Class of 2024 Commencement Ceremony

PROCESSION/Prelude

Call to Worship

ORDER OF SERVICE

Hilary Jerome Scarsella, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Ethics & Theological Studies in the Gosnell Chair of Christian Ethics Director of Gender, Sexual, and Racial Justice (GSRJ)

Invocation

Rev. Cynthia Rasmussen, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Public Theology & Eco-Justice in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Professorship and Director of the Program for Anglican Studies

Hymn: "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" (lyrics page 3)

Greetings

Welcome

Remarks and Awards

Scripture Readings

Rev. Dr. Michael J. Ford, CRCDS '12 Chair, Board of Trustees

Rev. Angela D. Sims, Ph.D. CRCDS President

Rev. Cynthia Rasmussen, Ph.D.

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 58:6-12 (NRSV)

Qhamora Kimbrough Registrar and Senior Recruitment Officer

New Testament Reading: Mark 2:21-22 (NRSV)

Patricia Finnerty Reference Librarian

Hymn of Dedication: "Be Thou My Vision" (lyrics page 3)

Commencement Address: “Ministry Amid the Ruins”

The Conferring of Degrees

Robert P. Jones, Ph.D. President and Founder Public Religion Research Institute

Hymn: "All Hail The Pow'r of Jesus' Name" (Diadem) (lyrics page 3)

Prayer for the Ministry of the Church

Rev. Dr. Michael J. Ford

Rev. Angela D. Sims, Ph.D. Jin Young Choi, Ph.D.

Rev. Jacqueline J. Nelson Director for Student Support Services and Coordinator for Spiritual Care

Benediction

Robert P. Jones, Ph.D. Doxology

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heav'nly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Recessional/Postlude

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Come, thou Fount of every blessing; tune my heart to sing thy grace; streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above; praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it, mount of God’s unchanging love!

Here I raise my Ebenezer; hither by thy help I’m come; and I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home. Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God; he, to rescue me from danger, interposed his precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be! Let that grace now, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love; here’s my heart; O take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above.

Be Thou My Vision

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart; be all else but naught to me, save that Thou art; be Thou my best thought in the day and the night, both waking and sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, be Thou my true Word; be Thou ever with me and I with Thee, Lord; be Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son, be Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my Breastplate, my Sword for the fight; be Thou my whole Armor, be Thou my true Might; be Thou my soul’s Shelter, be Thou my strong Tow’r, O raise Thou me heav’nward, great Pow’r of my pow’r.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise, be Thou mine inheritance, now and always; be Thou and Thou only the first in my heart, O High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of heaven, Thou heaven's bright Sun, O grant me its joys, after vict'ry is won; Great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, still be Thou my Vision, O Ruler of all.

All Hail The Pow'r of Jesus' Name (Diadem)

Words by Rev. Edward Perronet (1779); Music by James Ellor (1938)

All hail the power of Jesus' name! Let angels prostrate fall, Let angels prostrate fall; Bring forth the royal diadem, And crown Him, crown Him, Crown Him, crown Him, And crown Him, Lord of all.

Sinners, whose love can ne'er forget The wormwood and the gall, The wormwood and the gall, Go, spread you trophies at His feet And crown Him, crown Him, Crown Him, crown Him, And crown Him, Lord of all.

O that with yonder sacred throng We at His feet may fall! We at His feet may fall! Join in the everlasting song, And crown Him, crown Him, Crown Him, crown Him, And crown Him, Lord of all.

Ye saints redeemed of Adam's race, Ye ransomed from the fall, Ye ransomed from the fall; Hail Him who saves you by His grace, And crown Him, crown Him, Crown Him, crown Him, And crown Him, Lord of all.

And crown Him, Lord of all, And crown Him, Lord of all, And crown Him, Lord of all, And crown Him, Lord of all.

AWARDS

THE GENE AND JEAN BARTLETT PREACHING PRIZE

Dr. Gene Bartlett, a 1935 alumnus, president, and pastor-in-residence of the (then) Colgate Rochester Divinity School/Bexley Hall/Crozer, was respected as one of the premier preachers of his time and was a beloved pastor to many. Dr. Bartlett preached in many of the nation's great pulpits and delivered lectureships at numerous theological schools, including the prestigious Lyman Beecher Lectures at Yale Divinity School. Mrs. Jean Bartlett proclaimed the love of Christ and the justice and mercy of God with her life. She stood in the margins of life, advocating for the voiceless and witnessing to the right of all to be heard. This prize is given in honor of these two individuals who have embodied the Word of God and proclaimed it in our midst and in our world.

THE THEODORE LOUIS TROST MEMORIAL PRIZE

Inaugurated in 1978, the Theodore Louis Trost Memorial Prize is awarded annually to a member of the graduating class. It is awarded by vote of the faculty to the graduating senior who exhibits unusual promise in becoming a faithful pastor, preacher, and parish minister. The prize bears the name of the late librarian under whose guidance the Ambrose Swasey Library was nurtured into a theological collection of international significance.

THE WINTHROP HUDSON SCHOLAR AWARD

The faculty of the divinity school occasionally designates a student as the Winthrop Hudson Scholar honoring Professor Winthrop Hudson, one of the most distinguished historians of American religious history and member of the divinity school faculty from 1947 to 1977. Students named Hudson Scholars are those who are qualified for doctoral study and a teaching ministry, or who choose to dedicate their academic excellence to pastoral ministry.

ACADEMIC SYMBOLS

The academic symbols in evidence at today’s ceremony reflect the continuity and strengths of higher education in our culture. Many of the traditions surrounding academic ceremonies, such as inaugurations and commencement, are rooted in the customs of the Middle Ages when universities were first formed. Four symbols – the academic regalia, the key, the mace and the presidential medallion – evident in today’s ceremony.

Academic Regalia

Perhaps the most visually memorable part of a presidential inauguration is the academic procession in which the spectacle of robes, hoods, hats and tassels represents the rich diversity of higher education around the world. Gowns and mortar boards were a common form of dress in medieval times when classrooms were unheated and the academic gowns and hoods kept the scholars warm. It became a distinctive symbol of academic pursuit, setting the academic apart from the non-academic. Prior to the Civil War, most American college and university students wore the gown daily during their entire term of study. The gown only became standardized in 1894 when the American Intercollegiate Commission determined that all robes would be black.

The master’s robe is distinguishable by long, closed sleeves; the doctor’s gown by a facing of black velvet from the hem to the neck and back, with three velvet bands around each sleeve above the elbow. The traditional hood, also black, displays significant color. The lining represents the colors of the university granting the wearer’s highest degree. The color of the facing of the hood signifies the individual’s academic discipline or school of study.

The Marshall's Key

The key was handed down from the Crozer Theological Seminary. It is carried during formal ceremonies such as Inauguration and Commencement.

The Presidential Medallion

The presidential medallion and chain of office symbolize the authority vested in the office of the president by the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School Board of Trustees. Yet another academic tradition that originated from medieval regalia, the display of the heavy chain symbolizes the weight of responsibility for the wearer, strength in unity and strong communication.

The Mace

Maces were war clubs used during the Middle Ages as weapons of last resort by military officers. The mace later became a traditional symbol of protection and evolved into use as a longer walking stick. Within the university, the mace was adopted as a symbol of the power of the academic quest for truth and wisdom. It was carried in academic processions not only to bring authority to ceremonial occasions, but also to emphasize the unity and aspirations of the collegial community. CRCDS ceremonial mace is a gift from the Sauvé Loriot family to honor the 200th Anniversary of CRCDS and the graduation of the second member of their family in the class of 2020. The mace is made from hand-carved white oak discovered at the former campus at 1100 S. Goodman, which was signed by F. Hunt and dated May 1931. Alan Estabrook and Eugene P. Loriot crafted the mace.

COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER

Robert P. Jones, Ph.D.

President and Founder

Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI).

He is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future (published September 5, 2023), as well as White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity, which won a 2021 American Book Award. He is also the author of The End of White Christian America, which won the 2019 Grawemeyer Award in Religion.

Jones writes regularly on politics, culture, and religion for The Atlantic, TIME, Religion News Service, and other outlets. He is frequently featured in major national media, such as CNN, MSNBC, NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and others. Jones writes a weekly newsletter for those dedicated to the work of truth-telling, repair, and healing from the legacy of white supremacy in American Christianity at www.whitetoolong.net.

He holds a Ph.D. in religion from Emory University, an M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a B.S. in computing science and mathematics from Mississippi College. Jones was selected by Emory University’s Graduate Division of Religion as Distinguished Alumnus of the Year in 2013, and by Mississippi College’s Mathematics Department as Alumnus of the Year in 2016. Jones serves on the national program committee for the American Academy of Religion and is a past member of the editorial boards for the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, and Politics and Religion, a journal of the American Political Science Association.

Jones served as CEO of PRRI from the organization’s inception in 2009 to 2022. Before founding PRRI, he worked as a consultant and senior research fellow at several think tanks in Washington, D.C., and was an assistant professor of religious studies at Missouri State University.

CLASS OF 2024

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE

Concentration in Gender, Sexual, & Racial Justice Studies

Bonita Bates

MASTER OF DIVINITY

Rebeka Fergusson-Lutz

MASTER OF ARTS IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES

Concentration in Gender, Sexual, & Racial Justice Studies

Erik D. Burling

MASTER OF DIVINITY

Graduate Certificate Anglican Studies

Joel Donald Wilbur

DOCTOR OF MINISTRY

athy Woods Bristow

Tina B

Aaron Martin Best

Thesis Who Said Jesus Had To Be a Boy? Empowering Women in the African American Church

Thesis The Decline Of Discipleship Among Black Men in the Black Church For Community and Church Lay Leadership

Thesis Telling Her Story for Healing

CLASS OF 2024

DOCTOR OF MINISTRY

Joseph Daniel Clemmons, II

Thesis

Can a Black Church Grow by Embracing Gentrifiers and Retain Its Worship Identity: Challenges and Blessings of Church Adaptability

Jonathan Ruben Staples

Concentration in Black Religious Thought and Life

Thesis Recovering From Silence: An African American Pastoral Approach to Prophetic Preaching

Alet Alecia Haywood

Thesis And He Will Teach You: Developing a Pneumatological Hermeneutic for the Black Pentecostal Church

Melissa A. D. Stewart

Edna M. Silburn-Lyons

Thesis A Renewal of Christian Education Ministry: And Return To Biblical Foundations in Light of Disunity in the Church

Annie Laura Suggs

Thesis Living Into the Questions: Augmenting Oncology Social Work Practice Through Spiritual Location and Deeper Inquiry

Andre J. Welch

Thesis Discipling African American Men in This Age

Thesis Women of the Crown “An Intergenerational Safe Space in Crown Heights: Women Healing Together Post COVID-19”

Gloria A. Winston

Thesis: An Exploration of the Kairos Framework: A Trauma-Informed Approach in Ministry

CRCDS COMMUNITY

GOVERNING TRUSTEES

Rev. Dr. Michael J. Ford (CRCDS '12) - Chair

The Rt. Rev. Stephen T. Lane (CRDS '78)

Rev. Dr. Michael S. Laver (CRCDS '17)

Rev. Beverly Murrell-Frasier (CRCDS '20)

Dr. Carey C. Newman

Mr. Patrick R. ("Ricky") Pearce, Jr.

Rev. Thomas G. Poole, Ph.D. (CRDS ‘77) – Vice-Chair

Rev. Karen Rucks-Walker, Th.D.

Rev. Cheryl L. Price, Ph.D. (CRDS ‘85) – Secretary

Rev. Fred Jeff Smith

Rev. Paul Vick (CRDS ‘71)

PRESIDENT

Rev. Angela D. Sims, Ph.D. President

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM

Rev. Paula B. Blue

Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness and Chief Operating Officer

Rev. Melanie A. Duguid-May, Ph.D.

Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean of Faculty, and Professor of Theology

Ms. Kara C. Gilliard

Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer

Courtney Wiley-Harris, D.Min.

Vice President for Institutional Advancement

LIFE TRUSTEES

Rev. Margaret Cowden, Ph.D.

Rev. Larry W. Dobson (CTS ‘65)

Ms. Mary Ann Geib (CRDS ’64)

Mr. Preston T. Henderson

Mr. Jay T. Holmes

Mr. Jack F. Kraushaar

Ms. Gloria M. Langston

Annie Marie LeBarbour, Ph.D.

Rev. J. Wendall Mapson

Dr. James G. Miller

Mr. Thomas S. Richards

Ms. Dorothy R. Tasker

Dr. Brian J. Thompson

Mr Thomas A Tupitza

Rev. Frank D. Tyson (CTS ’69)

Rev. Dr. W. Kenneth Williams (CRDS ‘76)

FACULTY EMERITUS

Rev. Dr. H. Darrell Lance Professor of Old Testament 1965-1993

Rev. Gail A. Ricciuti, D.D. Associate Professor of Homiletics 1998-2016

Rev. John R. Tyson, Ph.D. Professor of Church History & Director of Methodist Studies 2012-2022

FACULTY

Jin Young Choi, Ph.D.

CRCDS Community STAFF

Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins, Baptist Missionary Training School

Professorial Chair in Biblical Studies

Rev. Melanie A. Duguid-May, Ph.D. Professor of Theology

Rev. Cindy Rasmussen, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Public Theology & Eco-Justice in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Professorship and Director of the Program for Anglican Studies

Hilary Jerome Scarsella, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Ethics & Theological Studies in the Gosnell Chair of Christian Ethics Director of Gender, Sexual, and Racial Justice (GSRJ)

Rev. Angela D. Sims, Ph.D.

John Price Crozer Professor of Social Ethics

FACULTY AFFILIATE

Kishundra D. King, Ph.D. Faculty Affiliate Director of Black Religious Life and Thought (BRTL)

Rev. Shazetta Thompson-Hill, DMin. Faculty Affiliate

Director of Strategic Planning

Ms. Polly Bush Manager of Development and Institutional Advancement

Ms. Lydia Crim Executive Administrator to the President

Ms. Patricia Finnerty Reference Librarian

Ms. Angelina Hoppough Staff Accountant

Ms. Qhamora Kimbrough Registrar and Senior Recruitment Officer

Rev. Jacqueline J. Nelson Director for Student Support Services and Coordinator for Spiritual Care

Mr. David R. Riddell Senior Director of Advancement and Communications

Ms. Robin Shultz Administrator and Office Manager for Institutional Effectiveness

Ms. Tamisia A. White Director of Enrollment Services & Financial Aid

2023 - 2024 FACULTY AFFILIATES

Mark Arnold, Ph.D.

Rev. Karen D. Crozier, Ph.D.

Rev. Dr. Jamie Eaddy-Chism, CRCDS '20

Rev. Roberto Che Espinoza, Ph.D.

Haley Gabrielle, Ph.D.

Bishop E. Anne Henning Byfield, D.Min.

Rev. Jacqueline J. Nelson

Rev. Canon Robert A. Picken

Prof. Michael L. Sekuras

Jessica Shand, M.D.

Michael Woodcock, Ph.D.

OUR MISSION

ColgateRochesterCrozerDivinitySchoolformsstudentsin theologicalandmulti-religiousstudiestoserve,care,and advocateforallpeoplesandtheearth.

OUR VISION

ColgateRochesterCrozerDivinitySchoolwillbefaithfultoits distinctiveChristianidentityastheinstitutionbecomesa seminaryofandforthecommunity,committedtopracticesof peace,service,andjustice.