology/Human Resource Development from North Carolina State University (1998) with an emphasis in Psychometrics and Crisis Intervention.  I received my M.Div. from Duke (2001).  I’m an ordained Elder (2006) in the Western NC Conference of the United Methodist Church.  I have served as a pastor for 17 years, first in Oldham, England (a suburb of Manchester) followed by appointments in the Piedmont-Triad of NC.  I’m the former Pastor-in-Residence of the Wesley-Luther Fellowship at UNC Greensboro.  Presently, I’m a chaplain at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. My work as a chaplain has included the Burn ICU. Presently, I care for the substance abuse patient census and all adult behavioral health patients. I’m also a husband to Summer, father to Sophie, admitted cigar-arsonist, creative, subversive, and living with clinical depression.” (Disclaimer: The views I share on this site are mine and do not reflect those of the WNCC or WFBMC.)