PANORAMA PITTSBURGH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY VOL. LVIII SPRING 2021
GOD IS DOING A NEW THING
“I’m excited to lead Pittsburgh Seminary into a rediscovery of its core strengths as a seminary of the Presbytarian Church (U.S.A.) and to take advantage of new opportunities on the horizons of theological education that will provide a model for theological preparation and spiritual formation to prepare students for pastoral ministry.” - The Rev. Dr. Asa J. Lee Read more about President-elect Dr. Lee on page 10.
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
THE NEW THING GOD IS DOING
Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. - ISAIAH 43:18-19
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his passage speaks deeply to me of the dual pandemics we are in, one of ongoing systemic racism and the other of COVID-19. The first has been known lifelong to Black Americans, but it is only now becoming known to many white Americans. The other, the virus that is impacting the whole world, is frightening and confusing, upsetting so many of our norms and established patterns. I submit that in both cases, in different ways, God is at work. For us at Pittsburgh Seminary, we must be attentive to both, ready to turn away from “former things” and move toward the “new thing” God is bringing forth. The protests and demands for social justice of the these last months call us to bow in repentance of past and present systemic racism and strive to unmask white supremacy, ready to imagine and construct a new future. We are called not to return to the former things of established racism, but to forge a new future of genuine equity and inclusion. After more than a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is tempting to believe that before long we will be able to return to the “former things” of the old normal. This temptation is certainly understandable; the fear and uncertainty of the present time weigh heavily on all of us. But there is a widespread caution that the future does not hold a return to the old normal in which everything will be just as it was before the virus. There may be a new normal, but many advise that this is not likely and may be wishful thinking. The future likely holds a next normal, followed by another next, and another, and so on. As a Seminary rooted in faith in the God who is all that is and all that will be, let us hear the prophet’s assurance that the coming new or next normal is, in fact, the new thing God is doing: “I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” As we imagine with the prophet what God is doing and is about to do, our mission at Pittsburgh Seminary remains the same. In the midst of the crisis, while our operations are different in so many ways, our mission remains to prepare students for Christian ministry and to do so in the way of Jesus.
David Esterline President and Professor of Cross-cultural Theological Education
PANORAMA Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Spring 2021 Volume LVIII ISBN 8755-0954 Pittsburgh Theological Seminary’s Panorama addresses timely issues related to the Seminary and informs alumnae/i and friends about the school’s activities. The Alumnae/i News gives current information about graduates. Managing Editor Melissa S. Logan (mlogan@pts.edu) For changes of address, call 412-924-1388 or e-mail dkeys @pts.edu. For class notes, photo submissions, or notice of births and adoptions and deaths, call 412-924-1375 or e-mail ccranston@pts.edu. For other editorial matters, call 412-924-1373 or e-mail mlogan@pts.edu. Associate Editors Jane Larson ’17/’20 Jon Mathieu ’21 Designer John McWilliams (john@mcwilliamscreative.com)
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary prepares women and men for ministries in established and emerging Christian communities around the world. Rooted in the Reformed tradition and with a centuries-old history of mission and scholarship in service of the church, the Seminary is committed to relationships of mutual learning and serving with Christ-followers from other traditions and theological viewpoints. Our faculty and educational resources cultivate theologically reflective and contextually engaged Christian leaders. Our programs nurture vocational formation for bearing witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. President The Rev. David Esterline, Ph.D. Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty and Associate Professor of Church History The Rev. Heather Hartung Vacek, Th.D. Vice President for Seminary Advancement The Rev. Charles L. Fischer III, M.Div. Vice President for Finance and Administration Thomas A. Hinds, CPA
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary 616 North Highland Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15206 Phone 412-362-5610 www.pts.edu The Scripture quotations contained in this issue of Panorama come from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
GOD IS DOING A NEW THING
PTS NEWS
a New Thing in 02 Doing Biblical Times and Today
22 PTS Forms Houses of Study New Board 24 Welcome, Members
Esterline Retires 07 David as President of Pittsburgh Seminary
New Ways of 13 Learning Doing Ministry
the Holy 14 Following Spirit in Adaptive and Innovative Ministries
26 Giving for the Future Receives Grant to 27 Seminary Create HyFlex Learning Space COVID-19’s 28 Addressing Impact on Black and Latinx Communities
Neighbors to 09 From Colleagues in Ministry— Reflecting on Dr. Esterline’s Retirement
Theological 10 Pittsburgh Seminary Names Asa J. Lee as President
Community— 11 Forming Even Online
15 What’s in a Name? D.Min. Cohort 16 New Inspires Risking Faithfully 17
Resource Programs Shift Modality in Response to Pandemic
Institute 20 Metro-Urban and Community Bridge-Building: 30 Years and Counting
Amidst 12 Adapting Adversity
Establishes Welch 29 PTS Scholarship for Part-time Students Called to Urban Ministry
FACULTY NEWS
30 Faculty Books Jennifer Kaalund Joins 31 Dr.Faculty 32 Faculty Notes and Articles Edith Humphrey 37 Professor Celebrates Retirement Steven Tuell Retires from 38 Dr.Pittsburgh Seminary
ALUMNAE/I NEWS
39 Class Notes 50 In Memory 51 Remembering George Tutwiler 26
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GOD IS DOING A NEW THING
DOING A NEW THING IN
Three of our faculty members reflect on great times of change during the events of the biblical witness. How have God’s people responded and adapted to moments of uncertainty in ancient times? Can these accounts in Scripture help guide us in a year like this one? Here are the insights of a retiring Old Testament professor and a newly hired New Testament assistant professor. Even in this time of pandemic living, we are grateful for all the changes that provide us with opportunities to follow Jesus to unforeseen places.
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THE REV. DR. STEVEN TUELL: HABAKKUK AND THE END OF CHRISTENDOM
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n her 2021 Albright-Deering Methodist Lectures at PTS, Kenda Creasy Dean pulled no punches as she described the current state of the American church. Since this pandemic began, one in three regular worshipers have stopped attending church and will most likely not return. As a result, probably one in five American congregations will close their doors—in the so-called “mainline,” one in three. Yet this is not, strictly speaking, the fault of the novel coronavirus. As Dean notes, these trends were already well under way before COVID-19, which has only hurried them along. The pandemic has “drop-kicked us 20 years into the future”!
We can well understand the apocalyptic language that many American Christians have embraced, for a world has ended. Christendom—the assumed cultural dominance of Christianity in the West—is over and done. We can even understand the fear and desperation that prompted a mob made up of white Christian nationalists to attack the Capitol on Jan. 6, embracing autocracy and violence in their futile attempt to preserve an “America” and a “Christianity” that was always, truth to tell, an idolatrous illusion. Christendom is an old illusion, one that has been clinging to the church
GOD IS DOING A NEW THING
BIBLICAL TIMES AND TODAY since the days of the Roman emperor Constantine, when the Christian religion not only became legal but also took on the trappings of official power. Certainly here in America, we Christians had come to think that our place is with the popular and powerful, rather than the shunned and the powerless. We had come to believe that we ought to be able to dictate our values to the world, rather than demonstrating our values through lives of engagement and service. We had forgotten that we serve a crucified Lord whose only crown was a crown of thorns. Perhaps now that Christendom has ended, we can be the Church again and seek the kingdom of God. But endings, even the ends of illusions, are never easy! Reflecting on the church and the Seminary in these days has taken me back, again and again, to the prophet Habakkuk. He speaks out of the doubt, fear, and anxiety prompted by the end of his world in sixth-century Judah, with the rise of Babylonian imperial power. In anguished disbelief, the prophet cries out: LORD, aren’t you ancient, my God, my holy one? Don’t let us die. LORD, you put the Chaldean [that is, Babylon] here for judgment. Rock, you established him as a rebuke. Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you are unable to look at disaster. Why would you look at the treacherous or keep silent when the wicked swallows one who is more righteous? (Hab. 1:12-13, CEB) Surely God’s judgment, however severe, will be measured. Surely, Judah and Jerusalem will survive, won’t they? God’s answer to the prophet is far from reassuring: There is still a vision for the appointed time; it testifies to the end; it does not deceive. If it delays, wait for it; for it is surely coming; it will not be late (Hab. 2:3, CEB). (Continued on next page)
REFLECTING ON RAHAB WITH DR. EDITH HUMPHREY
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or another retiring professor, Dr. Edith Humphrey, these changing times bring to mind the biblical figure Rahab. Introduced in the Old Testament, Rahab is mentioned three separate times in Dr. Humphrey’s area of study, the New Testament. To many scholars—Dr. Humphrey included—Rahab’s theological significance is found in both her ancestral connection to Jesus and her identity as a Gentile sex worker brought into the household of God. “She was content to join herself to the Hebrew people and to remain outside the camp,” Dr. Humphrey notes, “which is the very place Jesus went to search and to find us all (Hebrews 13:13).” Rahab’s story may resonate even more during this turbulent season. “At a time when her world was turned upside-down,” says Dr. Humphrey, “she saw the power of the true God, and she was prepared to join the people who knew God on any terms.” Even amid the uncertainty of looming war, Rahab sensed who God really was and was desperate to join the family. How will we discern the identity, location, and activity of God in 2021? As we do, what steps will we take to join with God’s people? May we become mediators like Rahab, a hero of the faith—she who mediated for the Hebrew spies and then mediated the very ancestry of Jesus our Savior.
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GOD IS DOING A NEW THING
DOING A NEW THING IN BIBLICAL Habakkuk’s world, too, was over and done. Yet the prophet did not succumb to despair. Indeed, his book ends with a bold decision to praise God, despite his circumstances: Though the fig tree doesn’t bloom, and there’s no produce on the vine; though the olive crop withers, and the fields don’t provide food; though the sheep are cut off from the pen, and there are no cattle in the stalls; I will rejoice in the Lord. I will rejoice in the God of my deliverance (Hab. 3:17-18, CEB).
Friends, of course we are anxious in this time of change! “But this anxiety,” as my colleague Scott Hagley observes, “and even terms like ‘Post-Christendom,’ offer a diminished theological imagination for contemporary life. While effectively naming the shifts taking place in religious affiliation and practice, they do not redirect energy toward new possibilities for Christian community and witness in the contemporary age.” Indeed, Kenda Creasy Dean sees our circumstances not as a cause for despair, but as a call for innovation and transformation. In such a time as this, there is a greater need than there has ever been for seminaries— for, as that word literally means, seed beds are where new ideas and ministries can germinate and bear fruit. So prepared, we may go forth not only as witnesses to an ending, but as the harbingers and pioneers of a new beginning!
Looking at our times through the lens of Habakkuk, we can at once acknowledge our fears and doubts, and celebrate God’s presence in spite of those fears and doubts. Habakkuk understood our need to see God with us, in the midst of doubt, struggle, loss, and pain. He affirmed God’s presence even there: indeed, especially there— something we Christians, who affirm God’s presence and power in the cross of Christ, should find familiar! We would not have chosen to live in times like these—but then, we cannot ever choose our circumstances. We can choose how we will respond to them. The end of a world, particularly an illusory one, need not be the end of our world. Certainly, the end of Christendom is not the end of the Church, for “The Church is of God, and will be preserved to the end of time.” In the immortal words of R.E.M., friends, “It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine!”
The Rev. Dr. Steven Tuell is the James A. Kelso Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament. Read more about his retirement on page 38. 4
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GOD IS DOING A NEW THING
TIMES AND TODAY
(continued)
DR. TUCKER FERDA: DISLOCATED EXEGESIS OF ROMANS 8
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auren Winner once offered some probing reflections on the practice of “reading Scripture in unexpected places, in places that might unsettle the reading you were likely to bring to the text.” She called this “dislocated exegesis,” which drives home the point that “where you read changes how you read.”1 If St. Gregory the Great could read her article, he would likely add that such is the nature of Scripture itself. “Scripture grows with its readers,” he wrote over a millennium ago, meaning that its message deepens according to the questions that readers have in their hearts.2 My New Testament courses in the past year at PTS have been extended exercises in dislocated exegesis, both for me and for my students. The most tangible evidence of this has been the inability to read Scripture together—that is, physically together in the same space. Teaching and learning has happened in new spaces and amidst very different kinds of challenges that vary from person to person. We have been separated from each other and from what we
1 Lauren F. Winner, “Dislocated Exegesis: Reading the Bible in Unexpected Places,” The Christian Century, March 17, 2011. Available: https://www. christiancentury.org/article/2011-03/ dislocated-exegesis. Italics added. 2 Gregory the Great, Moralia 20.1.1.
hoped would be. The Word has not returned empty, however. And in these new contexts, as Winner might have predicted, we have heard new things in the old text. For me personally, the realities of the past year have made for a slightly different encounter with one of my favorite passages in the entire Bible: Romans 8. It is in these moving lines that we catch a glimpse of the scope and grandeur of the Gospel. Paul claims that God has acted not only to liberate humanity from the clutches of sin and death, but that God intends to rescue the whole of creation from its “bondage to decay.” These pages in my Bible are worn; their lines are marked-up with circles, arrows, and underlines. But as this new setting raises particular questions about separation, I hear more concretely the impact of separation on this much-beloved portion of Romans, as well as how Paul theologically responds to it. It is a truism that Paul writes physically separated from the churches of Rome, but for some reason I have failed to read these lines before with that reality in the forefront of my mind. Paul had actually never been to Rome, a place he “longed” to be (1:11) and made plans to soon visit (15:2229), even though his dreams likely never materialized. The “we” and the “us” of Romans 8 includes
Paul and his companions in Corinth and the Roman Christians on the other side of the Sea. When Paul opens this chapter with “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (8:1), he is talking about a reality that transcends physical location “in” Rome and “in” Corinth. The realities of the past year have taken away from many of us something that Paul and the Romans actually never had. My dislocated exegesis of Romans 8 has me asking if COVID-19 has brought to light how easy it is to confuse physical proximity, mere assembly in houses made with human hands, with the reality of being “in Jesus Christ” that Paul describes here.3 Of course, physical separation is just one kind of separation characteristic of the past year, and that is also true of Romans 8. Paul names a temporal and existential separation between what the world now is and what the world will one day be in God’s new creation. Paul’s readers live in this strange time between the times where they endure “the sufferings of the present age” that sit in marked tension with “the glory about to be revealed in us” (8:18). So Paul describes this broken creation vividly, writing of life in the flesh, of mortal bodies, of death, of crying out, of weakness, of hardship, of peril, of slaughtered sheep. Paul describes the
3 For some thoughtful reflections on similar lines, see Donald K. McKim, ‘Pondering in the Pandemic,” The Presbyterian Outlook, April 14, 2020. Available: https://pres-outlook. org/2020/04/pondering-in-thepandemic/ PA N O R A M A 5
GOD IS DOING A NEW THING
DOING A NEW THING IN BIBLICAL TIMES AND TODAY (continued)
injustice and the oppression and the sickness that is characteristic of the old age. His language has perhaps its closest analogues in the Psalms of lament from the Old Testament. It strikes the memories and experiences of the past year like a bell. Romans 8 does not just issue from these various kinds of separation, however. It is an example of a way to be and think theologically in the midst of it. Where does Paul direct our gaze? I cannot help but read Romans 8 in conversation with other theological responses to the events of the past year that I have seen. Unlike some of these, Paul does not linger in nostalgia for the past, nor does he fixate on sentimental hopes for the future. The focus of the chapter is what God’s Spirit is doing “in the present time” (8:18). The Spirit gives “life” to “the dead body” now (8:10), Paul says, the Spirit “leads” (8:14), the Spirit “assists” (8:26), the Spirit “intercedes” (8:26), all in the present tense. Paul writes that “the Spirit of God resides (oikei) among us” (8:9) just as one might inhabit a house
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(an oikia). Paul uses throughout a cluster of compound verbs which have the prefix meaning “with” or “together” (syn), which is something that stands out from the rest of Romans. Paul contends that we “suffer with” (sympaschomen) Christ and can be confident we “will be glorified with” (syndoxasthõmen) him (8:17); the Spirit “helps with” (synantilambanetai) us (8:26); God “works with” (synergei) to bring good out of all things (8:28). Romans 8, on closer look, is like the book of Ezekiel squeezed into a few verses. The bulk of the thing is the story of God entering into exile with God’s people. God steps into the separation. That is why Paul can end with that triumphant conclusion: “there is nothing in all creation that is able to separate us from the love of God which is Christ Jesus our Lord” (8:39).
Dislocated exegesis is not just about inviting the present to open the Scripture anew. It is also about welcoming the Scripture to open the present anew. Paul directs our attention to activity of the Spirit “in the present time.” So what is the Spirit doing? Where is the Spirit “leading,” “assisting,” “interceding,” “groaning”? How is the incarnational God continuing to enter the separation, and calling others to join? I think of the protests against racial injustice in the past year, a kind of “sighing too deep for words” in the streets. I think of health care workers “assisting” others in their weakness. I think of the young child who paints a picture for the grandma she cannot see, a small act to “bring good out of all things.” I think of the seminarian who, despite the many obstacles of the pandemic, “sets his mind on the things of the Spirit.” We still live inside Romans 8, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.
Dr. Tucker Ferda serves as assistant professor of New Testament.
GOD IS DOING A NEW THING
Barbour Library
DAVID ESTERLINE RETIRES AS PRESIDENT OF PITTSBURGH SEMINARY
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ittsburgh Theological Seminary is a remarkably different institution than it was when President and Professor of Cross-cultural Theological Education the Rev. Dr. David Esterline first arrived. Now six years later, Dr. Esterline is retiring from PTS. “Serving as president of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary has been one of the great privileges of my life. It has brought deep satisfaction as I’ve watched the changes we have accomplished together in these years,” said Dr. Esterline. “I look forward now to watching the great
Center for Writing and Learning Support
work of the next chapter, as the Seminary benefits from the energy and wisdom a new leader will bring.” Board Chair James Gockley said, “During his tenure at the Seminary, President Esterline has led with integrity—including through the current pandemic—to ensure that Pittsburgh Seminary is a community of faith and learning, dedicated to the formation of students for Christian ministry, committed to living, learning, and worshiping together in ways that illustrate God’s generosity and hospitality.” Since becoming president in 2015, Dr. Esterline has worked to model
the leadership the Seminary hopes to see in its graduates. He appointed the institution’s first female dean, the Rev. Dr. Heather Hartung Vacek, and encouraged faculty to work together to develop a completely new curriculum designed to meet the needs of students and churches. The Seminary also expanded its degree and certificate offerings. Through the development of new mission and vision statements and an institutional strategic plan, Pittsburgh Seminary increased its denominational and institutional collaborations; expanded access to its academic programs, including the creation of the Center for Writing
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GOD IS DOING A NEW THING
DAVID ESTERLINE RETIRES AS PRESIDENT OF PITTSBURGH SEMINARY(continued) Since 2015, the Seminary has received grants from foundations to expand faculty development; equip rural congregational leadership to provide spiritual care and mental health resourcing; study the impact of COVID-19’s impact on Black and Latinx communities in metroPittsburgh (see page 28); and create a multidimensional project on gentrification, race, and theological education.
and Learning Support; fortified its reputation as a resource for church and lay leaders; and broadened ethnic, racial, and denominational diversity in its community, including Board members who are leaders in denominational judicatories throughout the area. Additionally, Dr. Esterline named the Rev. Dr. Kenneth Woo (pictured above) and Dr. Tucker Ferda as members of the faculty and oversaw the Seminary’s successful accreditation work with The Association of Theological Schools and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
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Also during Dr. Esterline’s tenure, the Seminary completed the $12 million renovation and reopening of Clifford E. Barbour Library, improved accessibility in Hicks Memorial Chapel, sold three apartment buildings in East Liberty for conversion into affordable housing as part of its institutional master plan, and widened the institution’s welcome of community groups to campus. In an effort to prepare graduates able to lead in culturally and racially diverse contexts, Dr. Esterline employed his own academic expertise and launched difficult conversations about the Seminary’s need to be a more inclusive environment for all God’s children, which positions
the institution to be ready to ask questions about what it means to be a theological institution in the world today. “With careful attention to budgeting processes, trends and best practices in theological education, and institutional structures, President Esterline has worked to ensure the Seminary’s strong financial health, which will enable us to continue our mission of forming and equipping people for ministries familiar and yet to unfold and communities present and yet to be gathered,” said Gockley. Before coming to Pittsburgh Seminary, Dr. Esterline served as a tenured member of the faculty at McCormick Theological Seminary from 1999-2015 and as dean of faculty and vice president for academic affairs from 1999-2009. He is a graduate the University of California, Santa Cruz; Oxford University, Trinity College; and the Graduate Theological Union. He was ordained by the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon in 1987 and is presently a member of Pittsburgh Presbytery. He is chair of the Global Forum of Theological Educators, an initiative designed to provide a common table for mutual sharing among Evangelical, Pentecostal, Historic Protestant, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Independent theological educators, and is vice chair of the Foundation for Theological Education in South East Asia.
GOD IS DOING A NEW THING
FROM NEIGHBORS TO COLLEAGUES IN MINISTRY— REFLECTING ON DR. ESTERLINE’S RETIREMENT
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n searching for how to sufficiently describe this moment in time, I was drawn to a great hymn of the Black Church, Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand, in which Jennie Wilson pens these words: “Time is filled with swift transition.” It seems like just yesterday when I first encountered Dr. David Esterline. He arrived on campus to complete a series of conversations with various stakeholders of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, one being the student body. Though I do not remember our conversation’s specifics, I recall the impact Dr. Esterline had on that room. Many students expressed a newfound excitement about what PTS could become under his leadership. He drew us in with his soft-spoken voice, his commitment to enhancing theological education for all, and his apparent love for God and God’s people. Now, years later, God has made it clear that there is a new assignment for Dr. Esterline—that of retirement. Many will write of Dr. Esterline’s achievements as president and professor of cross-cultural theological education at PTS. However, I want to provide a more personal reflection. My relationship with Dr.
Esterline has flourished over the years; once neighbor, student and professor, to now as colleagues and friends. When Dr. Esterline arrived on campus, he would often reach out to me as Student Association president for insight about various aspects of the Seminary. I found it odd that the president of a seminary would consider the perspective of a student. After all, he was the one who was in charge. What did my opinion matter? Dr. Esterline made it his mission to consider the voice of the student body. He invited me to meet regularly with him to help him see how the Seminary could better serve the needs of the student body and larger community. Through these encounters, I had the unique privilege of seeing Dr. Esterline in a manner that few did. I got to see Dr. Esterline, the follower of Christ, attempting to honor God in his calling as a believer despite all the challenges. Not only did I have the blessed privilege of seeing Dr. Esterline as a disciple of Christ, but I also became well acquainted with Dr. Esterline and his spouse, the Rev. Jane Esterline, as neighbors; I lived above them in Fulton Apartments. I benefited greatly from seeing the many ways in which Dr. Esterline and
Jane embodied Christ’s love beyond position and prestige. I was privy to the smells that seeped into my apartment as they welcomed visitors with delicious home-cooked meals. I observed how they would wake early in the morning to have tea and coffee with one another below my living room window before the start of a busy day. I also experienced the baking prowess of Jane as she would personally bake me goodies to soothe the stress of finals week. Dr. Esterline has been and continues to be a tremendous blessing to me, the PTS community, theological education, and the larger body of Christ. Though this season is coming to a swift end, may he continue to seek new ways of honoring God through his pursuit of justice, peace, welcome, and hospitality in the next season of his life. To God be the glory for the many things God has done.
The Rev. Allan Irizarry-Graves ’17 serves as youth and college pastor at New Hope Baptist Church in Conway/North Little Rock, Ark. Read more about his election to the PTS Board on page 24.
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PITTSBURGH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY NAMES ASA J. LEE AS PRESIDENT
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ittsburgh Theological Seminary’s Board of Directors voted to appoint the Rev. Dr. Asa J. Lee as the next president of the Seminary. He begins June 7, 2021. Dr. Lee currently serves at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., as vice president for campus administration, associate dean for community life, and director of African American studies. “We are excited and blessed to have Dr. Asa Lee joining the Seminary as its president at this point in our 227year history,” said James Gockley, the Seminary’s Board chair. “With a strong faculty and a dedicated staff, we have all the key elements needed to achieve our mission of preparing our growing and broadening student body for ministry in the way of Jesus. Add to that Dr. Lee’s vision for the future of theological education and his skills in pastoral leadership and spiritual formation, and the Seminary is well positioned to continue serving across our various ecclesial families.”
Board Member Eliza Smith Brown, who chaired the search committee, added, “Dr. Lee brings the gifts, experience, and skill sets most needed by the Seminary in this moment. He is known as an innovative thinker when it comes to theological education in the 21st century. He is highly relational both with internal seminary stakeholders and with the broader community. He has a proven track record in advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion in a seminary setting. And he values ecumenism while being deeply committed to helping PTS stay true to its Presbyterian identity.”
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a member of the Progressive National Baptist Convention.
During his years at Wesley Theological Seminary, Dr. Lee stewarded a theologically grounded, academically rigorous, spiritual learning community that uses differences to augment the classroom curriculum. With his leadership, Wesley developed robust academic and writing resources and implemented programs to establish an ecology that fostered formation in the community and improved student retention. As the inaugural director of African American church studies he employed a network of relationships and partnerships, implementing new initiatives to attract scholarship and resources that serve African American church leaders. Throughout his career, Dr. Lee has taught courses in religious studies, Christian formation, preaching, and church leadership as well as theology in the African American context. Prior to his time at Wesley, he was licensed by the Faith Shepherd Baptist Church of Washington, D.C., and ordained by the Mount Olive Baptist Church of Arlington, Va., where he served for 10 years as the assistant pastor/ minister of Christian education. He is
Dr. Lee holds membership in the American Academy of Religion, the Religious Education Association, and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. He has managed grants and awards that have included The Association of Theological Schools (ATS) Economic Challenges Facing Future Ministers Resource Grant; participated in the Pastoral Excellence Network Grant, Christian Theological Seminary; managed and participated in the Lewis Fellows, Lewis Center for Church Leadership, 2009-2010; and been awarded the C.C. Goen History of Christianity Research Fellowship Award, Wesley Theological Seminary. “I’m excited to lead Pittsburgh Seminary into a rediscovery of its core strengths as a seminary of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and to take advantage of new opportunities on the horizons of theological education that will provide a model for theological preparation and spiritual formation to prepare students for pastoral ministry,” said Dr. Lee. He is a graduate of Hampton University (B.A. in music education magna cum laude), Wesley Theological Seminary (M.Div. cum laude), and Virginia Theological Seminary (D.Min. in educational leadership). Dr. Lee is married to the Rev. Chenda Innis Lee, an ordained United Methodist elder. Together, they have four daughters.
FORMING COMMUNITY— EVEN ONLINE weekly synchronous class meetings to prioritize discussion (usually in small groups) and skill-building exercises that work best in real time. I provided lectures and other content in video form for students to watch at their leisure, which allowed us to focus all of our live class time on more interactive forms of learning.
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hen the pandemic hit in the spring of 2020, I was on sabbatical. Unlike most of my faculty colleagues, who had to transform their classes into online experiences practically overnight, I had the luxury of waiting to see how events would unfold before jumping into online teaching. As the pandemic stretched on for weeks and then months, I realized I would need to be ready to offer my fall pastoral care courses in a virtual format—something I’d never done before. I wondered how I would be able to communicate the nuances of a deeply embodied practice like pastoral care without being in a physical room with students. By the time fall classes started at PTS, the pandemic had been going on for several months. I had a sense that regular “face-to-face” contact in the online classroom would be vitally important for students. My hunch was that they would need to see my face and hear my voice routinely as a way of connecting with the material I was teaching, but that they would also need to see and talk to each other to maintain community in a time of great isolation. For that reason, I used our
Around the middle of the term, I received a note from a student saying that he looked forward to our class each week because “it is a space for us to come and discuss the material while also giving us the time to interact with each other in a manner that is like we are all together.” This student’s kind words reminded me that even though our class members had not been in the same physical space all semester, we were still— somehow—forming community. In the midst of the most challenging period of my teaching career, it was comforting to know that learning and connection were still happening, and that God’s Spirit was still powerfully present, drawing us all together even while we remained apart. I learned so many things about online teaching during my first pandemic semester—and yet, the most important learning came not through any particular content I provided, but through the weekly act of showing up for one another in a virtual space. This regular practice of coming together allowed us all to experience in real time the challenges and the joys of relating to each other online. Practicing this skill together in the online classroom helped me and my students be more prepared for the ways we would all need to show up for others in virtual spaces in our many different ministry settings.
LEARNING AND LIVING Amidst the struggle of pandemic, God remains active. Life is no longer forced to fit around education, but education is made to fit around life. I see this in my peers and professors. It has become easier to rock a newborn to sleep during a lecture, to attend class from another state so you can care for loved ones, to Zoom while sitting in the sunshine, to show up with no pretense–hair still wet from the shower, face bare, sitting at the desk in my bedroom with my dog and piles of laundry behind me. For full-time students especially, seminary can become an all-consuming identity. Remote learning has offered moments of clarity that remind us of the greater context of our personhood. We are the beloved of God, tethered to a larger network of being. Rose Schrott, M.Div. Student
A year ago, when I first began thinking about how to teach well in a pandemic, I felt daunted and overwhelmed. Now, though challenges remain, I am grateful for God’s faithfulness throughout my own learning process as a teacher, and for the ways in which my students and I were able to experience God’s presence among us—even on Zoom.
The Rev. Dr. Leanna Fuller is interim dean of the faculty and vice president for academic affairs and associate professor of pastoral care. PA N O R A M A 11
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ADAPTING AMIDST ADVERSITY
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hen I decided to run for Student Association president for the 20202021 year, I had no idea what was in store. Once the Seminary closed the campus in March 2020, life as we knew it changed. Education changed. Church changed. Socializing changed. Quickly, I realized that the Student Association would have to become a different body in light of the pandemic. We were no longer a party-planning committee; we were now a pastoral body serving as liaisons between the students and the administration. We felt deeply called to create opportunities to lessen the monotony and isolation. The effect of the pandemic on the student body is wide and diverse. Therefore, we developed multiple touchpoints for the students to have access to the Student Association and our fellow students. To get a general sense of how folks are coping, we created a lighthearted
shop, open mic, and show and tell. The SA Café is a casual space for gathering and laughing, and mostly just being silly two Fridays per month. Recently, when the PTS community lost a beloved alum to cancer, the Student Association organized an informal service to remember and honor his life. The gathering was a beautiful reminder that even in the midst of grief and adversity, this community continues to come together and grow in faith, hope, and love. weekly survey. It includes questions about sleep, nutrition, and mood. To protect student’s privacy, the survey is anonymous. However, there is an option to include their name should assistance be required. Our monthly meetings now include a time for lament and prayer. Students are invited to share what is on their hearts and minds in a safe space free of judgment. Our longest-running Student Association event is known as SA Café, which is part virtual coffee
After more than a year of online learning and socializing, masking, and physical distancing, we are all survivors and, perhaps, even pandemic experts. We have adapted; we have persevered. We have discovered new ways to connect, to worship, and to learn. We may be a little worn, wounded, and weary, but we are also wiser in the depths of our human capacity and God’s everlasting love.
Shannon Garrett-Headen is an M.Div. student and president of the Seminary’s Student Association.
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GOD IS DOING A NEW THING
LEARNING NEW WAYS OF DOING MINISTRY
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sabella Cheplick, enrolled in the master of divinity program at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, is currently a student chaplain at two senior care facilities but has never been inside either building. Both facilities have been on lockdown throughout the pandemic, so when it is time to get to work, she logs on to the computer. And when it is time to visit with residents, her supervisor, the Rev. Gaea Thompson (pictured standing above), places an open laptop and some communion elements on a cart and wheels it around with Isabella on the screen. When a visit is finished, she texts Gaea to retrieve her and wheel her to the next resident. “I’m a head on a rolling cart,” Isabella says. Field education is an integral part of theological education. Students need practical experience outside
the classroom to engage in ministry, develop skills, discern callings, learn from professionals, and get feedback from their supervisors and peers. Therefore, finding ways for students to continue to do the important work of field education is essential. The pandemic has instigated extreme on-the-fly adjustments, even more than seminaries are used to. “It has invited us to become more creative and flexible in what ministry looks like,” says Isabella. “All of this has been trial and error. It’s been really refreshing to be in an academic community and reflect on what has fallen flat and what has really worked.” Research conducted by a group of field educators shows that students have gained greater adaptability and flexibility skills during the pandemic. (Their findings will be published in 2021 in an open-access journal,
Reflective Practice: Formation and Supervision in Ministry.) “Students are learning to step back and look at what ministry really is and why they do it,” says Dr. Barbara Blodgett, associate dean for academic programs, assessment, and field education. Barbara also chairs the steering committee at the Association for Theological Field Education (AFTE). “Students are asking questions that field educators have always hoped they would ask.” Even in these extremely difficult days, we give God the glory for these opportunities to learn new ways of doing ministry.
This is an adapted excerpt of an article by Heather Grennan Gary that first appeared in the Winter 2021 issue of In Trust magazine. Used with permission.
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FOLLOWING THE HOLY SPIRIT IN ADAPTIVE AND INNOVATIVE MINISTRIES
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he Certificate in Adaptive and Innovative Ministry (previously the Certificate in Church Planting and Revitalization) is meant to be done in person. We dive deep into context, we visit faith communities and local leaders, we explore the culture and customs of the cities we visit. We eat and laugh and often dance together. Like church as we have come to know it, the certificate program is rather attached to being embodied together as we explore this work. However, COVID-19 has not allowed for that over the course of the past year. And while it has been hard and frustrating, it has also revealed some things we had ignored, neglected, or taken for granted. What is church if we cannot meet? What is discipleship if it is not able to be practiced in community or in public? This year, our certificate students were challenged to find out. Because the program spans 15 months and because students are invited to respond to pain points with big questions instead of small, technical solutions, our students were not satisfied with quick adaptations of their usual church practices. Students asked questions like, “If hospitality is truly a core value of our faith community, what does hospitality look like now?” and “As people struggle to find meaningful connection in this season, how can we better invite them into
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collaborative worship where they actually connect to each other?” and, one of my favorites, “What do we need to learn from our most vulnerable neighbors about how to survive this difficult season, and how can we create space for them to teach us?” Beautiful and unexpected communities began to tumble out from these questions as those who asked them did the work to really take their queries seriously. The student who asked about hospitality, the Rev. Gad Mpoyo, is a pastor of a new faith community in Clarkston, Ga., called Shalom. Shalom, a community of new immigrants from all over the world, has long held hospitality as a core value, as welcoming each other across difference was part of their formation. When COVID came, Gad started getting calls from connections across the country— international students who could not stay at school and could not return to their home countries, family members who needed a place to weather the pandemic. For months, 14 people (including Gad’s wife and their children) lived together under
Gad’s roof. He ran all the household errands as the community stayed quarantined for safety. The group continued online school and work, and they even formed a choir to sing together for Sunday worship on Zoom. Hospitality in the community took on a new and personal dimension. Another community grew from the question about connection, when one of our students, the Rev. Dr. Tyler Domske, redesigned Zoom worship to be led by congregants near and far, old and young. Biblical stories came to life in children’s puppet shows, and liturgy emerged in families’ living rooms. Virtual worship leadership was an occasion not just for worship, but for sharing space and connecting across the bounds of formality, living room to living room, kitchen sink to backyard. And as the experience grew more interactive, the community approach to worship began to shift—bringing new
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questions about what worship could look like even after this season, when we move back to life in person. The final question I mentioned helped bring together and build up a community in Baltimore, where Leigh Erdman (pictured left) began the journey of COVID with other clergy in the city who were seeking to help feed a community within and around an encampment on North Avenue. As she attended to the wisdom of the community, seeking to build infrastructure for sustainable food provision and not replicate “charitable” patterns that would dehumanize the residents, she started to make friends and see gifts bubbling up all over the place. She saw that the elders of the community prayed together in a wisdom circle as street shepherds kept an eye out for pastoral concerns. The residents collaborated to pick up and distribute food, trained the outside volunteers in trauma-informed care for the community, and gave out PPE and water. Sure, there were outside trainers, volunteers, and pastors—they taught and learned too. But what bubbled up wasn’t a well-oiled nonprofit to provide goods and services, it was a community. A community who responded to the respect Leigh and others had for their wisdom, who were willing to teach and share and give, in the midst of a pandemic that has made people stingy, frightened, and lonely. What came about was a community of survivors, survivors who were willing to teach those who came to them how to survive together as well. Asking a bigger question can be a scary posture to take in the midst of such a sad and uncertain season, but those of us in the Certificate in Adaptive and Innovative Ministry program are learning from our students that sometimes when we ask these big questions and look around, the Holy Spirit shows up. May it be so.
WHAT’S IN A NAME? In this case, possibility . . . After spending a year in discernment and conversations with students, graduates, faculty, and staff (and with a little help from a Pittsburgh-based marketing firm), the Church Planting Initiative has become the Center for Adaptive and Innovative Ministry. The Church Planting Initiative was started when Pittsburgh Seminary recognized our graduates were starting new faith communities after graduation, and the institution had a role to play in preparing those leaders for the work the Holy Spirit had for them. That DNA has been with CPI through different directors and seasons of life at the Seminary. It is our work to continue to ask what support our students and collaborators need from us to do what they are called to do, or as the Seminary mission statement says, it is our work to “join in the Spirit’s work of forming and equipping people for ministries familiar and yet to unfold and communities present and yet to be gathered.” We know and trust that ministries and communities are all part of God’s Church, even as we have learned that these ministries and communities are not all churches by the metrics of incorporation, governance, and steeples. God is doing new things in our midst. In order to make space in our work to receive that grace, we are putting down the phrase “church planting” as something we might do ourselves, and shifting our title to the Center for Adaptive and Innovative Ministry. To use the metaphor of agriculture, perhaps the shift is from imagining ourselves as the planters and gardeners to playing the role of the faithful microbes transforming their little plot of ground into hospitable space. And so we are reformed and always reforming, relearning our place and our role in God’s story.
The Rev. Karen Rohrer is the director of the Center for Adaptive and Innovative Ministry, previously the Church Planting Initiative. See the sidebar for more info.
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NEW D.MIN. COHORT INSPIRES RISKING FAITHFULLY
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n the Doctor of Ministry program, our initial reaction to the pandemic was to delay anything new until it was over—until it loosened its grip. Delay the start of new cohorts; delay all thinking about the future. We would shift to online if needed for what we were already doing, but otherwise the plan was to hunker down as if in a storm. Hunker down just as we were doing at home. But then spring turned to summer, and it became clear COVID’s hold was not going to let up anytime soon. More importantly, we started praying each day for our D.Min. students. And listening to them. On multiple levels, pastors stood in the midst of a health crisis, political unrest, and a renewed awareness of systemic racism in our country. Pastors were scrambling to respond and seeking a faithful path as the world turned. Suddenly pastors were video technicians as conditions changed day by day; they were arbiters of public health discussions in churches struggling over whether to meet in person; they became voices for justice and comforters of
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the lonely. All this while finding their way through their own personal vertigo. There were winds of possibility too. Whiffs of the Spirit. Could this be a Magnificat moment? In the midst of the suffering, might God be ushering in Mary’s picture of a world turned upside down and made new? Might there be invitations to see the world with new eyes? Might the church—might each of us—be invited to set down the “normal” we have accepted? Might we be called to leave pieces of that “normal” on the ground in order to receive a new world God promises? Might we be called to follow Jesus into the disorientation rather than resisting its demands?
Collaborative, an organization that seeks to fire the imaginations of and support pastors, sat down together to dream about what a Doctor of Ministry focus would look like if we sought to lean in and seek the invitations from God this moment might hold. The result was a new Risking Faithfully cohort, which seeks to increase students’ capacity to lead adaptively. The cohort launched in January 2021. One reality of our world is that things are changing constantly. We are building this cohort experience as we go, trusting the Spirit as our guide. And we’ll continue to launch new cohorts as we seek to meet the needs of ministry leaders.
Maybe delaying and hunkering down until it is over was not the only path for the Doctor of Ministry program. Perhaps we could lean into the moment to invite ministry leaders to imagine together what it looks like to risk faithfully with God. In late summer, the D.Min. team, Dr. Leanna Fuller as faculty mentor, and pastors and leaders from The Ministry
The Rev. Dr. Denise Thorpe is the interim director of the Doctor of Ministry program.
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RESOURCE PROGRAMS SHIFT MODALITY IN RESPONSE TO PANDEMIC When the seriousness of the pandemic set in last spring, PTS faculty and IT workers scrambled to shift all our courses to online delivery. But this change was only the first of many steps for our community to adapt to a 2020 and 2021 that, for some students, have been spent almost entirely in quarantine. As the summer of 2020 approached, it was the Seminary’s resource programs that led the way in reimagining, redesigning, and delivering engaging content and experiences in new ways. Three programs helped propel the institution into this new season of uncertainty and possibility: the World Mission Initiative, the Miller Summer Youth Institute, and Continuing Education.
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RESOURCE PROGRAMS SHIFT MODALITY IN RESPONSE TO PANDEMIC (Continued) WORLD MISSION INITIATIVE
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he World Mission Initiative hosts a conference every two years to help develop mission vision, nurture missionary vocations, and cultivate missional congregations. In past years, the conference has been held on the PTS campus and has usually engaged 100 to 150 participants from the Pittsburgh area. This year, a 10-person planning team—made up of students, staff, faculty, and local church partners—faced many questions about how to creatively shift the conference to an online format. On this creative team, each planner had a unique role to play— including the Rev. Dr. Hunter Farrell and the Rev. Balajiedlang Khyllep, WMI’s director and associate director, respectively. The final result was a dynamic conference on race and mission: four main sessions and six workshops
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with some of the most engaging thinkers and practitioners of racial justice. Each main session included more than 500 participants, joining online from 37 states and seven countries! Many of these participants were grappling with the issue of racism for the very first time. They were introduced to the history of racism in the American and global church, some biblical teachings on the subject, and practical ideas for entering respectful dialogue with those who downplay racism. “The conference was an extraordinary gift,” Bala explains. “And it reached many more people because of the online format.” Another important aspect of WMI’s work is its experiential learning trips that take students into different cultural contexts. These trips are so important to the vision of the Seminary that
they have been integrated into the M.Div. curriculum in a class called Intercultural Experiential Learning. Hunter marvels, “This puts PTS in a category of its own in U.S. theological education. No other seminary is investing the resources PTS is to get our students and faculty to the cutting edge of where God is engaging in mission today.” But what happens to trips like this when travel is no longer safe? They move online! This January, the course focused on the cultural context of Palestine and featured five online conversations with Palestinian Christians. These dialogues were rich, and while students were disappointed that they could not travel to Palestine, they relished these intercultural conversations. “Even online,” senior M.Div. student Jon Mathieu remarks, “this was one of the most important classes I’ve taken at PTS.”
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MILLER SUMMER YOUTH INSTITUTE
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or the Miller Summer Youth Institute, 2020 was shaping up to be a banner year. All three of their primary ministries—a high school academy at Waynesburg University, high school mission experiences for church youth groups, and a two-month residential college internship program—were completely booked and ready to go. Then, the world fell apart. Adjusting to the pandemic was particularly challenging for SYI, because all three of their ministries have always hinged on embodied, face-to-face experiences. There was simply no way to redesign the academy or mission experiences in time for the summer. So the SYI directors—the Revs. Derek Davenport ‘05/’17 and Erin Davenport ‘05— decided to pivot these two ministries, creating in their place an online opportunity for all SYI constituents, including alumni. This gathering, called Unprecedented Hope, took place in July 2020. Meanwhile, they adjusted the college internship program to an online format. This was quite a feat, since a core element of the internships is close mentoring relationships. This was possible due to the heroics of M.Div. students Cici James and Simeon Rodgers, who served as mentors and built an incredible sense of community over video chat with the interns. “It was so important for us to provide community for these college students during the pandemic,” Erin explains. “This crisis hit them differently. Some have no home
base to return to, some are locked into their dorms, and there is a lot of isolation.” The community was so life-giving that it has lasted well beyond the two months of the internship; the eight interns are still maintaining their friendships online—and Erin is known to send them pizzas from time to time. The Miller Summer Youth Institute is now working on its 2021 offerings. In addition to hosting another online college summer internship program, the Davenports are exploring new creative opportunities. They partnered with the Presbyterian College Chaplains Association to help lead their online conference, which focused on finding hope in the neighborhood. SYI also tried something completely new: a college spring break online event! Students from five schools spread across the U.S. participated in this interactive learning experience. They talked about social justice in their own contexts, especially related to COVID-19 and mental health issues on college campuses. The content was extremely practical, teaching students how to identify
people (even themselves) who are suffering in isolation and how to work with local agencies to help meet tangible and relational needs.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
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hen the pandemic arrived, for Dr. Helen Blier—the director of Continuing Education—the question was not, “How do we move everything online?”, but rather, “What are the new needs being surfaced, and what can we provide?” This question led to the creation of an entirely new calendar of offerings for continuing education! The new needs that Helen discerned were in two broad categories. First, people needed support through the pandemic itself. What were the psychological, spiritual, and emotional impacts on individuals and congregations, and how would they function and flourish? Second, there was a renewed cry for justice after the killing of George Floyd. In light of these realities, the continuing education program has provided excellent opportunities
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RESOURCE PROGRAMS SHIFT MODALITY IN RESPONSE TO PANDEMIC (Continued)
METRO-UR BRIDGE-BUI
Barbara Brown Taylor presented during the Wise Women event. Photo credit: Jean Santopatre
for learning: the Wise Women and Spirituality series, a re-envisioned transitional ministry course, and the latest Kelso Community Conversation on Race and Faith. The seven-month Wise Women series responded to a very real but often overlooked aspect of the pandemic: it has taken a unique toll on women. Despite the fact that the series featured wellknown and beloved authors and leaders, there was no cost required to participate—a decision made because of the economic hardships brought on by the pandemic. More than 1,000 people registered for these gatherings, from 48 states, six countries, and four continents! There were important adaptations in the PTS transitional ministry course. Time together on video was no longer focused on content, but on processing and having dialogue with experts. The content added additional focus to topics like trauma and grief, 20
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he year 2021 marks 30 years of Metro-Urban Institute service as an educational, advocacy, and outreach arm of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Rooted in the Seminary’s commitments to contextual dimensions of ministry and leadership formation, MUI has been on the frontlines of the Seminary’s efforts to embrace its directly urban context.
so important now to pastors and faith leaders. The result has been a cohort with a full 50 members and a waiting list; like many other offerings, this course has been so life-giving and accessible online that it may not return to an in-person format. Finally, the annual Kelso Community Conversation on Race and Faith has also taken on a new format: a four-part Bible study. Each week in February 2021, a group gathered over video to learn from and with Liz Theoharis, director of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice at Union Theological Seminary and co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign. Theoharis led participants through a biblical message stretching from Genesis to Revelation, a message of justice and prosperity for the poor. The Seminary remains grateful for the opportunity to serve pastors and lay leaders in the way of Jesus—even during this time of so much change.
In pursuing possibilities for urbancentered theological education and engagement, MUI’s work has included active negotiations of urban related priorities and content within the Seminary’s academic life and approaches. The mission has also involved deliberative navigations of the roads leading to, from, and throughout the communities located beyond the Seminary’s walls. MUI has sought to bridge barriers to mutual, collaborative community formation, especially barriers to equitable, just, and hospitable relations within and between communities. Our anniversary year theme captures this continuous challenge and ongoing guide to our work: “Bridges Not Barriers: 30 Years of Metro-Urban Institute Engagement.” Bridges reach across divides. They are also connection points between roads traveled and roads that lie ahead. The roads MUI
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BAN INSTITUTE AND COMMUNITY LDING: 30 YEARS AND COUNTING and deliberate, to analyze and act— all the while remaining attentive to the practical and theological ramifications of the urgencies encountered along these urban roads and attentive to where the church has been and should be involved.
has navigated for 30 years have led to difficult and discomfiting places—contexts overtaken by winds of change, pronounced social uncertainties and vulnerabilities, and newly emerging social tensions and conflicts. It has engaged with contexts impacted by economic underdevelopment and flows of populations and social resources. It has drawn attention to COVID-19, HIV/AIDs, and other public health problems disproportionately impacting low-income communities. It has advocated against urban development practices that have polluted and degraded urban environments. And it has sought to mitigate urban violence as well as the deteriorating relationship between law enforcement sectors and Black and Brown poor populations. Throughout its engagement on these matters, MUI’s approach has been to look and listen, to dialogue
In one sense, MUI’s 30-year anniversary marker is a time to remember, to recount where we’ve been, and to take measure of progress. It is also a time for MUI to reinforce and re-envision its responses to urgent community needs and challenges. MUI currently has projects focusing on communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-related restrictions on children’s access to educational activities and seniors’ mobility in accessing groceries and routine medical care. In response, we are is collaborating with community groups in helping provide tech equipment, transportation, and even translation resources important to ensuring persons in these communities have access to critical goods and services (see page 28). MUI also is collaborating with local communities wrestling with changes resulting from urban redevelopment and restructuring of space, especially within the Homewood, East Liberty, and Lawrenceville neighborhoods of Pittsburgh. As part of this initiative,
MUI is gathering community feedback, highlighting neighborhood voices, and convening dialogues for purposes of enriching cross-sector understandings of wide-ranging community impacts and strategic responses. Both of these projects have been generously supported by the Henry Luce Foundation. MUI has covered important ground over the years, charting fresh paths for urban theological education. But it must remain steadfast, given the long road ahead and the many bridges yet to be built.
The Rev. Dr. R. Drew Smith is professor of urban ministry and director of the Metro-Urban Institute.
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PTS NEWS
PTS FORMS HOUSES OF STUDY
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ittsburgh Seminary students now have another way to engage more deeply with their own faith traditions while also relating to other ecclesial families. In the 2021 Spring Semester, the Seminary launched three Houses of Study—Presbyterian, Anglican, and Ecumenical. The Houses are an outgrowth of the recent curriculum redesign and were established to provide specific learning environments where students can deepen their capacity to reflect theologically upon their denominational traditions and further develop their sense of vocation. “Nobody ministers on their own,” said the Rev. Dr. Edwin Chr. van Driel, Directors’ Bicentennial Professor of Theology. Through our Houses of Study and the wider Ecclesial Formation program, PTS both prepares students to serve a particular community and forms them in an awareness of their larger denominational and ecumenical context and calling. Our goal is to help them become deeply rooted in their own traditions and apprenticed to their own communities, but also to fall in love with the church’s catholicity and to be changed in encountering Christians from a wide variety of backgrounds and walks of life. The connected Ecclesial Imagination course, offered in the January Term, allows students within ecclesial families to look broadly at topics such as baptism, ordination, and church division and unity. Then the groups come together to explore what their faith traditions have in common and what can be learned from their differences.
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PTS NEWS
said Ayana. “They provide denominational resources, Christian community, and ecclesial formation tailored to the ongoing needs of local judicatories. Monthly gatherings include time for fellowship, topical spiritual reflection, guest speakers from within the House’s denominational tradition, rest, and preparation in judicatory-specific ordination requirements.”
“The Ecclesial Imagination course and Ecumenical House of Study have been spaces which, rather than erasing my particular experiences of and convictions about church, have invited me both to better articulate these and to charitably and seriously open myself to the convictions and experiences of people standing in traditions which shine forth God’s light differently,” said MTS student Sarah Betzig. “Both the House and the course have led me to consider anew my experiences, hopes, wounds, expectations, and perceptions of ‘church’ and to hear and be heard by others of different ecclesial backgrounds as I do so, which has been incredibly enriching.” In addition to student participants, the Houses of Study include a pastor/mentor team identified and approved by the local judicatory and are convened in conjunction with the Rev. Ayana Teter (pictured right), associate dean for students and formation. “The Houses are rooted in the rich and vital relationships that exist between PTS and local denominational partners,”
In preparing to launch these Houses and in talking with bishops, executive presbyters, and other judicatory leaders, the Seminary found that each ecclesial partner has a different tradition around what they want to see in student formation— ecclesial, theological, pastoral, and spiritual. The monthly gatherings allow time for a combination of what judicatories want students to know, what pastoral mentors feel passionate about regarding student formation, and what students need: curiosity about the tradition into which they are called to serve, pastoral identity and leadership development, practical preparation for passing applicable ordination exams, conversations about broader
“The Houses are rooted in the rich and vital relationships that exist between PTS and local denominational partners.” ecclesial topics, access to excellent pastoral mentors, and space for personal reflection and pastoral formation. House leadership includes the Revs. Trent Hanock, Charissa Howe ’14/’16, and Dirk Lesnett (Presbyterian), the Rev. Cathy Brall and Bishop Dorsey McConnell (Anglican), and the Revs. Liddy Barlow and Terry Tim ’85 (Ecumenical). “These mentors are creative and passionate about the church being a vibrant, prophetic witness in the world today. They provide thoughtful leadership in their local communities and work to make the church a better place,” said Ayana. These Houses were established based on student population, denominational partnerships, and existing structures. As the Seminary continues to think about context as a learning partner, relationships with regional ecclesial bodies will deepen and new Houses of Study will be organized.
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PTS NEWS
REMEMBERING EARNEST EDWARDS JR. Emeritus Board member Dr. Earnest Jonathan Edwards Jr. died June 18, 2020, after a prolonged illness. He was 82. A native Virginian, Earnie was living in Northern Virginia/Washington, D.C. at the time of his death. The third of seven children, Earnie adopted a strong work ethic early in life. Working night shifts as a waiter and serving as a substitute school bus driver while still a full-time student, Earnie earned his bachelor’s in accounting from Virginia State University, then a master’s from Duquesne University. Virginia State awarded him an honorary doctorate in recognition of his service on its board and as rector of its board of visitors. Prior to retiring from Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA) as senior vice president and controller, Earnie had served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, worked for the Internal Revenue Service, and been employed by the Federal Housing Department in Washington, D.C. In retirement, he provided consulting services to the U.S. Treasury Department. Accounting Magazine voted Earnie one of America’s 10 most influential corporate figures in the accounting industry, and he was named to the Financial Executives International Hall of Fame. Also active in his professional appointments beyond Virginia State University and PTS, Earnie served on the following boards: LaRoche University, Duracell International Inc., and Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, Va., which awarded him its Henry B. Theielbar Leadership and Governance Award. Earnie was also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Earnie served in church leadership roles for more than 30 years—as a deacon at Pittsburgh’s Mount Ararat BC and as a member of the diaconate ministry at Mount Zion BC in Charlottesville, Va. With his college sweetheart and wife of 50 years, Dr. Lottie Payne Edwards, he poured a labor of love into the Mount Ararat Community Activity Center in Pittsburgh. After Lottie’s death, he married Sherry Gray Edwards in 2015. Having joined the PTS Board in 2001, Earnie was awarded emeritus status in 2014.
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WELCOME, NEW ASHLEY SMITH ASHLEY ’20 Honors and joint-degree merit scholar Ashley Smith Ashley ’20 completed Pittsburgh Seminary’s M.Div./M.S.W. program with the University of Pittsburgh. She also completed the Seminary’s church planting emphasis. Ashley now serves as associate pastor of First PC of Plymouth (Mich). A graduate of Whitworth University (Spokane, Wash.), Ashley moved to Pittsburgh in 2012 and served as director of youth and young adult ministries at Cross Roads PC (Monroeville, Pa.) while her husband, Brendan Ashley ’16, studied at PTS. After herself enrolling as a full-time student at the Seminary, Ashley worked in the Admissions Office, participated in World Mission Initiative trips to Egypt and the Netherlands, and served as vice president of the Women’s Caucus. On the Board, she serves as the Class of 2020 representative.
ALLAN IRIZARRY-GRAVES ’17 The Rev. Allan Irizarry-Graves ’17 is a native of Youngstown, Ohio, and serves as youth and college pastor at New Hope Baptist Church, Conway/North Little Rock, Ark. He holds an associate’s in applied science and bachelor’s in criminal justice from Youngstown State University. He earned his M.Div. from PTS with a graduate certificate in urban ministry. Allan served as president of the Student Association, founder and president of Seminarians United for Racial Justice, and a member of multiple administrative committees. He served as a seminary intern at Bidwell UPC and as associate minister at Youngstown’s Tabernacle BC. He received graduation awards in homiletics and pastoral theology. He is ordained in the National Baptist Convention and is the author of A Quest for Belonging: Overcoming Abuse, Abandonment, and Identity Crisis. On the Board, he serves as an alumnae/i representative.
PTS NEWS
BOARD MEMBERS KURT F. KUSSEROW Bishop Kurt F. Kusserow of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America grew up in Malaysia and Singapore, where his parents served as mission workers. He was confirmed in the faith at Jurong Christian Church, Singapore. Kurt earned a bachelor’s in English from Thiel College (Greenville, Pa.) and an M.Div. from Trinity Lutheran Seminary (Columbus, Ohio). Ordained to the ministry of Word and Sacrament in 1989 at Pittsburgh’s Mt. Lebanon ULC, he was first called to pastor a cooperative ministry—the Westmoreland Unit of Town and Country Lutheran Ministry, where he served Faith LC (Apollo, Pa.) and Hebron LC (Avonmore, Pa.). In 1997, Kurt was called to serve as pastor of St. Paul LC (Latrobe, Pa.) until his election to the office of bishop of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod in 2007. In 2019, Kurt was re-elected to a third six-year term as bishop of the region’s synod.
JOHN M. WALLACE Dr. John M. Wallace holds the David E. Epperson Chair at the University of Pittsburgh, with professorial appointments at its School of Social Work, Katz Graduate School of Business, and Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. He also serves as senior pastor of Bible Center Church in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood. For 30 years, John has focused on the well-being of African American children, youth, and communities. He is principal or co-principal investigator on grant projects to ameliorate social problems that disproportionately affect the economically disadvantaged. Extensively published and awarded for his work, John holds advanced degrees in sociology from the University of Chicago and University of Michigan. He is the principal liaison at the University of Pittsburgh for coordinating the Seminary’s joint M.Div./ M.S.W. program.
REMEMBERING NANCY HART GLANVILLE JEWELL Nancy Hart Glanville Jewell, 92, died Aug. 2, 2020. She lived in Houston, Texas, at the time of her death and was a long-time resident of Darien, Conn. She died as she lived and as she wished, always a lady. Nancy graduated from Scripps College in Claremont, Calif., in 1949 and later that year married Jim Glanville. Together they had four sons. Jim died in 1992, and Nancy in 2001 married George H. Jewell of Houston. They had a happy 12 years until his death in 2013. Intellectually curious, she read extensively and traveled the world. Nancy provided intelligent leadership, considerable skills, and hard work to many charity boards and organizations. Nancy first joined Pittsburgh Seminary’s Board of Directors in 1986, serving as vice chair of the executive committee from 1994-1995, and became a member emerita in 1997. One year earlier, she had been given the Anderson Award of Merit, the Seminary’s highest honor, which recognizes the unique service and contribution of special friends of PTS. Additionally, she was chair/president of the Noroton PC, YMCA of Darien, and Town of Darien Beautification Commission, as well as at various times serving as chair of board committees for Scripps College, the Madison Council of the Library of Congress, Mid-Fairfield Hospice, Land Trust of Darien, and Junior League of StamfordNorwalk. She had also been a member of the boards of Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and its Bayou Bend Collection, Garden Club of Darien, Children’s Aid Norwalk, and Five Town Communities Fund. Nancy is survived by her four sons, two stepchildren, and nine grandchildren.
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PTS NEWS
GIVING FOR THE FUTURE Each season in life provides us with the opportunity to reflect upon the blessings we have received and to prepare for the blessings that may come our way. It is not lost on me that some seasons bring a lot of questions and apprehension regarding the future. We are a people accustomed to stability who approach change with some trepidation. Over the course of the past year, change and uncertainty have not only been present, they have been impossible to avoid. I am excited about what the future holds for Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. There are a number of new initiatives happening throughout the Seminary community that speak to beginnings and the springing forth of new opportunities. Why am I so optimistic about what is to come? Many seeds planted in our proverbial field are starting to sprout and grow. As you read through this issue of Panorama, you will learn about the numerous things that make PTS special and unique. Individuals, families, and foundations have found PTS to be an institution worthy of making a significant investment in to ensure that our students will be best
prepared for the world in which they will be called to serve. •
Our alumnae/i, friends, and congregations have continued to respond when asked to contribute to PTS during the Phonathon and the Day of Giving. We say thank you!
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Individuals like the late Rev. George Tutwiler (see page 51), who shared their ministry with PTS for many years, saw to it that upon their deaths they would leave a significant piece of their estates to PTS. Sir, we salute you for continuing to be an educator amongst us even in death!
•
Foundations such as the Rossin Foundation have supported the Seminary so that we can update classrooms to respond to a changing time and deliver a HyFlex education (see the next page). We are grateful for their partnership and their vision beyond our current situation to satisfy a future objective!
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We are able to do this because we have great partners like you. So today I ask you to make a financial contribution toward ensuring that PTS remains present to a changing world. Allow us to be a standardbearer for the formation of Christian leaders for today and for the future. We cannot do this alone.
Almost 225 years ago, the first graduating class of our predecessor institutions completed their studies.
The Rev. Charles L. Fischer III is vice president for seminary advancement.
DAY OF GIVING MOST SUCCESSFUL YET
Our mission to prepare people for ministry in the way of Jesus would not be possible without your continued support. These gifts enable us to provide generous financial aid and continue educating seminarians, grads, and lay and church leaders through the Center for Adaptive and Innovative Ministry, Continuing Education, Kelso Museum of Near Eastern Archaeology, Metro-Urban Institute, Miller Summer Youth Institute, and World Mission Initiative.
During our third annual Day of Giving—Feb. 10, 2021—we received 376 gifts totaling $96,127 to support students and resource programs at Pittsburgh Seminary! We greatly appreciate these gifts during this pandemic time. More people gave more dollars this year than ever before. 26
Never could they have imagined the world evolving to what it is today; never would they have envisioned the landscape of Christian ministry becoming as diverse as we find it today, and surely no one would have projected that their successors would remain as important to the world as we are today.
PTS NEWS
SEMINARY RECEIVES GRANT TO CREATE HYFLEX LEARNING SPACE
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he COVID-19 pandemic has heightened our collective reliance on technology. This is certainly the case for teaching and learning at Pittsburgh Seminary these days. Now thanks to a grant from The Rossin Foundation, the Seminary is able to provide an optimal learning environment for our students during the pandemic and beyond. “In this time of COVID, several things have taken on even greater importance. The advance of technology mandates that we reimagine the Seminary’s learning spaces, thus enabling the Seminary to have a local, national, and global impact,” said Joan Stephans, chair of The Rossin Foundation. “We are blessed to have this institution in Pittsburgh and are proud to partner with Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in making education more accessible, supporting the future leaders of the
church, and thereby advancing the cause of Christian witness in the world.”
“Equipping spaces on campus to allow HyFlex learning is another way we can better serve our students.”
In Spring 2020, the Seminary’s Information Technology department was able to temporarily equip one room on campus to accommodate our need to have appropriate spacing and flexibility for gathering at a safe distance thereby allowing some on-campus instruction. This HyFlex space gives students the option of attending sessions in the classroom, participating online, or doing both. Students can change their mode of attendance according to need or preference.
This grant, in addition to other funds, will allow the Seminary to permanently install the needed equipment—cameras, microphones, projectors, screens—in this space and other classrooms to ensure that HyFlex learning is possible throughout the pandemic and in the years ahead, increasing students’ access to seminary education. Aside from use in our degree and certificate programs, these rooms can also be used to expand the reach of our resource programs, including Continuing Education. New ways of learning and teaching have become central to fulfilling our mission of preparing students for ministry in the way of Jesus.
“One of the Seminary’s key initiatives is increasing access for students,” said the Rev. Dr. Heather Hartung Vacek, vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty and associate professor of church history.
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PTS NEWS
ADDRESSING COVID-19’S IMPACT ON BLACK AND LATINX COMMUNITIES
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ittsburgh Theological Seminary’s Metro-Urban Institute has received a $150,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to engage in important work with church-sector and communitybased organizational networks in metro-Pittsburgh. This work is: (1) collecting and curating stories and data illuminating COVID-19’s impact on Black and Latinx communities and (2) reinforcing capacities within and between ministries and organizations to bridge resources (e.g., computers for public school students being taught remotely, and direct assistance for agencies responding to intensified local needs). The title of the project is “Sharing Technology and Sharing Stories: Listening, Learning, and Responding to Differential, Racebased Impacts of COVID-19.” Professor of Urban Ministry and Director of the Metro-Urban Institute the Rev. Dr. R. Drew Smith—the project’s lead investigator— elaborates: “We are gathering stories from at-risk communities to create video narratives, each focused on a particular area of the virus’s impact in Pittsburgh’s Black and Latinx communities. The narratives focus on access to health care, access to technology, the learning needs of children, and the situation of essential workers.” Produced and disseminated in conjunction with Pittsburgh-based
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media organizations, the videos will be viewed this summer and fall in conjunction with virtual Town Halls. Broader distribution will occur via the networks of the Gamaliel Foundation (chaired nationally by the Rev. Dr. John Welch ’02) and Transatlantic Roundtable on Religion and Race (coconvened by Dr. Smith). Co-investigator of the grant (and former PTS ethics professor) the Rev. Dr. Deirdre Hainsworth comments on the project’s concern with bridging resources: “Though remote teaching of Pittsburgh public school students was delayed until April 20, 2020, thousands of students still needed computers at the start of classes. Our grant project collaborates with local partners to help provide funding for computers for students in need. Additionally, we provided direct funding and technical assistance to local agencies supporting youth access to technology and learning.” This aspect of the grant received expert guidance by Dr. Hainsworth (who is also founder of Techtelos training and consulting firm, which focuses on literacy in and access to technology) and by senior grant consultant the Rev. Dr. Denise Thorpe, interim director of the Seminary’s Doctor of Ministry program.
“This grant addresses a pervasive problem in the United States, namely, that Black and Latinx populations fare noticeably worse than white and other ethnic groups on important health and educational indices,” notes President David Esterline. He celebrates that the project, which began in May 2020, will further the Seminary’s commitment to local ministry in the way of Jesus.
The Henry Luce Foundation seeks to enrich public discourse by promoting innovative scholarship, cultivating new leaders, and fostering international understanding. For 80 years, it has advanced its mission through grantmaking and leadership programs in the fields of Asia, higher education, religion and theology, art, and public policy. For more information, visit www.hluce.org.
PTS NEWS
PTS ESTABLISHES WELCH SCHOLARSHIP FOR PART-TIME STUDENTS CALLED TO URBAN MINISTRY
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he Seminary has established The Rev. Drs. John C. ’02 and B. De Neice ’04 Welch Endowed Scholarship to honor the work and ministry of alums John and De Neice Welch on the campus of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary as well as throughout the wider Pittsburgh community. This merit scholarship will be awarded to degree-seeking students of African descent and/or students of color with an interest in urban ministry who have completed at least one year of theological education. “We want to make a seminary education affordable for students who work full-time while seeking their degree,” said President David Esterline. “The Welch scholarship will enable more students to complete their academic programs while remaining true to their call to urban ministry without worrying about financing their education.” John said, “I am deeply honored that the length and depth of our commitment to PTS is being recognized in this manner, and I hope this scholarship will further enhance the recruitment, retention, and graduation of Black students and other students of color who financially would otherwise not have chosen this seminary.” John worked at Pittsburgh Seminary from 2007 to 2020, most recently
as dean of students and vice president for student service and community engagement. While at the Seminary, he publicly lived out his faith by serving with several community organizations, ecclesial committees, and governmental boards and commissions. Additionally, John is pastor-elect of Sixth Mount Zion Missionary BC in Pittsburgh. He is president emeritus of the Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network (PIIN) and also chairs the board of directors of PIIN’s larger international network, Gamaliel. He previously volunteered for 10 years as chief of chaplains for the Bureau of Police Chaplaincy Corps in the city of Pittsburgh. John is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University (B.S.), Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and Duquesne University (Ph.D.). De Neice is pastor of Bidwell PC and a community advocate who served as the first female and African-American associate pastor of Shadyside PC in Pittsburgh. During her time at Shadyside, she expanded its missional focus, coordinating a
number of mission trips both to the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and to mission partners in Malawi, Africa. Since 2007, she has served as pastor of Bidwell PC. At Bidwell, she has launched a summer lunch and camp program for children in the Manchester neighborhood. At PTS, De Neice has served as a workshop leader and guest lecturer on several occasions. In addition to serving at the church, De Neice also was president of PIIN. She is a graduate of Robert Morris University (B.A.), Geneva College (B.S.), Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and Duquesne University (Ph.D.).
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FA C U LT Y N E W S
FACULTY BOOKS
Heaven's Passport: For a Fuller Life on Earth (2020) Carnegie Samuel Calian President Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Theology Each of us is created in God’s image, the imago Dei. That means we are spiritually empowered to leave the world a better, more just, and humane place honoring God’s creation. Readers will use this book not only as a resource for strengthening their own inner sense of living under God’s grace, but also as one’s biblical passport.
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Discovering the Psalms: Content, Interpretation, Reception (SPCK and Eerdmans, 2020) Jerome F. D. Creach Robert C. Holland Professor of Old Testament This introduction to the interpretation of the Psalms encourages in-depth study of the text and genuine grappling with the historical, literary, and theological questions that it poses. It draws on a range of methodological approaches as complementary rather than mutually exclusive ways of understanding the text. Discovering Psalms also reflects the growing scholarly attention to the reception history of the Psalms, increasingly viewed as a vital aspect of interpretation rather than an optional extra.
“To Recover What Has Been Lost”: Essays on Eschatology, Intertextuality, and Reception History in Honor of Dale C. Allison Jr. (Brill, 2021) Tucker Ferda, editor Assistant Professor of New Testament Co-edited by Daniel Frayer-Griggs ’08, Writing Specialist and Visiting Instructor of Greek, and Nathan C. Johnson Over the course of his career, Dale Allison—former professor at Pittsburgh Seminary—has enriched our understanding of Jewish and Christian hopes about the end of history and deepened our knowledge of the history of biblical interpretation. In this book, leading biblical scholars and historians offer ground-breaking studies on eschatology, intertextuality, and reception history—three areas particularly evident in Allison’s scholarship. These essays reconstruct the past, advance fresh readings, and reclaim overlooked exegetical insights.
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DR. JENNIFER KAALUND JOINS FACULTY
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r. Jennifer T. Kaalund will join the Seminary’s faculty June 1, 2021, as associate professor of New Testament. Since 2016, Dr. Kaalund has served as assistant professor of religious studies at Iona College.
Sustaining Grace: Innovative Ecosystems for New Faith Communities (Wipf&Stock, 2020) Scott Hagley, editor Associate Professor of Missiology Co-edited by Michael Gehrling ’08 and Karen Rohrer, Director of the Center for Adaptive and Innovative Ministry Sustaining Grace explores the dynamic between new faith communities and denominational systems through the lens of stewardship and sustainability. These essays suggest that to facilitate ecologies for innovation in our current era, established congregations and new faith communities must model the sustaining grace of God to one another in creative ways. This work brings together the academy and practitioners from church judicatories, church plants, and traditional church communities to offer a theologically grounded, practical, and generative conversation. Watch as the editors discuss this publication in the PTS BookTALK series: www.pts.edu/ Sustaining-Grace.
President Esterline said, “Through her research as a New Testament scholar, Dr. Kaalund brings to the fore the various ways Christians, in the past and present, make meaning, while examining how race, ethnicity, gender, and class facilitate complex identity negotiations.” Her book Reading Hebrews and 1 Peter with the Great Migration: Diaspora, Identity, and Place (Bloomsbury/T&T Clark, 2018) is part of the New Testament Studies series. Dr. Kaalund’s interdisciplinary research interests include contextual biblical hermeneutics, contemporary uses of the New Testament, and material culture. She’s taught courses such as Christian Scriptures; Violence, Peace, and Social Justice; The American Religious Experience; The Story of the Universe; and Women, Gender, and Religion. “My teaching philosophy reflects my interests in collaborative and contextual learning,” says Dr. Kaalund. “I believe that students should understand that the New Testament is inextricably linked with issues of politics, history, economics, and culture. Welcoming the various contexts of the students into the classroom allows them to learn from each other. Hence, my goal is to leverage the diverse and specific cultural experiences of my students to enrich the pedagogical encounter.” Throughout her teaching career, Dr. Kaalund has received a number of honors, awards, and recognition. She received her bachelor’s in chemistry from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; master’s in healthcare administration from Virginia Commonwealth University; master’s in theology (with distinction) with a biblical studies concentration from Seton Hall University, Immaculate Conception Seminary; STM in New Testament from Union Theological Seminary (New York); and Ph.D. in New Testament and early Christianity from The Theological School, Drew University.
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ARTICLES JOHN BURGESS “Barth and Eastern Orthodoxy.” In Wiley Blackwell Companion to Karl Barth, ed. George Hunsinger and Keith L. Johnson (Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley and Sons Ltd., 2020): 857-868. “Freiheit als Freiraum,” Ökumenische Rundschau 69 (October – December 2020): 544-553. “Is Reconciliation Still Relevant? Reflections on a Theological Theme in an Era of Diversity and Inclusivity.” In Repentance and Forgiveness, ed. Matthew E. Burdette and Victor Lee Austin (Eugene, Ore.: Cascade Books, 2020). “Jesus Christ Is the Life,” Theology Matters 26/1 (Winter 2020): 11-15. “Pandemic and the Holy in Russia,” Public Orthodoxy (June 8, 2020). “Pascha and Pandemic,” First Things (Web Exclusive), May 1, 2020.
FACULTY NOTES THE REV. DR. JOHN BURGESS James Henry Snowden Professor of Systematic Theology Dr. Burgess delivered many academic presentations for virtual events hosted by agencies, associations, and universities around the world—including at the Society of Christian Ethics annual meeting. His lectures and panels covered such topics as Russian activism, the Russian Orthodox Church, and Vladimir Putin, and he presented on these matters to the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Intelligence and Research. He also appeared on several podcasts to discuss Soviet dissidents and spirituality, and he taught a course at Westminster PC.
Review of Democratization in Christian Orthodox Europe: Comparing Greece, Serbia and Russia, by Marko Vekovic. Russian Review (April 2021). Review of Religious Freedom in Modern Russia, ed. Randall A. Poole and Paul W. Werth. Journal of Law and Religion 36/1 (April 2021). “The Secret Bonds of All Life: The Correspondence of Pavel Florensky and Vasily Rozanov, 1908-1911.” In The Gospel in the Context of Contemporary Culture, ed. T. I. Lipich et al. (Belgorod: Epitsentr, 2020): 6-8.
RON COLE-TURNER “Loving (Better) People: Moral Bioenhancement and Christian Moral Transformation.” In Love, Technology and Theology, ed. Scott Midson (T&T Clark, 2020). “New Perspectives on Human Origins: Three Challenges for Christian Theology.” Theology and Science 18/4 (2020): 524-536.
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THE REV. DR. RON COLE-TURNER H. Parker Sharp Professor of Theology and Ethics Dr. Cole-Turner has served as the moderator for a monthly webinar series on religion and science sponsored by the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science. The event has engaged participants from more than 40 countries. He will continue to moderate the series for the remainder of 2021, except for May, when he will be the featured speaker on the topic of the religious significance of human evolution.
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ARTICLES THE REV. DR. JEROME CREACH Robert C. Holland Professor of Old Testament Dr. Creach has used his sabbatical during the 2020-2021 academic year to do preliminary research for a book project on the implications of Genesis 1:26-27 and the idea that humans are made in God’s image. He taught a virtual course on the book of Amos for the Church of the Covenant in Washington, Pa., and is teaching a course for elders for the Pittsburgh, Redstone, and Washington presbyteries of the PC(U.S.A.). He preaches regularly at the United PC in Claysville, Pa., and has also preached at Frankfort UPC (Hookstown, Pa.) and Noblestown UPC (Oakdale, Pa.).
TUCKER FERDA “Doubling Down: Zechariah’s Oracle, Judah’s Blessing, and the Triumphal Entry in Matthew.” Journal of Theological Studies 71 (2020): 1-27. “The Galilean Crisis.” In T&T Clark Jesus Library, ed. Chris Keith (London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark). “The Historicity of Confusion: Jesus, John the Baptist, and the Construction of Public Identity.” Journal of Biblical Literature 139 (2020): 747-67. Review of The Vermes Quest: The Significance of Geza Vermes for Jesus Research, by Hilde Brekke Moller. Review of Biblical Literature.
LEANNA FULLER Review of Mastering Civility: A Manifesto for the Workplace by Christine Porath. Journal of Religious Leadership 19/1 (Spring 2020): 85-87.
SCOTT HAGLEY DR. TUCKER FERDA Assistant Professor of New Testament Dr. Ferda has taught adult education courses at Sewickley (Pa.) PC and Oakmont (Pa.) PC. He also presented at the International Conference of the Enoch Seminary, held remotely this year.
“Free for Mission: Missional Church and Ethnographic Fieldwork.” Ecclesial Futures 1/1 (2020): 90-109. Review of How Change Comes to your Church: A Guidebook for Church Innovations, by Patrick Keifert and Wesley Granberg-Michaelson. Dialog (January 2021).
ANGELA HANCOCK “Calculated Risks: Exploring Plague Ethics with Luther and Barth.” Acta Theologica 40/2 (2020): 64-81. “Reclaiming the Pulpit.” Call to Worship: Liturgy, Music, Preaching, and the Arts 53/4 (2020): 2-7.
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ARTICLES
FACULTY NOTES
L. ROGER OWENS
THE REV. DR. LEANNA FULLER
“Can Lent Help Us Prepare for a Pandemic?” The Christian Century (March 4, 2020).
Associate Professor of Pastoral Care
“The Fuel of Delight: Embracing Joy in Our Own Creativity.” Brevity’s Nonfiction Blog (Nov. 9, 2020). “Has the Desert of Quarantine Already Taught Us All It Can?” The Christian Century (May 13, 2020). “How Can We Honor Sacred Time Apart from Our Sacred Spaces?” Faith & Leadership (April 14, 2020). “How I Hope to Approach the Days Following the Elections.” The Christian Century (Nov. 2, 2020). “Learning from Mary During a Pandemic.” The Christian Century (March 25, 2020). “My Lenten Practice Is Jazz.” The Christian Century (March 24, 2021). “Not Lifting Our Voices.” The Christian Century (July 29, 2020).
Dr. Fuller preached at several Presbyterian churches: Mt. Pleasant (Pa.), Universal United (Penn Hills, Pa.), and First (Castle Shannon, Pa.). She presented, served as a panelist, and facilitated a discussion for the PTS continuing education program and also gave a presentation to the clergy of the Western Pennsylvania Conference of The United Methodist Church. This year, she began serving as the faculty mentor for a new Doctor of Ministry cohort—Risking Faithfully: Disruption as Revelation and Resurrection. Dr. Fuller has been appointed to serve as interim dean of the faculty and vice president for academic affairs.
“Praying in a Pandemic.” Bearings Online (April 17, 2020). “Saint Jane? Jane Goodall’s Call to Save the World.” The Christian Century (Jan. 13, 2021). “This Advent, Walking Is My Spiritual Practice.” The Christian Century (Dec. 16, 2020).
DR. SCOTT HAGLEY Associate Professor of Missiology Dr. Hagley gave the Religion and Ethics Lecture at Silliman University (Philippines) and spoke at the accompanying divinity school. He presented at the Ecclesial Investigations Unit at the Academy of Religious Leadership. He also taught at a retreat for the Flynt River Presbytery (Georgia) of the PC(U.S.A.).
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FA C U LT Y N E W S
ARTICLES THE REV. DR. ANGELA DIENHART HANCOCK Associate Professor of Homiletics and Worship Dr. Hancock has presented and taught for several ecclesiastical bodies in the PC(U.S.A.): the General Assembly, the West Branch of Pittsburgh Presbytery, the Presbytery of West Virginia, and East Liberty PC. Her lectures and courses covered such topics as preaching, listening, politics, theological education, and lament. She also taught a Sunday School series at Sewickley (Pa.) PC. She presented a paper to the Karl Barth Society of North America session at the American Academy of Religion annual meeting.
R. DREW SMITH “Against Their Established Interests: Proslavery Co-optation of Antebellum White Methodism.” In Churches and Moral Discernment, Volume 2: Learning From History, ed. Myriam Wijlens et al. (WCC, 2021). “The Hidden Structural Racism in the American Response to Public Health Emergencies.” Public Seminar (July 23, 2020). “Inequality in Urban America and Clergy Advocacy on Economic Restructuring.” In Human Dignity, Human Rights, and Social Justice: A Chinese Interdisciplinary Dialogue with Global Perspective, ed. Zhibin Xie et al. (Springer Publishing, 2020). “‘Ties that Bind?’ Emerging Race-Conscious Alliances Between African Immigrants and Black Americans.” Black Perspectives (July 7, 2020). “Undaunted Resistance: Joseph Lowery and the Spirit of SCLC.” Black Perspectives (April 2020). “‘Until We Are All Free’: Learning from Tubman, King, and Stephenson.” Sojourners (Jan. 15, 2020).
THE REV. DR. L. ROGER OWENS Associate Professor of Christian Spirituality and Ministry Dr. Owens taught a course at Westminster PC (Upper St. Clair, Pa.), in September 2020, and a course at Oakmont (Pa.) PC. The courses were about Christian meditation and spiritual practices, respectively.
STEVEN TUELL “Exploded Riddles and Inverted Metaphors: Subverting Tradition in Ezekiel and Zechariah.” In Historical Settings, Intertextuality, and Biblical Theology: Essays in Honor of Marvin A. Sweeney, ed. Paul Kim, Tyler Mayfield, and HyeKyung Park (Forthcoming). “God’s Ineffable Plan Versus the Great Plan: Subverting Apocalypse in 1 Enoch, the Bible and Good Omens.” In Good Omens and the Bible, ed. Charlotte Naylor Davis, Shayna Sheinfeld, and Meredith Warren (Sheffield: Sheffield University, forthcoming). Review of 1 & 2 Chronicles, by Paul L. Redditt. Interpretation (Forthcoming.)
KENNETH WOO Review of Calvin, the Bible, and History, by Barbara Pitkin. Theology Today 78/1 (April 2021).
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FACULTY NOTES THE REV. DR. R. DREW SMITH
THE REV. DR. EDWIN CHR. VAN DRIEL
Professor of Urban Ministry and Director of the Metro-Urban Institute
Directors’ Bicentennial Professor of Theology
Dr. Smith was awarded two grants from the Luce Foundation, one to respond to race-based impacts of COVID-19 (see page 28) and one to examine theology’s participation in gentrification. He led a workshop at the Perkins School of Theology (Dallas, Texas) and was a panelist at the Candler School of Theology at Emory (Atlanta, Ga.). He also provided teaching at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (Columbus, Ohio), the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, and the Presbyterian Mission Agency.
Dr. van Driel co-moderated the online Conference on Missional Churches by the International Research Consortium. He also participated in a book forum on Ian McFarland’s The Word Made Flesh as part of the international Christology Conference “Christ Among the Disciplines.”
THE REV. DR. KENNETH WOO Associate Professor of Church History
THE REV. DR. STEVEN TUELL James A. Kelso Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament Dr. Tuell preached and taught in many contexts: the Allegheny Jail, Crossroads PC (Monroeville, Pa.), PTS Chapel, Westminster PC (Upper St. Clair, Pa.), the Shenango Presbytery of the PC(U.S.A.), Baldwin Community UMC, and in the coming months, the Western Pennsylvania UMC Pastor’s Academy. He also participated as a panelist for a PTS continuing education event and was a speaker for the Seminary’s conversations on race.
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Dr. Woo preached and led worship at several local congregations. He is currently using his sabbatical to work on a forthcoming book about John Calvin for Baker Academic. He is also preparing to deliver a plenary address at next year’s International Congress on Calvin Research (Sao Paolo, Brazil). In 2020, he was promoted to associate professor at PTS.
PROFESSORS NAMED EMERITA/US Drs. Edith M. Humphrey and Ron E. Tappy, both of whom recently retired from teaching at PTS, have been named professors emeriti. They have made invaluable contributions to the PTS community in their care for students and their teaching over these decades. Dr. Humphrey will continue as an instructor in the Doctor of Ministry program, and Dr. Tappy will continue leading The Zeitah Excavation.
FA C U LT Y N E W S
PROFESSOR EDITH HUMPHREY CELEBRATES RETIREMENT
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r. Edith M. Humphrey, now William F. Orr Professor Emerita of New Testament, has retired after teaching for more than 18 years at PTS. In that time, she has enriched this community with her passion, scholarship, and teaching. In the aftermath of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, a scholar living overseas did not feel comfortable flying to America to give a guest lecture, so Dr. Humphrey was called upon to “pinch hit” as a speaker at a conference in the Pittsburgh area. It so happened that a PTS faculty member attended her lecture series and told her about a New Testament position that would soon be open. This new chapter spanned almost two decades and has been filled with remarkable achievements. Yet, despite her many publications, honors, and awards, as Dr. Humphrey reflects on her time here, her emphasis and joy are focused on the students she has taught and befriended. “From my students I have learned so much about the world, and about different responses to the gospel— Coptic, Arabic, African American, Nigerian, South American, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal, and (of course) Reformed,” Dr. Humphrey warmly recalls. “It has been my privilege to do (most of the time) what I love the most: to read the Bible alongside others who love Jesus, to see the Triune God illumined in these readings, and to consider how best we can help God’s people to thrive today.”
Dr. Humphrey’s time at PTS— though not completely over, as she will be teaching in the D.Min. program—ended on a high note. As classes shifted to online delivery because of the pandemic, she had the opportunity to teach her final course on one of her favorite topics: beloved 20th-century author C. S. Lewis. “It was one of the highlights of my career,” she beams. “Profound questions and lively discussion took place every Thursday, often spilling past the cut-off time for class!” While goodbyes can be sad, Dr. Humphrey is very excited for her next chapter. She will soon complete her first children’s novel, Beyond the White Fence. This will require a lot of “research” spending time with her soon-to-be 21 grandchildren, who serve as the inspiration for the book’s main characters! In addition, Dr. Humphrey will be busy with speaking, teaching, academic writing, and travel.
Prior to her service at PTS, Dr. Humphrey taught at several colleges and universities in Canada, and she served as dean at Augustine College in Ottawa, Canada. She earned her bachelor’s (with honors) from Victoria University (University of Toronto) and received her doctorate from McGill University, Montreal, where she was awarded the Governor General’s Gold Medal. The author of numerous articles on the literary and rhetorical study of the Bible, she has also written seven books, including Further Up and Further In: Orthodox Conversations with C. S. Lewis on Scripture and Theology (St. Vladimir’s Press, 2017), Scripture and Tradition: What the Bible Really Says (Baker Academic, 2013); and Grand Entrance: Worship on Earth as in Heaven (Brazos, 2010). An active member of the Orthodox Church, she retains strong ties with friends in various denominations and is well-known as a speaker at church retreats, ecumenical conferences, and seminary events. PA N O R A M A 37
FA C U LT Y N E W S
DR. STEVEN TUELL RETIRES FROM PITTSBURGH SEMINARY
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oodbyes are never easy, and it will surely be a bittersweet farewell as PTS honors the retirement of the Rev. Dr. Steven Tuell, the James A. Kelso Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament. As he prepares to depart, Tuell reflects on the path of calling that brought him to Pittsburgh and on his favorite moments at the Seminary.
After studying at West Virginia Wesleyan College and Princeton Theological Seminary, Dr. Tuell served in parish ministry for five years as an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church, working in churches in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, and Virginia. It was during that time that Dr. Tuell discovered his hunger for a deeper engagement with the Hebrew Bible was pulling him to the academy, not the parish, as his primary setting for ministry. He went on to earn his Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible at Union Theological Seminary in Virginia. Dr. Tuell never viewed this as leaving ministry, but simply responding to a different ministry calling. In fact, he intended to return to parish ministry after obtaining his Ph.D., but an unexpected invitation to teach
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undergraduate students brought him to South Carolina. “That’s when I discovered a passion for teaching!” Dr. Tuell says with a passion that confirms his story. “It cemented my sense of calling to the ministry of teaching.” And this was a powerful ministry: in a secular setting at Erskine College and Randolph-Macon College, Dr. Tuell regularly had the opportunity to introduce the Bible (and the God of the Bible) to young people who had never stepped foot inside a church. It was at these schools that Dr. Tuell received numerous awards for teaching excellence. But when Dr. Tuell came to PTS in 2005 (a move we can partially credit to the influence of fellow Old Testament professor, the Rev. Dr. Jerome Creach), his ministry entered a new phase. No longer would he be teaching the unchurched, but at PTS, he would be helping to form students who were discerning the shape and direction of a calling to ministry. Instead of fielding questions like, “Is this going to be on the test?”, he was helping students figure out how to preach on passages and minister to congregations. He would be teaching the Bible not only as literature, but as Scripture. Throughout his career, Dr. Tuell’s research has focused on biblical prophecy—particularly the book of Ezekiel and the Book of the Twelve— and the biblical literature of the early Persian Period. He has written numerous articles and book reviews, and his other published
At PTS, he would be helping to form students who were discerning the shape and direction of a calling to ministry. works include a commentary on 1 and 2 Chronicles in the Interpretation Series and a commentary on Ezekiel for Baker’s Understanding the Old Testament series. While teaching (and learning from) students was the heartbeat of Dr. Tuell’s calling, he also cherished his faculty colleagues. “After graduate school, I had almost ritualistically thrown away my copy of John Calvin’s Institutes,” Dr. Tuell recalls, laughing. “Fellow professor Andrew Purves caused me to completely reconsider Calvin. Another colleague: Dale Allison! His work on the history of biblical interpretation has influenced all of my scholarship since.” These were just two of many colleagues who enriched Dr. Tuell’s life. He has a humorous outlook not only on his past, but his future. When asked what’s next, he replies, “Nothing. I’d like to try that on.” Yet despite this quip, Dr. Tuell actually has plenty of projects in the works: an introductory textbook about the prophets, several academic articles, and a major book project about the theme of creation in Scripture.
ALUMNAE/I NEWS
CLASS NOTES 1950s
Lisa Lancaster ’85 was honorably retired from the Monmouth Presbytery Sept. 24, 2019.
Hayden Britton’s ’58 wife, Anne, entered the Church Triumphant Dec. 11, 2020.
Tom Barnicott ’86 retired from active ministry in The United Methodist Church.
1960s Jean H. Henderson’s ’68/’91 husband, David, died May 3, 2020.
Candace Cook ’86 was honorably retired from the Presbytery of Washington April 1, 2019.
Bill Gracey ’69/’83 was named pastor emeritus of the Sunset Hills UPC in Pittsburgh March 25, 2020. Bill continues to serve faithfully as a member of the PTS Alumnae/i Council.
Josephine Whitely-Fields ’79, a 1999 recipient of a Distinguished Alumna Award, recently released her new book, Pioneer Black Clergywomen: Stories of Black Clergywomen of The United Methodist Church 1974-2016 (Westbow Press, 2021). Proceeds from this important work will benefit Black Clergywomen Scholarships.
1970s
1980s
Vernon Rushing ’68 and his wife, Betty, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Aug. 8, 2020.
David Dawson ’72 is serving a oneyear term as the interim chair of the New Wilmington Mission Conference Board. Rick Hays ’74 had served in pastoral ministry with churches in three states, as a chaplain at Ground Zero in New York City, and as a commissioned officer and chaplain in the U.S. Army Reserve. Rick also operated his own counseling practice in New York City and later was managing principal of Comprehensive Counseling Services of Greater Houston. He is now honorably retired and a member of the Savannah Presbytery in Georgia.
Doug Jenkins ’86 was honorably retired from the Presbytery of West Virginia Aug. 1, 2020. Gary Grau ’87 was appointed to serve the Ebensburg Network in the Western Pennsylvania Conference of The United Methodist Church as the associate pastor. Aaron Ankeny ’88 was appointed to serve as the pastor of Centenary UMC in Quincy, Fla. Graham Standish ’88 is the author of a new book, And the Church Actually Changed (Fortress Press, 2020). Alyce Weaver Dunn ’88 serves on the staff of the Western Pennsylvania Conference of The United Methodist Church as the director of connectional ministries.
Thomas Pierotti ’81 served as the part-time pastor at Emanuel LC in Bradford, Pa., for the past eight years. He retired Aug. 30, 2020. Kay Balderose ’82 was honorably retired from the Presbytery of Washington (Pa.) July 10, 2019. Sheron Clark ’84 retired from the Commission on Human Relations in September 2018. Lawrence Kent ’85 was honorably retired by the Presbytery of Cincinnati July 1, 2019.
1990s Stuart Broberg ’90 was honorably retired from The Church of the Covenant by the Washington Presbytery Oct. 1, 2020. Henrietta Colvin ’90 is a community organizer and works at Linwood Tenants Association. She helps tenants to understand their housing rights.
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ALUMNAE/I NEWS
CLASS NOTES Jeff Garrison ’90 accepted a call to serve the Bluemont and Mayberry Presbyterian churches, two small, historic churches next to the Blue Ridge Parkway in Southern Virginia.
Dan Hagmaier ’95 accepted a call to serve as the pastor of Peace Covenant PC in Key West, Fla. He earned his D.Min. from Columbia Theological Seminary in 2016.
Dennis Davenport ’92 was honorably retired by the Ohio Valley Presbytery March 1, 2019.
Ray Jones ’95 is teaching nursing in Kentucky and finishing his doctoral degree.
Jeffrey Proya ’92 retired from active ministry in The United Methodist Church in 2020. Donna Havrisko ’93 retired from Westminster PC in Redstone Presbytery in 2021, after 18 years of dedicated service. Ed Saxman ’93 received his credentials as an associate certified coach through the International Coaching Federation. John Dalles ’94 wrote the winning hymn for Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania in their search for a 50th anniversary hymn. Christian Associates, comprised of 28 church bodies in Southwest Pennsylvania, began 50 years ago at Shadyside PC, Pittsburgh, where John recently served as the interim senior minister. The new hymn, In Christ the Church is Ever One, debuted at the gala celebration. Dale Dykstra ’94 was honorably retired from Blackhawk Presbytery June 30, 2018. Debbie Evanovich ’94 was honorably retired from Pittsburgh Presbytery Oct. 1, 2018. Mary Lynn Callahan ’95 was honorably retired by the Pittsburgh Presbytery Sept. 1, 2020.
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Kay Day ’97 was honorably retired from World Mission of the PC(U.S.A.) Sept. 17, 2020, and from the Pittsburgh Presbytery Sept. 24, 2020. She now is serving as the part-time pastor of First PC in Castle Shannon.
Angel De La Cruz ’98/’07 accepted a call to serve as the pastor of Elderton (Pa.) PC, where he began serving May 31, 2020. He was installed by the Presbytery of Kiskiminetas.
Tom LeGrand ’98 is the director of the Christian education and leadership program and serves as the university chaplain at Limestone University in Gaffney, S.C. He works with students, teaches, and preaches at local churches. Jeff Ott ’98 accepted a call to serve as the pastor of First PC in Jerseyville, Ill., where he was installed Nov. 15, 2020. Virtually joining Jeff were classmates Lisa Heckman ’98, who gave the charge to the congregation, and Carolyn Cranston ’99, who preached the sermon. Cris Decious ’99 was appointed by the bishop to serve as the senior pastor of Walnut Hills UMC in Urbandale, Iowa. His appointment begins July 1, 2021. Joseph Huneycutt ’99 is the author of We Came, We Saw, and We Converted, a humorous look at all the pluses, minuses, joys, pitfalls, and struggles of perpetual conversion within an Orthodox Christian worldview. He is the vice chair of the Antiochian Department of Missions and Evangelism and serves as dean of the East Texas Deanery in the Diocese of Wichita and MidAmerica. To order the book, e-mail bookcentre.vic@hotmail.com. Patty Sharbaugh ’99 recently published a book with Paulist Press titled Irrepressible Light: The Women of the New Testament (Paulist Press International, 2020).
ALUMNAE/I NEWS
CLASS NOTES 2000s Jeri-Lynne Bouterse ’00/’11 is serving as the transitional pastor for Hope PC in Omaha, Neb. Keith Lohr ’00 retired from active ministry in The United Methodist Church Sept. 1, 2020.
Kristin Beckstrom Widrich ’04 serves part time as the lead pastor for Jefferson UPC, sharing the duties with Sharon Stewart ’12.
David Oyler ’05 was honorably retired as general presbyter of Lake Erie July 31, 2020.
Thom Bonomo ’04 had a short-lived retirement from The UMC in 2019 followed by an appointment to serve as the pastor of McDonald UMC. Linda Dinger ’04 retired from active ministry in The UMC June 30, 2019. Adam Rodgers ’04 accepted a call to serve as the pastor of Westminster PC in Youngstown, Ohio.
Hal Shafer ’00 was called to serve as the pastor of First PC in Magnolia, Ark. Jay Smith ’00/’10 is the pastor of Jamestown (N.C.) UPC, where he has served since 2013. Ellen Campbell Gardner ’02 and her husband, Ernest, are serving as transitional co-pastors at First and Calvary PC in Springfield, Mo. Beverly Gross ’02 was appointed to serve as the pastor of Speers and Dunlevy UM churches. John Welch ’02 was recognized among the Men of Excellence 2021 honorees by the New Pittsburgh Courier, one of America’s oldest and most significant newspapers in African American history. John is pastor-elect of Sixth Mount Zion Missionary BC.
Anita Stuart-Steva ’04 was installed as the moderator of Blackhawk Presbytery in November 2020. Christina Kukuk ’05 is serving as the senior pastor for the First Congregational UCC in Ashland, Ore.
Caroline Becker ‘06 started a new position on the religious studies faculty at St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia, Pa., in 2020. Cyndi Bloise ’06 was appointed to serve as associate pastor of Ingomar UMC.
Andrew Lindahl ’05 was honorably retired from the Presbytery of the Cascades April 30, 2019. Rebecca Mihm ’05 is the pastor of Fleming Memorial PC in Fairmont, W. Va. Nichelle Nelson ’05 was presented with the S.W.A.G. (Social Worker Appreciation of Greatness) Award March 28, 2021. The goal of the annual S.W.A.G awards ceremony is to recognize 21 social workers in the Greater Pittsburgh Area who exemplify servant leadership through their commitment to promoting advocacy, social justice, generational healing, and building stronger communities.
Elizabeth (Beth) Broschart ’06 accepted a call to serve as the pastor of First PC in Danville, Va. She was installed Oct. 4, 2020. She also earned a D.Min. from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary with an emphasis on missional spirituality. Mary Q. Browne ’06 is the manager of spiritual care at Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Conn.
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ALUMNAE/I NEWS
CLASS NOTES Jonathan Ellegood ’06 is the director of communications at Zionsville (Ind.) UMC. He previously served there for eight years as the director of youth ministries. Tom Hall ’06 was the subject of an article, which can be found online in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, about the divisions we create. Bill Hastings ’06 was appointed to serve as the pastor of Asbury UMC in Erie, Pa. Gary Hughes ’06/’16 is the senior pastor of Mt. Zion BC of Library, located in South Park, Pa. Derek Marotta ’06/’20 was awarded his D.Min. from PTS. L. Bryant Parker ’06 was honorably retired from Whitewater Valley Presbytery Oct. 1, 2016.
Brian Wallace ’06 participated in one of Pittsburgh Seminary’s 10-week Continuing Education conversations on race with student Ralph Lowe. The video is available online: https://youtu.be/h5sVJj3_KwI. Kristen Henthorn Knouff ’07 is working for Caring Hearts Ministries. Darla Ann Kratzer ’07 accepted a call to serve as the pastor of Our Lord’s LC, Maryville, Ill., in June 2019. Tom Moore ’07/’10 was installed by the Presbytery of Washington as the pastor of Center PC in McMurray, Sept. 8, 2020. He had been serving there for the past two years. Meg Shoeman ’07 is serving as the temporary stated clerk for the Presbytery of Carlisle.
2010s James Ellis III ’10 completed the requirements to earn his D.Min. degree. Sheila Johnson ’10 is the new president of the Baptist Ministers Conference of Pittsburgh and vicinity. She is the first female ever elected to hold this position in its 60-year history. Sheila is an ordained Baptist minister, songwriter/arranger, choral conductor, recording artist, and college professor. Chad Bogdewic ’10/’13 was appointed to serve as the associate pastor of St. Paul’s UMC in Allison Park, Pa., where Jeff Sterling ’88/’98 is the senior pastor.
BJ Woodworth ’07 is serving as the director of spiritual life ministries and minister of Taizé at East Liberty PC. He is also serving as a D.Min. cohort mentor for PTS. James W. Kirk ’08/’20 was awarded his doctor of ministry degree from PTS in 2020.
Mandi Richey ’06 is celebrating her fourth year as the pastor of Genesis PC in Austin, Texas. She also started her D.Min. program at Austin Seminary with a focus on engaging public life. Mark Tippin ’06 accepted a call in July 2019 to serve as the pastor of Valley PC.
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Abraham Peterson ’08 was elected the president of Albany County Central Federation of Labor, representing 38 unions in Albany County, N.Y.
Edwin Brinklow ’10 accepted a call to serve as the pastor of First PC in Canton, Ill.
Matt Rich ’08 accepted a call to serve as pastor/head of staff at Unity PC in Fort Mill, S.C.
Ronee Christy ’10 began serving as the pastor of Bellevue (Pa.) UPC, Nov. 16, 2020.
Jill Terpstra ’08 was awarded her doctor of ministry in preaching May 13, 2020.
Nathan Leslie ’10 was appointed by borough council to serve as the new mayor of Bessemer, Pa.
Suzanne Zampella ’09 is serving as a transitional pastor at the First PC in Monett, Mo.
Kelsy Brown ’10 is now the pastor of Mission del Sol PC in Tempe, Ariz.
ALUMNAE/I NEWS
CLASS NOTES Caitlin Rohrer Werth ’10 accepted a call to serve as the pastor of Waverly PC. Kevin Starcher ’10 was awarded his D.Min. from Louisville Theological Seminary in 2018.
Jon Draskovic ’12 accepted a call to serve as the pastor of First PC of Ogden in Utah. He began his ministry there in January 2020.
Jane Anabe ’13 accepted a call to be the solo pastor of the PC of LaPorte in Indiana. Parrish Bridges ’13 is serving as the interim pastor of the UPC of Walton (N.Y.). He began his work there May 1, 2018.
Tim Goodman ’11 was certified as an associate certified coach by the International Coaching Federation. He specializes in working with pastors and other leaders to move forward in positive and transformational ways.
Drew Himes ’13 is the pastor of Church of the Cross in Fairview, Pa.
Jestina Klink ’12 is the director of the Mercyhurst Child Learning Center in Erie, Pa.
Adam Jones ’11 is the associate pastor for connections at Calvary BC in Winston-Salem, N.C., part of the Southern Baptist Convention. He started his new position Nov. 1, 2019.
Susan Washburn ’12 is serving as the transitional pastor for UPC in Murrysville, Pa.
Eric McIntosh ’12 was named canon for the Beloved Community. On Sept. 1, 2020, the Episcopal Church launched the Beloved Community Initiative as a way to promote the liberating and reconciling love of Jesus Christ, particularly as it relates to racial justice and reconciliation.
Chelsea Leitcher ’13 will begin a new position at Consilium Behavioral Health in Irwin, Pa., this July. Elaine Loggi ’13 is serving as designated pastor at Summerville PC in Rochester, N.Y. Eric Oliver ’13 was appointed to serve as the pastor of Centerville, Riceville, and Parade Street UM churches.
Hannah Judy Loughman ’11 was appointed to serve as the pastor of Sewickley UMC. See “Children” for more news. Brady Randall ’11 is serving as the adult ministries pastor of Orchard Hill Church at the Butler Campus. Jarrod Caltrider ’12 was appointed to serve as the pastor of Dunbar (W.Va.) UMC.
Samuel Monte ’12 is serving as the pastor of First PC of Ashtabula and North Kingsville PC in Kingsville, Ohio. Sharon Stewart ’12 is serving part time as the pastor for Christian nurture and pastoral care at Jefferson UPC, sharing the position with Kristin Beckstrom Widrich ’04.
Rob Peterson ’13 is the new youth director for Westfield PC in New Castle, Pa. LaBaron Stevens ’13 is working at Magellan Military and Family Life Counseling.
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ALUMNAE/I NEWS
CLASS NOTES Jane Larson ’17/’20 was awarded her Church Planting and Revitalization Certificate from PTS in 2020.
Judith Tobias ’13 was the recipient of the Sixth Annual Pittsburgh Circle of Courage Awards, presented by BCC Ministries. Lindsay Ann White ’13 accepted a call to serve as the designated pastor of Cross Roads PC in Monroeville, Pa. See “Children” for more news.
Brian Stander Lays ’15/’16 accepted a call to serve as the pastor of Riverside PC in Jacksonville, Fla. He was installed Dec. 6, 2020. See “Children” for more news. Ben Phipps ’15 was appointed to serve as the pastor of Charter Oak UMC Jeannette Campus.
Damian Berry ’14 is now a firefighter/paramedic for the Winfield Fire/EMS in Kansas. On occasion, Damian preaches at Crossroads Community Church where he attends. See “Children” for more news. Joshua Fisher ’14/’18 accepted a call to serve as pastor of Mosaic Community Church in the Pittsburgh Presbytery. He began his service Feb. 1, 2021. Bonnie Taylor ’14 is serving as the pastor of Faith United and West Sunbury Presbyterian churches in the Butler, Pa., area. Marco Tinor ’14 was awarded his doctor of ministry degree from United Theological Seminary.
Dawn Sherwood ’15 accepted a call to serve as the pastor of First PC in Jeannette, Pa., part of the Redstone Presbytery. Laura Bentley ’16 is serving as the director of faith formation at the Community PC of Ben Avon. She started this position May 2020. Rebecca DePoe ’16/’20 was awarded her Church Planting and Revitalization Certificate from PTS in 2020. Jason Freyer ’16 accepted a call to serve as the pastor of Laboratory PC in Washington, Pa.
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Maggie Smith ’16/’20 is a chaplain resident at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and solo pastor at Idylwood PC, Falls Church, Va. She was awarded a Church Planting and Revitalization Certificate from PTS in 2020.
Kevin Vinay ’16 (right) accepted a call to serve as the associate pastor of Pleasant Hills Community PC. He was ordained and installed by the Presbytery of Pittsburgh Oct. 4, 2020. Kevin is pictured with brotherin-law Joshua Fisher ’14/’18. Diane Flynn ’17 accepted a call to serve as the pastor of Union First PC in Cowansville, Pa.
ALUMNAE/I NEWS
CLASS NOTES Carol Sharp ’19 was ordained by the Lake Erie Presbytery as a minister of word and sacrament in the PC(U.S.A.) Oct. 25, 2020. She is serving as the pastor of the PC in Kane, Pa.
Annamarie Groenenboom ’17 accepted a call to serve as the pastor of First PC in Schoolcraft, Mich. She was installed Sept. 20, 2020. See “Children” for more news. Allan IrizarryGraves ’17 wrote and published his first book. In A Quest for Belonging: Overcoming Abuse, Abandonment, and Identity Crisis, Allan shares his story to “empower others to seek their purpose in life and embrace their true selves in this journey called life.” Andy Kort ’17 and his wife, Mihee Kim-Kort, were called as the first married co-pastors to serve the First PC of Annapolis. Darryl Lockie ’17 is the pastor of Grace UM Ministry in New Castle, Pa. Jon Chillinsky ’18 is the assistant director at Resources for Human Development in Glassport, Pa.
2020s Robin Sharp ’18 accepted a call to serve as the pastor of First PC of Waterford (Pa.). She was ordained and installed by the Presbytery of Lake Erie March 6, 2021. Debbie Smith ’18 is serving as the interim pastor of Thomas PC in the Washington Presbytery. She began her service Jan. 1, 2021. David Averill ’19 was appointed to serve as the senior pastor of First UMC of Mount Dora in Florida. Becky Boyer ’19 is a chaplain at Southwood Psychiatric Hospital in Canonsburg, Pa. She is also pastor of a new PC(U.S.A.) worshiping community, God’s Big House, serving people with disabilities. Thawng Hei ’19 serves as the pastor and director of River of Life Christian Church and Partnership Youth Care Center. Mikayla Kovacik Doepker ’19 was appointed to serve as the associate pastor of Mentor (Ohio) UMC. See “Marriages” for more news.
Colin Pritchard ’18 accepted a call to serve as pastor of the PC in Geneva (N.Y.). He began his service Feb. 1, 2021.
T. J. Lucas ’19 was ordained in the United Church of Christ Aug. 2, 2020. She is serving as the pastor of Scottdale Trinity Reformed UCC.
Ashley Smith Ashley ’20 accepted a call to serve as the associate pastor of the First PC of Plymouth (Mich.). Kelcey Bailey ’20 is serving as a promise coach for The Pittsburgh Promise. Joshua Demi ’20 was appointed to serve as pastor of Windover Hills UMC. Amanda Horan ’20 accepted a clinical pastoral education residency at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. Samantha Lowery Coggins ’20 accepted a call from the Westminster Foundation to be the new Presbyterian campus pastor for West Virginia University. See “Children” for more news. Debra Mason ’20 was appointed to serve on the staff of the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. She is the interim coordinator of diversity development and inclusion. Debra participated in one of Pittsburgh Seminary’s 10-week Continuing Education conversations on race and faith. It is available online: https:// youtu.be/6oC6uLNmilY. Beth Meier ’20 was appointed to serve the Cochran’s Mill, Elderton, and Mt. Zion UM churches in Elderton, Pa.
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ALUMNAE/I NEWS
CLASS NOTES Marriage
Megan Miles ’20 is serving as the director of children and youth at Asbury UMC in Erie, Pa., where Bill Hastings ‘06 is the senior pastor.
Julie Donohue Thompson ’99 to John Barrier June 14, 2020.
Mikayla Kovacik ’19 to Rob Doepker Oct. 24, 2020. Emily Cooper ’19 officiated at the service.
Children Mark Whitsel ’04 and his wife, Kelly, welcomed Ellick James Whitsel Nov. 3, 2020. Elizabeth Trexler Haberstroh ’05 and her husband, Jason, welcomed Ruth Hannah June 2020.
Cassandra Riker ’20 accepted a call to serve as associate pastor with a concentration on youth and mission for Jamestown (N.C.) PC. Casey was ordained and installed Sept. 13, 2020. Senior Pastor Jay Smith ’00/’10 (pictured right) and Brian Wallace ’06 (pictured left), associate minister for Pittsburgh Presbytery, participated in the service.
BT Gilligan ’11 to Lisa June 20, 2020. Jessica Graham Kelecava ’13 to Adam Kotila March 22, 2019.
Blake Hudson ’08 and his wife, Katie, welcomed Samuel Joseph Hudson Dec. 8, 2020.
Hattie Taylor ’20 was appointed to serve as the pastor of Massena Grace UMC in the Upper New York Conference. Timothy Wotring ’20 was ordained and installed by the Presbytery of Philadelphia Aug. 23, 2020. He is serving as the pastor of Memorial PC of Fox Chase.
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Keith Sandell ’16 to Jaysa Hill Aug. 8, 2020. Tor Voller ’18 to Eve Schafer Dec. 20, 2020.
ALUMNAE/I NEWS
CLASS NOTES
Ben Libert ’08 and his wife, Sarah, welcomed Ruth Ivory, Aug. 2, 2019.
Akil Chaney ’09 and his wife, Dzifa, welcomed Leah Anisa Sedinam Chaney, Oct. 23, 2020.
Lexi Joachim Scoggin ’09 and her husband, Matt, welcomed Jett Asher, April 28, 2020.
Nathan Carlson ’11 and his wife, Amanda, finalized the adoption of Adaline Joanna Carlson Aug. 24, 2020.
Hannah Judy Loughman ’11 and her husband, Todd, welcomed Lincoln Todd Sept. 21, 2020.
Lee Scott ’11 and his wife, Shauna, welcomed Mary Etta Jane Scott Jan. 24, 2021.
Michael Spicuzza ’11 and his wife, Christine, finalized the adoption of Julian James Spicuzza Aug. 3, 2020.
Michael McKee ’12/’13 and his wife, Lesley, welcomed Spencer Faye McKee April 16, 2020.
Adam Clever ’13 and his wife, Caitlin, welcomed Eleanor Margie Sept. 10, 2020.
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ALUMNAE/I NEWS
CLASS NOTES
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Lindsay Ann White ’13 and Alex White ’13 welcomed Maeve Lindsay White Jan. 19, 2021.
Drew Myers ’15 and his wife, Lindsey, welcomed Elliott Christopher Myers Oct. 14, 2020.
Nate Fugate ’17 and his wife, Holly, welcomed Evangeline Estelle Oct. 19, 2020.
Damian Berry ’14 and his wife, Carla, welcomed Judah Josiah Berry March 20, 2021.
Jonathan Hartland ’16 and his wife, Erin, welcomed Luke Joseph March 23, 2020.
Annamarie Groenenboom ’17 and her husband, Mitch, welcomed Penelope Joy Jan. 27, 2021.
Brian Stander Lays ’15/’16 and his wife, Sunelle, welcomed James Edward Stander Lays Nov. 6, 2020.
Britney Vokish Knight ’16 and her husband, Zach, welcomed Malachi James Knight Nov. 26, 2019. He joins big sister, Naomi.
David Schell ’18 and his wife, Kristen Marie, welcomed Micah Taylor Sneller Schell July 19, 2020.
PA N O R A M A
ALUMNAE/I NEWS
CLASS NOTES
Roy Kindelberger ’20 and his wife, Sammi, welcomed Ivah Lena Dec. 28, 2020.
Samantha Lowery Coggins ’20 and her husband, Joel, welcomed Cosette (Cozy) Lowery Coggins Feb. 16, 2021.
Peter, son of Katie Scott ’12 and Will Scott ’12
Nathaniel, son of Michael Wallace ’14 and Cortney
Aiden, son of Danielle Graham ’14
Molly, daughter of Jim Sands ’15 and Kristen
AJ, son of Allan Irizarry-Graves ’17 and Antoinette
LET US KNOW YOUR NEWS! Alums—do you have news to share? Did you receive a new call or accept a new position? Welcome a new member to your family? Get married? Retire? Or experience another milestone in life? Contact the Rev. Carolyn Cranston ’99, director of alumnae/i and church relations, at ccranston@pts. edu or 412-924-1375, and share your update! You can also join the Pittsburgh Seminary Alums Facebook page and stay connected to what’s happening with fellow grads.
Asher, son of Darryl Lockie ’17 and Bethany
Miguel, son of Kalyn Stevwing ’19 and Felix Rivera-Merced ’19
When we know about the birth of a little one, the Alumnae/i Office sends a shirt to say “welcome”. Thanks to the parents of these future seminarians for snapping some great photos. PA N O R A M A 49
ALUMNAE/I NEWS
IN MEMORY John Mark Scott ’44 Robert H. Kempes Sr. ’45 Wesley G. Jones ’47 Joseph M. Brown ’48 William (Bill) B. Anderson ’50 Stanley P. Hartung ’52 Donald E. Steeb ’52 Edward D. Grohman ’53 Del R Poling ’54 Mildred Vorhis Wheat ’54 Robert E. Borland ’55 James S. Clinefelter ’55 Lester W. Phillips ’55 Marshall Myron Wright ’55 Ray B. Brugler ’56 Betty Soles ’56 Robert J. Walker ’56/’90 Robert B. Woodworth II ’56/’61 Robert (Bob) A. Roof ’57 Lois Bixby Potter ’58 Lila Fay Achor ’59 James D. Bigley ’59/’80 George Kenneth (Ken) Gordon ’59 James Albert Keefer ’59 Ichiro Matsuda ’59/’61 Russell D. Williams Jr. ’59 Robert C. Henry ’60 J. Theodore (Ted) Hunniford ’60 Norman C. Hunt ’60 Walter Ransom Randy Rice ’60 Graeme W. Sieber ’60 David Wallace ’60 Frederich (Fred) G. Wyngarden ’60 John M. Hicks ’61 Bernarr L. Rhoades ’61 W. Franklin (Frank) Sparks ’61 William C. Gawlas ’63 William M. Campbell ’65 Robert B. McCrumb II ’65 John J. Dromazos ’67 Lawrence W. Corbett ’68 Arthur G. Hampson III ’69 Roselis E. M. E. Ward ’69 Douglas L. Shaffer ’70 Jack H. Dawson ’72 William L. Steele ’72 Salvatore Mascari ’75/’96 Herman L. Ridley ’75 Ronney M. Scott ’77 Thomas J. McKinnon Jr. ’82 Alexander S. Daley ’84 Manuel L. Dillingham ’85 Audrey Dayen Baldwin ’88 Claudia I. Papenmeier ’89 Robert S. McKie ’91 David A. Wasemann ’91 Dale Edward Luffman ’92 M. Kenneth Morris ’98 Janice L. Holmes ’08 Robert (Bob) Lee Rupp ’10 Martha W. Elliott ’13 Gary R. Glasser ’20 50
PA N O R A M A
Avella, Pa. Warrington, Pa. Ontario, Ore. Mt. Vernon, Wash. Clinton, S.C. Surfside Beach, S.C. Woodinville, Wash. Knoxville, Tenn. St. Petersburg, Fla. Nashville, Tenn. Youngsville, N.C. St. Petersburg, Fla. Elmira, Ont., Canada Murphy, N.C. Greenville, Pa. San Diego, Calif. Lakeland, Fla. Harrisonburg, Va. Cedar Falls, Iowa Spring Park, Minn. Boothbay Harbor, Maine Lakeland, Fla. Saint Paul, Minn. Auburn, Wash. Columbia, Mo. Bellefontaine, Ohio Brockway, Pa. Sarasota, Fla. California, Pa. Lincoln, Vt. Maryville, Tenn. Sedona, Ariz. Marshalltown, Iowa Allison Park, Pa. Lancaster, Pa. Springfield, Ohio Pittsburgh, Pa. Middlebury, Vt. Volant, Pa. Lewisburg, Pa. Scottsdale, Ariz. Hixson, Tenn. Unity, Sask., Canada Wyomissing, Pa. Canton, Ohio Tuckahoe, N.Y. Norridge, Ill. Indiana, Pa. Holmes Beach, Fla. Newville, Pa. Cambridge, Mass. Dothan, Ala. Verona, Pa. Irwin, Pa. Greensburg, Pa. Ligonier, Pa. Redmond, Ore. Kent, Ohio McKeesport, Pa. Duncansville, Pa. Glen Arm, Md. Pittsburgh, Pa.
July 22, 2020 Feb. 29, 2020 Dec. 1, 2020 April 19, 2012 March 22, 2021 Oct. 31, 2019 Jan. 25, 2018 Sept. 12, 2018 Oct. 1, 2020 Oct. 4, 2020 Aug. 26, 2020 June 27, 2020 June 12, 2020 Feb. 16, 2021 Dec. 5, 2020 Unknown July 12, 2020 Jan. 28, 2020 Jan. 24, 2021 July 10, 2020 Oct. 29, 2015 Jan. 9, 2021 Sept. 26, 2019 Nov. 13, 2012 April 29, 2020 April 26, 2020 Jan. 21, 2021 July 12, 2019 Jan. 1, 2017 Dec. 4, 2020 Dec. 13, 2015 Oct. 21, 2018 June 16, 2019 Nov. 19, 2020 Jan. 26, 2019 Jan. 28, 2021 March 11, 2021 Oct. 2, 2020 May 13, 2020 Nov. 18, 2020 Dec. 23, 2020 Dec. 17, 2020 April 25, 2020 July 13, 2010 Aug. 11, 2020 April 19, 2020 Feb. 28, 2007 March 4, 2021 April 4, 2020 Jan. 2, 2021 Aug. 12, 2017 Sept. 21, 2019 Dec. 28, 2020 Jan. 30, 2021 June 2, 2020 Oct. 31, 2018 March 25, 2020 Jan. 10, 2019 Jan. 7, 2021 July 27, 2020 Aug. 4, 2015 Feb. 24, 2021
REMEMBERING GEORGE TUTWILER MEMBER OF THE
McMILLAN SOCIETY OF PLANNED GIVING
O
ver his tenure at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, the Rev. George Tutwiler served as organist/choirmaster and instructor in church music and United Methodist Studies from 1981-2011. An ordained elder in The United Methodist Church, George was a member of the World Methodist Council. For nearly 40 years, he was an associate pastor/minister of music at three Pittsburgh area churches: First UMC of Pittsburgh, Eastminster PC, and Coraopolis UMC. He also served interims, including at Memorial Park PC and First PC of Pittsburgh. George received his bachelor’s in music and English from Geneva College, where he became a lecturer in music. He earned a certificate in theological studies from Wesley Theological Seminary and took graduate studies at Union (N.Y.) Theological Seminary School of Sacred Music and the University of Pittsburgh. Widely known as a recitalist, conductor, clinician, and lecturer, he was dean of the American Guild of Organists’ Pittsburgh Chapter and served as the Guild’s councilor for mid-Atlantic states for eight years. He also served a six-year term as national director of the Committee on Seminary and Denominational Relations and as vice president of the Pittsburgh Concert Society. A member of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, as well as the Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts, his interests focused on global congregational song and the renewal of liturgy and music in the church.
campus, he remained very active in the life of the institution as a generous benefactor. He would consistently contribute to his scholarship fund in hopes of increasing the amount of aid available for students in need. Today, his scholarship fund provides more than $6,000 each year for PTS students, due in large part to his personal contributions and to those of the individuals he positively impacted over the years. Over his 30 years at PTS, George’s infectious personality touched the lives of many colleagues and students. The Rev. Dr. Byron Jackson, dean emeritus of the faculty and Louise and Perry Dick Professor Emeritus of Education and friend, remembers, “It was impossible not to get along with George.” Moreover his role as instructor for United Methodist Studies gave him a platform to develop strong bonds with the many United Methodist students he instructed. George finished his career at PTS in 2011. At the time, the Seminary awarded him faculty emeritus status. Later in 2013, the Seminary also established The Rev. George E. Tutwiler Scholarship Endowment to honor his 30 years of service to the Seminary and our students. The scholarship was structured to provide aid in perpetuity for students in need of financial support. At the time, these honors were the perfect way to celebrate the prolific career of a great colleague and friend. After retiring, George’s commitment to the Seminary never wavered. Though he was no longer on
Sadly, George died in 2020, but he was far from finished providing for PTS and our students. In his will, George bequeathed an extremely generous gift of $400,000 for the Seminary to use as needed. Without question, this was a powerful statement that George’s experience and belief in PTS as an institution was worthy of such a transformational gift. We pray that our collective message of gratitude finds him in Heaven and that he knows how much we truly appreciate his commitment and generosity over the years. The John S. McMillan Planned Giving Society at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is named after the founder and father of Protestant theological education in Western Pennsylvania and the surrounding region. For more information on how you can become a member of the McMillan Society, please call or write: Dominick Oliver, director of development, at 412-924-1460 / doliver@pts. edu, or the Rev. Carolyn Cranston ’99, director of alumnae/i and church relations, at 412-924-1375 / ccranston@pts.edu. PA N O R A M A 51
NON-PROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE PAID PITTSBURGH, PA PERMIT #1438
OFFERING MASTER’S AND DOCTOR OF MINISTRY DEGREES, PLUS CERTIFICATES
P
ittsburgh Seminary offers the master of divinity, master of arts, and doctor of ministry degree programs. Additionally, students pursue graduate certificates in adaptive and innovative ministry, theological studies, ministry, missional leadership, and urban ministry. This fall we’ll launch a new Doctor of Ministry Focus—Intergenerational Black Church Studies. Grounded in the rich and sustaining history of the Black church in the United States and attentive to liberatory movements formed in faith orientations sometimes transcending church bounds, the new Doctor of Ministry Intergenerational Black Church Studies Focus brings together an intergenerational cohort of pastors to explore past, present, and future trajectories of Black church life. Emphasizing ecclesial pressure
points, expressions of social unrest, and creative spaces generating new formulations of black life, this focus will equip people for contemporary ministry by reaching deep within the history of traditions of the Black church while venturing out to learn from practices in design, arts, communications, and community organizing. Learn more on our website: www.pts.edu.