Paying It Forward by Clearing a Path

The Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale, M.Div. ’79, believes a God-orchestrated series of unlikely events overcame her hesitation to becoming a pastor. Today, she hopes a gift to Duke Divinity School in her will can smooth the path for future clergy.

“I want to give a lasting gift to Duke Divinity School so that it can continue to do the work of training and preparing ministers to serve the church in this present age,” Hale said.

Although Hale felt the calling of God as a teen, she faced barriers in the 1960s and 1970s when women were often openly discouraged from becoming pastors. But, Hale said, man’s ideas are ultimately no match for the will of God, which led her to Duke Divinity.

Encouragement by her undergraduate roommate (also named Cynthia) and her home church pastor—plus answered prayer for admission and a scholarship—led Hale to enroll at Duke Divinity School. The positive feeling she experienced during an internship as a youth pastor finally made Hale sure of her calling. After graduation, God used a federal prison warden, who hired her as a chaplain, to further her journey.

After her stint as a prison chaplain, Hale founded Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, Georgia, which she said started with “four people doing Bible study in my apartment.” She now serves as senior pastor.

Forty years later, Hale, who received Duke University’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2023, said she’s continuing to serve God by helping straighten the path for future generations through a gift in her will.

“My professors believed in me, and they gave me the tools to fulfill my destiny. That’s what I see my gift doing for others. We are helping men and women to fulfill their destiny. To do what God created them to do.”