CONNECTIONS SEPTEMBER 2020
The Impact of Coronavirus
A Strategic Vision
Alumni in Action
Hartford Seminary accelerates the pace of change to meet unprecedented circumstances.
An exciting future for the Seminary awaits. Learn about our new areas of focus.
Catch up with past Hartsem students. Where are they, and how they are coping?
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Table of Contents September 2020
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The Impact of Coronavirus
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George Floyd: A Reckoning
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A New Strategic Vision
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Alumni in Action
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In Memoriam
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Join the Circle
Editor Susan Schoenberger Art & Design Steven Havira
Dear Fellow Hartford Seminary Alumni, BILAL ANSARI AND COLLEEN KEYES
We write to you under the dark clouds of the COVID pandemic with millions of reported cases and far too many unnecessary deaths. As we, like you, have battled this threat, we have joined the torrential outpouring of solidarity in our
Recognizing the responsibility and need to do more, the Seminary then created a diversity, equity, and inclusion officer and promoted Lorraine Browne to that position. We applaud this significant institutional commitment.
streets against anti-Black racism in the aftermath of the horrific recent murders of George Floyd and other innocent people of color. As alumni and now faculty of Hartford Seminary we could not be more proud of how our beloved institution has handled and responded to these two pandemics.
Our personal commitment to end the pandemic of racism caused us to join protests in New Haven, East Haven, Berlin, Hartford, and Williamstown. But only sustained initiative and work will result in lasting change. To this end, Bilal is engaging in a broad array of social, political and religious efforts: highlighting Islamic principles of racial equity at Friday sermons at Columbia and Yale Universities; dialoguing with police chiefs in several towns in Connecticut and Massachusetts; joining Moral Monday’s Solemn Fast at the Capitol building in Hartford to demand legislators make police reform number one on their agenda; leading dialogue with alumni leaders in the field on the front lines in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Washington, D.C. and the Philadelphia Police Department; advocating for legislation in both Connecticut and
Hartford Seminary responded swiftly to the COVID crisis, making the difficult but wise decision to close the campus and move to remote learning, slicing pricing for classes, and minimizing lay-offs. The Seminary completed its strategic plan and moved courageously to implement necessary but difficult changes to a reimagined Hartford Seminary--all of this during unimaginable times. Catalyzed by George Floyd’s murder, the Rt. Reverend Dr. Benjamin Watts led a dynamic panel conversation on the question MLK, Jr. asked in his 1967 book Where Do We Go From Here?
Massachusetts, one in particular around removing barriers to striking the restrictive language in deeds that prohibited nonwhite people from buying or selling in certain neighborhoods; and accepting a seat on the Diversity, Inclusion, and Racial Equity Committee for the town of Williamstown, Massachusetts, as a recognized leader for racial justice. We are excited about the place Hartford Seminary plays in theological graduate education and the fight for real justice in America. As alumni and faculty who donate monthly, we would like to invite you to join us in monthly giving at any level to empower the Seminary’s work to cast forward the light of knowledge and justice and dissipate the darkness of ignorance and inequity. Dr. Bilal W. Ansari '11 Faculty Associate in Muslim Pastoral Theology, Co-Director of the Islamic Chaplaincy Program Background & Dr. Colleen Keyes MA from Hartford Seminary, Ph.D. in Theology/Arab and Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter (UK).
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Pandemic Accelerates Change at Hartford Seminary story by SUSAN SCHOENBERGER
Early March was a time of incredulity.
A virus was beginning to spread across the country, but few of us had any firsthand knowledge of what that would come to mean. By mid-March, it was clear that Hartford Seminary needed to send its residential students back to their homes and move to remote operations. The day it all hit home was Friday, March 13, when our residential students, including six from the International Peacemaking Program, had to say an early goodbye. Feelings were raw, faces stretched into sad smiles. No one could quite assimilate the news that a rapidly spreading disease was infecting people around us and that institutions everywhere would have to lock down. We booked flights for students traveling to Nigeria, Indonesia, India, and across the United States. We gathered one last time in the chapel for song, prayer, and fellowship. Tears flowed.
Then everyone went home. If you had walked by Hartford Seminary that weekend, it would have seemed quiet and empty. But even then, the Seminary was roaring back to life via computers, mobile phones, and networks stretching around the world, connecting to staff, faculty, and students at dining room tables, in home offices, and at kitchen counters. Faculty were reconfiguring their courses and setting up Zoom sessions. Students were juggling their reading and assignments in a completely new way. Staff were creating protocols and communicating how Hartford Seminary would function in a state of lockdown. Within a matter of days, it became clear that the Seminary needed to find ways to keep our community connected. Our weekly Community Hour – where staff and faculty share breakfast foods
and talk about the previous and coming week – went online as a Zoom session, as did most of our meetings.
virtual presence. In real time, we developed content to meet the needs around us. The second webinar, sadly, was titled "How to Conduct a Funeral Online."
In early April, we moved our monthly interfaith chapel service online and found it so moving that we decided to have a weekly chapel. Pre-COVID chapel might have attracted 12-15 people, but our weekly Zoom chapels drew as many as 55 as we sought wisdom, guidance, as well as a place to share our fears and concerns.
We held a Virtual Interfaith Seder during Passover in April, and hosted a brainstorming session about how Muslims could approach Ramadan without being able to pray together in person. We addressed the necessity of online giving campaigns and what faith leaders need to know about domestic violence at a time when many were worried about such violence increasing.
As April wore on and COVID-19 cases began to explode in the tri-state area, it became clear that we would not be able to have our graduation faceto-face in mid-May. No big white tent on the lawn, no families in rented buses driving from several states away, no reception in the meeting room or photographers documenting every beautiful moment. It was heartbreaking. Instead, we dove into planning a Virtual Graduation and Reception that would attempt to bring our graduates from around the world online together for a brief, shining moment. Again, we found that moving online expanded our reach. Instead of the usual 300 or so in attendance at Hartford Seminary, our graduation was viewed more than 2,000 times on Zoom, Facebook, and YouTube. While it has obvious drawbacks – the digital divide is a big one – operating online has brought Hartford Seminary to a larger, more global audience and, like a slingshot, propelled us toward a future we had begun to envision through a Strategic Planning process that began in 2019 (more on that starting on Page 12).
WEBINARS With face-to-face Educational Outreach programming out of the question for the spring, the Seminary canceled or postponed all the events on its calendar. Our thoughts turned, instead, to how we could reach an audience in need of the wisdom of our faculty – folks who have spent a lifetime addressing the changing religious landscape and the needs of religious leaders across many faiths. In late March, we launched the first of 11 webinars, this one on how faith leaders could improve their 6
Community members stepped up to provide their expertise, including a student who is active in the disaster response community and faculty members relating their own research and expertise to the present crisis. It was an effort noticed by donors, who helped support these free webinars with generous contributions.
SUMMER SESSION As spring wore on, we all began to recognize that our usual summer session of intensive, one-week face-to-face courses would not be possible. Instead, we pivoted to translate those weeklong courses into six-week online sessions and decided to cut tuition in half for both auditors and credit students as a way to address economic upheaval and rising unemployment. Then we came up with a course that addressed, specifically, the challenges of the pandemic. Interfaith Leadership in Times of Crisis was just what our students, and many others, needed. Lucinda Mosher, Faculty Associate in Interfaith Studies, moved rapidly to craft a course that drew on case studies, scripture, devotional/theological writings, and interfaith scholarship. Students flocked to it. The course was ultimately capped at 32 students and 15 auditors, one of the largest course enrollments Hartford Seminary has seen in years. "I didn't think I could feel so connected to students, to my professor, through a screen," Alison Hager, a Master's student, said. "I felt part of a real community for six weeks - one that depended on a diversity of voices, backgrounds and perspectives." Ultimately, enrollment in our Summer Session was almost quadruple the number from 2019.
Graduation
webinars
Graduation 2020 was a virtual experience this year. While we missed having everyone under the big white tent, the online graduation allowed many more to experience the occasion.
The 11 webinars we held from early April to the end of July netted 1,784 registrations
youtube recording 127
Zoom ATTENDANCE 232
and added 400+ people to our mailing list.
LIVESTREAM ON FACEBOOK 1,800
Summer Session 2019 enrollment: 21 course registrations
2020 enrollment: 83 course registrations
LUCE-HARTFORD CONFERENCE Another example of our extended reach came during the annual Luce-Hartford Conference on Christian-Muslim Relations supported by a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation. This conference has been held in early June for the last four years, and it generally attracts 60 or 70 people to two evenings of lectures and panels with networking over dinner. A decision was made in late April to move the conference online, and as a result, 345 people registered from countries around the world to hear experts on the topic of “The Agency and Vital Voices of Women.” With the conference starting at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, we had “good morning” wishes from attendees who were waking up early to join us in Indonesia, Australia, Singapore, and other countries. That rich mix of voices and perspectives was special to witness. Academic Dean David D. Grafton, who has managed the Luce Conference since its inception,
said he couldn't imagine going back to an excusively face-to-face format. The virtual accessibility is here to stay.
WHAT WE LEARNED As Hartford Seminary moves toward a new Strategic Vision, it’s clear that the global reach we have always envisioned is already here. The pandemic, while devastating in so many ways, has pushed us more quickly toward a future that we had already planned and hoped to see. That doesn’t mean the Seminary plans to go online exclusively. We can't wait to get back to face-toface classroom meetings, community prayer, and educational outreach programs when it’s safe to do so. But with the mix of technology that we’ve been forced to adapt in a time of crisis, we've been able to connect more effectively to people around the world who can enrich the conversation and join in our initiatives to build a more peaceful planet.
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We have had to have all our church services online, as all church buildings are closed. This also means local churches are suffering from lack of finances. It has taught us a lot about generosity, helpfulness, and doing a lot of phoning so people are not feeling forgotten.
Joy Allan Master of Arts in Religious education ’51 I am writing a novel of historical fiction that describes how I (autobiographical) came to embrace Islam. The novel incorporates the initial history of the Islamic Center of New England from the view of its founders and the generations of Muslims who followed. We get to know all the key members of the cast, beginning with the immigrant generation in Lebanon.
Michael Ciociola Divinity ‘70
As a New Yorker: I am being "Disciplined, Determined, Dedicated, Smart and Loving!"
Rev. Dr. Robert L Bradley BMP ‘93
This pandemic made us aware and more grateful to most of the things we took for granted, I can even spend more time with my family. Due to the pandemic, I'm having most of my working activities online (thus I can stay with my parents in the village). Though I indeed miss the sense of community and non-virtual relationships, I enjoy doing a lot of things virtually.
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Mary Lahoj Master's Degree, Religious Studies and Christian/Muslim Relations ’92 Live-streaming services, zoom meetings with Board and membership, restarting live services, encouraging congregants to hope again.
I live in a multi-level re at Frederick). After ret Manchester, Maryland, m MD. I soon took up painti I became part time past remained in that capac and I moved to Homewoo Also, I have been brushin the Greek Septuagint to co
Nanik Yuliyanti IPP ‘20
I am grateful to have the virtual capacity to continue nearly all my "regular" work from home and also to be here in my local community to be part of the growing awareness of and response to racial/ economic injustice.
etirement community (Homewood tiring in 2006 from Trinity U.C.C. in my wife and I moved to Rocky Ridge, ing in pastels and watercolor. In 2008 tor of the Mount Pleasant U.C.C. and city for eight years. In 2016 my wife od. Here I continue with my painting. ng up on Koine Greek in order to read ongue. (I have strange ideas of what onstitutes fun!)
obert Rock B.D. ‘68
i voices andemic
Jennifer Sanborn Master of Arts in Religious Studies, Spirituality ’12
During this global crises, despite it, I've been still working diligently. I have the mind set that, no challenges can prevent me from living. Also I've been encouraging others that life will improve.
Currently evaluating our new way of life and asking, "What do we want to keep / change?" I think the current restrictions will have a bearing on the future in a positive way for churches and for individuals.
Richard Purchase M. Div. ‘64
Lakia Shavon Lightner-Padgett WLI ‘18 As I serve on the USA Associate Leadership Team for the Sisters of the Assumption I have offered virtual "Zoom" meetings to replace the in-person monthly gatherings we have. Both Sisters and lay associates from many locations have thus been able to stay connected, and much deep sharing has occurred. So much disappointment experienced over canceled assemblies and retreats has been hopefully softened by these Zoom meetings, providing hope to overcome the hardships.
Christine Milner Women's Spirituality ‘12 9
GEORGE FLOYD: A RECKONING
Hartfod Seminary Looks Both Internaly and Externaly at Racial Injustice
On May 25, when a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on the neck of George Floyd, the world changed. In the midst of a pandemic shaking the world to its core, black and brown people understood that another pandemic had been raging all along. We all know what happened next. At Hartford Seminary, President Joel N. Lohr made a public statement on June 1 that said: "Violence against any member of our society is not acceptable. It is contrary to the God we worship and the faiths we practice. We need to speak up. We need to work for change. And we also need to repent of the ways we have been complicit in the wrongs and ongoing violence in our society. In this time of social distancing, and as we seek to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus, this will not be easy. I am calling on you to join with me, our faculty, our staff, and our Seminary leaders to work for meaningful and long-lasting change in our country. This moment cannot go to waste. God is up to something in our world. In whatever ways we can and wherever we are, let’s work for the change we need to see in our country and world. And in the words of Martin Luther King Jr., quoting from the Book of Amos, let us "not be satisfied until ‘justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."
Arulampalam, and former faculty member Dr. Yehezkel Landau spoke at an interfaith vigil led by Hartford Seminary D.Min. student Rev. Erica Thompson, senior minister at Asylum Hill Congregational Church. David Figliuzzi, a student and admissions recruiter at Hartford Seminary, was a key organizer. Shanell T. Smith, Associate Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins, gave a moving chapel sermon via Zoom. She titled the sermon "Show Me Your Hands (Jesus)!" and lamented: "We need you, Oh God, We are tired, we are angry, We are overcome with grief; Our hearts are too heavy, Our tears unceasing." Later, Dr. Ansari was among an interfaith group of religious leaders occupying the steps of the state Capitol, organizing online gatherings with chaplaincy students and alums, and leading the charge to have a racist covenant struck down in Williamstown, MA. He continues to be a leader in the fight for racial justice.
Bilal Ansari, Faculty Associate in Muslim Pastoral Theology, was highly visible on the streets in Hartford and New Haven, meeting with New Haven Police Chief Otoniel Reyes to discuss training his department on Black Live Matter’s eight steps for reducing police violence against civilians.
In June, the Seminary hosted two webinars moderated by the Rt. Rev. Dr. Benjamin Watts, Director of the Black Ministries Program and Faculty Associate in Religion and Community Life. "Where Do We Go from Here: A Conversation for Faith Leaders” brought a variety of prominent area speakers to the table to discuss the foundational nature of white supremacy in the United States and where we could begin to look at ways to change. Dr. Watts also moderated "A Conversation with Beverly Daniel Tatum," which drew more than 1,000 people to hear our distinguished '00 alum, the President Emeritus of Spelman College and author of the seminal book on race, "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria: And Other Conversations about Race."
President Lohr, Trustee Rabbi Debra Cantor, Chaplain Aida Mansoor, Student Services Coordinator Liza
More recently, Hartford Seminary President Joel N. Lohr wrote faculty and staff encouraging the Seminary
In the weeks following, Hartford Seminary staff and faculty joined protests and took action.
community to work with him and senior leaders to address how we as an organization—systemically—will deliver on our commitment to support racial justice and the Black Lives Matter movement. "Questions of racial justice and the inclusion of all people in society and at Hartford Seminary, especially those most at risk, historically less privileged, or oppressed, go to the very core of our mission and identity," President Lohr said. The Seminary will be asking questions about how we message our commitment, both online and in physical spaces. "Let me be unequivocal. Hartford Seminary is committed to Black Lives Matter as an institution," President Lohr said. "But how do we communicate that effectively? And what does that really mean?" The Seminary’s senior leadership team, led by Academic Dean David D. Grafton and Chief Operations Officer Ann Crawford, was tasked with leading an exploration of these questions and making communitybased recommendations rooted in action—a deep, foundational educational commitment that goes to the Seminary’s core and informs everything we do. Recommendations that came out of that call included the establishment of a diversity officer, and that position was one of the first concrete actions to follow. On July 30, Lorraine Browne was promoted to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer. She will lead an advisory council that will examine the other recommendations and make their own. The work continues, and in many ways is just beginning. If you have thoughts or ideas, please email lbrowne@ hartsem.edu.
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MOVING BOLDLY TOWARD A REENVISIONED FUTURE The coronavirus is a pathogen, but as we’ve noted, it’s also an accelerant. Institutions worldwide are finding out that offering virtual space has the power to bring people together far beyond what was possible for face-to-face interactions.
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The accelerant reached Hartford Seminary just as it was finalizing a six-month strategic planning process and looking toward how it would be implemented. Our new model, already in the works, looks even more like the right way forward in a world that has been completely upended.
A New Strategic Vision Hartford Seminary will undergo a number of bold and exciting changes over the next few years, which is no surprise to anyone who has studied our history or followed the most recent strategic planning process. These changes were in development before the coronavirus pandemic hit and before our national reckoning with racial injustice, but these two crises have helped to clarify the importance of realigning our programs and broadening our reach around the globe. Through the extensive strategic planning conducted in 20192020, the Seminary learned a number of important things: •
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Our current model is rooted in older models of seminary education and is not sustainable long-term. Enrollment is declining across peer theological schools nationally, while our programs face new competition for students. The need for interreligious understanding is growing, and growing strong. Many of the world’s most pressing problems can be traced to conflicts rooted in religious intolerance and a lack of religious literacy. In addition,
communities and families are becoming increasingly diverse and interreligious. •
Our unique legacy calls us to even greater leadership. Hartford Seminary has a strong history of cuttingedge religion research and hosts pioneering programs in interreligious understanding, peacebuilding, and spirituality. Going forward, we will incorporate an even greater focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion into all of our work.
Thus, a new era begins with this strategic vision:
By 2025, Hartford Seminary will be the nation’s leading resource for interreligious education, research, and peace studies, providing cutting-edge research and immersive learning opportunities that enable leaders and institutions to thrive in a religiously complex world. To achieve this, we will focus our institutional investment in four interrelated areas:
Religion Research Interreligious Peace Studies Global and Community Partnerships Executive and Professional Education
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Overall, the Seminary will retain a strong commitment to Islamic, Jewish, and Christian studies even while we branch out into new areas to support other religious traditions, seekers, and the non-religious. We will lead and serve the world in new ways while retaining the core of what makes Hartford Seminary unique.
Updating our Brand Identity These changes provide the perfect opportunity for Hartford Seminary to develop a new brand identity, which is to say, how we communicate who we are as an institution. To that end, we vetted a number of excellent agencies and selected the Pittsburgh-based firm Elliance to help us navigate the rebranding.
We will build upon our legacy of rigorous applied research on congregational and institutional religious life while expanding efforts to pursue a publicfacing, institution-wide research agenda toward interreligious understanding guided by a core of religiously diverse, public intellectual scholar-practitioners. Implementation is being co-led by Dr. Scott Thumma, Professor of Sociology of Religion, and Dr. Allison Norton, Faculty Associate in Migration Studies and Congregational Life.
Elliance, under the direction of CEO Abu Noaman, has experience working with many institutions of higher education with different religious perspectives. The agency’s staff will build upon the work of rpk GROUP, the consultancy that helped us develop our strategic vision. Elliance will soon launch a period of discovery that incorporates rpk GROUP’s extensive research and adds to it. We look forward to including as many community members as possible as we develop this new brand identity together.
Interreligiou Peace Studie
More News to Come In addition to these exciting initiatives, please
also stay tuned for updates on new centers at the Seminary that will grow and enhance our Black Ministries Program as well as the work of Dr. Miriam Therese Winter in Transformative Leadership and Spirituality. These seminary partners are an integral part of our future as we embrace our bold strategic vision. As you can undoubtedly imagine, these changes represent a huge undertaking, in a challenging environment. But we are convinced that Hartford Seminary is headed in a new and exciting direction that will propel and sustain the important work that we do. Change and reinvention are the lifeblood of our 186-year history. Blazing trails is what we do. Please look for additional announcements in the coming months that will offer more detail about our new direction. In the meantime, please email Susan Schoenberger, Director of Communications, at sschoenberger@hartsem. edu with any comments or questions.
Our academic portfolio will include redesigned academic and professional Master’s programs, which include new and exciting paths for our historic Islamic Chaplaincy and International Peacemaking programs, and the evaluation of a reconfigured Ph.D. program, as well as other sustainable programs. Implementation has been led by Rev. Dr. David Grafton, our seminary’s Chief Academic Officer, Dean, and Professor of Islamic Studies and ChristianMuslim Relations.
As a global and local hub for interreligious understanding, peacebuilding, and spiritual life, we will cultivate local, national, and international partners and become a leading voice in those areas. This area is being led by Dr. Deena Grant, Associate Professor of Jewish Studies.
Religion Research
us es
Global and Community Partnerships
Executive and Professional Education
We will respond to the growing demand for professional competencies around religious diversity through trainings that reach audiences in corporate, government, education, healthcare, and religious settings, and we will continue to equip religious leaders and communities for interreligious understanding and collaboration. This area will be led by Rev. Dr. Shanell Smith, Associate Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins, and it is anticipated that additional leadership will be enlisted as planning progresses.
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ALUMNI
IN ACTION DR . HANS HARMAKAPUTRA ’13
RETURNS AS VISITING ASSISTANT PROFESSOR Hartford Seminary welcomed Dr. Hans Harmakaputra '13 back as Visiting Assistant Professor in Comparative Theology and MuslimChristian Relations through The Louisville Institute’s post-doctoral program. Born and raised in Indonesia as a Chinese-Indonesian Christian, Dr. Harmakaputra experienced both religious and cultural diversity that shaped his understanding of the intersection between faith, religion, and politics. Earning his theological degree from Jakarta Theological Seminary in 2010, he then traveled to the United States to study at Hartford Seminary to learn more about interreligious relations and peacebuilding. He developed his interest in Islam and Muslim communities at Hartford Seminary both from inside and outside the classroom and obtained an M.A. in Islamic studies and ChristianMuslim Relations in 2013. His next step was to enter the Ph.D. program in Comparative Theology at Boston College. Dr. Harmakaputra has authored many articles and book chapters, both in English and Bahasa Indonesia, on topics related to his research interests. His newest article, appearing soon in The Muslim World, is titled, "Say 'No' to Christmas? An Analysis of the Islamic Fatwa on the Prohibition of Wearing Non-Muslim’s Attributes in Indonesia." 16
TRUSTEE JEAN AMOS LYS ’12 FEATURED IN ‘FATHERHOOD MANOLOGUES’ PROJECT
Trustee Jean Amos Lys, who earned an MA from Hartford Seminary in 2012 and graduated from the Black Ministries Program in 2008, was one of nine featured participants in "Fatherhood Manologues," a project of The Manhood Tree initiative. The "Fatherhood Manologues" project is part of an effort to "highlight the importance, value and contributions of African American fathers through their involvement and presence in their children’s lives." The project was developed by Abdul-Rahmaan Muhammad, executive director of My People Clinical Services in Hartford. "I’m all about changing narratives, like I want people to be able to see Black men fully, not only when we die, not only when we’re mad, not only when we are in handcuffs, but when we are being our genuine true selves, when we are talking about the love of our lives, like our children," Muhammad said. The initiative is now part of a yearlong project at the University of Saint Joseph.
K.L. MARSHALL RECENT GRADUATE WRITES BOOK ON ALASKA PIPELINE, RELIGIOUS RIGHT A recent graduate who is now a Ph.D. candidate abroad has a new book out from Resource Publications called Faith and Oil: How the Alaska Pipeline Shaped America’s Religious Right. The book was written under the pen name K.L. Marshall. Due to the nature of some of the research, this recent graduate has asked Hartford Seminary not to disclose their name. According to the publisher, "Faith and Oil tells the story of conservative Christianity’s relationship with America’s oil industry. It shows how the libertarian values of big oil companies—such as government deregulation of business practices and curbing laws that protect the environment—became embedded within the theologies of the Religious Right. These theologies of oil later found their being in the public consciousness through the rise of Sarah Palin and led to the election of Donald Trump." 17
CANDACE LOWE '18 HARTFORD SEMINARY ALUM DEVELOPS PROGRAMS ON THE RIGHTS OF THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY Members of the disability community, faith leaders, and Hartford Seminary alums, staff, faculty, and students gathered twice this year under the leadership of Candace Low '18, a consultant on inclusion and accessibility. The first program was "Inclusive Voices: Welcoming People with Disabilities", a joint interfaith conference of Hartford Seminary and the UConn Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. This spring, we held a "A Quiet Call for Justice: Standing Up for the Disability Community." The program was both a service to mourn those lost to filicide, police shootings, and insurance rationing, and a call for justice.
HARTFORD SEMINARY CO-HOSTS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY CHAPLAINS Hartford Seminary and Trinity College were the co-hosts for the annual conference of the National Association of College and University Chaplains, which ran from Feb. 10-12 at various locations in Hartford, CT. The conference theme was "The Place & Purpose of Chaplaincy in Higher Education." About 150 chaplains from across the country – including many Hartford Seminary alums – attended the conference, which featured talks and workshops on topics such as "Postmillennials and Religion," and "Building Resilience in Students and in Ourselves." President Joel N. Lohr and Dr. Ingrid Mattson, who founded the Seminary’s Islamic Chaplaincy Program in 2001 and was the first woman president of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), both gave plenary talks. During her visit, Dr. Mattson also spoke to an enthusiastic group of Hartford Seminary students, alumni, Trustees, staff, and faculty at a dinner held at the Budd Interfaith Building. 18
MEGAN STROUSE '20 & AMBER HAI HARTFORD SEMINARY ARTWORK DISPLAYED IN JCC ‘WELCOMING THE STRANGER’ GALLERY SHOW Tasked with creating an original piece of art with the theme "Under One Roof: Welcoming the Stranger," recent graduate Megan Strouse '20 and student Amber Hai looked to Hartford Seminary’s core values for inspiration. "In this project," the two wrote in their artists' statement, "we wanted to depict the three Abrahamic faiths' traditions to represent the mission of Hartford Seminary, which is to cultivate healthy communities and conversation while exploring differences and deepening faith." The result was a stunning display of three books of faith on a canvas wrapped with newspaper articles depicting recent stories of both devastation and hope. Interspersed on the canvas are shards of mirror that pull viewers into the canvas itself, making them part of the art. The project was part of a collaborative art exhibit organized by the Mandell Jewish Community Center in West Hartford. The JCC asked 45 Hartford area organizations to contribute a canvas showing a unique perspective on the theme of "Welcoming the Stranger" and invited the public to view the results.
OMER BAJWA '10
EXPERT MEDIA RESOURCE In Spring 2020, Imam Omer Bajwa, an alum who is the Muslim Chaplain at Yale University, became a frequent media guest on the topic of building community online and getting through Ramadan without face to face meetings. His message about Ramadan was a hopeful one. "Isn’t there something to be said to prayer at home with my family? And to do that regularly over the course of the month: to pray and reflect and meditate at home? To think about who I am, what’s my place in the world, and what I am doing?" he said. "These are deeper questions that Ramadan is supposed to be asking us." 19
His peacemaking activities are almost too numerous to mention but include facilitating dialogues and promoting interfaith cooperation among many groups in the Muslim-majority country. In addition, the Rev. Manuputty works on eco-justice issues. A project named #SaveAru “forced the Indonesian government to abort its economic plan on the island,” his nominators said. The Rev. Manuputty is nationally known as an interfaith leader in Indonesia. He was the Assistant to the Special Envoy of the President for Dialogue, Interfaith Cooperation and Civilization (2017-2019), and was elected to be the General Secretary of Council of Churches in Indonesia (2019-present). Hartford Seminary plans to present the Honorary Doctor of Divinity at the 2021 graduation.
THE REV. JACKLEVYN FRITS MANUPUTTY '11 TO RECEIVE HONORARY DOCTOR OF DIVINITY
Hartford Seminary’s Board of Trustees has voted to present the Rev. Jacklevyn Frits Manuputty ’11, a graduate of Hartford Seminary’s International Peacemaking Program and its Master of Arts program, with an Honorary Doctor of Divinity degree. The Rev. Manuputty — known to many as Jacky — was nominated by a group of fellow alumni from Indonesia. In their nomination letter, they cited the Rev. Manuputty’s work as the co-founder of the Maluku Interfaith Institution for Humanitarian Action in Indonesia, which “creates institutional capacity-building programs, develops positive public discourse, and builds a network of pluralistic conflict prevention observers.” They go on to say: “Along with his colleagues, he has developed a peace curriculum, an interfaith peace sermon program, and a trauma-healing program. When violence flared in Indonesia in 2011, Rev. Jacky worked to form groups of youth ‘Peace Provocateurs,’ whose social media campaigns were widely recognized for their success in limiting the scope of the conflicts and preventing them from spreading.”
PHOTO By Paeig Gayine
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REV. DR . CHRIS ANTAL '17 VA CONDUCTS MOVING CLERGY TRAINING PROGRAM AT HARTFORD SEMINARY A two-day Veterans Health Administration training program that took place at Hartford Seminary in early March had many practical components, but it was the emotional aspects of connecting with Veterans that made it so powerful for the more than 30 clergy, faith leaders, and Seminary students who attended. The VA Community Clergy Training Program (CCTP) was organized by the Rev. Dr. Chris Antal, who is a VA chaplain, a Veteran, and earned his Doctor of Ministry at Hartford Seminary (2017). A team of trainers included three other VA staff who are also Veterans, Chaplain James Parnell, Chaplain Rotunda East, and Ben Kaler, as well as Veteran and guest speaker Leroy Enck. They joined the Rev. Dr. Antal to speak to the Veteran’s experience, and share about different aspects of working with Veterans who come to congregations and their faith leaders for support. The intent was to provide clergy with information about readjustment difficulties and unique health issues such as post-traumatic stress, depression, and moral injury.
CHAPLAIN TRICIA PETHIC ’19 RUNS MUSLIM PRISONER PROJECT
Chaplain Tricia Pethic, who earned an MA from Hartford Seminary in 2017 and a Graduate Certificate in Islamic Chaplaincy in 2019, has launched a nonprofit called Muslim Prisoner Project and serves as its CEO. Chaplain Pethic worked as a prison chaplain in Danbury, CT, and Albion, NY, and that experience gave her the idea for Muslim Prisoner Project, started in 2017 and given nonprofit status in 2019. The organization assists Muslim prisoners in several different ways. One is to help inmates connect with their children by providing gifts twice a year through the Eid Toy Chest program. The project also “aims to empower the inmate him/herself through providing quality Islamic literature that they would otherwise not have access to” through the Malcolm X Book Drive. “Muslim Prisoner Project is the fruit of my experience as a former New York State prison chaplain who saw how the Muslim community was lagging behind other religious groups in their ministry to incarcerated people of their faith,” Chaplain Pethic said. “Inmates would report to me that they would write mosques for information and assistance and often receive no reply. They also wanted a regular source of literature, similar to Loaves and Fishes and the Daily Bread which other groups publish for an inmate audience. We aim to serve not only Muslims in state and federal prisons, but also mosques that don’t have a dedicated person to respond to inmate mail or a dedicated volunteer to visit incarcerated Muslims.” At this time Eid Toy Chest is mostly limited to New York State, but Muslim Prisoner Project fields inquiries from prison chaplains and inmates all over the country, aiming to respond to each inquiry “as best we can whether with responses to religious questions, providing books, or giving general moral support.” The organization, the first of its kind in the country in terms of a Muslim version of Angel Tree, is endorsed by many Muslim leaders including Dr. Ingrid Mattson, Imam Zaid Shakir, and more.
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KHALIL ABDULLAH ’19 BRINGS HIS SKILLS TO DARTMOUTH COLLEGE For a decade, Khalil Abdullah, MA '19, worked as the manager of a Starbucks and a regional trainer for Barnes and Noble. He devoted himself to coffee and customer service, calling it his ministry. Through the world of coffee, Abdullah found a way he could serve, teach, and care for people. "I was a leader," Abdullah said, "and working with something I was passionate about and drank a lot of." Along the way, this ministry led him to pursue further education at Hartford Seminary, where he graduated in 2019 with a Master of Arts in Religious Studies with a focus in Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations. But even before graduation, Dartmouth College hired him as its Muslim Advisor, making him one in a long line of Hartford Seminary graduates to land at the nation’s most prominent colleges and universities in a chaplaincy or advisory role. Abdullah was born to a Christian, bi-racial family in Texas, only a few years after interracial marriage was legal in the United States. As a mixed-race child, he had the foundation to push the boundaries of social norms. "I've always carried that with me," he said, "that I could be different." In the early 1990s, rappers such as Ice Cube and Busta Rhymes spoke about their own conversion to Islam through lyrics in their songs. “There was a political component, an idea and conversation around race, politics, and religion that made my spiritual journey as a teenager a very accessible thing.” When he was a sophomore in college, Abdullah converted to Islam. From there, he was involved with many mosques, and belonged to an African American Muslim community associated with Imam W.D. Mohammed. Abdullah worked as a school teacher in both public and private schools in Texas and Georgia before working for Starbucks and Barnes and Noble.
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After deciding to pursue his graduate degree, Abdullah worked at Hartford Seminary as its Major Gifts Officer, with responsibility for Islamic Giving. He recalls experiences while holding this position that exposed him to the needs of community and chaplaincy. When he traveled to Texas to introduce the Seminary’s Graduate Certificate in Muslim Community Leadership, for example, he saw the urgency for Muslim Chaplaincy in hospitals. “The closeness of Christian and Muslim engagement made Hartford Seminary the perfect place for me.” Abdullah said. “I was able to be at the Seminary and form relationships with people I can call friends, who are successful chaplains that are mentors to me.” At Dartmouth College, Abdullah creates a sense of community and belonging among students, particularly Muslim students. He now also serves as an interim Multifaith Advisor. He connects with students, not only to discuss differences, but to help them create a deeper understanding of themselves. “There are moments when we can eat together, share a meal together, go to a football game, walk a trail, and spend time together.” Muslim students often feel the need to explain themselves, and Abdullah teaches students, many who haven’t known a world without 9/11, not to lose themselves in what others or the media say. "Hartford Seminary has played a big part in that I’m able to be a certain way, speak a certain language, I can listen with empathy or sensitivity that doesn’t come with any religious label, but really goes at the core of what it means to be human."
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IN MEMORIAM WE BID FAREWELL TO THE LUMINARIES WE LOST IN 2019-2020
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RADKO S. POPOV '09 Radko S. Popov of Bulgaria, an early participant in Hartford Seminary’s International Peacemaking Program, died on March 12, 2020, after an eight-month long battle with cancer. We are pleased to share this remembrance by one of his friends and teachers, Davide Tacchini. It has been edited for length. Radko Popov was the one of the most prominent Bulgarian Orthodox theologians engaged in dialogue with Islam in the last decades. After his childhood in Varna, Bulgaria, and after completing his M.Th. from the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of the St. Cyril and Methodius University, in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria, he managed to escape from Communist Bulgaria in 1977. From 1978 until 1980 he lived in Heidelberg, Germany, where he studied Art History. From 1980 he worked as a producer for the Bulgarian section of BBC World Service in London for 17 years, and, during this time, he had the chance to travel extensively and do research in many of the world’s top universities in the USA, Europe, and South East Asia.
After a short time being in Germany and Switzerland, he spent the academic year at Hartford Seminary in Hartford, CT, in the International Peacemaking program in 2008 and 2009. Back to Bulgaria, he served as Managing Director of the Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Studies in Veliko Tarnovo, and Interreligious Relations Advisor for the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. He published a number of scholarly articles on Orthodox-Christian relations, and he is the author of over 600 radio broadcasts, mainly focused on the relationships between Christianity and Islam. He took part in national and international conferences all over the world. He authored or coauthored four books: Jesus Christ in the Qur’an (2010), Two Traditions, One Space: Orthodox Christians and Muslims in Dialogue (2004), The Turks in Bulgaria (2012). His last work came out just before his death (BBC Inside, 2020). He is survived by his only child, Stephen Popov, a sister, Antoaneta Grozeva, and his beloved wife, Bistra Boneva-Popova.
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FORMER BOARD CHAIR JOHN H. RIEGE John H. Riege, who chaired the Hartford Seminary Board of Trustees at a time of great change in the late 1960s and early 1970s, passed away on July 11, 2019, at the age of 97. Riege, who lived in Bloomfield, CT was a lawyer who was involved in numerous organizations in the Hartford area, including Hartford Seminary, Asylum Hill Congregational Church, and Riverfront Recapture, which he helped to found. Riege was elected Chair of the Hartford Seminary Board of Trustees, in part because, as a lawyer, he would be able to assist the Seminary in negotiating a proposed merger with the University of Connecticut. But in 1971, the Connecticut legislature declined to appropriate the funds requested, and the merger was off. The Board, under Riege, voted in 1972 to pursue a continuing education focus called "Mission to Ministry" while maintaining the Seminary’s strong Islamics department. "[Jack] moved into immediate action to redirect the Seminary into a new and innovative focus that would then be implemented in two years," said David E.A. Carson, another former chair of the Seminary’s Board of Trustees. Reige served on the Seminary’s President’s Council from its founding in 1997 until this year. He was also a major donor to two endowed lecture funds.
JOSHUA EARGLE '20 The Hartford Seminary community was devastated to learn of the passing of Joshua Wayne Eargle, age 23, a student in the Master of Arts in Religious Studies program. Joshua befriended students in a variety of Seminary programs. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Presbyterian College with a degree in religion, and quickly applied to a Hartford Seminary master’s program. He loved the Seminary’s interfaith community and made a point of attending programs that had an interfaith focus. At graduation in May 2020, he received a posthumous Graduate Certificate in Religious Studies.
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JOANNE BAUER MA '75 & WLI '11
DEATHS Gayle Elaine Acosta, BMP '10
JoAnne Bauer, age 71, was a graduate of the Women’s Leadership Institute and of the MA in Religious Studies program. She was a Holistic Wellness Coach and Consultant, and a Spiritual Counselor. In addition to her degree from Hartford Seminary, she had a Ph.D. from New York University in Communication Arts and Technology, a Master’s in Special Education and Teaching from Central Connecticut State University, a 6th Year certification from UConn, and a BA in Philosophy and Religious Studies from Wilson College. A resident of Hartford’s West End, she was a devoted activist who loved art, poetry, and beauty.
Rev. Edwin O. Ayala, DMin '90 Vivian Countryman Bailey, BMP '95 Nevin James Bender, MDiv '69 Dale R. Bengston, PhD '71 Rev. L. Randall Blackell, DMin '91 Rev. John J. Blossom, MDiv '16 Hamilton Brown, MDiv '64 Rev. Mary Alice Butkofsky, MA '47 Rev. Dr. Barry Cass, DMin '95 David Waring Diehl, PhD '78 Anne Kellogg Fries, MA '85
REV. ROBERTA "BOBBIE" ANN CHAPMAN '96 Rev. Roberta "Bobbie" Ann Chapman passed away on Jan. 25, 2020, at the age of 73. Bobbie worked as a child welfare social worker and then supervisor for the State of Connecticut for over 30 years. It was during this time she received God's call to ministry. She completed her M.Div. from Hartford Seminary in 1996. She retired from the State of Connecticut in 2001 and accepted the role as Pastor at Founders Congregational Church in Harwinton, CT. In 2017 Bobbie retired from Founders Church and moved to NH to be closer to family. She was currently serving as Interim Pastor at Raymond United Methodist Church.
Royal Bricker Gibson, BD '63 William Stuart Glazier, PhD '74 Rev. Dr. David Graham, MDiv '67 Rev. Dr. Charles N. Gross, MDiv '67 Dohn Harshbarger, MDiv '69 Elmer Schaffner Miller, MA '64 Dr. Dolores J. O’Connell, DMin '95 Rev. Arthur Raymond Orth, MDiv '64 Ruby Rogers, BMP '96 Donna Smith, WLI '13 Rev. Canon. Roger Stilman Smith, DMin '85 Marcia Luella (Allen) Stewart, MA '64 The Rev. Dr. Kenneth Taylor, MA '73 Henry Gregory Dinsmore Wyman, MDiv '56
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THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU ALUMNI DONORS July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020
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COVID-19 Stewardship REV. DR. MICHAEL S. PIAZZA | Doctor of Ministry ’18 The current pandemic has exacerbated and accelerated the transitions churches, which already were in a liminal season, need to make. For almost a decade, I have been teaching seminarians and coaching local congregational leaders that their future success depends on adapting to the digital age. To lead their communities in the 21st century, technology must be a guiding light. Now, almost overnight, I'm a prophet. In particular, I am convinced that there are certain tools the church should be using to advance the Beloved Community: dynamic websites with integrated digital marketing; automated marketing; online giving; virtual fundraising; live streaming; on-demand worship; and social media. To that end, I have been working with traditional congregations to transition from typical fall stewardship campaigns geared simply to fund the budget for the next year to automatic recurring giving. My lead line almost always contains the phrase "your LAST pledge campaign." Most people are easily persuaded because they already have observed that they are trying to squeeze more money out of fewer pledges. That outdated system is not working for churches and other nonprofits. Many public radio stations have moved away from their quarterly "pledge drives" to recruiting people to become "sustaining members." One director of development with a large and successful station said, "We would much rather have a
$10-a-month sustaining member than a $150-a-year pledge." There are myriad reasons that a $30 tradeoff is well worth making. Sustaining (i.e. recurring) givers are much more durable from year to year and more faithful. After all, they haven’t changed their giving patterns during this time when we are unable to pass the offering plate. This is not new; rather, it is something old we should have adopted long ago. That is why, when teaching congregations year-round stewardship as a core spiritual principle, we encourage them to: Rev. Dr. Michael Piazza is a Faculty Associate in Congregational Renewal at Hartford Seminary. He is the senior pastor of Broadway United Church of Christ on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and the founder and president of Agile Church Consulting.
Decouple giving from a budget. Use the latest technology to create sustaining members who are committed to recurring electronic giving. Use a database to cultivate and support discipleship. Use electronic giving to stabilize income. Adapt to the cultural shift from giving to "spending." Find the technological tools that are most suited for their church. The spiritual values and lessons around stewardship, generosity, and gratitude already should be at the heart of every community and every person of faith. What we must learn is how to use new tools and how to stop being crazy. That is we need to stop trying the same thing while expecting different results. This season has been crazy-making enough without pretending things will ever "go back to normal." 31
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