Fostering a love for God's Word

The Rev. Canon Charles G. Ackerson, Ph.D., has established the Charles Sr. and Viola Ackerson Biblical Studies Scholarship at Nashotah House, a $2,500 award that will be granted annually to a student showing academic promise in biblical studies. The scholarship is funded in perpetuity in honor of his parents, Charles Sr. and Viola Ackerson. On Alumni Day, the inaugural scholarship was awarded to Erica Andersen, a rising senior at Nashotah House. Here, Ackerson reflects on his parents’ lives and love for Scripture.

BY THE REV. CANON CHARLES ACKERSON, PH.D.

Charles Ackerson Sr. was a classic bibliophile and an avid reader. Much of his free time was spent with novels, biography, and poetry. He took this recreational activity seriously, often “interacting” with the authors on their philosophies, theologies, and historic facts, including Biblical references. Occasionally, this resulted in written correspondence with the authors.

My dad emphasized that, in order to be a good writer and a good thinker, one had to do a lot of reading. He was amazing in his ability to cite/quote portions of what he read and what these quotations meant to him and how he lived his life. Among his favorites were the various writings of C. S. Lewis, Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind, Alexander Pope’s Essay on Man, Kenneth Clarke’s Civilization, H. G. Wells’ Outline of History, and Will Durant’s Story of Philosophy, as well as numerous biographies. This made him a philosopher in his own right.

In addition, Dad enjoyed classical music (especially the “Three Bs” — Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms) and knew much about the composers and the histories of their compositions. He enjoyed reviewing the stories behind the hymns used at worship, and he found the 1940 Hymnal Companion to be a “treasure” of information. Dad would often point out that the lyrics of the hymns were grounded in Scripture and/ or the liturgical cycle.

A career in accounting made him quite adept at mathematics. He taught me many of the “tricks” he used in checking numbers, verifying the accuracy of

calculators, and doing “mental math.”

Doing crossword puzzles came easily for him. He proudly used a pen (instead of a pencil) and seldom made mistakes. His dry sense of humor is treasured by my cousins to this day.

Dad was grateful to the Church, which had a positive impact on his childhood and especially his teen years. He attended the Chapel of the Incarnation on East 31st Street in Manhattan, which, from the many accounts he told, provided many activities and services for youth, in addition to being a worshiping community. He seemed to participate in just about all of them and attended the Camp of the Incarnation in Ivoryton, Connecticut, each summer. Throughout his life, Dad always remembered his roots with gratitude.

Dad was a proud father. He taught me many games, including ball games, board games, and card games. He loved visiting different churches. On Sunday afternoons, we frequently drove around the Bronx, stopping in churches (which, for the most part, were open for prayer). After some quiet time in the pews, he would walk around the building studying memorials found on the interior walls of the buildings. If there was a graveyard, he would read the various tombstones, often admiring the sculpture of the stones as well as any unique epitaphs.

Prayer and worship was vital for my father. One of my earliest memories was Dad praying with me, as he taught me to pray, every night. We always knelt by the side of my bed and prayed together.

Viola Ackerson was both creative and practical. Skilled in many crafts — sewing, knitting, crocheting, needlepoint, crewel among them — as well as in cooking and baking, Mom enjoyed making and sharing things. She was able to mend or alter just about anything. In anticipation of my ordination and thereafter, Mom made stoles, chasubles, and copes for me, designing them herself and creating the necessary patterns to do so. To this day, many friends and relatives treasure Christmas ornaments made by “Aunt Viola.”

When it came to cooking and baking, Mom produced meals and treats of all kinds. She enjoyed entertaining family and friends who often requested their favorite treats (standing roasts, potato boats, cookies, donuts, and cakes). On holidays, Mom would share treats with neighbors in our apartment building, commissioning me to deliver them. Mom also made countless cupcakes to be enjoyed on special occasions with the students and faculty of my small elementary school. Seasonal recipes handed down from grandparents and great-grandparents marked the rhythm of life.

Prior to my birth, Mom worked in broadcast radio and knew a number of celebrities, often telling me about them and showing me small gifts she had been given. In later years, Mom became an editorial typist for a news magazine and became quite a news junkie.

Mom was an extraordinary reader of people and events. Her wise advice and counsel seemed to be both accurate and practical. She believed that God has a purpose for His people and that we should make choices which, after prayer, we believed would serve and glorify Him best.

Throughout my childhood, we often took family road trips, which typically involved a blending of history, geography, amusement, and sometimes reconnecting with geographically distant friends and family. While Florida was a favorite destination, New York, New England, Pennsylvania, and Canada were included regularly as well.

Charles Sr. and Viola made a good team. My parents loved and respected each other, and their philosophical and practical natures complemented each other well. They loved God, they loved each other, and the loved me, their only child. Their faith was important for each of them and for our family relationship. I was enrolled in Grace Lutheran Elementary School and later in Our Saviour Lutheran High School in the Bronx. At both schools, every day began with chapel — a brief worship service consisting of Scripture, meditation, and prayer. In elementary school, students were assigned a portion of Scripture to memorize, the length of which increased as students progressed through the grades. After dinner each night, Charles Sr. and Viola made sure that I committed the assigned portion to memory. That was done before any other homework. They emphasized that God’s Word would strengthen me “all the days of my life.”

Each of us had our own Bibles at home, all King James Versions. As new translations emerged, we added the Revised Standard Version, the New English Bible, and the Jerusalem Bible for family use. It is my special privilege to honor my beloved parents by providing for and encouraging biblical studies. It is my conviction that ministry begins with the Word of God and enabling his children to know him through his Word.