Panorama 2023

PANORAMA

IN SERVICE TOGETHER

PITTSBURGH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY VOL. LX SPRING 2023

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT: A TRADITION OF DYNAMIC COLLABORATION

The language we use to talk about traditions—especially religious traditions—often suggests that they are static, steady, and predictable. We have been known to declare that “This is how it has always been” or “This is how it will always be.” These are often attempts to cement a practice as tradition to render it unchangeable. Even when we don’t like a particular tradition, its familiarity provides comfort and therefore a sense of stability. Our theology conveys this when we proclaim God as “steady and unchanging” and it is affirmed in Hebrews when the writer declares our faith in Jesus Christ, who “is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.” Whether in a seminary classroom, church sanctuary, or a weekly meeting at work, we value familiarity and consistency.

But there is an angst in holding traditions. Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians sum up the tension of living with traditions. When explaining the Eucharist in chapter 11, Paul says, “For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you.” Such a phrase embodies the delicate dance of “holding and passing down” that defines tradition. The truth is, traditions are dynamic and evolving. They are meant to be so. Traditions in practice are meant to be consistent, but also relevant. Hymnals are periodically edited and recommissioned to better reflect more modern liturgical language. Our worship has evolved from lots of paper and talking and singing, to virtual worship with screens and hands-free connectivity. Our education has evolved from apprenticeship in the field to classrooms and lectures to Zoom rooms, SMART Boards, and virtual teaching. Traditions maintain the core of belief, but also adapt and evolve to speak to a contemporary time.

Honoring traditions while allowing space for necessary innovation is hard work. And, it is collaborative work. This issue of Panorama includes several stories of the ways the people of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary are working together within the larger traditions of Christianity and theological education. Though collaboration has always been a feature of the PTS community, the ways we are working together today must shift and evolve to meet new realities.

For more than two centuries, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (and its antecedent institutions) has maintained a tradition of preparing students for effective Christian ministry in the world. Our greatest strength has been to take those traditions and reinterpret them for the present generation of the Church. It is part of our DNA and that tradition continues today: not as a static form of reminiscing, but as a collaborative effort to create space for the dynamism of the Holy Spirit moving in our midst.

In the strength of that Spirit, let us continue working together for the glory of God.

Asa J. Lee President and Professor of Theological Formation for Ministry

PANORAMA

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

Spring 2023

Volume LX

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)

Associate Editor

The Rev. Erik A. Hoeke (ehoeke@pts.edu)

Designer

John McWilliams (john@mcwilliamscreative.com)

For changes of address, call 412-924-1388 or e-mail dkeys@pts.edu.

For class notes, photo submissions, or notices of births, 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.

Participating in God’s ongoing mission in the world, Pittsburgh

Theological Seminary is a community of Christ joining 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.

President and Professor of Theological Formation for Ministry

The Rev. Asa J. Lee, D.Min.

Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty and Howard C. Scharfe Associate Professor of Homiletics

The Rev. Angela Dienhart Hancock, Ph.D.

Vice President for Seminary Advancement

The Rev. Charles L. Fischer III, M.Div.

Vice President for Finance and Administration

Thomas A. Hinds, CPA

Pictured on the Cover

At the beginning of the 20222023 academic year, the Seminary gathered in worship to surround new members of our community and welcome them in service together.

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.

PTS

Seminary

Angela Dienhart Hancock Named Dean of Faculty

PTS Worship Program Receives Vital

Giving

Welcoming New Board Members

Donna Giver-Johnston Hired as Director of Doctor of Ministry Program

AnneMarie Mingo Joins Faculty

Faculty News and Articles

Faculty Books

Class Notes In Memory

Remembering James Durlesser and James Foster Reese

Jim DiEgidio ’79: Member of the

THE SPIRIT OF SYNERGY: DIFFERENT MEMBERS. ONE BODY OF CHRIST.

For 20 years, I have been blessed to serve as the pastor of four different churches: small, medium, and large; rural, suburban, and urban; red, blue, and purple; looking backward to the past, looking inward to themselves, looking outward to the community. Each church was made up of people with a variety of gifts. My call was to help them work together to use them for the common good of building up the body of Christ.

I remember a retreat I led with the session of elders for one church. I introduced the theme of the retreat by reading 1 Corinthians 12: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ” (v. 12). Then I continued: “If the ear would say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be?” (vv. 16-17).

I asked people to share the body part with which they identified most based on their spiritual gifts. Some said their ears, others said eyes, some said hands, others feet, and a mouth for one who admitted she had the gift of gab. We all laughed knowingly. I ended with Paul’s final words of call and challenge: “You are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (v. 27).

“How then,” I posed, “do we work together as the body of Christ?” I paired together the ear and the

mouth, the eyes and the feet, the head and the heart. They found it challenging to appreciate how their partners’ gifts were just as valuable as their own. They practiced honoring each of the individual parts for the good of the whole body. We talked and listened. We laughed and learned. We bonded and became united in mission. Retreats are good for that.

Once back at the church, our deeper appreciation of how our individual gifts work together for the common good continued to guide us and unite us in mission. Over time, as we learned to work together, we became a stronger church and a healthier body of Christ. That was then. Years after I left, I learned that this church was in crisis. The sense of unity broke down. It went through a time of conflict and division and dwindling membership. Today, it is healing and growing and reimagining life working together as the body of Christ.

Most recently, I served Community Presbyterian Church of Ben Avon, Pa., for nearly a decade. Over the years, we talked and listened. We laughed and learned. We worshiped and worked together. We bonded and became united in our mission: to bring Christ to our community and bring our community to Christ.

Just as everything seemed to be working together for good, I received a call to leave pastoral ministry to come to Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and serve as the director of the Doctor of Ministry Program. It was

a hard decision to leave this beloved church, but I came to accept what I understood as God’s call to serve the larger Church. When I told my congregation I was leaving, they were sad, but supportive, because they understood—perhaps better than I did at the time—the meaning of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 12:4-7:

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

It is the same Spirit, the same Lord, the same God, who gives different gifts and calls us to use them in different ways for the common good. The people of Community PC understood that the work of the Seminary supports the work of the Church, which supports the work of the Seminary. Each in its own way, the Church and the Seminary work together for the common good of building up the body of Christ.

In the few months I have been at PTS I have observed a commitment to “collaborative work” and “one Seminary.” And in this one Seminary, I have heard different people talk and listen. People laugh and learn. People worship and work together. People bond and become united in our mission: “Participating in God’s ongoing mission in the world, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is a community of Christ joining 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.”

As I have visited the various Doctor of Ministry cohorts, I have met many different people with many different gifts, all working together for the common good of building up the body of Christ:

• a pie shop owner who welcomes all with radical hospitality

• a financial layperson who is committed to supporting a healthy pastor and church

• a pastor whose project supports Black women’s health through Sabbath-keeping

• a Scottish minister whose church has become a community gathering place to mark the death of loved ones

“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.”

THE SPIRIT OF SYNERGY: DIFFERENT MEMBERS. ONE BODY OF CHRIST. (continued)

• a Coptic Christian who teaches discipleship to youth and leadership to adults at the American University in Cairo

• an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who serves refugees in their resettlement

• a campus minister who engages in practices that deepen students’ spirituality

Different locations. One seminary. Different gifts. One Spirit. Different members. One body of Christ. There is perhaps nowhere else in the Bible that we hear such a clarion call to work together as in 1 Corinthians. It was a divided church. The root of the problem was individual members thinking their gifts were more important than others and forgetting that they needed to work together. And so, Paul reminded them:

God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it (vv. 24-26).

Paul uses a unique Greek preposition—syn/sym (meaning “with” or “together”)—as a prefix to each of the verbs

“arrange,” “suffer,” and “rejoice.” Literally, “God mixed together (συνεκέρασεν) the parts of the body . . . If one member suffers, the body experiences the suffering together (συμπάσχει); if one member is honored, it rejoices together (συνχαίρει).” Perhaps Paul wants to make it clear that being together is arranged by God, so that we might suffer and rejoice and live together as one body.

The word synergy comes from the Greek syn “together” and ergon “work,” meaning people or organizations work together to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate parts.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I went to the August Wilson African American Cultural Center to hear some jazz. We were mesmerized by Vanisha Gould’s quartet: vocalist, pianist, bass, and drummer. Each musician was uniquely gifted and took turns as soloists. But when they played together, the result was pure synergy, gloriously greater than the sum of their separate parts.

All these centuries later, Paul’s words still speak to us today.

In our ranking of value, we are called as individuals with different gifts.

In our division of labor, we are called as individuals with different gifts to work together.

In our selfish endeavors, we are called as individuals with different gifts to work together for the common good.

In our churches and seminaries, we are called as individuals with different gifts to work together for the common good of building up the body of Christ.

Different members. Same Spirit. Different work. One body of Christ. Blessed synergy.

May it be so.

The Rev. Dr. Donna Giver-Johnston is the director of the Doctor of Ministry Program.

WORKING TOGETHER: #SQUADGOALS

As a Bible scholar, multiple stories from Scripture run through my mind when I think of examples of working together. A case may be made for the cosmos working together with the Divine in the stories of creation found in Genesis 1-2. Viewed as an ensemble effort, the collaborative work in Judges 4 of Deborah, Barak, and Jael to defeat Sisera and the Canaanites stands as another example. Additionally, in Nehemiah 3 the orchestration of the returnees from exile rebuilding different sections of the wall of Jerusalem models solidarity and the power of cooperation.

Perhaps the best example of working together begins in the 27th chapter of the book of Numbers. Here, the story of Zelophehad’s daughters not only demonstrates the power of working together but also highlights

the importance of having the right people around you to get a job done—of being part of the right squad.

The colloquial designation “squad” was made popular in hip hop culture to describe a self-chosen group of people with which one wants to identify. Generally, a squad is a group of individuals working together to accomplish a goal, whether a small tactical military unit deployed on a mission, a group of professionals cleaning office buildings at night, or the now-famous group of female members of Congress representing New York, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Michigan. The story of the daughters of Zelophehad demonstrates the power of working together, the power of a squad.

Found in Numbers 27:1-11 and 36:1-12, the daughters’ two-part story is embedded in a larger, familiar narrative. Readers encounter this story as the Israelites have escaped Egypt and are on their way to Canaan, the land of promise. On the heels of military skirmishes, war, and occupying foreign lands, when readers catch up with Moses, the high priest Eleazar, and the Israelites in Numbers 27, the people have participated in a census.

According to the biblical writer, the daughters of a man named Zelophehad show up to the meeting where—after acquiring land in battle and completing a census— Moses and the elders are dividing the land among the male heads of household. The daughters of Zelophehad approach the gathering and, speaking in unison, ask for the

(Continued on next page)

WORKING TOGETHER:

land that would otherwise be given to their recently-deceased father. Normally, in a patriarchal society like the one depicted in the Bible, a man bequeathed his property to his sons. This custom was particularly important because in agrarian societies like the one depicted in biblical Israel, land ownership represented rights and privileges. In addition to maintaining control of the major mechanism for economic production and income generated from that production, those who controlled land possessed proprietary rights to the things that were attendant to it (i.e., rents, goods and services, and labor).1

The story of Zelophehad’s daughters is counterintuitive because in the biblical text, generally women were prohibited from participating in these spaces. The receipt of their father’s inheritance share (Zelophehad had no sons) ostensibly grants the daughters legal authority associated with property ownership. Indeed, when these women come to claim

what they understand to be due them, they are challenging the status quo.2 Theirs is a bold move.

And the sisters are correct in their boldness! In Numbers 27:5, Moses brings the sisters’ case before the LORD and in verses 6-7 readers learn: “the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: ‘The daughters of Zelophehad are right in what they are saying; you shall indeed let them possess an inheritance among their father’s brothers and pass the inheritance of their father on to them.’”

In chapter 36 the community elders approach Moses and ostensibly add a stipulation to the Lord’s directive. The daughters of Zelophehad may indeed inherit their father’s portion, but they must marry within their kin group. Seemingly working together, all five of the daughters comply with this new requirement and marry sons of their father’s brothers in verse 36:11. The Zelophehad sisters fulfill the new condition of inheritance, but then Moses dies before the land is transferred to them. Thus, at the

end of Numbers 36, the daughters are without their father and without their land.

But that is not the end of the story for the Zelophehad squad. Careful readers of the biblical text find the resolution in Joshua 17. There, nestled in verses 3-4, readers find the following:

Now Zelophehad son of Hepher son of Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh had no sons, but only daughters; and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They came before the priest Eleazar and Joshua son of Nun and the leaders, and said, ‘The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance along with our male kin.’ So according to the commandment of the LORD [Joshua] gave them an inheritance among the kinsmen of their father.

Working together, the squad approached the authorities, spoke in unison, and received the promise

The lands of ancient Canaan.

#SQUADGOALS

of inheritance made in Numbers 27. Working together, the squad reassembled, complied with the new marriage stipulation as a unit, and approached the new community leader prepared to receive their promised inheritance. Together, the squad lived through the death of Moses. Together, all five watched Joshua lead the Israelites triumphantly at Jericho. As a team, all five lived through the northern and southern expansions. And as a squad, all five show up in Joshua 17, the daughters of Zelophehad finally receiving from Joshua what was promised to them in the book of Numbers. Despite the many obstacles, the squad met its goal. The daughters of Zelophehad received their inheritance.

As we focus on the benefits and challenges of serving together in this issue of Panorama, I encourage you to get yourself a squad that will stick with you—even through your Numbers 36 obstacles. Imagine how powerful we would be if, like Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah, we worked together as a

seminary and church. Get yourself a squad!

Get yourself a squad like the iconic Radio City Rockettes. You need talented and versatile people on your squad. You need a squad that will dance with you and will catch you when you fall. Trust and cherish your squad!

Get yourself a squad like the one Steve Rogers (aka, Marvel’s Captain America) had when he thought he was battling Thanos by himself in Avengers: Endgame. Moviegoers might remember the dramatic scene in which Captain America, standing exhausted and alone among the ruins of battle, suddenly hears a barely audible voice. “On your left.” He slowly turns over his shoulder and sees King T’Challa/The Black Panther and the Wakandan army there to support him. Then, one by one the other members of the Avengers squad arrive to work together and help Captain America defeat Thanos.

Get yourself a squad that will surprise you with their commitment. A squad that will unify and support you when your challenge seems

insurmountable. A squad that will stick with you through uncertain circumstances. Get yourself a squad that will show up when you need them most. Work together! Assemble your squad!

1 Gerhard E. Lenski, Power and Privilege: A Theory of Social Stratification (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1984), 216, 220, and 229.

2 Raymond Westbrook points out that the heirs of the first rank who inherited automatically were the deceased’s legitimate sons, namely, sons born of a legitimate marriage. Where a son had already died but had left sons, the grandchildren would take his share alongside their uncle(s), and divide it between themselves. See Raymond Westbrook, The Character of Ancient Near Eastern Law (Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2003), 57. For more on daughter inheritance see Zafrira BenBarak, Inheritance by Daughters in Israel and the Ancient Near East: A Social, Legal, and Ideological Revolution (Jaffa, Israel: Archaeological Center Publications, 2006).

The Rev. Dr. Kimberly D. Russaw is associate professor of Old Testament.

LEARNING WITH DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES

Howard C. Scharfe Associate Professor of Homiletics the Rev. Dr. Angela Hancock is introducing the latest group project in her “Exploring Christian Worship” course. The mission is for students to work in groups to identify natural disasters— “acts of God”—discussed in biblical texts, and God’s response to them. Then, the groups discuss how they would preach or lead worship on a Sunday following the occurrence of that type of event.

“The most helpful part of the ‘acts of God’ project is collaboratively

thinking through how we can best approach difficult topics like natural disasters. It’s invaluable to be able to do so before we ever have to in reality,” says Simeon Rodgers, M.Div. student. “Each person has a unique voice and life experience that colors conversation and theology in unexpected shades and hues. This enlivens and enriches the story we tell together.”

Dr. Hancock’s students love how she frequently incorporates group work

into the course. Similar to the “acts of God” exercise, she has students work collaboratively to interpret Scripture and prepare for worship related to systemic evil, death, and “body trouble” (how things go wrong with human bodies). She wants students to learn the value of drawing on a collective knowledge of Scripture.

“Part of what I enjoy about PTS is the different perspectives you hear from classmates,” says Stephanie Backus, M.Div. student. “Having the perspectives of students around me who believe in different things, follow different doctrines, is really important because they’re not perspectives I’m going to get in my home church or explore naturally on my own.”

“Your mission, should you choose to accept it . . .”

But M.Div. student Karlie McWilliams admits that group work is not always easy. “Sometimes we had opposing points of view, or felt that one verse was either appropriate or inappropriate. But remembering to treat each other with respect is key. Truly listening and understanding what the other is saying often helps us to choose a middle path or lead us to something none of us had thought of [previously],” Karlie says.

Simeon embraces the conflict as an essential part of the learning process. He says, “We overcome the fear of conflict by sanctifying the process, remembering that God is not absent, and acknowledging that the essence of human life is largely conflictual. When we all can move into a place of embracing the process as a

catalyst for growth, we can see one another as co-laborers as opposed to threats.”

Stephanie knows collaboration in the classroom is preparing her for local church ministry. “Bringing students together of different backgrounds is important for the formation of clergy,” she says. “Sometimes we find ourselves in a homogenous vacuum, and we’re not as prepared to disagree when someone new comes in. But when you’re in ministry, you’re going to encounter people who come from different viewpoints than you have, and you have to come to it with a willingness to listen to one another.”

Her classmates agree that collaborative learning is essential. “Learning to collaborate is an important skill,” Karlie says. “This class helped me to understand that my views are not always the best

way to see something, and it also taught me what wonderful ways my classmates see the world.”

Simeon adds, “If we can’t learn to do this ecumenical, fundamentally human, and healthy work in a place that is teaching leaders, how will we ever lead ministries, congregations, or the world into such a hopeful future? Let the change we want to see in the world start in our own hearts, our own classrooms, our own house.”

ON THE EDGE OF MINISTRY: THE PTS NEIGHBORHOOD COLLABORATIVE

Participating in God’s ongoing mission in the world, Pittsburgh

Theological Seminary is a community of Christ joining 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.

This current mission statement that guides PTS represents the work of the Seminary since its inception. As the first Presbyterian ministers came to this region in the 1750s, they wondered, what will the church look like in the future? How can we gather communities of faith? And how do we provide theological education not only for those who want to enter ministry, but for the masses? These early Presbyterian ministers were at the

edge of the country, the edge of ministry, working to engage their new neighbors in a new land.

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary continues in the great adventurous spirit of those who founded our antecedent institutions in 1794. Now, 229 years later, we are again wondering, what is the future of the Church? How can we gather communities of faith? And how do we provide theological education not only for those who want to enter ministry, but for the masses? We are again on the edge of ministry, in new locations, working with new neighbors in somewhat unfamiliar lands.

One of the ways we are working together at the Seminary to answer these questions is through the formation of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Neighborhood Collaborative. The PTS Neighborhood Collaborative is made up of six programs that you already know and love: Center for Adaptive and Innovative Ministry, Continuing Education, Kelso Museum of Near Eastern Archeology, MetroUrban Institute, Miller Summer Youth Institute, and World Mission

Initiative. These outstanding programs and resources represent our commitment to support and envision a broad and diverse church of the future. By working together in new and intentional ways we can maximize our impact in neighborhoods global, national, regional, and local.

The adventurous spirit of our founders is one that leads us boldly to work together as the PTS Neighborhood Collaborative. This too is foundational to the history of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Recently I was given a copy of the January 1973 Panorama where then President William H. Kadel described a new type of leadership at PTS as an “open process.” Dr. Kadel said, “There is always a greater chance of error when a person acts singly than when he [sic] works with others and has opportunity to test his ideas and feelings. And when

the ‘others’ are taken seriously so that beyond ‘advising’ they share the ‘decision-making,’ then the product of the group has a much less chance of error than when one person’s thoughts are decisive . . . When each is taken seriously enough to be given the opportunity to apply his skills to the decision-making process, the community to which he belongs is enriched.” Fifty years after Dr. Kadel wrote these words the PTS Neighborhood Collaborative is returning to them to shape the way we understand our work together.

The rich history of Pittsburgh

Theological Seminary is guiding

us into the future, with the spirit of adventure from those first Presbyterian pastors who came to this far west area to share the love of God with new neighbors while asking big questions about the future of the church. With the desire of former presidents who encourage us to work together in new ways. And with these Seminary programs working together to honor the past and walk faithfully into the future of theological education. Visit the Seminary’s website to learn more.

The Rev. Erin Davenport is director of strategic initiatives and special projects.

CREATING SPACE FOR SUPPORT AND GROWTH

Two PTS Alumni Lead an Anti-racist Collective in Pittsburgh

Even through a computer screen, the Rev. Michael (Mike) Holohan ‘10 (pictured left) and the Rev. Gavin Walton ‘16 (pictured right) exude hospitality and friendliness. It’s easy to see why both are pastors, capable of delicately balancing speaking with listening, and the pastoral with the prophetic. Together, Gavin and Mike lead an anti-racist collective in Pittsburgh. For almost three years—since the acceleration of the Black Lives Matter movement after the killing of George Floyd—they have organized monthly meetings on Zoom with area leaders who desire a space for meaningful conversation and learning.

member. “The spring of 2020 awoke something in the consciousness of America, and it was incumbent on people of faith to come together and respond and see what could be possible in our own spaces.”

As friends and colleagues, Gavin and Mike sensed a need to keep the momentum going in Pittsburgh. But they soon recognized that many organizations were already doing significant work. What was needed was a space to build trusting relationships.

Mike is the pastor of The Commonwealth of Oakland, a non-traditional church founded in 2018. Of the anti-racist collective, he says: “The focus of this group is on relationships and accountability. When something particularly tragic gets in the news cycle, a lot of white people get activated to do something about it, and then move on by the next new cycle. And so this needs to be a lifetime commitment of work. How do we hold each other accountable to doing this work long term?”

and sustaining the work through relationships.

Because it’s an experiment, sometimes things don’t go as smoothly as expected. Last year, after conflict erupted in one of their meetings, two participants later connected in an attempt to more clearly understand each other. “That’s exactly in line with the values we’re trying to live into: rather than conflict repelling each other, allowing it to draw people together,” Mike says. In contrast to other organizing models that attempt to minimize difference, he says the collective aspires to lean into difference more courageously.

“The idea was to create an environment where people can come together, sustain each other, and hold each other accountable in their anti-racist work, and not just let the flame die out when the moment passed,” says Gavin, pastor of Grace Memorial Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh and PTS Board

The collective has also become a place for religious and community leaders to learn about events and initiatives others are doing. And it is always a sacred space for people to speak or ask questions in an effort to continue growing and learning. Gavin says it’s still an experiment in the process of being shaped, but a major focus is on supporting

Gavin adds that this practice within the group is less about resolving tension and more about learning to live amid the tension. He credits Pittsburgh Seminary for helping him to be more comfortable with engaging difference, and recognizes this skill as essential to Christian ministry and community leadership. And both he and Mike are encouraged by the Seminary’s recent efforts to make racial justice more central to its curriculum and programming so that all students learn how best to engage in relationships across racial and ethnic difference. “We’re under no illusion that racism will end in our lifetime or even our kids’ lifetime, so relationships are the only thing that will get us through,” Gavin says. “If we’re going to walk alongside each other, I need to know what matters to you.”

PARTNERING PASTORS LEAD WITH TRUST AND FAITH

PTS Alumnae Kristin Beckstrom Widrich and Sharon Stewart Make a Dynamic Pastoral Duo

Since 2020, the Rev. Dr. Kristin Beckstrom Widrich ’04/’19 (pictured right) and the Rev. Sharon Stewart ’12 (pictured left) have served as co-pastors at Jefferson United Presbyterian Church, a small congregation in Jefferson Hills, Pa. Though they have known each other for more than 20 years, neither would have guessed that one day they would serve a church together. But the Holy Spirit had other plans.

In late 2019, Jefferson UPC began looking for their next pastoral leader. Early in the search process, someone from the church approached Sharon and asked her why she hadn’t applied for the position. But Sharon, who works with the Sudan/ South Sudan Mission Network, the Christian Educators in Pittsburgh Presbytery, and is a grandmother, had no interest in a full-time position and had no intentions of applying. That same day, Kristin—who was coming to the end of her contract as part-time temporary associate pastor at nearby Pleasant Hills Community Presbyterian Church—called Sharon to see if she knew of any part-time openings.

“Sharon immediately got real quiet, which is unlike her,” Kristin remembers. “But the Spirit was starting to plant some seeds in her head.”

The seed germinated into a wild idea they proposed to Jefferson UPC: what if they hired them as copastors, both working part-time? Kristin could use her primary gifts

of preaching and administration, complementing well with Sharon’s gifts of pastoral care and spiritual formation and discipleship. It was a perfect match for both pastors and the congregation.

Now in their third year as a pastoral team, Kristin and Sharon feel blessed by the partnership and the congregation. “We say every day that we’re blessed to work together,” Kristin says. Part of that blessing comes from balancing each other’s personalities. Sharon calls herself a “mover and shaker” who never runs out of ideas, and together with Kristin’s more measured, administrative approach they are helping the congregation discover a new energy and vision for what God is calling them to be and do in their community.

“This is clearly the work of the Holy One,” Sharon says. “It’s kind of like we’re just opening the door and asking, ‘Lord, what are you doing here, and how can we participate in what you want to do?’” Kristin adds, “We’re constantly astounded at what God is doing.”

Although they have distinct roles and responsibilities at Jefferson UPC, Sharon and Kristin meet weekly to read Scripture together and pray about things going on in the church, their community, and in their personal lives. That has been essential to building and sustaining a high level of trust, which allows them to have honest conversations and address any disagreements before they turn into conflicts. “We’ve

always made sure there’s plenty of room to be open and honest with each other, to say ‘I’m not sure about that’ when the other person has an idea,” Kristin says.

“We do keep each other accountable and sharpen each other, and we’re not afraid of making a mistake and being confronted about something by the other person,” Sharon says. This is only made possible, they agree, because they trust and respect each other as well as the Holy Spirit leading them.

The way Kristin and Sharon work together also provides a positive example to the congregation. The trust and honesty in their relationship empowers the members of Jefferson UPC to be honest and trusting with their pastors, with one another, and with the community. That seed once planted by the Spirit is now blossoming into a beautiful faith community in which all are seeking to recognize the giftedness of each individual.

PTS OFFERS INTERNATIONAL

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is in partnership with several international institutions of higher education, two of which are detailed here. These partnerships help members of the PTS community better understand the global nature of the Church, develop relationships with individuals and groups across cultures, and engage in mutual learning and research with faculty around the world. The Seminary’s global educational partnerships include:

REFORMED UNIVERSITY OF COLOMBIA, BARRANQUILLA, COLOMBIA

Since 2017, the Reformed University of Colombia (Corporación Universitaria Reformada (CUR)), and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary have partnered to form leaders in an increasingly multicultural world. PTS and CUR partner in research, teaching and exchange activities, and joint curriculum projects. Thus far, PTS students have traveled to Colombia, a CUR instructor earned a degree at PTS, and joint teaching is being explored. In 2022, President Lee and Mg. Helis Barraza Dias, rector of CUR, formally agreed to continue the partnership.

A delegation from PTS traveled to Barranquilla, Colombia, March 4-9, 2023, to celebrate the agreement and hold an event to honor International Women’s Day on March 8. The

event—“International Conversation: Women, Bible, and Violence”— included PTS Associate Professor of New Testament Dr. Jennifer T. Kaaland and Presbyterian Pastor and CUR Professor of Old Testament Angélica María Múnera Cervera. President Lee and World Mission Initiative Director the Rev. Dr. Hunter Farrell were also in attendance. Back in Pittsburgh, a group of students, faculty, and staff gathered on the PTS campus to view a livestream of the event, while others attended virtually across the world.

Dr. Farrell says, “Our relationship with the Reformed University of Colombia enables us to experience a global partner deeply committed not just to serving the marginalized in their society—the poor, indigenous

PARTNERSHIPS IN EDUCATION

peoples, Afro-Colombians—but to hearing the Gospel from these very groups. Can you imagine if our most marginalized neighbors—the poor and persons of color—became the ones in whose faces, at whose feet, we encountered the Living Christ? It would change the Church and turn the world upside down! This is the power of our global partnerships.”

Later this year, Reformed University will welcome a PTS alumnus to teach two sections of systematic theology. While taking a sabbatical from ministry in Ohio, the Rev. Michael Wallace ’14 will teach two undergraduate systematic theology classes at CUR, and his wife, Courtney, will do work with the bilingual program.

(Continued on next page)

“There is a subtle reminder in the biblical text of the power of partnerships. Whether it is the meeting at the house on Straight Street with Saul, Ananias, and Judas, or the disciples being sent out twoby-two, partners are a critical part of the propagation of the gospel. Western secular wisdom teaches us that no man is an island, West African wisdom teaches us it takes a village to raise a child, and biblical wisdom tells us a threefold cord is not easily undone. This is why PTS pursues partnerships: Our shared work with partners helps us to better live out our mission.”

– President Asa

Lee

PTS OFFERS INTERNATIONAL

SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY, DUMAGUETE CITY, PHILIPPINES

PTS and the Silliman University Divinity School have worked in partnership since 2019 to develop academic and educational exchange. The relationship includes sharing of faculty, lecturers, researchers, and students; collaborative research projects, lectures, and symposia; and reciprocation of academic information and materials.

In 2019 and 2023, students from PTS traveled to the Philippines as part of the Seminary’s intercultural learning trips. Both opportunities focused on ecological justice and the global impact of climate change and capitalism, with particular attention to local challenges in the Philippines. Mutual learning between students at Pittsburgh Seminary and Silliman Divinity School has illuminated these challenges within a complicated history of colonization. The 2019 group visited sugar cane farmers in a mountainous region that had been deforested by global sugar conglomerates and logging companies, and learned about programs in place to reforest the hillsides. This past January, PTS students spent time in a fishing village, where the “fisher folk” are organizing against global developers whose plans to put in oceanfront resorts would upset the ecology of the region and threaten the economic livelihood of the fishers.

PARTNERSHIPS IN EDUCATION

Dr. Scott Hagley, W. Don McClure Associate Professor of World Mission and Evangelism at PTS, says, “An

important

goal and

hope

for

this partnership is to help students recognize that the gospel calls us to solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the world for the sake of peace and justice. This sense of solidarity should inform the decisions we make as global citizens. We also want to re-imagine mission as partnership rather than doing projects on behalf of people.”

Dr. Hagley served as a visiting scholar at Silliman in 2020, and has partnered with Silliman faculty to do conference presentations both in the Philippines and in the U.S. Another PTS intercultural learning trip is in the works for January 2025. As of this writing, plans are currently developing to have a student leader from Silliman come to participate in the Miller Summer Youth Institute at PTS this year. Seminary faculty and staff are hopeful that these efforts will prove successful.

SEMINARY HOSTS AMEN TO ACTION FOOD PACKING EVENT

On Nov. 12, 2022, members of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary community gathered on campus along with 350+ volunteers of all ages from local churches, schools, and groups to pack 100,000 meals through the organization Amen to Action. The fruits of our collective labor were distributed to the Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and other local food banks. What an amazing day!

We kicked off the morning with worship and greetings from PTS President Asa Lee, who reminded us that our collective hands were a part of a modern miracle by feeding thousands of individuals in need. Music was provided by the talented choir of Rodman Street Missionary Baptist Church.

PTS OFFERS HYBRID PROGRAMS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Beginning in fall 2023, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary will offer all its master’s and certificate programs in a hybrid format—allowing PTS to be your neighborhood seminary regardless of your neighborhood location.

“Theological education has been shifting for decades and the pandemic allowed many schools, including ours, to envision a new way of preparing ministry leaders,” said President Asa Lee. “This hybrid model allows us to increase access for our students while

remaining rooted in our pedagogical commitments to student formation.”

The Seminary’s hybrid model allows students living on campus and students living at a distance to be part of one community of learning and formation. Distance students will engage directly with faculty in weekly synchronous online course sessions, and a selection of inperson options will continue to be available each semester for those who prefer that format. All students taking a hybrid course will attend two 2.5 day in-person gatherings per semester, joining residential students for worship, discernment,

study, and contextual adventures in Pittsburgh. All students will participate in the gatherings and benefit from additional programming related to formation—community, personal, spiritual, professional, and ecclesial. Students enrolled full time can continue to complete the master of divinity program in three years and the master of arts programs in two years; in the hybrid format part-time students can complete the master of divinity in five years and the master of arts programs in four years. Unlike some other seminaries, the PTS master’s hybrid program is subject to the standard credit rate and subsidized to remove economic

barriers to enrollment. Merit, needbased, and other forms of aid are available to qualified candidates.

“Quality theological education requires a learning community— one in which faculty and students have significant opportunities for interaction, diverse students can learn from each other, intellectual and pastoral skills are honed, and spiritual growth is supported through a variety of shared practices,” said the Rev. Dr. Angela Dienhart Hancock, Howard C. Scharfe Associate Professor of Homiletics and vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty. “While students

enrolled in hybrid programs will enjoy the formative experiences of the campus gatherings each semester, we view their home context as a primary site of formation. Hybrid students will be guided in making the most of the resources of their own neighborhoods, even as they connect to the neighborhood of Pittsburgh.”

The PTS faculty is committed to maintaining a standard of excellence in the hybrid format. This learning modality enables students from any neighborhood in the world to study with accomplished faculty and a diverse student body, while having the freedom to learn primarily in the location and format that works best for them. Whether students desire to join us as a residential student, a mostly-remote learner, or a combination of the two, PTS is your neighborhood seminary, meaning students can immediately apply what they learn in their particular context instead of waiting until after graduation.

The hybrid format is the latest example of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary reimagining the method of course delivery to reduce barriers to educational access. Since the days of Fred Rogers ’62 taking classes on lunch breaks from his job in television, PTS has sought to meet students’ needs with evening classes, changes in term schedules, and technology upgrades to facilitate online learning during the pandemic. In this newest learning model, there are many neighborhoods and one seminary.

“Theological education has been shifting for decades and the pandemic allowed many schools, including ours, to envision a new way of preparing ministry leaders.”

SEMINARY INSTALLS FIVE FACULTY IN ENDOWED CHAIRS

On Nov. 8, 2022, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary installed five faculty members in endowed chairs during a service at Hicks Chapel. The five faculty honored were the Rev. Dr. Leanna K. Fuller (Joan Marshall Chair in Pastoral Care), Dr. Scott J. Hagley (W. Don McClure Chair in World Mission and Evangelism), the Rev. Dr. Angela Dienhart Hancock (Howard C. Scharfe Chair in Homiletics), the Rev. Dr. L. Roger Owens (Hugh Thomson Kerr Chair of Pastoral Theology), and the Rev. Dr. R. Drew Smith (Henry L. Hillman Chair in Urban Ministry).

The “Fab Five,” as the group of installed faculty were called throughout the evening, represent a tradition of academic excellence at PTS through their teaching, research, publication, and service to the Church.

“The seating in chairs is an act rooted in the ancient belief that wisdom is found by those who sit and teach in the public square, or sit as one would imagine a parent on a porch or in the center of a living room in an old recliner, where at the feet of that chair wisdom is being conveyed,” remarked President Lee.

He continued: “In this seating we also keep our commitments as an institution, first to our faculty to continue to promote excellent scholarship, academic rigor, research for the life and future of the Church.

We keep our commitment to the names of the saints—those who have given of themselves and of their treasure, to ensure in perpetuity that commitments of faith and discipline be provided from this place of wisdom to the life of the Church. But we also keep our commitment to the Church, and maintain our relationship with our Mother Church, the body of Christ writ large, to continue to resource it with excellence and academic research.”

Preaching at the service was the Rev. Dr. Frank Yamada, executive director of The Association of Theological Schools and the Commission on Accrediting. “This is a very good day for PTS, for theological education, and for the life of the Church,” he said. “Not only is it rare to have an installation of five professors into chairs, but to do this in the area of Christian ministries is also a unique and special gift both to the Church and the academy.”

Yamada encouraged those in attendance, both in person and online, to see the celebration as “an act of faithful resistance to see the holy in the profane; to see a very good day in the middle of very troubled times.” He repeatedly referenced Psalm 118:24—“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it”—as a reminder to have eyes and ears for what God is doing in the Church and world rather than giving in to dominant attitudes of fear.

The installation service was the culmination of a year-long celebration which included separate lectures given by each installed faculty member between March and October. As part of the celebration, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary established a tradition of gifting each newly installed faculty member a literal chair, provoking playful jealousy from Faculty Marshal and Robert C. Holland Professor of Old Testament the Rev. Dr. Jerome F. D. Creach before he gave a charge to the new chair holders.

“On behalf of your faculty colleagues, I congratulate each of you on your appointment to an endowed chair. Your appointment is a recognition of the significant contribution that each of you has made and of the joyful anticipation of the contributions you will make to your field,” said Dr. Creach.

Representing the PTS Board of Directors was the Rev. John Shaver ’98, who congratulated the honorees and expressed gratitude for the donors who established these five endowed faculty chairs. Board Chair James Gockley, James Henry Snowden Professor of Systematic Theology the Rev. Dr. John Burgess, Student Association President Noah Morgan, and Director of the Center for Adaptive and Innovative Ministry the Rev. Karen Rohrer also participated in the service.

Near the end of the service, Dr. Hancock spoke on behalf of the five faculty being installed. She said: “It is the Church that led us here. To be more precise, it is God who led us here by means of the churches who have loved us. Once upon a time we were each baptized and blessed in the context of a Christian community. Once upon a time we each came to faith and grew in faith through the witness of Christian communities. Ever since then we have been formed and reformed by the communities who have called us to worship and joined us in ministry and service . . . So we commit and recommit ourselves to the Church today, not as those standing far off, but as those who stand within.”

The entire community of Pittsburgh

Theological Seminary—faculty, staff, students, alumnae/i, Board members, donors, and friends—celebrates with these “Fab Five” scholars and gives God glory for their dedicated contributions to the Seminary, Church, and world.

ANGELA DIENHART HANCOCK NAMED DEAN OF FACULTY

PTS WORSHIP PROGRAM RECEIVES VITAL WORSHIP GRANT

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary has named the Rev. Dr. Angela Dienhart Hancock as vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty. The appointment began Jan. 1, 2023, and she continues in her role as the Howard C. Scharfe Associate Professor of Homiletics.

“Dr. Hancock is the right leader for this time in the Seminary’s history,” said President Lee. “She possesses all the necessary qualities to shape the future of theological education at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary as we continue forming students for service in the church and the community through expanded programs and modalities.”

Dr. Hancock is an ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and has served as pastor to churches in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Tennessee. She is the author of Karl Barth’s Emergency Homiletic, 193233: A Summons to Prophetic Witness at the Dawn of the Third Reich, a contextual interpretation of Swiss

theologian Karl Barth’s lectures on preaching in the early 1930s based on unpublished archival material. Her current research explores Karl Barth’s contribution to the ethics of deliberation in Christian communities and the relationship between political and theological rhetoric.

In addition to teaching courses on preaching, worship, theodicy, and cultivating Christian community, Dr. Hancock has exercised administrative leadership in a number of areas during her years at PTS, including the Worship Program, student learning outcomes assessment, and the current reaccreditation institutional self-study.

“I am excited to work with colleagues, seeking to foster educational excellence from this new vantage point in the institution,” Dr. Hancock said. “PTS is well-positioned to respond faithfully and creatively to the ongoing challenge of preparing leaders for the changing landscape of ministry today.”

The Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Worship Program is excited and grateful to have received a Vital Worship Grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship for the 2022-2023 academic year! This grant is intended to stimulate renewed creativity, theological integrity, and relevance within worshiping communities. Growing out of and building upon Seminary-wide discussions around formation, our grant project focuses on the integral place of worship within a holistic approach in which we not only engage intellectual and professional formation, but also transformative communal practices that stir and shape our imagination.

In Ephesians 2:19-22, we read:

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling-place for God.

How are we, the community of Pittsburgh Seminary, being built together, formed into a dwellingplace for God? And how can we faithfully participate in this formation?

With these questions in mind, we seek to nurture symbiotic relationships across Seminary departments and beyond so that community life informs our worship, and worship informs community life. In November 2022, we hosted a community gathering during which we worshiped, broke bread together, and presented the goals and opportunities of the grant project. We also heard from students who have initiated new worship-centered opportunities this year. One group of students introduced a Sunday evening prayer service to reflect upon the week past and pray for the week ahead. Another student introduced weekly shape note singing with the intention of building community and empowering the voice of the congregation.

We also introduced a time of fellowship prior to worship each Tuesday, encouraging students to come to the chapel directly from class, continue their classroom discussions with fellow students and professors, spend time with the PTS community, and transition from classroom to sanctuary. This has made the gathering of community central to our weekly worship rhythm.

The grant has created exciting collaboration in this endeavor. In addition to continued partnerships with the World Mission Initiative, Metro-Urban Institute, and Continuing Education, in December 2022 the Worship Program partnered with the Miller Summer Youth Institute to host the Rev. Dr. Jim Morgan for an Advent concert, chapel service, and discussion with students around vocational discernment. In February, we hosted the board of directors of the Presbyterian Association of Musicians, inviting students to collaboratively plan and lead worship

with board members and to join in fellowship for networking and discernment.

Additionally, while our regular chapel services continued on Tuesdays and Thursdays, on remaining weekdays throughout Lent we journeyed with Jesus through the Stations of the Cross. In addition to materials for chapel services celebrating special observances in the liturgical year, the grant enabled us to purchase materials to create visuals of the Scripture reading for each station. Also during the spring semester, we offered workshops exploring different aspects of worship leadership drawing on a variety of worship traditions, resources, theology, and application. Our hope is to expand such opportunities as the Seminary’s new hybrid program takes shape.

We believe that in gathering a beautifully diverse and ecumenical community, Christ is at work in profound ways and the Holy Spirit shapes and guides all that we do. We look forward to further efforts to faithfully respond to the formational work God is doing in and through Pittsburgh Seminary.

The Rev. Kendra Buckwalter Smith ’12/’13 is director of the Worship Program.

GIVING WITH JOY AND GRATITUDE

For the past five years, the early days of February have been an opportunity to express our gratitude for what Pittsburgh Theological Seminary has done in our own lives, in the lives of those whom we love, and for those who will benefit from our gifts of appreciation.

The PTS Day of Giving has helped us gain new friends and locate ambassadors for the Seminary who know that Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is an institution worthy of gifts to support continued fulfillment of our mission to prepare people for ministries familiar and yet to unfold, communities present and yet to be gathered. This year, we established a goal of 400 distinct donors for the day to unlock $60,000 in generous challenge gifts. During our campaign, we received 407 gifts which exceeded $101,000. On top of what was pledged and given on that day, we received 17 gifts in the mail totaling an additional $8,515 attributed to the Day of Giving. The Seminary appreciates all who contributed and who encouraged others to make a financial gift so that we can help provide generous financial aid to our students and continue educating seminarians, grads, and lay and church leaders through our resource programs.

We recognize that these donations were given out of joy and gratitude, not obligation. As each gift was received, there were paused moments of appreciation and prayers given by at PTS. We understand that where we are today as a seminary, and where we are going, is possible because so many people believe in what we do in preparing individuals for ministry that are both known and unknown. Thank you for showing your commitment to the PTS community as we continue to fulfill our mission!

The Rev. Charles L. Fischer III is vice president for seminary advancement.

WELCOMING NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary has named three new members to the Board of Directors:

DR. LOUIS J. HUTCHINSON III

Louis Hutchinson comes to PTS after serving for four years on the board at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. He earned a master of divinity in 2008 and a doctor of theology in 2012, both at Wesley. He also has a bachelor’s in accounting from George Washington University. Hutchinson is an experienced business executive with proven skills in organizational transformation, rebranding, and development. He is the recipient of several awards, including the 2018 Washington Business Journal C-Suite Executive Award for Chief Marketing Officer, and was named among the Top 100 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America by Savoy Magazine in 2014, 2016, and 2018. He is passionate about education, human rights, civil rights, economic empowerment, poverty alleviation, the environment, and science and technology. He is also the current chair of the board of Restore Together, a poverty alleviation nonprofit he has helped to lead since 2012.

THE REV. AMY L. NEWELL

Amy Newell ’22 joins the Board as a recent PTS M.Div. graduate and recipient of the Fred McFeely Rogers Prize in Biblical Studies, the James Purdy Scholarship, and the Lamberson Presidential Scholarship. In addition to a year of field education at Aspinwall Presbyterian Church, she has been a leader and lay pastor at Hoboken Presbyterian Church in Blawnox, her home church for more than 25 years. She preaches regularly,

leads worship, has served as treasurer, and five years ago stepped in as pulpit supply after the church’s pastor resigned. This year she was ordained in the PC(USA) and serves as covenant pastor of Hoboken PC. She considers herself called to full-time ministry through a variety of part-time calls. Newell is bi-vocational and continues to work as a retail sales manager for Bath & Body Works, where for 22 years she has ministered to customers and co-workers through a ministry of presence. Newell has a bachelor’s in accounting from Duquesne University. She serves on the Board as the student representative.

THE REV. GAVIN B. J. WALTON

Gavin Walton ’16 is the pastor of Grace Memorial Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, the oldest historically Black Presbyterian Church west of the Allegheny Mountains. He has a B.A. from Duquesne University, a master of divinity from PTS, and was ordained in the PC(USA) in 2017. He is passionate about leading the church into what Jesus is doing in the community. In 2020, he partnered with the Rev. Mike Holohan ’10 to organize an anti-racism vigil in response to George Floyd’s murder. This partnership has grown into an ongoing anti-racist collective for religious leaders. Read more on page 12. Walton is a native of the Stanton Heights neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and grew up in the Roman Catholic Church and later the Pentecostal Church before becoming a member of Shadyside PC in college. He serves on the Board as the alumnae/i representative.

Dr. Louis J. Hutchinson III, the Rev. Amy L. Newell ’22, and the Rev. Gavin B. J. Walton ’16.

DONNA GIVER-JOHNSTON HIRED AS DIRECTOR OF DOCTOR OF MINISTRY PROGRAM

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary has named the Rev. Dr. Donna Giver-Johnston as the director of the Seminary’s Doctor of Ministry Program, effective Jan. 1, 2023.

“Dr. Giver-Johnston is a gifted and proven leader and administrator in both theological education and pastoral ministry. We believe she is the right person to continue strengthening our Doctor of Ministry Program as we discern how to best meet the needs and challenges of ministry in the 21st century. Students, faculty, staff, and the wider Seminary community will be blessed by her gifted intellect and extensive experience,” said President Asa Lee at the time of her hire.

Dr. Giver-Johnston has served in pastoral ministry for more than 20 years as an ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and most recently served as the pastor and head of staff at Community PC of Ben Avon in Pittsburgh, from 2013 until her appointment at the Seminary. She is also a theological educator, having taught in the areas of liturgy and worship, homiletics, and field education in a variety of settings, including at PTS.

Dr. Giver-Johnston earned a B.A. from Westminster College (Pa.), M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, and both an M.A. and Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University. Her areas of expertise include homiletics and liturgics, practical theology, feminist scholarship, and theological education.

She is the author of Claiming the Call to Preach: Four Female Pioneers of Preaching in Nineteenth Century America (Oxford University Press, 2021) and Writing for the Ear, Preaching from the Heart (Fortress Press, 2021), in addition to several published journal articles and book reviews. Her newest book, which she co-authored with Beverly ZinkSawyer, is For Every Matter under Heaven: Preaching on Special Occasions (Fortress Press, 2022). See page 34.

In addition to her educational and teaching experience, Dr. GiverJohnston is a gifted administrator. While a student at Vanderbilt, she served as a writing consultant for students, a field education supervisor, a ministry candidate supervisor, and a preaching coach for students. In 2013, Vanderbilt Divinity School named Dr. Giver-Johnston the Field Education Supervisor of the Year. From 2014 to 2020, she served on the Executive Committee of the Pittsburgh Presbytery. And most recently, as moderator of her church session, she led an adaptive change process resulting in a new beginnings initiative and a transformative campaign toward a more vital church.

“I am very excited to join the distinguished faculty and dedicated staff and administration committed to furthering the Seminary’s mission of equipping students for the work of ministry,” said Dr. Giver-Johnston. “I look forward to directing a Doctor of Ministry Program that provides a space for students to engage in theological reflection, spiritual renewal, and vocational re-commitment in becoming who they are called to be and seeking to change the world for good.”

ANNEMARIE MINGO JOINS FACULTY

In August 2022, Pittsburgh

Theological Seminary welcomed the Rev. Dr. AnneMarie Mingo to its faculty as associate professor of ethics, culture, and moral leadership and acting director of the MetroUrban Institute. Dr. Mingo comes from Pennsylvania State University, where she taught from 2014 to 2022 as assistant professor of African American studies and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies, and as an affiliate faculty member in the Rock Ethics Institute.

“I am excited about Dr. AnneMarie Mingo joining our faculty and Seminary community,” said President Asa Lee at the time of her hire. “She is not only an expert in exploring the faith roots of the civil rights movement and in Christian social ethics, but she is also a prolific writer and researcher with a proven track record of engaging students in the classroom. Her addition to our faculty further expands the wide breadth of scholarship Pittsburgh Seminary is able to provide to its students and the church.”

Dr. Mingo’s research interests include 20th and 21st century social activism and civil and human rights struggles, historic and contemporary African American religious experiences, womanist theology and ethics, and liberation theology and ethics. She has written articles for many publications, including Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, Journal of Religious Ethics, and Black

Theology: An International Journal Her first book—Have You Got Good Religion?: Black Women’s Faith, Courage, and Moral Imagination in the Civil Rights Movement—is forthcoming from University of Illinois Press.

Dr. Mingo earned her bachelor’s in business administration (cum laude) from Florida A&M University; M.B.A. (with honors) from Rollins College; M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary; and Ph.D. in religion: ethics and society from Emory University. In addition to teaching at Penn State, Dr. Mingo was the Ella Baker Visiting Professor of Black Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 20182019, and taught at Morehouse College and Emory University while pursuing her Ph.D.

Dr. Mingo is a member of both the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Christian Ethics, and

has presented papers and served in leadership for both organizations. She has lectured or presented at Union Presbyterian Seminary, the African Methodist Episcopal Church Department of Research and Scholarship, Princeton Theological Seminary, the U.S. Military Academy, and Ebenezer Baptist Church (Atlanta, Ga.), among other places. Dr. Mingo is an ordained itinerant elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

In 2006, Dr. Mingo received the Jean Anne Swope and James L. Mechem Prize in Christian Ethics at Princeton Theological Seminary. She is the recipient of multiple awards for faculty excellence at Penn State and was inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. Collegium of Scholars at Morehouse College in 2016.

Dr. Mingo is the founder of the Cultivating Courageous Resisters Project, which since 2019 has worked collaboratively to equip intergenerational religious activists to help meet critical contemporary needs for social justice. While a graduate student in 2008 she also founded Sister Scholars, through which she currently coaches and supports women of African descent who have or are pursuing their doctorates in various fields—work for which she was the most junior person to earn the Forum for Theological Exploration’s Excellence in Mentoring Award.

ARTICLES

JOHN BURGESS

“Satan and the War in Ukraine.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, December 8, 2022.

“Mikhail Gorbachev’s Tragic Legacy in the Russian Orthodox Church.” Religion News Service, September 7, 2022.

“Conversations in Wartime: What My Russian Friends Are Saying.” Christian Century, September 2022.

“Why Patriarch Kirill Will Not Condemn Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 16, 2022.

“Russia and Ukraine in Theological Perspective.” Fresh Thinking: Magazine of the Center of Theological Inquiry 8 (Spring 2022): 4-5.

“Is the War in Ukraine about Religion?” Christian Century, March 2022.

“The Role of Religion in Russia’s War on Ukraine.” First Things, March 8, 2022 (web exclusive).

FACULTY NEWS

THE REV. DR. JOHN P. BURGESS

James Henry Snowden Professor of Systematic Theology

As a scholar on the Orthodox Church in Russia and Ukraine, Dr. Burgess has spoken frequently at churches, colleges, seminaries, and conferences since early 2022 on the religious and theological dimensions of the war in Ukraine. He has written several op-eds and essays published in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Christian Century, and other publications. Dr. Burgess presented a paper titled “The Challenge of Thinking Theologically about the War in Ukraine” for the Niebuhr Society at the 2022 annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion. Additionally, he presented papers for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; the Association of Slavic, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies Annual Meeting; and the Association for the Study of Eastern Christian History and Culture biennial meeting. Dr. Burgess has recently been a guest preacher at churches in Pittsburgh, California, and Germany.

THE REV. DR. JEROME F. D. CREACH

Robert C. Holland Professor of Old Testament

TUCKER

SAMSON FERDA

“The Galilean Crisis and Jesus Research Past and Present: A Response to Paula Fredriksen, Sarah Rollens, and Jens Schroeter.” Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus 20 (2022): 127-43.

“The Messiah of that Most Mischievous Superstition: Jesus and the Parting of the Ways in the Study of Christian Origins.” Early Christianity 14 (2023): 1-26.

In spring 2023, Dr. Creach taught a seminar on “Introduction to the Old Testament” for the Inter-Presbytery Leadership Formation program at Redstone Presbytery, where he also taught a seminar on “Preaching the Psalms” in spring 2022. In July 2022, he led a summer weekend event on the Psalms at First Presbyterian Church in Cumberland, Md. In November 2022, he attended the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature. Dr. Creach’s newest book, Reading Psalms: A Literary and Theological Commentary, was published in 2022 by Smyth & Helwys. See page 34.

DR. TUCKER SAMSON FERDA

Associate Professor of New Testament

Dr. Ferda presented on the depiction of Galilee and Jerusalem in the teachings of Jesus at the “Next Quest for Jesus” Conference in July at Bedford, U.K. The essays will be published in a forthcoming volume. In the last year he also published multiple articles for academic journals, and in fall 2022 he led a seminar series at Westminster PC in Pittsburgh on “The Old Testament in the New.” Dr. Ferda recently became a tenured member of the faculty.

THE REV. DR. LEANNA K. FULLER

Joan Marshall Associate Professor of Pastoral Care

In September 2022, Dr. Fuller presented the lecture “To Heal and to Bless: Practicing Reconciliation in a Polarized Age” ahead of her installation to the Joan Marshall Chair in Pastoral Care in November 2022. She continues to serve as faculty mentor for the Risking Faithfully cohort in the Doctor of Ministry Program, and on the board of directors for the Penn West Conference of the United Church of Christ. At the end of 2022, Dr. Fuller finished her term as interim academic dean and returned to the full-time teaching faculty.

DR. SCOTT J. HAGLEY

W. Don McClure Associate Professor of World Mission and Evangelism

Dr. Hagley recently preached and lectured at the centennial celebration of Silliman University Divinity School in the Philippines, and gave the Stuart Love Lecture at Rochester University in Michigan. In June 2022 he joined the leadership team for the International Consultation on Ecclesial Futures, which is an international group of scholars, judicatory leaders, and pastors committed to interdisciplinary research with the church. In partnership with the Ministry Collaborative and the Seminary’s Center for Adaptive and Innovative Ministry Director the Rev. Karen Rohrer, he gathered a cohort of seven congregations in Akron, Ohio, to cultivate capacities for faithful innovation. At PTS, he is the faculty mentor for a new Doctor of Ministry cohort in Missional Leadership and led an intercultural experiential education trip to the Philippines with students. In May 2022, Dr. Hagley presented the lecture “Unmasking American Gods: Making Place, Embracing Immanence, and Cultivating Community” ahead of his installation to the W. Don McClure Chair in World Mission and Evangelism in November 2022.

ARTICLES

LEANNA FULLER

“Relearning the World: Pastoral Care in the Midst of Loss and Grief.” Journal of Pastoral Theology 32/2-3 (2022): 176-201.

SCOTT HAGLEY

“A Gift Economy: The Church Beyond Supply and Demand.” The Presbyterian Outlook, September 30, 2022.

“Baptism and the Gods of Capital.” Politics of Scripture (blog). Political Theology Network, January 2, 2023.

“The Commonplace Congregation.” In Forming Leaders for the Public Church: Vocation in 21st-Century Societies, edited by Samuel Yonas Deressa and Mary Sue Dreier. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2023, 4456.

Review of From Isolation to Community: A Renewed Vision for Christian Life Together by Myles Werntz. Dialog 61:4 (2022): 327-328.

EDWIN CHR. VAN DRIEL

“Incarnation and Israel: A Supralapsarian Account of Israel’s Chosenness.” Modern Theology 39 (2023): 3-18.

“God and God’s Beloved: A Constructive Re-Reading of Scotus’ Supralapsarian Christological Argument.” The Heythrop Journal 63 (2022): 995-1006.

“Sharing in Nature or Encountering a Person: A Tale of Two Different Supralapsarian Strategies.” Scottish Journal of Theology 75.3 (2022): 193206.

THE REV. DR. ANGELA DIENHART HANCOCK Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty and Howard C. Scharfe Associate Professor of Homiletics

Last year, Dr. Hancock led a workshop for the Synod of the Trinity on “Preaching in Polarized Times,” and led a preaching workshop for Kiskiminetas Presbytery. In June 2022 she preached at Fox Chapel PC, and in August taught an adult education series at the church on the parables of Jesus. In November 2022, Dr. Hancock presented the lecture “More Than Civil: The Witness of Deliberation in Christian Community” ahead of her installation to the Howard C. Scharfe Chair in Homiletics that same month. On Jan. 1, 2023, Dr. Hancock began serving as the vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty.

DR. JENNIFER T. KAALAND Associate Professor of New Testament

In celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, 2023, Dr. Kaaland lectured on “Women, Bible and Violence” at an International Colloquium held at the Reformed University of Colombia and in partnership with PTS. See page 14. She recently became a tenured member of the faculty.

THE REV. DR. ASA J. LEE President and Professor of Theological Formation for Ministry

Dr. Lee has spoken and preached at many gatherings throughout the region and beyond including the ordination service for the Western Pennsylvania UMC Annual Conference, Erie, Pa.; Hampton University Ministers’ Conference, Hampton, Va.; Holden Village, Chelan, Wash.; the Christian Associates of Southwestern Pennsylvania Juneteenth service; Mt. Ararat BC, Pittsburgh; McKeesport PC; the Presbyterian Church of Woodbury, N.J.; Holy Cross EC, Homewood, Pa; the Pittsburgh Presbytery meeting; and the Center for Faith & Justice. In September, he traveled with a delegation from the Western Pennsylvania Conference of The UMC to the passion play in Oberammergau in Germany. Dr. Lee was recently inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. International College of Ministers and Laity at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga.

THE REV. DR. L. ROGER OWENS Hugh Thomson Kerr Professor of Pastoral Theology

In October 2022, Dr. Owens presented the lecture “The Good Enough Pastor? Reimagining Pastoral Excellence for a Post-Pandemic Church” ahead of his installation to the Hugh Thomson Kerr Chair of Pastoral Theology in November 2022.

THE REV. DR. R. DREW SMITH Henry L. Hillman Professor of Urban Ministry

In March 2022, Dr. Smith presented the lecture “Urban Imaginaries and Sacredness of Place: Race, Neighborhood Province, and Socio-Religious Vantage Points” ahead of his installation to the Henry L. Hillman Chair in Urban Ministry in November 2022.

THE REV. DR. EDWIN CHR. VAN DRIEL Directors’ Bicentennial Professor of Theology

This year, Dr. van Driel was named a member of the American Theological Society, the oldest professional theological society in the U.S. He was also elected chair of the International Consultation on Ecclesial Futures, a group of invited denominational leaders, academics, practitioners, and consultants from four continents which researches missional communities. In June 2022, Dr. van Driel traveled to Bologna, Italy, to receive the Senior Alberigo Prize from the European Academy of Religion for his book Rethinking Paul, and to respond to critics at an event in his honor. He edited the T&T Clark Companion to Election (forthcoming) and is currently researching books on ecclesiology and Christology.

THE REV. DR. KENNETH J. WOO Associate Professor of Church History

Dr. Woo continues to speak locally as pulpit supply and guest teacher in area congregations. His denominational service includes chairing the candidates and credentials committee of his classis. In October he traveled to the Philippines to visit seminaries as a board member for the Foundation for Theological Education in South East Asia, where he also serves on a committee coordinating programs for faculty development and conversations around religion, gender, and sexuality. He will deliver a plenary address at this summer’s International Congress on Calvin Research. The conference theme is “Calvin, Exile, and Religious Refugees.” Dr. Woo recently became a tenured member of the faculty.

FACULTY BOOKS

Assassin’s

Manuscript

(Independently Published, 2022)

The Rev. Dr. William J. Carl III, President, PTS, 2006-2015

When former CIA assassin Adam Hunter’s last hit goes awry, he attempts to leave behind his world of espionage and murder by embarking on a career in ministry. But soon, he is pulled back in to crack a code hidden in an ancient manuscript in order to foil a terrorist plot. In the meantime, Renie Ellis, a lawyer in the small town he’s moved to gets caught up in his dilemma and falls in love with him, not realizing he killed her fiancé by accident. What will she do when she finds out who Adam really is?

The heist of a famous Codex from the British Museum, Papal intrigue in the Vatican, both Sicilian and Russian Mafia, and a U.S. President who knows more than she admits all play key roles in a story that keeps the reader guessing until the end, a conclusion that no one sees coming. From Rome to Jerusalem, from Egypt’s Mt. Sinai to Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains, the characters scramble for their lives, racing the clock to prevent an international disaster.

For Every Matter under Heaven: Preaching on Special Occasions

(Fortress Press, 2022)

The Rev. Dr. Donna Giver-Johnston, Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program

“For everything there is a season,” as the writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us, and that includes preaching. Beyond ordinary Sunday morning worship, many other “seasons”—special occasions—arise for preaching in the life of the church, whether by virtue of the secular calendar or celebrations or circumstances in the congregation or community. These occasions require a different kind of sermon—or at least a different process of preparation. Most preachers have been taught that sermons begin with a biblical text, usually a text prescribed by a standard lectionary. Beverly ZinkSawyer and Dr. Giver-Johnston offer preachers a process for finding appropriate sermon texts for special occasions by considering the occasion itself, the listeners who might be gathered, and the ways God is at work in that time and place. Through this process, preachers can offer a word for every matter under heaven.

Reading Psalms: A Literary and Theological Commentary (Smyth & Helwys, 2022)

The Rev. Dr. Jerome F. D. Creach, Robert C. Holland Professor of Old Testament

In Reading Psalms, Dr. Creach attends to the literary and theological features of each psalm. He pays particular attention to the way individual psalms participate within the Psalter to communicate the claim of God’s sovereign rule and the call for human beings to seek refuge in God’s life-giving presence. True to the series Reading the Old Testament, this volume aims to enhance an informed reading of the Psalms as Christian Scripture.

CLASS NOTES

––––– 1950 s –––––

Gareth Baker’s ’57 wife, Evelyn, died Aug. 6, 2022.

––––– 1960 s –––––

Mary Ruth Alter’s ‘63 husband, William (Bill) Alter ’64, died Sept. 16, 2022.

John F. Kirkham ‘69, who was honorably retired in 2009 after serving congregations in Ohio and Florida, recently became a member of St. Augustine Presbytery.

1970 s

David Stammerjohn ’82 was honorably retired from Upper Ohio Valley Presbytery Nov. 1, 2021.

Donald McKim ’74 co-wrote a book with Jim West titled, Martin Bucer: An Introduction to His Life and Theology. Don also recently published Daily Devotions with Herman Bavinck: Believing and Growing in Christian Faith.

Meta Shoup Cramer ’75/’04, previously honorably retired from Eastminster Presbytery in May 2019, retired again after serving for 15 months as transitional pastor for First PC in Mineral Ridge, Ohio.

Donald Graff ’78 was honorably retired from Redstone Presbytery June 26, 2022.

John E. White ’82/’09 was honorably retired Dec. 31, 2021, from Coastlands Presbytery in New Jersey, after serving for 41 years including pastoring congregations and working at PTS, Columbia Theological Seminary, and Princeton Theological Seminary. He recently became a member of St. Augustine Presbytery.

Terry Timm ’85 was the featured speaker on The Ride Home with John and Kathy radio talk show on 101.5 WORD-FM, on the topic “Slowing Down to Speed Up.”

Bronc Radak ’86 is serving in a temporary pastoral relationship as pastor of Rockport PC in Port Murray, N.J.

Deborah Ackley-Killian ’88 is the Pittsburgh and Butler districts superintendent for the Western Pennsylvania Conference of The United Methodist Church.

’22.

Stephen Blonder Adams ’89 is senior pastor of Old Stone Church/ First Presbyterian Church of Cleveland.

Janet Guyer ’89 was honorably retired from Pittsburgh Presbytery Nov. 22, 2022.

Bill Lavelle ’89 was appointed associate pastor of Grace UMC in New Castle, Pa.

1990 s

Lea Austin ’90 was honorably retired from Kiskiminetas Presbytery Feb. 28, 2022.

Libby Hewett ’90 is the director of spiritual care for University Hospitals: Cleveland Medical Center.

Virginia Mayo ’90 wrote a book, titled Let Nothing You Dismay: Reflections at Advent

Pat Nelson ’90 was appointed pastor of Holiday Park UMC in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Lisa Lyon ’92 and her husband, Gary, were honorably retired from Kiskiminetas Presbytery in July 2022 after serving as co-pastors of Cross Roads Community PC in Leechburg, Pa.

Claude Alexander ’88 was the featured speaker and Bible expositor at InterVarsity Urbana

CLASS NOTES

Steven Shussett ’93 is the resource staff/stated clerk for Presbytery of the Highlands of New Jersey.

Ralph Watkins ’93 was named to the Peachtree Professor of Evangelism and Church Growth Endowed Chair at Columbia Theological Seminary, the first African American male full professor in an endowed chair in the seminary’s nearly 200-year history.

John Dalles ’94 was honorably retired from Pittsburgh Presbytery March 15, 2021.

Steven Ebling ’97 was honorably retired from Whitewater Valley Presbytery May 1, 2022.

C. Gregory Stone ’97 is the USDANRCS state conservationist for Kentucky.

Keith Forkey ’98 was appointed to serve as the pastor of West Liberty Federated Methodist Presbyterian Church in Wheeling, W.Va.

Clark Kerr ’99 was honorably retired from Redstone Presbytery June 1, 2019.

2000 s

David Bowie ’00 was honorably retired from Greater Atlanta Presbytery April 30, 2021.

Clint Cottrell ’00 was honorably retired from Peace River Presbytery Dec. 7, 2022.

Chris Duckworth ’00 was appointed to serve as pastor of Mt. Pleasant UMC in Mineral Wells, W.Va.

Michael Richards ’00 serves as pastor of Cornerstone Ministries, a cooperative ministry of six Methodist churches. He also serves as the clinical and executive director of Cornerstone Pastoral Counseling and Wellness Center, and as an adjunct professor of English at Fairmont State University.

Carmen Cox Harwell ’01 concluded her ministry as pastor of St. Mark’s PC in Western Reserve Presbytery Jan. 29, 2023.

Jodie Smith ’02 was appointed to serve Clarion: First UMC beginning July 1, 2023.

Christina Hosler ’04/’10 was installed as pastor of Plain Grove PC in Slippery Rock, Pa., in September 2022, and began serving Oct. 2, 2022. PTS alumnae Tara Neely Fanton ’13 and Jennifer Haddox ’06 participated in the service.

Patricia Lynn Miller ’04 accepted a call to serve as pastor of Limestone PC in Gaffney, S.C.

Richard W. Wingfield ’02/’13, (pictured center) lead pastor of Unity Baptist Church of Braddock, Pa., received the New Pittsburgh Courier Men of Excellence Award Sept. 22, 2022. AnneMarie Mingo, PTS associate professor of ethics, culture, and moral leadership, and Charles L. Fischer III, vice president for seminary advancement, were in attendance.

Carey Jo Johnston ’03 traveled to Ethiopia in October 2022 to facilitate the initial teacher training workshop for Literacy & Evangelism International.

Tara Woodard-Lehman ’03 serves as temporary bridge pastor at First PC of West Chester, Pa.

Colleen Molinaro ’04/’13 serves Baldwin UPC as part-time covenant pastor in addition to serving as pastor of Carnegie PC. She recently graduated from Phoenix Center of Spiritual Direction to become a spiritual director.

Louise Rogers ’04 began serving as temporary associate minister to Pittsburgh Presbytery Jan. 30, 2023.

Anita Stuart-Steva ’04 was honorably retired from Blackhawk Presbytery May 15, 2022.

John Ferguson ’05 serves full time as presbytery clerk of Perth Presbytery in Scotland, which covers the Presbyteries of Perth, Dundee, Stirling, Dunkeld and Meigle, and Angus.

Christina Kukuk ’05 wrote a book titled, Loving What Doesn’t Last: An Adoration of the Body. On Feb. 24, 2023, she presented a BookTalk at PTS hosted by Shan Overton, director of the PTS Center for Writing and Learning Support.

Rebecca Mihm ’05 accepted a call to serve as pastor of First PC in Clarion, Pa., and was installed Oct. 30, 2022.

Elizabeth Broschart’s ’06 husband, Jerry, died Jan. 27, 2023.

Tim Bowser ’07, a U.S. Army chaplain, serves as the cemetery chaplain at Arlington National Cemetery. In July 2022, he hosted a tour of the cemetery with the Atlanta Braves radio broadcast team.

Brenda Walker ’07 was appointed to serve as senior pastor of Greenstone UMC in Pittsburgh, Pa. She also serves Glenwillard and Shannopin UMCs.

Susan Rothenberg ’08 serves as temporary pastor for Community PC of Ben Avon.

Marji Ackerman ’09 is the presbytery leader for the Presbytery of Geneva in Rochester, N.Y.

Suzanne Zampella ’09 serves as transitional pastor for First PC of Dexter and First PC of Hagerman, both in New Mexico. She earned a doctor of ministry degree from Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, N.C.

2010 s

Chad Bogdewic ’10/’13 accepted a position with Adoption Connection, PA as a foster family recruiter.

Cindy

’10 was installed as pastor of The Bath Church, UCC, in Bath, Ohio, Sept. 25, 2022. Robin Craig ’10 preached at her installation service.

Sarah Ott Sedgwick ’10 serves as pastor of Lewistown PC in Lewistown, Pa.

Derek V. P. Campbell ’07 accepted a call to serve as pastor of Latrobe PC.

Emily Miller ’07 serves as associate pastor at Sewickley PC.

Bob Ruefle ’07 accepted a call to serve as pastor of Union PC in Murrysville, Pa.

Blonk Parker

CLASS NOTES

Alyssa Bell ’11 received an offer from Wipf & Stock to publish her dissertation, “Calm and Quiet My Soul: Spiritual Care for Mothering Pastors.” She accepted a call to serve as solo pastor for Emmanuel PC in Spokane, Wash.

David Quel ’11 is a counselor at Seyler and Berkebile Marriage and Family Therapy.

J. Scott Shetter ’11 was elected to serve as designated pastor of Laboratory UPC in Washington, Pa. He began his service Feb. 1, 2023.

Michelle Keane Domeisen ’12 was elected chair of the St. Margaret Foundation.

Melissa Morris ’12 accepted a call to serve as solo pastor of Vanport PC in the Beaver-Butler Presbytery.

Kathy Yount Nice ’12 began serving as transitional general presbyter of Scioto Valley Presbytery Jan. 1, 2023.

Andrew Tennant ’12 was appointed to serve as senior pastor of Kenova UMC in Kenova, W.Va.

Sue Washburn ’12 serves as transitional pastor of Cross Roads Community PC in Leechburg, Pa.

Jane Anabe ’13 is pastor and head of staff at The Presbyterian Church of LaPorte, Ind.

Matthew Camlin ’13 completed his training with Phoenix Center of Spiritual Direction and is now a spiritual director.

Jennifer Frayer-Griggs ’13/’22 accepted a call to serve as pastor of Westminster PC in Greensburg, Pa.

Matthew Grubbs ’13 was appointed to serve as senior pastor of Sheraden and Christ Community UMCs.

Jessica Graham Kotila ’13 was ordained as Minister of Word and Sacrament by the Presbytery of Plains and Peaks Sept. 10, 2022. Chris Brown ’08 participated in the service. Jessica serves as a hospital chaplain.

Chelsea Leitcher ’13 is a hospice chaplain for Dignity Health in California. She also works as a grief counselor.

Marco Tinor ’14 was named by Pittsburgh Magazine and Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project as a “40 Under 40” honoree for his work as senior pastor of St. Paul Baptist Church in North Point Breeze for seven years. Marco is currently the special assistant to the executive director of By The Hand in Chicago, Ill.

Jon Chillinsky ’15 is the fiscal administrator at Resources for Human Development in Glassport, Pa., and a business optimizer for Launch Point.

Rebecca Dix ’15/’17 is teaching culinary arts to high school students in White Swan, Washington.

Will Scott ’12 and Katie Mohr Scott ’12 moved to Shreveport, La., where Will (pictured right with his father) accepted a call to serve as the senior pastor/head of staff at First PC Shreveport. He was installed Oct. 30, 2022. In 2021, Will earned a doctor of ministry in Christian spirituality from Columbia Theological Seminary.

Simeon Harrar ’14 and his family still live and serve at Rosslyn Academy in Nairobi, Kenya. He recently signed a new two-year contract to continue at Rosslyn.

Rich Hanlon ’15 was appointed to serve as pastor of Centenary UMC in Malone, N.Y., beginning Feb. 26, 2023.

Brendan Ashley ’16, was ordained as Minister of Word and Sacrament by Pittsburgh Presbytery at Crossroads PC in Monroeville, Pa. Brendan’s wife, Ashley Smith Ashley ’20, Rebecca DePoe ’16/’20, Alina Kanaski ’16, B.J. Woodworth ’07, and Brian Lays ’15/’16 participated in the service. Brendan has accepted a call to serve as associate pastor of worship and outreach at Lake Shore PC in Michigan.

Karyn Bigelow ’16 was officially confirmed and sworn in by the D.C. Council to serve the D.C. Food Policy Council as a board member under the Bowser Administration. She will co-lead the Urban Agriculture Working Group.

Dan Muttart ’16 serves as transitional pastor for New Bedford EPC in New Bedford, Pa.

James Roberts ’16 is senior pastor of Church at the Crossing in Indianapolis, Ind., which in 2022 completed a two-year process to merge with an Arabic church.

Andy Kort ’17 serves as co-pastor of First PC in Annapolis, Md.

Laura Bentley ’16 was installed as designated associate pastor for Southminster PC in Mt. Lebanon Nov. 6, 2022. Rebecca DePoe ’16/’20, Don Ewing ’72/’81, and Karen Rohrer, director of the PTS Center for Adaptive and Innovative Ministry, participated in the service.

Jason Freyer ’16/’21 was installed as pastor of Beulah PC Feb. 5, 2023. Laura Bentley ’16, Ryan Pixton ’10, and Brian Wallace ’06 participated in the service.

Joaquin Anabe Lopez ’17 serves in a temporary pastoral relationship with First PC of Crown Point, Ind. He is one of eight pastors accepted into the Wabash Pastoral Leadership Program.

Donald Hammonds ’16 was ordained Oct. 24, 2021, at the Community of Reconciliation Church by the United Church of Christ.

CLASS NOTES

Erin Angeli ’18 was ordained by Pittsburgh Presbytery as Minister of Word and Sacrament Feb. 4, 2023.

Rebecca DePoe ’16/’20, Danielle Ramsey ’16, Shannon GarrettDoege ’21, and Mike Holohan ’10 participated in the service. Erin will serve as associate pastor for queer and neighborhood ministry at The Commonwealth of Oakland.

Becky Boyer ’19 is associate director of youth ministry at Westminster PC in Upper St. Clair, Pa.

Andrew Flower ’19 was appointed to serve as pastor of Greenock UMC in McKeesport, Pa.

Jane Larson ’17/’20 was ordained by the Pittsburgh Presbytery as Minister of Word and Sacrament Feb. 5, 2023, on the PTS campus. Rebecca DePoe ’16/’20; Erin Angeli ’18; Ben Rumbaugh ’18; Katelyn Fisher ’18; B.J. Woodworth ’07; Maggie Smith Niles ’16/’20; Karen Rohrer, director of the PTS Center for Adaptive and Innovative Ministry; Andy Greenhow, PTS chief of staff; Scott Hagley, W. Don McClure Associate Professor of World Mission and Evangelism; Donna Giver-Johnston, PTS director of the Doctor of Ministry Program; and student Cheryl Khyllep participated in the service. Jane is the program and enrollment coordinator for the Doctor of Ministry Program and the Center for Adaptive and Innovative Ministry at PTS.

Shane Siciliano ’17 was appointed to serve as senior pastor of Calvary UMC in the North Side of Pittsburgh.

David (Dave) Deutsch ’18 wrote a book titled, Poetsy

Emiola (Jay) Oriola ’18 is the inaugural director of the Office of Belonging and Inclusion in The University of Pittsburgh’s Division of Student Affairs. See Marriage notes. Lori Walters ’18 was appointed to serve as senior pastor of First UMC in Washington, Pa.

Alyson Wilson ’19 added to the generations of family pastors when she was ordained as Minister of Word and Sacrament Jan. 15, 2023. Her father, Donald Wilson ’84, general presbyter of Kiskiminetas Presbytery, presented Alyson with her stole. Alyson will serve as the pastor of First PC of Gilbertsville and Garrattsville UPC, both in New York.

2020 s

Samantha Coggins ’20 serves as covenant associate pastor at John McMillan PC in Bethel Park, Pa.

Courtenay Wilcox ’18 was ordained as Minister of Word and Sacrament by Philadelphia Presbytery at Bryn Mawr PC Feb. 4, 2023. Timothy Wotring ’20 played a hymn for the service. Courtenay serves as transitional pastor of Tree of Life Church in Springfield, Pa.

Saw Tha Lay Hlaing ’20 is working on his Ph.D. in biblical studies with an emphasis on New Testament at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill.

Amanda Horan ’20 was ordained as Minister of Word and Sacrament by Salem Presbytery and installed as associate pastor of North Wilkesboro PC in North Carolina Oct. 23, 2022.

Carole Reidmeyer Martin ’20 retired from her position as minister of congregational care at First Broad Street UMC in Kingsport, Tenn.

Lou Ventura ’20 serves as transitional pastor for Great Bridge PC in Chesapeake, Va.

Shannon Garrett-Doege ’21 is acting pastor of Community of Reconciliation Church in the Oakland area of Pittsburgh.

Jason Dauer ’21 accepted a call to serve as pastor of First PC of Edgewood. On Sept. 25, 2022, he was ordained as Minister of Word and Sacrament by Pittsburgh Presbytery and installed at First PC.

Julia DiFiore ’21 was elected to serve as settled pastor of Bradford Woods Community Church in Bradford Woods, Pa. She was ordained at St. Mark’s UCC in Evans City March 26, 2023, and installed at Bradford Woods April 2, 2023.

Ralph Lowe ’21 (picture center with N. Graham Standish ’88 and Rebecca Young ’21) was ordained as Minister of Word and Sacrament by Pittsburgh Presbytery Aug. 27, 2022, and installed as the Presbytery’s associate minister for justice ministries at the September 2022 Presbytery meeting. John Welch ’02, Brian Wallace ’06, and Patrice Fowler-Searcy ’13 participated in the installation service.

Maggie Parrott ’21 graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a master of social work in December 2022. She serves as youth advisor at Second PC in Richmond, Va., as she works toward ordination in the Episcopal Church.

Rebecca Young ’21 is a hospital chaplain for UPMC-Mercy.

Rebecca (Becka) Abbott ’22 is serving an internship at Unity PC in Greentree, Pa.

John Balliet ’22 was appointed to serve as pastor of Linesville/ Harmonsburg UMC Charge beginning July 1, 2023.

Mike Creamer ’22 serves as ministry associate for youth and young adults at Sewickley PC.

CLASS NOTES

Lauren Davis ’22 was ordained as Minister of Word and Sacrament by Peace River Presbytery Oct. 30, 2022. She serves as interim associate pastor of Faith PC in Cape Coral, Fla. Rebecca (Becky) Konegen ’22 was appointed to serve as pastor of McKnight UMC.

Erin Morey ’22 was ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons at Trinity Cathedral May 28, 2022, by Bishop Ketlen Solak. She is assistant rector at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Mt. Lebanon, Pa.

Kori Robbins ’22 was ordained as Minister of Word and Sacrament by Eastminster Presbytery and installed as pastor of First PC in Mineral Ridge, Ohio, on Sept. 18, 2022. Betty Angelini ’09 gave the Charge to Kori and Adam Rodgers ’04 gave the Charge to the Congregation, with many PTS alumnae/i attending.

Christin Moreland ’22 was ordained as Minister of Word and Sacrament by Pittsburgh Presbytery Oct. 30, 2022. Rebecca DePoe ’16/’20, James Henry Snowden Professor of Systematic Theology John Burgess, Suzanne Good ’19, and Deborah Warren ’05 participated in the service. Christin serves as covenant pastor at Glenshaw Valley PC.

Amy Newell ’22 serves as covenant pastor of Hoboken PC in Blawnox, Pa. She was ordained as Minister of Word and Sacrament by Pittsburgh Presbytery Sept. 25, 2022, and serves as the student representative on the PTS Board of Directors. See page 27.

Kathryn Ophardt ’22 serves as pastor for spiritual formation and care for MV Partnership, a collaborative ministry of three churches in Muskingum Valley Presbytery. She was ordained as Minister of Word and Sacrament Oct. 9, 2022.

Hunter Steinitz ’22 accepted the position of youth training coordinator with the PEAL Center in Pittsburgh. She was installed as a ruling elder at Riverview PC, where Steven Werth ‘09 is pastor, on Feb. 19, 2023.

Frank Sanabria ’11 and his wife, Megan, welcomed Roman Michael Oct. 12, 2022.

Charlie Hamill ’12 and his wife, Bethany, welcomed Benjamin Charles May 14, 2022, joining big brother, Owen.

David Davenport ’13 and his wife, Kelsie, welcomed Molly Nov. 11, 2022.

Dan Isadore ’13 and his wife, Hallie, PTS database and donor services specialist, welcomed Zoey Loretta Sept. 22, 2022, joining big sister, Piper.

Rachel Riggle Rosendahl ’15 and her husband, David, welcomed Abigail Kolby Jan. 27, 2023.

Lance Hershberger ’16 and his wife, Monica, welcomed Nellie Frances Oct. 17, 2022, joining big sister, Lena.

Maggie Smith Niles ’16/’20 and her husband, Jon, welcomed Sophie Kathryn Aug. 20, 2022.

Allan Irizarry-Graves ’17 and his wife, Toni, welcomed Ava Marie Feb. 12, 2023, joining big brother Allan Michael.

Antawn Coleman ’21 and his wife, Richelle, welcomed Amauria Dream July 31, 2022.

CLASS NOTES

Brad Walters ’05 to Betsy Weingartner July 12, 2022.

Taylor Barner ’16 to Annie Taylor May 29, 2022.

Emiola (Jay) Oriola Jr. ’18 to Daniella Akrie May 21, 2022.

Marlaena Cochran ’19 to Brad Craft Aug. 20, 2022, with Ashley Smith Ashley ’20 officiating.

Timothy Wotring ’20 to Meagen Allen Sept. 9, 2022.

Caryn Doege ’21 (left) to Shannon Garrett-Headen ’21 (right) May 29, 2022.

IN MEMORY

Paul M. Musser ’47/’55

James F. Reese ’49

R. William Shaub ’52

Arthur H. Johnstone Jr. ’52

John W. Skillings ’53

Robert (Bob) C. Siess ’54

Thomas F. Conboy Jr. ’56

Charles (Charlie) A. Davis Jr. ’57

Ronald P. Sallade ’57

Donald H. Gordon ’57

Jack R. Presseau ’58

Keith D. Briggs ’58

Dean M. Carzoo ’59

Rex E. Wentzel ’59

Donald D. Grohman ’59

Lynn L. Illingworth ’60

John W. Foester ’60

Wallace (Wally) A. Smith ’60

Robert J. Gruber ’61

Donald E. Gordon ’61

David J. McFarlane ’62

Clair W. Shaffer ’62

Thomas J. Mori ’62

William (Bill) T. Alter ’64

Charles N. Thompson ’64

Albert U. Montanari ’65

Carl W. Bogue ’65

James (Jim) W. Hartley ’67

Harry H. Johns III ’67

William (Bill) J. Kemp ’67

Steven H. Washburn ’68

Robert O. Brown ’69/’73

Mary B. Throop ’71

Gary Gard ’71

Richard D. Anschutz ’73

Alan P. Hutchison ’74

James (Jim) L. Miller ’74

Irece T. Bradley ’75/’81

Mary Emma Lodge ’76

Theodore (Ted) G. Cole ’76/’91

Dorsey J. Johnson ’77

Samuel E. DeBose ’77

Francis (Frank) L. Trotta ’77

David H. Watson ’78

James A. Durlesser ’78/’80

Alan C. Miller ’79

Daniel R. Marvin ’82

C. Gerald Huhn ’85

JoAnn C. Doughty ’87

Joseph (Joe) E. Filer IV ’88

James (Jim) P. Arnold ’89

Edwin Cordero ’91

Meredith C. Patterson ’91

Sarah J. Heppenstall ’92

Wendy L. Keys ’00

James (Jay) J. Poliziani Jr. ’08

Kerry K. Westerwick ’14

New Wilmington, Pa.

West Hartford, Conn.

Ewing Township, N.J.

Clarkston, Wash.

Iola, Kan.

Allison Park, Pa.

Minnetonka, Minn.

Longwood, Fla.

Scottsville, N.Y.

Saegertown, Pa.

Flat Rock, N.C.

Brookville, Pa.

Greenville, N.C.

Sioux City, Iowa

Chattanooga, Tenn.

State College, Pa.

Cabot, Pa.

Southhampton, N.Y.

Douglasville, Ga.

Grand Rapids, Mich.

Charlottesville, Va.

San Antonio, Texas

Columbus, Ohio

Columbia, Md.

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REMEMBERING JAMES DURLESSER

support to students by assisting them in planning and structuring their course work and electives.

President Asa Lee said, “Dr. Durlesser’s title—visiting professor of doctor of ministry studies—does not in any way convey the extent to which he has been a mentor and caring teacher to our doctor of ministry students. Jim’s unique ministry of accompaniment was a vocation lived amongst many of our students through counseling, writing, and pastoring them to complete their theses. His ministry among us will not soon be forgotten.”

The Rev. Dr. James A. Durlesser ’78/’80, died Aug. 16, 2022, at the age of 68. At the time, he was serving as visiting professor of doctor of ministry studies at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

From 1999 to 2017, Dr. Durlesser served as a lecturer in biblical languages at PTS. In this capacity, he taught Hebrew and elective courses in Hebrew Bible, Aramaic, and Greek. After 2017, Dr. Durlesser continued to teach in the D.Min. Program, providing academic guidance and

Dr. Durlesser was also an alumnus of PTS, earning an M.Div. in 1978 and a Th.M. in 1980. In addition, he earned a B.A. from Westminster College and a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.

In 2020, Dr. Durlesser co-authored The Biblical Theme of Peace/Shalom (CSS Publishing, 2020). He was also the author of Metaphorical Narratives in the Book of Ezekiel (The Edwin Mellen Press, 2006), and nine articles for the Westminster Theological Wordbook of the Bible. He was an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church, and served local congregations in the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference for almost 50 years.

REMEMBERING JAMES FOSTER REESE

The Rev. Dr. James Foster Reese ‘49, died June 17, 2022, at the age of 98. In 2003 PTS honored him with the Distinguished Alumnus Award in Specialized Ministry, and he was the featured speaker for the Seminary’s Alumnae/i Days in 2019.

Jim held degrees from Knoxville College, PTS, and the University of Pittsburgh. For more than 70 years, he served God as a highly acclaimed pastor and leader in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and as an advocate for civil and human rights. He once said he “sat at dozens of tables of decision making,” where “things didn’t always go as I wished. I felt marginalized, separated, ignored. But one thing I have never done: I have never left the table.”

In retirement, Jim continued as interim executive presbyter for the presbyteries of New York City, Detroit, and Newark, and served as member and/or chair of many committees at Knoxville College and for the PC(USA). He preached regularly and served as a supply pastor well into his 90s.

’79

MEMBER OF THE

M c MILLAN SOCIETY OF PLANNED GIVING

Jim DiEgidio ’79, a faithful supporter of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, is a member of the Seminary’s John S. McMillan Planned Giving Society. McMillan Society members have expressed their commitment to Pittsburgh Theological Seminary through a special and important form of financial support: naming PTS as the ultimate beneficiary of a planned gift. Such gifts might include a bequest and/or charitable income gifts, such as charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder unitrusts, charitable remainder annuity trusts, or gifts of life insurance.

Jim, a Philadelphia native, was ordained by the Presbytery of Philadelphia in 1980. During his active ministry he served churches in Johnstown, Pa., and Wayne, Pa. He was then called to provide executive leadership to three presbyteries: Philadelphia (associate for mission and social witness); San Francisco (co-executive); Cincinnati (executive). While on the staff of the Presbytery of Philadelphia, he also served as the executive director of the Head Start Learning Tree program. He was honorably retired in 2016 and currently lives in Cincinnati with his wife, Judith.

Jim earned a B.A. from Temple University; an M.Div. from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and an M.S. from the University of Pennsylvania. He credits PTS for providing the core for a lifetime of ministry with its classical biblical and theological foundation, coupled with emphases on missional theology and practical

application of hospitality to the whole of creation. Reflecting on his time at PTS, Jim says, “The teaching of my professors regarding how to think theologically and respond pastorally have proven to be invaluable over the course of my ministry. I was challenged to grow in faith and commitment in my call to ministry.”

Though Pittsburgh Seminary has changed since Jim attended in the late 1970s, he believes that’s a good thing. “While my experience at the Seminary prepared me for ministry in my social and political context, there is a recognition that ministry in the 21st century is different than ministry in the 20th century,” he says. Jim is glad to see the Seminary’s core curriculum complemented with additional degree programs and graduate certificates, and practical experiences in world mission and pastoral internships, among other hands-on learning opportunities.

Jim has named PTS in his will because he values his educational experience and those who gave to make it possible, and wants to help future generations receive the blessing of quality theological

education as he once did. To those considering joining the McMillan Society, Jim says: “I would say to anyone who is considering a planned gift to the Seminary that you are investing in the kingdom of God, and your investment will provide dividends for generations to come.”

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.

LET PTS COME TO YOU

Are you searching for a guest preacher? Organizing a conference or continuing education event and looking for speakers? Would your Sunday school class or small group benefit from an expert to help you wrestle with tough questions? Could you use a guest writer for your blog or newsletter?

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary’s knowledgeable faculty and staff are ready to share their expertise with you. Draw from a diverse list of speakers that includes faculty, plus staff persons with graduate theological degrees, all of whom

are ready to speak or write about biblical studies, Christian history and theology, mission and ministry, and contemporary issues. Our available speakers come from a variety of Christian traditions and backgrounds. We can’t wait to be in ministry with you!

Check out our recently updated list of speakers, topics, and contact info at www.pts.edu/pts-out-andabout