Connections 2018

Connections July 2018 | Volume V

The New Class The Alumni Council Is Back!

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Dr. Heidi Hadsell has some final thoughts as she reaches the end of her18-year tenure.

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COVER STORY

The Alumni Council is back!

Recent alum J. Michael Cobb tells the story.

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ALUMNI NOTES

Fellow alumni write in to share what they have been up to since graduating from the Seminary.

22 IN MEMORIAM

Hartford Seminary honors and celebrates the individuals we lost in the last year.

FRONT COVER ALUMNI

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Jawad A. Bayat, MA & GCIC ‘15 Asmaou Diallo, MA ‘15 Anne L. Rapkin, MA ‘16 Byron G.E. Peart, MA ‘14 & DMin ‘17 Hans A. Harmakaputra, MA ‘13 J. Michael Cobb, Coop. M. Div ‘15

I am gratified that our alumni association is experiencing a rebirth. You will read all about it in this issue of Connections, and I hope you will get involved.

When our students leave they go out into varied activities to serve communities and institutions, often religious or academic, but also many other kinds of institutions.

Through these they serve the broader world, a world which it seems fair to say could not be in greater need of their vision, their energy, their integrity and their abilities to cross boundaries and build bridges.

President’s Message It is the way of institutions that some come and others go.

Students certainly come and go — even presidents come and go — and things change even as the essential continuity of vision and purpose of the institution endures.

Nowhere is this transition more evident than at graduation. This spring, I took the stage for the 18th and final time to welcome everyone, to congratulate our graduates and to help give them their diplomas.

On that day, it struck me once again that Hartford Seminary students are diverse in almost every possible way.

They are diverse in terms of gender; they come from all over the region and all over the world. They are Muslim and Jewish and Christian and Buddhist and people with no particular affiliation who just want to study aspects of religion meaningful to them. They are young and old, they come in all shades of the colors of humanity, and they come with rich and varied experiences and perspectives which they bring into the classroom with them. Teaching at Hartford Seminary is a challenging and joyful privilege.

As I thought about who could best represent the Hartford Seminary experience as our graduation speaker, I decided to invite alumni from six of our different programs to talk about their education here. You can see them pictured on this magazine’s cover. What we heard was inspiring, educational and touching. I was full of admiration as I listened to the stories of those who are doing great things in the world and in faith communities who were truly transformed by their interactions with our faculty, staff and students of many different faiths.

As I prepare to leave Hartford Seminary and embark on new challenges, my predominant emotion is one of gratitude. I am deeply grateful to our students and the intelligence, the faith, the energy, the joy they bring to their studies, and the hope they give to those of us who teach them. I am grateful to have worked with a great faculty, each one committed to his/her own academic work, but also to our work together as a faculty in service to our students and to religious and civic communities. I am grateful for a dedicated and skilled Board of Trustees, each member of which has been a joy to work with and to learn from. I am grateful for the wonderful Hartford Seminary staff who work hard and well, and who set a warm and cooperative tone, evident to and appreciated by all who interact with them.

Without the staff, the faculty, the board, I could not have done my job nor enjoyed it so much, and as I said, I am deeply grateful. I am also grateful to the many partners and friends and alums of Hartford Seminary from religious and civic communities in Hartford, across the U.S. and around the world. Our partners are so important to Hartford Seminary. They challenge us, encourage us, work with us, and bring their ideas, their worlds, their religious and civic communities to us, and they help make Hartford Seminary an exciting, outward-oriented, creative institution that is constantly engaged in its own learning processes.

I encourage you all to stay connected to Hartford Seminary and to participate actively in the life of this remarkable institution. Our new President, Dr. Joel N. Lohr is eager to get started this summer. Please welcome him to the Hartford Seminary family.

Thank you,

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Photos courtesy of the Hartford Seminary Archives

Graduation -

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May 11, 2018

The New Class_ The newly formed Alumni Council is a call back to our roots, bridging the old to the new.

rebuilding

our bonds

by THE REV. J. michael cobb

Last fall I received an intriguing email, asking if I would meet with a group of other Hartford Seminary Alumni to talk about working on HOW WE might have a more active role in the life of the Seminary. The question got my attention and piqued my curiosity, as I am very proud to be associated with HartSem and believe strongly in its mission.

Typically, Alumni associations exist to foster a spirit of loyalty and to promote the general welfare of the organization. That sounded worthwhile to me.

The excitement at that initial meeting was wonderful.

Connecting with other people who share that pride and passion is the very definition of an Alumni Council, after all, and I found it a tremendous privilege and honor to represent Hartford Seminary as part of these proposed alumni outreach and engagement programs. Every person present shared in this passion and desire to help spread the word about what they found special about their experiences at HartSem. Hartford Seminary alumni go far beyond Hartford, far beyond New England. We are very much an international cohort, and that brings with it some interesting challenges in reaching people and finding relevant ways to foster engagement.

We each use our degrees exploring difference and deepening faith across the globe, and our dedication to making the world a better place through service and bridge-building exemplifies what it means to be part of this community of graduates. Each of us is passionate about our experience at HartSem, and each wanted to find ways to help keep alumni both in touch with the Seminary, and in touch with one another.

“Five years after graduation, the bonds of sisterhood keep me beautifully tethered to my classmates and all Women’s Leadership Institute alumnae,” said Julie Grace, Alumni Council Vice Chair. “Completing my Master of Arts in Transformative Leadership and Spirituality degree was a healing journey, an opportunity to turn inward and attend to the wounded places within me. Though the degree is relatively new, there is a growing group of alumni who have witnessed the life-changing experience it provides and the endless possibilities for applying what was learned to our wider world. I was honored to be asked to represent WLI and MATLS on the Alumni Council. Both of these programs have had a profoundly positive impact on my life, and I see the Alumni Council as an opportunity to give back and stay connected to Hartford Seminary.”

Those present from other degree and certificate programs shared her passion and wanted to find a way to harness that passion both to promote the Seminary and for mutual support.

This wasn’t the first time there had been a meeting of a Hartford Seminary Alumni Council, but it was the first such meeting in a very long time, about a decade. Alumni who graduated from the former Hartford Theological Seminary in the 1970s and earlier have a very different relationship with the school than do those of us whose studies have always been anchored in the gleaming white Hartford Seminary building that opened in 1981.

Much had changed during that time, both in the broader culture as well as within the Seminary. Many of us were regularly in touch with one another via Facebook and other social media platforms that hadn’t existed back then! How fitting that a school that prides itself on uniting a broad diversity of theological 5

unparalleled cross-cultural peacemaking work that exemplifies HartSem. We have a lot to think about as we look both backward at our history and the many graduates that came before us, and a lot to celebrate as we look forward at how we can construct an alumni network that supports all of us in our various ministries and advocacy work.

and cultural perspectives should have a legacy of alumni that span the globe, reflecting this diversity in how we relate to the Seminary. We all agreed that simply picking up where things were would not help anyone. We needed to start from scratch.

Right away, we learned that HartSem students are every bit as diverse in their post-graduation lives as they were at the Seminary, with a great many students identifying very strongly with their specific program cohort rather than the Seminary as a whole. In fact, alumni from various programs had been in regular contact with one another in ways that did not intersect with their fellow HartSem alums who had pursued different courses of study. This is particularly true of Leadership Certificate programs.

Black Ministries Program and Women's Leadership Institute graduates had arranged for meetups and had active Facebook-based communities. Members of these programs made strong contributions to our evolving vision — they had already played a part in building alumni communities and could bring that to bear in ensuring the new Alumni Council engaged as many people as possible.

We started meeting about every two months. Each time, we brought in new people, representing different certificate and degree programs offered by the Seminary. We were able to both broaden and refine the mandate of the Alumni Council. For example, HartSem had a previous Alumni Council that had gone defunct. What happened, and how could we build an organization that would last? What needs do our alumni have, and how can we best help and support them? How could we strengthen the relationship between Hartford Seminary and its alumni, making it ongoing? For me personally, as a graduate of the Cooperative Masters of Divinity program, I have two alumni associations, and ultimately was granted my degree elsewhere. I am proud to be part of this unique community that celebrates faith-based engagement in diversity and change. How do we highlight the ongoing formative impact made as part of such a community with people who completed their studies elsewhere?

The aims of the Alumni Council are well summarized by Vice Chair Julie Grace: “My goal is for our alumni to feel ‘passionate affiliation’ for Hartford Seminary.

No matter which program or degree was completed, I want alumni to believe that their relationships with Hartford Seminary did not end with graduation but instead are enduring relationships that We understood that this new Alumni Council was continue to benefit their lives. We have coming together at a formative time. Hartford lots of ideas for ways to help our gradSeminary is in the midst of major transitions in uates stay connected both on campus leadership, faculty and programs. After nearly two decades, the Seminary was welcoming a new president. and virtually, and we are excited about creating opportunities to gather in both The current strategic plan runs through 2019, so we formal and informal settings to share would have opportunities to help shape the future ideas, provide support, and just have fun direction of the Seminary. Additionally, our volatile together.” political climate underscores the urgent need for the 6

As a major partner in this work, the Development and Communications offices have been busy as well, recently finishing a year-long process of giving the alumni database a major overhaul, purging old and inaccurate records and cleaning up the data to ensure the greatest possible accuracy. This wasn’t an easy task, but it gives us a powerful tool to help alumni and results in a much more accurate record of graduates.

“Over the past six months, the Development and Communications teams have integrated our messaging and outreach efforts to strengthen and grow our alumni network. Well over 10,000 alumni and friends receive the Seminary’s news and event listings on a regular basis.

Imagine the power of our network when we stay connected,” said Susan Schoenberger, Director of Communications. “Here’s what alumni can do: Word-of-mouth is the strongest promotional tool we have, so please help us grow our family of spiritual leaders by sharing posts on social media and talking about your personal journey here with others. Our students also benefit directly from your donations to the Hartford Seminary Fund, every dollar of which goes to scholarships.”

before embarking on a career, I view graduate education as part of a larger process of development — intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, socially, physically. Development like this doesn’t cease when we graduate, especially if we are called to be lifelong learners. My hope is that Hartford Seminary will always be considered home for our alumni, whether through visits and continued learning, engagements online and through social media, or through alumni gatherings and affinity groups around the world.

Active, engaged alumni are key to our success and to achieving our mission, one that has so much potential to bring healing to a fractured world. I’m delighted to see the development of Hartford Seminary’s newly formed Alumni Council, which I hope is the first step of many!”

Jim Robertson, newly elected Chair of the Board of Trustees, also offered his enthusiastic congratulations to the new Alumni Council: “You will become an essential and meaningful part of our beloved institution’s life and future. Hartford Seminary is constantly evolving and always becoming more relevant, stimulating and transformational — I can say that with some certainty, having been happily involved for many, many years. As our alumni become ever more diverse and international, you will have a principal role in keeping us informed, united and engaged. Blessings to you and your efforts!”

Story continued on page 22...

One thing each of us have in common is a keen desire to pay back the life-changing experience we had for future generations of HartSem students. We had formed friendships that sustained us through our time in the Seminary and enriched our lives since graduating. We had developed ways to build bridges across cultural and religious differences that too often have led to mistrust and conflict. A major reason each of us has for participating is the desire to support the work of the Seminary and its graduates in a world that needs people focused on spanning all kinds of difference and fostering mutual understanding.

Incoming President Dr. Joel N. Lohr expressed his enthusiasm for the work of the Alumni Council: “Instead of viewing seminary as a confined, set time of learning

Official Meeting 7

“I see people through the prism of God’s loving eyes. We are all different, and yet we are all the same...one big family, seeking God’s will for our lives. It is difficult to mistreat someone you love and consider your family. My HartSem education has profoundly shaped my life and informs my approach to ministry in the local church and community.”

Graduation Speaker The Rev. Byron G.E. Peart, MA ‘14 & DMin ‘17

30, 2017. They had been married for 66-plus years.

ALUMNI NOTES ’52 John Martin Ramsay Kennedy School of Missions, has participated in a cross-generational program where high school journalism students interviewed senior citizens in their community. He has also started a publishing company accessed at www.shareinprint.com. ’55 Richard Rinker M.Div., is retired and working on his fifth book, Discernment. Others published: East Burlap Parables; Where

Eyes Are Lifted; Michael Rinker, Pioneer Pastor; Holy Scope.

’56 George Conklin B.Div., retired two decades ago as a professor at Pacific School of Religion of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. He continues on the UCC Northern California Conference Board and enjoyed a trip to Japan last year with his son-in-law Stephen Hulse. He visited Kazuko Suzuki, who studied at Hartford back in the mid-50’s and was DRE at Broadview Community in Hartford. ’57 George H. Sinclair Jr. MA, retired from the faculty of Andover Newton Theological Seminary in 2000. He moved to Worcester from Newton, MA, in July 2016. He and his wife Marge spent the summer of 2016 and 2017 at their cottage in Ocean Park, Maine. Marge died Oct. 8

’60 Lucy Wong MA Church Social Services, retired in 1997 from her job as a Special Education teacher. She writes: “I met my husband, Bill Wong, at Hartford Seminary, where he received his Bachelor of Divinity, after which he served UCC churches in Vermont and Connecticut for 35 years. I have lived in Northeastern Connecticut for over 50 years, and still attend the church from which Bill retired in 1994. (He passed away in 2007.)

After living in the home that Bill and I owned for more than 30 years, I recently moved into a condo, and find that I enjoy condo living very much.

Religious and social events at local churches, my family and friends, plus my new neighbors, keep my life full and busy!” ’62 John Rogers Pastoral Ministry, is retired and lives in Claremont, CA. He lost his wife Barbara in 2016. He continues to travel domestically and internationally, visiting congregations he served in Paris, Berlin, Japan, Bali, Vienna and Strasbourg. “Life continues to be full and very good.” ’63 Robert C. Snyder M.Div., has been retired for more than 17 years. He is active in the Midland (MI) United Church of Christ and doing genealogical research as a retirement avocation. He is currently involved in planning a family reunion for a clan that hasn’t gathered in 40 years.

’64 Richard Hasler MA Church History, is a retired Presbyterian pastor. He has written a book that will be published in 2019.

The Last Days is a series of sermons on the last part of the Gospel of Luke published by CSS Publishing Co. ’65 Terry Candee B.Div., is retired but active in McGregor Presbyterian Church in Irmo, SC. Terry helped build a memorial garden, labyrinth and columbarium, as well as sanctuary furniture. He leads spiritual retreats and has done interfaith development working with a local mosque. He also assists with refugee settlement as well as collecting and distributing food items for local children. ’70 John Ivor Morgans Ph.D., was ordained to the Congregational Ministry in England and Wales in 1967. He served at Llanidloes and Glanhafren, 1967-1974. ’71 Thom Kermes MA, reports: “Sharon and I are retired. I am Clerk of Session at Rockledge (FL) Presbyterian Church.

Sharon and I also serve on the Mission Committee at Rockledge. I am serving on Session. She is a very active Deacon. I am doing a lot of genealogy work on both sides of our families. I have found an ancestor who fought in a Crusade in a little town named ‘Jarosalem.’ Sharon is volunteering once a week as a SHINE Counselor. She is helping people wade through the muck called Medicare. We are enjoying a quieter life on Merritt Island (FL). Being able

consider her work a “ministry.”

“Not until I enrolled here did my definition of ‘ministry’ begin to shift.”

That was Lesson One. Lesson Two was learning that contemplation is a “powerful source of action.”

Dr. Tatum said she came to understand that “spiritual life does not remove us from the world.” With that in mind, she began to see her commitment to social change and fighting racism as the cornerstone of her ministry, even when that work was difficult and thrust her into a sometimes-unwanted spotlight.

“We are sorely in need of conversations about race...”

‘00 Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum In the middle of a tour to promote the 20th anniversary edition of her bestselling book, Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum took time out to deliver the Biennial Michael Rion Lecture at Hartford Seminary on Dec. 7, 2017, offering a moving account of her time as a student here.

Dr. Tatum connected the decision to write Why Are All the Black Kids

Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?

And Other Conversations about Race to lessons she learned while getting her Master of Arts in Religious

Studies at Hartford Seminary in the 1990s.

“The book is the product of my Hartford Seminary education,” she said, “and four important lessons I learned here.”

Hartford Seminary became part of Dr. Tatum’s life in fall 1993, when she enrolled to “seek a better understanding of the Bible and a way to integrate my work life and my spiritual life.”

Her anti-racism work and her job as a professor of clinical psychology at Mount Holyoke College was keeping her busy, but she didn’t at the time

Lesson Three, after accepting too many invitations for public presentations, was learning the “power of silence” and participating in silent retreats. It was at that time, in 1995, when a principal called her to ask why all the black kids sat together in his cafeteria. The book and its title came to her, and a good portion of the book was written at another silent retreat at the Wisdom House Retreat and Conference Center in Litchfield.

Lesson Four was learning to listen to that “still, small voice” that led her to be a leading light in anti-racism activism. “We are sorely in need of conversations about race,” she said.

People tell her, Dr. Tatum said, that they are afraid of making mistakes when talking about race. “If we wait for perfection,” she said, “we will never break the silence.”

Dr. Tatum is President Emerita of Spelman College, a nationally recognized authority on racial issues in America and a licensed clinical psychologist.

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to step out our back door and watching a launch is a treat.” ’72 J. Barrie Shepherd MA, has been retired for the past 18 years. He has kept busy writing, guest preaching and lecturing. This past year, apart from local preaching, he has preached at Old Stone Church in Cleveland, OH; First Presbyterian in Catonsville, MD; Wallingford (PA) Presbyterian; and First Presbyterian in New Canaan, CT. He is also a poet. Several of his poems have appeared in Christian Century and other publications, and he has self-published a small “chapbook” of poems, Bench on the Bluff. He writes that his poems are “set in or around Piper Shores, the coastal Maine retirement community where Mhairi and I now live.” ’81 Richard E Merrick D.Min., lives in Findlay, OH, and assists in worship, outreach and mission at his local church. ’85 Jeffery Tribble BMP, has been appointed Program Director of the Master of Arts in Practical Theology Degree at Columbia Theological Seminary (GA). He is also President-Elect of the Academy of Religious Leadership, and has been appointed by A.M.E. Zion Church to the Christian Education, Ecumenical Faith Formation, and Leadership Development Convening Table of the National Council of Churches.

“If you believe that today people need to speak more than one language in order to be a global citizen, I say that people need to be able to speak more than one religious “language,” namely knowing more than his or her own religious tradition.”

Graduation Speaker Hans A. Harmakaputra, MA ‘13

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’05 Sajjad Chowdhry

will have serious consequences for generations of Muslims.”

Hartford Seminary alum Sajjad Chowdhry has published an important paper on the state of Muslim leadership development in America.

The paper can be downloaded at this link: http://www.icnyu.org/ education-project/

Research for the paper was funded by a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation. It was a year-long project of the Islamic Center at New York University with Chowdhry, who graduated from Hartford Seminary in 2005, as the senior researcher.

He writes in the paper: “Remarkably, despite its longstanding presence in the United States, the Muslim community lacks strong institutions for religious and scholarly training, the cultivation of new leadership, and effective community-building.

This gap in leadership and institutional supports, if left unaddressed,

’88 Carolyn Dixon BMP, serves on the ministerial staff of Jones Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in Columbia, SC. She is also the Director of Christian Education and the Arts Ministry. She is a Conference Evangelist and serves on the Praise and Worship and Ministerial Alliance Committees of the Columbia-Camden District of the Palmetto Conference of the A.M.E. Zion Church. She is a member of COLA/ Gives, the first African American Giving Circle in South Carolina. She writes, “My husband Benjamin and I will celebrate 54 years of marriage in July!”

’89 The Rev. Dr. Davida Foy Crabtree D.Min., retired officially in 2010 as UCC Conference Minister in Connecticut but continues to take shortterm positions as Interim Conference Minister, as a Sabbatical Interim for pastors, or as a Sunday preacher. She recently moved to Seabury, a wonderful CCRC in Bloomfield, CT. She continues to advocate for justice and peace at every opportunity. ’89 Gordon Ellis D.Min., directs a small choir at Trinitarian Congregational Church in Warwick, MA. He also writes and records primarily faith music. He has two spiritual CDs out and is working on a third, as well as one secular CD. ’92 Sanford Cloud Jr. MA, is in real estate development.

He writes: “In partnership with Pennrose Properties, the Housing Authority of the City of Hartford and JDA Development, we are in the beginning phases of the redevelopment of Westbrook Village, into a mixed income housing and a retail/ commercial shopping center. ’92 Amalia L Rylander MA, co-pioneered and co-pastored the church at Shiloh Christian Ministries, 1982-2004, in Hartford, CT, and pioneered the ministry at Shiloh Christian Church, Middletown, CT, 1986-1987. She authored a novella based on the Marriage Feast in Cana entitled The WineMaker’s Mother.

She started and directed a private school, Shiloh Christian Academy, The Girls’ School, 1990 – 2008 in Hartford. She earned another MA at the University of Tromso, Norway, in Indigenous Studies, 2008-2010, and retired to California in 2012. She is now farming (medicinal trees and herbs) on 6.15 acres of land on the Belize River in Belize.

“He’s a master at building megachurches and turning dying vintage mainline churches around and making them vibrant again.”

“That’s very important for me because there is so much to learn from all the different faiths.”

Rabbi Shaul Praver Following the horrific tragedy that took place in Newtown, CT, in 2012, Hartford Seminary Doctor of Ministry student Rabbi Shaul Praver stepped into the national spotlight when he took the stage with President Barack Obama at an interfaith prayer vigil. In front of the nation, he intoned the Hebrew memorial prayer and started himself on the path of speaking out for sane gun regulation.

Rabbi Praver is currently working on his Doctor of Ministry project at Hartford Seminary. His project involves his prison ministry and is based on the curriculum he wrote in a small book called Spiritual Guidance for the Incarcerated. As one of the two Jewish chaplains in the state, he runs the project at the women’s prison in Niantic and at Garner Correctional Institution.The project stresses the importance of finding something called “sparks of holiness” in crimes.

“So if a person stole, the spark of holiness is that they’re trying to support themselves or their families. Even if they’re a drug addict, they’re trying to support themselves in some way.

Obviously it’s misguided and we have to take these things and elevate them to a higher station in life.”

Now partnered with a literary agent, Rabbi Praver is working on a book called The Newtown Effect. “It’s bringing a spiritual aspect to the whole thing as far as a respect for life,” Rabbi Praver doesn’t shy away from he says. complex and controversial issues. “I’ve been doing the prison chaplaincy for Rabbi Praver describes his time at five years, so another area I want to Hartford Seminary as a “godsend jump into is the whole prison reform. and a great experience” especially in So I have two big very popular subregard to the interfaith curriculum. jects: firearms in America and hyper He names the Rev. Dr. Michael incarceration.”

Piazza, Hartford Seminary’s Faculty Associate in Congregational Renewal, as a professor who’s left a lasting impression.

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“The grounding I developed here offered me the courage to walk a path as a pioneer among the many other ‘Muslim Chaplains’ where no such identity and path had formally existed before.”

Graduation Speaker Jawad Bayat, MA & GCIC ‘15

’94 The Rev. Dr. Brian Bodt D.Min., is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport (CT). His areas of expertise include stewardship, especially using the New Consecration Sunday Program; church size theory; and transition.

He is retiring from his position as pastor of Mary Taylor Memorial United Methodist Church in June. ’95 The Rev. Dr. Laura Sinclair MA, is a retired Senior Pastor and an Affiliate Professor of the Ministry Department, teaching practical courses at New Brunswick (NJ) Theological Seminary. ’97 The Rev. Boise Kimbe MA, led the first Calvary Church of Hartford and has been a leading civil rights activist. ’98 William Helmstetter MA, will be working in Arequipa, Peru, this year on his twenty-fifth mission trip. ’02 Lisa Evans MA, has done serious research into medieval textiles and reenactment studies, including presenting at the Kalamazoo Medieval Studies Congress, the annual seminar of the American Quilt Studies Group, and speaking engagements at historical societies and quilt guilds in Massachusetts and Connecticut. She has also had several articles published on subjects ranging from early Italian patchwork to experimental archaeology.

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Forthcoming publications include work on 17th century quilted garments, the erasure of female collectors by museum staff, and the changing uses of patriotic symbolism in comic books. “I couldn’t have done any of the above without the academic training I received at Hartford Seminary, with special thanks to Kelton Cobb and Efrain Agosto,” she said. In her latest news, she also appeared on Jeopardy in June 2017, winning two games. “It was something I’d wanted since childhood, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I hope some of my old friends and professors got to see me!” ’04 Kathryn and Larry Titus D.Min., are semi-retired and back in the East Bay area of Northern California. They write, “Let us know if you’re heading to SF/Berkeley one day.” ’05 The Rev. Dr. Karen Bailey-Francois D.Min., began a new call as the Minister of Second Congregational Church of Cohasset, MA, on Palm Sunday. She has been touched and inspired by the warm welcome she has received and delighted in the opportunities to serve this thriving community on Boston’s South Shore.

She writes, “As a HartSem Alum and a Trustee (2012-present), I also look forward to helping Hartford Seminary deepen relationships and forge new connections through its (brand new!) membership in the Boston Theological Institute.” ’06 Kathleen Wheeler MA , is the treasurer at her church and also does volunteer work for the Alzheimer’s Association chapter of Utah. She writes, “My father is afflicted with dementia and I feel am helping all of those with this condition by my volunteer efforts.”

’06 & ’13 Christine Milner WLI, G.C., has been a lay associate of the Sisters of the Assumption for 31 years and presently serves on their USA Leadership team. In her third year of retirement from teaching, she is engaged as a Spiritual Director and a retreat facilitator. She writes: “My husband and I have been happily married for 43 years, and we proudly claim three beautiful daughters, three fabulous sons-in-law, and five wonderful grandchildren! I continue to reap the fruits of participating in the Women’s Leadership Institute and all the courses I enjoyed as I earned my graduate certificate. I consider Sr. Miriam Therese [Winter] as a spirit companion and mentor, and I honor the memory of my experience at Hartford Seminary!” ’07 Sandra Watts BMP, is the owner of Remember the Lilies florist in Connecticut. She just opened her second shop. ’07 & ’09 Janet Davenport WLI , G.C., is the principal and founder at Davenport Coaching Solutions, an executive coaching and strategic communications consultancy located at The 224 EcoSpace in Hartford. She is also a new minister and the director of Spiritual Formation at Redeemer’s A.M.E. Zion Church in Plainville. She has been accepted into the Yale Clergy Scholar Program at Yale Divinity School, which she will attend this summer.

“What I’m doing is claiming my position back, my Islamic right. I’m doing what I feel needs to be done here in this community. Trying to improve it and push it to progress toward having an open mind towards ‘the other.’

Challenge them once in a while to do something we’ve never done before.”

One of the first initiatives she worked on was a ‘know-your-neighbor’ group with about five or six local Christian women. The women study together and sometimes go to lunch or dinner.

’16 Dema Kazkaz A recent graduate of the M.A. in Religious Studies focusing on Christian-Muslim Relations, Dema Kazkaz has become the first female President of Masjid Al-Noor Islamic Center in Waterloo, IA. The path she has chosen is groundbreaking and inspiring, but Kazkaz was hesitant to take it at first.

“I was struggling to find my own way.

Someone who always helped me was [former Hartford Seminary faculty member] Dr. Ingrid Mattson. I would call her all the time and consult with her on what to do and we would find different strategies. She used to be my advisor at Hartford Seminary, then we kept that relationship when she moved to Canada.”

Kazkaz says she would go to Dr. Mattson for things like consultation, advising, counseling and how to overcome the fact that the mosque’s leaders were predominantly men.

Despite being one of the few women to lead a mosque, Kazkaz doesn’t consider herself to be doing anything out of the norm. She sees her role, and the need to educate people about interfaith dialogue, as a natural progression.

The group was originally founded when a local Christian woman came to the Islamic center wanting to build bridges. Kazkaz recalls thinking, “Here we go, I joined this school [Hartford Seminary] – let me use these tools. Would you like to establish something like this? A few of your group and a few of my group believe in interfaith so we can meet.”

Another Christian woman heard about the interfaith work Kazkaz was doing, and an even bigger program came out of that.

“So between our mosque and their church, St. John’s Lutheran Church, we started with probably 10 women and right now we are up to 50. We have probably five more churches and a synagogue.”

Kazkaz has also just finished the first of four lectures about women and religion. A local private college has reached out to express interest in holding the lectures in their community as well as two other universities.

Kazkaz is also working on getting the youth in her community trained to speak in public.

“There is so much high demand on us to speak and present our faith

because there are so many misconceptions, and if we don’t step forward and clear these misconceptions, nobody will. In the same way Hartford Seminary equipped me, I have to equip others and keep the ball rolling.”

Kazkaz says that Hartford Seminary helped humanize “the other” in her eyes.

“For example, coming from Syria and growing up hearing stories about the Israel/Palestinian conflict without encountering any Jews made me so fearful and suspicious of every Jew I encountered at airports or in town.

After joining Hartford Seminary I started to look at them as human beings regardless of our political differences. Now my best friend is Jewish, and we have great relations with the Sons of Jacob Synagogue.”

The most rewarding aspect of her interfaith work is seeing how people are very eager and open to listen in a respectful manner. Another crucial thing is the support Kazkaz and the Islamic Center receive from the community. When the Masjid Al-Noor Islamic Center was vandalized in October 2016, an anonymous group was there cleaning it up the very next day.

“We got a letter from somebody and he said ‘I am very old but if you want me to sleep in the mosque to protect it for you I could do that.’ We got letters from California, from New York, just telling us, ‘We love you here. You are part of this community, keep doing what you are doing and don’t be afraid.’

Madeline Albright also came and visited us. Then the Imam asked me ‘Who’s next? Is it going to be Barack Obama that comes and visits us?’”

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’08 Claudia Fryer BMP, heads outreach resources for Shiloh Holistic Empowerment Center. She is a recent graduate of Three Rivers Community College with a dual degree in Human Services and Science. ’08 Beverly Prestwood-Taylor D.Min., is the executive director of a non-profit organization focused on growing resilience for individuals and communities through education, training, outreach and storytelling.

Its primary work is with veterans and military families. ’10 Imam Dr. Salahuddin M. Muhammad D.Min., is the president of the Association of Muslim Chaplains and the Associate Imam at the As Salaam Islamic Center in Raleigh, NC. He volunteers at the women’s prison in Raleigh and stays involved with interfaith cooperation. He is a past president of the Alumni Council and past board member of Hartford Seminary. ’10 Meliani Endang Murtiningsih Yeni Kurniawati MA, joined STT GKS (Sumba Christian Church Theological Seminary) in the Eastern part of Indonesia as a tenured lecturer in February 2017. She was appointed as the interim head of the theology department two months after that.

She also received a grant from the U.S. Consulate Surabaya to organize a workshop on “Women, Education, and the Patriarchal System” this fall. ’10 The Rev. Diann H. Bailey Coop. M.Div., is an associate minister for Intergenerational Ministries.

She also received her Police Chaplain Certification and serves on the Greater Suffield Interfaith Council.

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’10 Acmad Macarimbang IPP, GC, works for the Foundation for a Sustainable Society Inc. in the Philippines. He assisted and developed social enterprises formed by farmers, women, indigenous peoples and Filipino Muslims in Mindanao Island, the southern part of the Philippines. ’10 Rev. Marisa Brown Ludwig Coop M.Div., is one of the pastors at First Church Longmeadow. She is doing lots of community outreach work around social justice and interfaith/ecumenism issues. She is active in environmental justice/ climate change and part of an Episcopal-UCC Team that serves the Church Without Walls ministry to the homeless in Springfield. She is an officer of the Interfaith Council of Greater Springfield, MA, and outgoing Chair of the Mass Conference UCC Ecumenism & Interfaith Relations Task Force. She is also active at local, regional and national levels of UCC and sings in a local women’s acapella group called High Definition. At home, she is the mom of two boys, 21 and 18, and married to Peter Ludwig. They live in Northampton, MA. ’11 The Rev. Dr. Molly James International Ph.D., serves as the Dean of Formation training future clergy for the Episcopal Church in Connecticut. This summer, she will be serving as a deputy to and chair of the Legislative Committee on Ministry for the General Convention of The Episcopal Church, which is meeting in Austin, TX, in July. She also continues to serve as an adjunct professor for Hartford Seminary and the University of Saint Joseph. She lives in West Hartford with her husband, Reade, and their two children, Katherine (born 2010) and Halsted (born 2014).

’11 Silvia de la Fé González WLI, has been a Franciscan Sister of the First Eucharistic Catholic Church for the past four years and will be ordained as the first female priest of the Eucharistic Catholic Church in its over 70-year history. She has been assigned to direct a mission to establish a church and a Franciscan mission in Cuba.

After fifty-seven years, Silvia is finally getting an opportunity to go back to her home country and help the people and the community that she was forced to flee as a child. ’11 Linda Mayo-Perez MA, is a church liturgist, celebrant, labyrinth facilitator, interfaith minister and medicinal plant healer. ’13 Zulunungsang Lemtur IPP, worked as a Faculty and Program Coordinator of Clark Centre for Peace Research and Action at Clark Theological College in India and as visiting faculty at the Centre for Gandhian Studies and Research at Nagaland University. He will be joining the Ph.D. program at Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA, in the Department of Theology and Ethics this fall. His research project is entitled, “Interrogating Indian Tribal People’s Approaches to Peace: Explorations for Interfaith Dialogue and Peace Building.” ’15 Jeanne Pedane MA, is a Cardiothoracic Trauma Chaplain at Hartford Hospital and Minister of Morris Congregational Church, Morris, CT.

ager for Development Group Construction in Baltimore, and civil rights manager for Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington, D.C. “Zoila Airall, associate vice president for Campus Life at Duke, participated in the search process and observed that Salaam articulated an understanding of spiritual care that integrates a strong faith tradition with theory and practice.

’17 Imam Joshua Salaam A graduate of Hartford Seminary’s Islamic Chaplaincy Program and a current Doctor of Ministry student, Salaam has been hired as the Muslim Chaplain at Duke University.

“I am so excited for Joshua to be serving our community as the Muslim Chaplain,” said Aydin Anwar T’19, president of Muslim Student Association (MSA) at Duke. “He not only has many years of experience working with Muslim youth, but also understands and demonstrates his ability to tackle the challenges that Muslims in America face.”

“She also said that he demonstrated an ability to communicate both through spoken word and song — a hip-hop and rhythm and blues artist, Salaam is a founding member of Native Deen, a music group that performs songs grounded in Islam and has audiences around the world.

“Upon his visit to Duke, many students in MSA were able to connect with him deeply,” noted Anwar, “and that type of connection is exactly what we need in order for us to unite and grow spiritually and socially as a community.”

“Prior to becoming chaplain at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center, he served as the center’s youth director, project man-

“The curriculum was a shock to the system, or at least to my system. It required me to critically analyze the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible. Here at the Seminary I studied the Bible not from the perspective of my religious tradition, but as a historical artifact, as a cultural document, as a literary work, as the product of multiple authors with a range of theologies and political agendas.

I read the Hebrew Scriptures in dialogue with the Christian and Muslim Scriptures. This process opened my eyes and heart to texts I had not previously known, and I was delighted to discover great riches in them for myself, and to share in the wisdom and insights these texts offer everyone.”

Graduation Speaker Anne Rapkin, MA ‘16

’15 Susan Foster After graduating from Hartford Sem- D.Min., is the pastor of the East Woodstock Congregational Church inary’s Islamic Chaplaincy program (UCC) in East Woodstock, CT, as in 2017, Imam Salaam immediately well as a retreat leader throughout enrolled in the Seminary’s Doctor of New England. Her first book, ReMinistry program.

According to a Duke press release: “He has a long history of civic service and community engagement.

Salaam was a counselor for Muslim Youth of North America and helped established Jummah (Friday prayer services) while serving in the U.S. Air Force.

’16 Michael Christie D.Min., is working as a prison chaplain. He is also an internationally certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher and coaches returning citizens.

treats to Go: Twelve Creative Programs that Renew and Refresh, will

be published by Wipf and Stock this summer. ’15 Jawad Bayat ICP, serves at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH, in three roles: as their designated Muslim Chaplain/ Imam, as a clinical chaplain, and as a certified educator candidate within the clinical pastoral education process to become a certified educator/supervisor within ACPE.

’16 The Rev. Brian Odem Bellamy International Ph.D., is Second Vice President for the New England Missionary Baptist Convention, Inc., and a Faculty Associate at the University of New Haven, teaching Philosophy, Sociology and Civil Rights in the Department of Global Studies. In 2017, he was featured in a New Haven Independent article about creating a community garden in memory of a young teenager, Tyriek Keyes, who was murdered in a drive-by shooting. “We ultimately wanted the children to know that they cannot live in fear in their community,” he told the newspaper. “We have to be sad because Tyriek’s death was a tragedy. But we cannot live in 15

Dr. Ray thanked the CTS search committee and board of trustees, and promised to devote his passion and voice to serving its mission and constituents.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be selected to head the prestigious Chicago Theological Seminary. I look forward to working with the board, talented faculty, staff, students, and alumni/ ae to further our critical mission of preparing Leaders for the Next. We are committed to developing citizens of the future who unabashedly, and unashamedly champion justice, mercy, and the inherent value of every human being,” said Dr. Ray.“

The Rev. Dr. Stephen Ray Chicago Theological Seminary has named the Rev. Dr. Stephen G. Ray Jr. as its new president, succeeding the Rev. Dr. Alice Hunt, who announced her retirement in February 2017. Dr. Ray became the 13th president in the seminary’s 164-year history on Feb. 1, 2018.

A CTS press release announced the appointment: “Dr. Ray brings an incredibly deep understanding of the changing cultural and religious landscape facing theological education. His 30 plus years of experience equip him not only to see the challenges, but to identify and articulate the possibilities ahead,” said Norman J. Williams, chair of the Seminary’s board of trustees. “I am convinced that his clear strategic vision will lead to new opportunities for CTS. We are excited to expand the seminary’s capabilities and build on Dr. Hunt’s contributions.”

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A renowned theological scholar, Dr. Ray is no stranger to CTS, having served as visiting professor in 2013.

His appointment has been met with enthusiasm across the seminary world and by theological leaders and the United Church of Christ (UCC) where Ray is an ordained minister.

“Having worked closely with Dr. Ray, I am thrilled to learn that Chicago Theological Seminary has called him as their next president,” said the Rev. John C. Dorhauer, UCC general minister and president.

“He brings a solid foundation of theological sophistication and a deep awareness of emerging racial, political and cultural realities. He knows where theological intersections with culture and politics matter — long a hallmark of the kind of leader CTS has cultivated throughout its history,” noted Dorhauer. “He will make the alumni proud while inspiring a whole new generation of visionary and prophetic leaders too often in short supply these days.”

Prior to being called to lead CTS, Dr. Ray served as the Neal F. and Ila A. Fisher Professor of Systematic Theology at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, related to the United Methodist Church and located on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

Well known for his articles on Christology, race, and the Black experience, Dr. Ray is also author of Do

No Harm: Social Sin and Christian Responsibility.

Dr. Ray’s past positions include associate professor of African-American studies and director of the Urban Theological Institute at Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia; associate professor of theology and philosophy at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary; and lecturer at Yale Divinity School and Hartford Seminary.

He received a doctor of philosophy in theology and African-American studies from Yale University and a master of divinity (summa cum laude) from Yale Divinity School.

fear because fear is paralyzing. We will never change the neighborhood if we continue to live in fear, so the first step is coming out to the very spot where the tragedy took place and to do something positive.” ’16 John Blossom Coop M.Div., graduated from Yale Divinity School with a Master’s of Divinity in May. He is serving as Pastor at South Meriden (CT) Trinity United Methodist Church as part of his service in preparation for ordination as an Elder in this faith tradition, which provides itinerant appointments. He writes, “It is a joy to serve in this role, in a wonderful multi-cultural city, where my HartSem training has been put to very good use! …

I thank the faculty of HartSem for preparing me and others so well for the YDS experience, and I thank the HartSem multifaith community of students and staff for providing an entry into faith leadership in today’s world that is without parallel. I value my days at Hartford Seminary more and more each day.” ’16 The Rev. Gail Williams MATLS, is the founder of a non-profit: Anita, Ava House For Women, Inc. The organization has free workshops and computer classes for women. In the works is housing for women and their children who are either female veterans or homeless. ’16 Sayyid Mohsen Fattahi MA, is working as an Assistant Professor at the University of Religions and Denominations in Iran.

Alumni & Friends Stay Current With Us!

Hartford Seminary

strives to maintain a continuing relationship with our alumni.

As part of our ongoing effort to stay connected, we invite you to visit:

www.hartsem.edu/alumni-friends/ There you can update your information and tell us where you are and what you are doing!

We are always happy to answer your questions, address your concerns, and hear your comments. You may reach us at (860) 509-9520 or by email at alum@hartsem.edu.

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Edna Reeder Emerson,

OBITUARIES

Hyacinth E. Willocks Blake,

86, of Hartford passed away on July 5, 2017. She was born in Jamaica on Oct. 23, 1930, daughter of the late Joseph Willocks and Ena Shaw. She immigrated to London as a young woman and started a family. She sought greater opportunities for her three sons and her daughter and settled in Hartford, CT. She worked for many years to support them at The Travelers Insurance Co. and as a certified nursing assistant at Hartford-area nursing homes and hospitals. She was a member of Shiloh Baptist Church in Hartford for many years and served as an active member at The First Cathedral in Bloomfield.

She studied at Hartford Seminary and received the designation of minister. She was known for her unshakable faith and optimism, often taking people into her home for a meal or a place to stay. She was predeceased by her daughter and best friend, Ester Caroline Blake-Harris, in 2014. She is survived by her three sons and 10 grandchildren. She also leaves her sister, Vita, and her two brothers, Bill and Danny.

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101, died on Feb. 16, 2018, at the Grafton County Nursing Home, North Haverhill, NH. She was born in Bentonville, AR, on Dec. 25, 1916, to George S. And Hazel (Perrin) Reeder and grew up in Nebraska. She went on to attend Hartford Seminary, where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Religious Education.

She was a member of the First Congregational Church of Newbury, VT, where she devoted her life to teaching and helping children and young people. She married Harold Emerson on Dec. 1, 1947, and is survived by her two children; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and one foster daughter.

Robert J. Flanigan Sr., 88,

loving husband of the late Pauline (Bracken) Flanigan, peacefully passed away on Nov. 8, 2017, at The Residence, South Windsor, CT. He was born Jan. 13, 1929, and raised in Hartford, son to the late James J. and Alice (Carey) Flanigan. He attended and graduated from Saint Augustin’s, the Hartford Seminary and went onto earn a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Hartford. He served our country in U.S. Army Intelligence, specializing in analyzing aerial reconnaissance. Prior to his retirement, he was an Underwriter and Officer of The Hartford Insurance Co. for over 30 years. He was involved in many civic organizations.

He also enjoyed being a member of the Hartford Saengerbund and the Officers and Enlisted Club, as well as a faithful parishioner of the Church of the Incarnation, Wethersfield. His passion for ballroom dancing included travels near and far, never missing an opportunity to dance. His greatest joy was his family, especially the annual Cape Cod vacations, which con

tinue to this day, the weekend Misquamicut trips and the never-ending get-togethers with extended family members. He leaves his children and their spouses, Susan and Robert Lobban of Tolland, Michael and Pamela Flanigan, and Kathleen and David Bolles all of Wethersfield; five grandchildren, Nicole, Krista, Meaghan, Matthew and Tyler; as well as many close and dear friends. In addition to his wife and parents, Bob was predeceased by a son Robert J. Flanigan Jr., and a brother, James Flanigan.

Robert Homans, 88, of Coven-

try, CT, passed away peacefully at the Vernon Manor Nursing Home on Nov. 3, 2017. Robert was born in Springfield, MA, Nov. 1, 1929, to the late William R. and Florence (Peters) Homans. He graduated from the UMass School of Agricultural Science and worked as a salesman and agricultural disease diagnostic for Eastern States, FMC, and Cadwell and Jones. He was a Commissioned Lay Minister, graduating from the Hartford Seminary, and served as a deacon and choir member in Old First Church in Springfield, MA, and most recently at the Andover Congregational Church in Andover, MA. Robert was predeceased by his loving wife Harriet in 1982 and his older brother, William Keogh. He leaves his daughters, Linda Homans-Marcil of Chicopee, MA; Virginia Crocker and her husband John of Sunbury, NC; and Kimberly Homans of Coventry. He is also survived by five grandchildren, several great grandchildren and two nieces. He played the violin since the age of four and played in the Manchester Symphony Orchestra. He loved acting in plays at the Windham Theater Guild in Willimantic, CT. He also volunteered at the Covenant Soup Kitchen.

The Rev. Herbert O. Kelsey Jr. , passed away on Dec. 10, 2017.

Born in Meriden, CT, on May 16, 1926, Herbert graduated from William H. Hall High School and went on to serve in the U.S. Navy from 1944-1946. He graduated from the University of Bridgeport with a BA and from there immediately started his theological studies at Harford Seminary. He graduated from Hartford Seminary with a Master’s of Divinity in June 1962, and in the same month was ordained at the First Church of Hartland, CT. He married the first love of his life Jo-Ann Lynn, who sadly passed away suddenly after 26 years of marriage in April 1977.

Herbert was married to his second love, Ellen Child Kesley, for 19 happy years until her passing in March 2017. He is survived by five loving children and seven grandchildren. He served as an ordained minister for 50 years in churches in Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Hawaii, and Chingford, England. After retiring in England he moved back to the states in 1996 and remained active in the Church of Christ and as a visiting pastor to many local churches in Connecticut. He remained active through hobbies such as stamp and coin collecting, making puzzles and building model airplanes.

The Rev. John McLoughlin

passed away on Jan. 15, 2018. He was 86 years old and had celebrated his 57th anniversary with his wife Jane E. (Dunheimer) McLoughlin on Feb. 6, 2017. He was born June 28, 1931, in Kingston, NY, the son of the late Merton and Edith (Clingen) Mcloughlin. He was able to afford his education by working on the railroads in his hometown. In his early years he was also an umpire of various men’s baseball leagues, loved ice skating and going for walks to enjoy the outdoors.

He graduated from Syracuse Central High School in 1950 and earned a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University in 1955. He went on to earn his Divinity Degree at Hartford Seminary in 1959 and was ordained in 1960, holding his ministerial standing with Penn Northeast Conference of the United Church of Christ. The Rev. McLoughlin was the Senior Pastor for St. Peter’s U.C.C. Church, Seemsville, PA, for 25 years before retiring in 1996. In addition to serving as interim pastor for several communities, he cared for the residents at both Green Meadows Nursing Home and the former Leader Nursing Home, both of Bethlehem, PA, as their chaplain. Surviving with his wife Jane are sons, Thomas J. McLoughlin and wife Shannon, Andrew T. McLoughlin both of Northampton, PA, brothers, Robert McLoughlin of San Diego, CA, and David McLoughlin and wife Barbara of Syracuse, NY; 11 grandchildren; and six great grandchildren.

The. Rev. Dr. Quentin L. Peacock, 87, beloved husband of

Carolyn Moor, died peacefully on March 15, 2018. Quentin was born in Boston, MA, on Aug. 28, 1930, the son of the Rev. Alfred and Faith Peacock. He traveled with his family to Ashiya Air Force Base in Japan, where his father was the Protestant chaplain. He enlisted in the Air Force later that same year as the Korean conflict was brewing. He was stationed as a Chaplain’s Assistant at the Fifth Air Force headquarters in Nagoya, Japan, and later with the Eighth Fighter Wing at makeshift bases in Japan and in South and North Korea.

After being reassigned to the states, he was stationed at Valdosta, GA, and San Antonio, TX, and was discharged there as a Staff Sergeant in 1952. He entered Bangor Theological

Seminary in the fall of that year and graduated in the class of 1957 and from the University of Maine in 1958 in the seminary’s coordinated study program. He earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from Hartford Seminary in 1978. He was ordained in 1958 and served churches in Maine, Ohio, then for 19 years, in Westfield, MA. In 1994 he retired from the First Church of Jaffrey Center, N.H., and lived for the rest of his life in Peterborough, N.H.

The Rev. Norma Andrus Rust, 86, of Simsbury, CT, wife of

the late Frank J. Rust, passed away peacefully on May 7, 2018. Born May 2, 1932, in Simsbury, daughter of the late Arthur G. and Elizabeth (McHenry) Andrus, she was a lifelong resident of Simsbury. She was a graduate of Hartford Seminary, where she received her Master’s in Divinity, and received her Doctor of Ministry from Drew School of Theology. She served as Pastor at several area United Methodist Churches, including the Forestville UMC, the Kensington UMC, the Middletown UMC and the UMC in Baldwin, Long Island. The Rev. Rust later came home and shared her talents with the Simsbury United Methodist Church as Pastor of Visitation. She was a pioneer of women serving in the ministry. She had a love for gardening and enjoyed traveling. She is survived by her nephew Donald F. Rust Jr. and his wife Teri of Granby; her niece Joan Johnson and her husband Ralph of Canton; and several extended family members.

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Worth Loomis ‘Bishop’ of Hartford and Former Interim Dean

Worth Loomis, who joined the faculty of Hartford Seminary in 1994 after an illustrious business career and became interim Dean in 1999 at the age of 75, passed away on July 20, 2017. He was 94.

“Worth was a constructive and helpful presence at Hartford Seminary for a number of years,” President Heidi Hadsell said. “He was interim Dean the first year I was here (2000) and helped me find my feet here with grace and wisdom and good humor.”

Vanda B. McMurtry, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, said, “First and foremost among his myriad accomplishments, Worth was a servant of God. Now he has gone home to a beautiful place where he has never been before.”

The longtime President of Dexter Corp., a paper manufacturer based in Windsor Locks, Loomis was one of the original “Bishops” of Hartford who came up with the idea for Leadership Greater Hartford in the 1970s. The organization was built to “lower the barriers of race, age, education and economics in ways that would convince all residents of Greater Hartford that they lived in a fair and just community.”

After retiring from Dexter, Loomis became president of Rensselaer at Hartford, then known as the Hartford Graduate Center. He taught at Hartford Seminary for many years and was deeply committed to its interfaith mission. His specialty as a faculty member was business ethics and issues of faith and public life. “His care and concern for the community and for justice within the community resonated with many of us,” Trustee Clare Feldman said. “He will be missed.”

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The Rev. Dr. Robert A. Evans

Former Faculty Member and Co-Founder of Plowshares Institute

The Rev. Dr. Robert A. Evans, known to almost everyone as “Bob,” passed away on Jan. 25, 2018, at the age of 80.

A faculty member at Hartford Seminary in the 1970s and 80s, the Rev. Dr. Evans taught theology, especially as it related to the nature of the church/congregation and to leadership. He was involved in the design and teaching of the Doctor of Ministry and was an ordained Presbyterian minister.

More than 30 years ago, he left academia and founded Plowshares Institute in Simsbury, CT, with his wife, Alice.

Plowshares cultivated global peace through mediation, case-based conflict transformation training, and intensive international travel seminars. It was nominated several times for the Nobel Peace Prize.

When Plowshares closed its doors in 2015, the organization bestowed several grants on Hartford Seminary as an extension of its peacemaking work. The grants supported six International Peacemaking Program (IPP) students from 2015-2018, and established an endowed fund for IPP enrichment. The Rev. Dr. Evans and Alice Evans also taught conflict resolution to IPP students and for Hartford Seminary’s flagship course, “Dialogue in a World of Difference.”

“Bob, through Plowshares, has been a source of inspiration and cooperation for hundreds of justice and dialogue-oriented projects, for many, many people here and all over the world for many decades,” President Heidi Hadsell said. “Plowshares has also been an invaluable partner and a strong supporter of our International Peacemaking Program.

I, along with many of you, will be among those who will deeply miss Bob as a friend and a mentor.”

Hartford Seminary awarded a posthumous honorary degree to the Rev. Dr. Evans at graduation on May 11.

Alice Evans was also awarded an honorary degree and accepted her late husband’s degree.

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Story continued from page 7...

All who have graduated from Hartford Seminary are part of our alumni organizing efforts, so what better time for our first public event than commencement?

Alumni Council members were present and well represented, identified with colorful ribbons as we welcomed the class of 2018 to the ranks of HartSem alumni. We collected graduate contact information and future plans, handed out Hartford Seminary mugs as an incentive— and made sure that every graduate knew that they were now part of an alumni association that not only wanted them to succeed, but wanted to do whatever we could in order to help them along the way.

To be certain that everyone got the message, Alumni Council Chair Jean Amos Lys addressed the graduates as the final 2018 commencement speaker, reminding all that they had just joined a group of women and men that were there to cheer and support them on whatever path they take: “As you move forward, go out into the world as Hartford Seminary graduates. Whether you work as a preacher, as a peacemaker, as a scholar, or as a worship leader, as a chaplain or an imam, I urge you to continue to embody the deepest values of this place.”

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Hartford Seminary graduates embody its long tradition of interfaith relations, international peacemaking, and fostering communications across difference. That is a tall order to be sure—but when we work together, Hartford Seminary graduates are up to the challenge. The Alumni Council is new, certainly – but we are just beginning to discover ways that we can both empower alumni and strengthen the seminary.

There are thousands of us. What might we accomplish, working together?

Let’s find out.

Here are a few things you can do to help get the most out of being part of the Hartford Seminary community: • Make sure we have accurate information about you. Please send your contact information with degree or certificate program to alum@hartsem.edu.

• Tell us about yourself. Our emphasis on collaboration goes beyond our walls, and we hope to help alumni discover ways to work together. The latest phase of your career might be the perfect point of collaboration for a fellow alum! Fill out the Alumni/ae Update on the website or email alum@hartsem.edu.

• Let us know if you will speak with a prospective student. There is no better way for an applicant to understand what Hartford Seminary has to offer than by speaking with alumni. Again, Volunteer at alum@hartsem.edu.

• Join our alumni Facebook page at facebook.com/groups/hartsemalumni.

This is a great way to stay informed about upcoming alumni gatherings and network with your fellow alumni!

• Tell your fellow HartSem alumni.

Not everybody is on Facebook, and not everyone gets Connections. Help us to reconnect with your classmates!

• Let us know how we can support you.

Everything we do started from alumni suggestions. How would you like to see the Alumni Council develop? Email alum@ hartsem.edu.

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* In 1834, Hartford Seminary opened its doors

to educate religious leaders. Now, 184 years later, we prepare students for a much more complex and * The 2019 Hartford Seminary Fund directly connects you pluralistic world, a world in which they will serve and your gift to our students with complete transparency.

You see, 100% of your donation will provide the necessary to heal divisions and inspire others. scholarship funding so we may accept gifted students from around the world who bring diverse views and backgrounds to our classrooms. Nearly all of our students seek some sort of financial assistance and many demonstrate significant financial need.

Your Gift Helps Heal the World, One HartSem Student at a Time This year, you may designate your gift to the program of your choice and provide scholarship support for a student embarking on that program.

Which Program Will You Choose to Support thisay Year?

7, 2018 Graduation -

M

Doctor of Ministry | Master of Arts in Religious Studies | Master of Arts in Transformative Leadership and Spirituality | Islamic Chaplaincy | Cooperative Master of Divinity | Ph.D. in Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations | 18- and 24-credit Graduate Certificates | Leadership Certificates: Women’s Leadership Institute, and Black and Hispanic Ministries Programs

100% of Your Gift + Your Choice of Program = 100% Student Scholarships Please give generously by making your gift online at www.hartsem.edu/giving, by mailing your gift in the envelope inside this magazine or by calling the Development Office at 860-509-9556.

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Hartford Seminary

2018 FALL COURSES /// Online Courses AM-653: Mental Health: An Islamic Perspective (Keshavarzi) DI-501: Introduction to Islam for Non-Muslims (Blackburn) ET-546: Theological Ethics & Public Life (James) HI-523: The History of Christianity: Defining Moments of a Faith (Clark) SC-531: New Testament Survey (Smith) SC-533: Introduction to Shi’i Islam (Kara) TH-612: Theology of Religious Manyness (Mosher) TH-692: Muslim Political Theology in the 20th and 21st Centuries (Yuskaev) WS-613: Spiritual Foundations for Social Change (Fowler) Mondays LG-580: Introduction to Arabic Phonology and Script (Blackburn); 1:45-3:15 (This class also meets on Wednesdays) TH-526: Introduction to Black Theology (Watts); 4-6:45 p.m.

HI-619: History of Christian-Muslim Relations (Grafton); 4-6:45 p.m.

WS-610: Transformative Spirituality: Living In and Through the Spirit (Winter); 5-8:50 p.m.

SC-540: The Synoptic Gospels (Smith); 7-9:45 p.m.

Tuesdays LG-561: Introduction to New Testament Greek I (Duffy); 12:15-3:15 p.m.

LG-661: Readings in New Testament Greek I (Duffy); 3:15-6:15 p.m.

RS-613: Social Research Design and Method (Dollhopf/ Norton); 4-6:45 p.m.

TH-533: Introduction to Islamic Theology (Laher); 4-6:45 p.m.

TH-609: Christian-Muslim Dialogues in Early Christian Theology (Awad); 7-9:45 p.m.

Wednesdays LG-580: Introduction to Arabic Phonology and Script (Blackburn); 1:45-3:15) (This class also meets on Mondays)

PHD-700: Research Methodology and Scholarly Development I (Grafton); 2-3:30 p.m.

LG-720: Quranic Analysis I (Laher); 4-6:45 p.m.

SC-523: The Torah (Grant); 4-6:45 p.m.

SC-660: Psychological Insight into Scripture: New Directions in Biblical Studies (Rollins); 7-9:45 p.m.

Thursdays LG-570: Introduction to Biblical Hebrew I (Grant); 1-4 p.m.

TH-608: The Triune God: Basic Trends in the Christian Doctrine of God (Awad); 4-6:45 p.m.

HI-625: Islamic History II (Yuskaev); 7-9:45 p.m.

All-Day Courses AM-690: Stewardship (Piazza); Meets 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., 9/18; 10/9, 10/30; 11/27; 12/18 DI-530: Dialogue in a World of Difference (Lohr); 9/2123; 10/19-21; 11/30-12/2 (call for times) ET-655: Contemporary Islamic Ethics (Anjum); 9/7-9; 10/19-21; 11/30-12/2 (call for times) RS-572: Contemporary Islamic Thought (Sinanovic); 9/21-23; 11/2-4; 12/7-9 (call for times) WS-551: Women’s Leadership Institute I (Winter); Meets Fridays, 6-9 p.m.; Saturdays, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., 9/21-22; 10/26-27; 11/16-17; 12/14-15

Special Pricing for Alumni/ae The non-credit audit fee for courses is $575, but a special rate of $385 is available for many groups. The lower rate applies to the following: donors of $250 or more; persons age 60 and older; persons 55 and older receiving disability income; graduates of Hartford Seminary degree programs or the Cooperative Master of Divinity; and Hartford Seminary adjunct faculty. There is a limit of one course per academic year for all groups except those 60 or older, for whom there is no limit. To register, please contact the Registrar at 860-509-9511 or email registrar@hartsem.edu.

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YOUR GIFT CREATES A LASTING Bequests, life income gifts, and all other planned gifts are an investment in the future of our Seminary. These gifts will help generations of students obtain the education and training they need to make a difference in our faith communities around the world. There are many ways you can meet your financial goals and maximize your philanthropic giving to Hartford Seminary through sound and timely gift planning.

Why I Gave a Legacy Gift BENEFITS OF PLANNED GIFTS • Tax advantages are substantial, especially on appreciated securities and properties.

• Total savings on income, estate, and capital gains taxes and on probate expenses can come close to the amount you transfer.

• Many giving options can assure you of income for the rest of your life.

• Your assets remain in your control during your lifetime.

• You can modify your gift to address changing circumstances.

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• You can direct your gift to a particular purpose.

“Hartford Seminary has been a significant shaper of my life. For Beverly and myself, Tyler Hall, which was then located on the site of our present major building, was our first home following our marriage (and the place that became the first home of our son, Dean, one of Hartford Seminary’s present Trustees). My studies and life at the Seminary opened the path to Christian ministry and to the values of interfaith understanding. For me, it was a door to a deeper appreciation of a life where the pleasure of learning becomes critical. It is an institution I will always love and support.”

The Rev. Ralph and Beverly Ahlberg

Contact The Development Office at 860-509-9556 or giving@hartsem.edu to learn more.

WAYS TO GIVE Cash, Check, or Credit Card Credit card gifts and pledge payments can be made by telephone or by mail. We accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover.

Please call our Development Office at (860) 509-9520 to make your credit card gift or pledge payment. You may also send your gift by mail. Please fill out the Donation Envelope enclosed in this magazine to indicate the purpose of your gift for The Hartford Seminary Fund or a gift for other purposes along with information to process your credit card gift or pledge payment.

Your check can be mailed to us at the following address: Hartford Seminary Development Office 77 Sherman Street Hartford, CT 06105

Online Giving Go to this secure link: www.hartsem.edu

Securities and Property Gifts of stock, other securities or property benefit Hartford Seminary and you, the donor, with a deduction at the fair market value of the gift when it is made. Additionally, in most cases the donor does not pay capital gains tax on the appreciated value of the stock or property.

Matching Gifts Many companies offer their employees a benefit of increasing their charitable donations to select organizations by matching those gifts either dollar for dollar or by a percentage. Please check with your employer about their matching gift program.

Gifts in Kind Hartford Seminary welcomes gifts in kind including goods and services that meet the programmatic needs of the organization.

Planned Giving Gifts made through estate planning provide for the future growth of the Hartford Seminary. The Mackenzie Heritage Society honors those who have made provisions for Hartford Seminary in their estate plans.

These gifts are tax deductible as allowed by law.

Are You Interested in Learning How to Make a Gift to Hartford Seminary?

Contact Hartford Seminary’s Development Office today with your questions or to learn more about how gift and estate planning can benefit you. Your inquiry is always confidential.

Call 860-509-9520 or email giving@hartsem.edu.

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77 Sherman Street Hartford, CT, USA 06105-2260 www.hartsem.edu Address Service Requested