Aware magazine Fall 2019
THE 2018-2019 ANNUAL REPORT PAGE 4
REV. DR. MAI-ANH LE TRAN NAMED ACADEMIC DEAN
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Aware FALL 2019 3 | Presidential Perspective 4 | 2018-2019 Annual Report
6 | Our Heartfelt Thanks for You
7 | 2018-2019 Seminary Highlights 8 | Fundraising as Ministry 10 | Rev. Dr. Mai-Anh Le Tran Named Vice President of Academic Affairs and Academic Dean 12 | Dr. Brian Bantum Named to Neal F. and Ila A. Fisher Chair of Theology 13 | New Faculty Publications 14 | Alum News 15 | In Memoriam
Aware magazine is published
quarterly by the offices of development and marketing and communications for alums and friends of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, a graduate school of theology related to The United Methodist Church with an ecumenical outreach. AWARE EDITORIAL BOARD Mary Bowmann Arents Katharine Duke Joseph R. Emmick Krista J. McNeil Shane A. Nichols Tasha N. Sargent
As part of the evolution of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and our brand, this fall we have launched a new seminary logo. The logo was born out of a need to put a fresh twist on our beloved 166-year-old institution and to better establish brand cohesion across the entire organization. The result of our work is a stylized “G” that gives the appearance of stained glass. Its sharp angles suggest a more dynamic and energetic visual. The logo was inspired both by the seminary’s Gothic architecture and stained glass windows and points to the seminary’s 166 years of both tradition and innovation. Purple will remain our primary color, but the logo also introduced four liturgically significant accent colors that represent the inclusivity of the seminary’s diverse community of students, staff, faculty, and alums. The new logo has already brought renewed energy to our work. This renewed energy points to the ongoing need for creative, innovative, and spiritually centered leaders, and this need remains the driving force behind our work and what propels us forward in these uncertain times. We recognize that even the flashiest of logos is nothing without the enthusiasm and passion our alums and friends share for the seminary. We hope you like the new look, and we think it will serve us well into the future.
PRESIDENTIAL PERSPECTIVE DR. LALLENE J. RECTOR In this season of our institutional history, I am reminded of Jesus’s parable of the talents, the story about a master who was going away and gave three servants coins to care for in his absence. Two of the servants doubled what had been given to them, the third buried his treasure in the ground to keep it safe, though he also has been characterized as being lazy. I remember being a child sitting in a pew on Sunday morning at Boulevard United Methodist Church, in Fort Worth, Texas. I was listening to a sermon about this parable—dutifully, of course—when the question came from the pastor, “Which of these servants was the more faithful?” In my six-year-old logic, I immediately thought it was the one who had buried his treasure because he had protected it just as it had been given to him. WRONG! It was the other two who had multiplied what they had been given. That option had seemed risky to me, and I have never forgotten this moment of cognitive dissonance. Today, I believe this is the situation we find ourselves in at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. We have been given a treasure to steward. Those who came before us multiplied the gift and the intention of Eliza Garrett, whom I like to consider an emissary of God. And now, the Master’s treasure has been handed off to us to steward for a season. It has become clear we cannot just play it safe or simply protect what has been given to us. The faithful action here is to work creatively with what we have been given and to multiply it. As we continue our intergenerational stewardship of Garrett-Evangelical toward a strong future, there is much work to do. We have welcomed a new season of leadership in Academic Affairs with the appointment of Rev. Dr. Mai-Anh Le Tran, vice president of academic affairs and academic dean. She brings fresh perspectives and new vision. We have welcomed Rev. Dr. Ron Anderson into a new role as associate dean of institutional and educational assessment. We have also welcomed new faculty member, Dr. Brian Bantum, the Neal F. and Ila A. Fisher Professor of Theology. Bantum also brings gifts that multiply our theological teaching and learning at the seminary.
And, we have welcomed new leadership of the Center for the Church and Black Experience with Mr. Taurean Webb, instructor in religion and race. A new class of students began this fall with more and more of Gen Z among them. Reviewing our mission and vision statement in light of today’s and tomorrow’s demands for theological education becomes even more pressing. Educating and equipping bold spiritual leaders remains at the heart of our mission, and we will soon begin a new strategic planning process to guide new approaches to embodying this mission. There is no question that we have been given treasure to steward over these 166 years. It began with a biblical institute, became a seminary, provided shelter for a training school, and partnered with another seminary to become the Garrett-Evangelical we know and love today. Our faithful stewarding of this treasure has generated considerable good effect on the church and a whole variety of ministries taken up by our alumni. I believe continued faithful action demands multiplication of our treasure into new ways of teaching, learning, and serving with new constituencies, into new and unexpected settings, and with greater accessibility. Spiritual longings and thirst for learning are not going away. Neither is the command to make disciples of Jesus Christ. GarrettEvangelical is called to multiply its riches in visionary ways and to offer them for the transformation of the world. Let’s do it—together! Blessings on you, our alums and friends, who serve the well-being of the world, making disciples of Jesus Christ, and seeking justice for the least of these.
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2018-2019 ANNUAL REPORT JOSEPH R. EMMICK VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT You, our alums and friends who give so faithfully and generously, continue to bless our students and faculty with your wonderful gifts. During the fiscal year completed on June 30, 2019, more than 1,700 donors—more than 800 of whom are alums—contributed $8,524,373 in outright gifts and $5,304,500 in new planned gift commitments for a total of $13,828,874. Your philanthropy makes it possible to award $2.5 million in student scholarships, give stipends for field education students, renovate the Sherman Avenue apartments, and maintain a standard of excellence in theological education led by what the United Methodist University Senate described as a “world class” faculty. The graphs and charts on the following pages illustrate more details about your gifts and the students you support. Our annual report is an opportunity to recognize your contributions to the seminary’s success and look ahead to what we must accomplish for GarrettEvangelical this year. While our overall fundraising results are extraordinary, we face some headwinds that require our attention and your support. The United Methodist Church, as we all know well, is navigating the most turbulent period of its 50-year history. The graphs in our annual report illustrate the significant unrestricted denominational support we receive each year from the Ministerial Education Fund. The United Methodist Church is projecting a twenty-five percent decrease in these funds over 4 AWARE MAGAZINE | FALL 2019
the next five to seven years, a decrease that will dramatically affect our annual financial flexibility, if we do not find new sources of unrestricted giving. The question my development colleagues and I are asked most often when we visit with our faithful alums and friends is, “What is the seminary doing to respond to the challenges within the church?” Our answer is clear. We are doing what we do best: Training bold Christian leaders for the church. The church and the larger world around us need, more than ever, skilled leaders who will lead their congregations, nonprofit organizations, communities, even entire denominations, through challenging times while sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and affirming their faith in God. We do not achieve our mission alone. You are our partners in this journey, and your support for our work is critical. Whether you support the endowment, scholarships, facilities, programs, or unrestricted annual giving, you make a difference in our ability to drive change in our churches, our neighborhoods, our cities, our world. If you gave last year, thank you. Please consider renewing or even increasing your gift. If you have given in the past but did not give last year, please consider renewing your gift this year. If you have never given, there is no better or necessary time to start. On behalf of Garrett-Evangelical’s students, faculty, and staff, thank you for your past, present, and future support!
ANNUAL FUND GIVING (2018-2019)
GIFT DESIGNATION (2018-2019) ANNUAL UNRESTRICTED 4%
ANNUAL UNRESTRICTED $381,260 (7%) UMC MINISTERIAL EDUCATION FUND UNRESTRICTED $1,069,703 (21%)
UMC MINISTERIAL EDUCATION FUND 13%
ANNUAL RESTRICTED 44%
ANNUAL RESTRICTED $3,731,238 (72%)
ENDOWMENT UNRESTRICTED 10%
ENDOWMENT RESTRICTED 29%
2018-2019 GIVING BY RELATIONSHIP IN COMPARISON TO 2017-2018 $3,869,790
$1,727,718 $1,240,647
$1,194,797
$1,069,703
$931,004 $596,592
$700,107
$682,650
$1,010,066 $702,796
$686,421 $341,576
$327,465 $33,332
$44,277
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OUR HEARTFELT THANKS FOR YOU We offer our heartfelt thanks to the 1,777 alums, friends, churches, trustees, corporations, estates, and foundations who supported Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in the 2018-19 fiscal year (July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019). The $8.5 million received in gifts during the 2018-2019 fiscal year enabled Garrett-Evangelical to: • Educate more than 400 future Christian leaders • Provide scholarship assistance totaling $2.5 million to deserving students • Send 61 graduates into the world as pastors, deacons, Christian educators, spiritual directors, chaplains, counselors, and nonprofit professionals • Hire a new professor of pastoral theology, Dr. Rolf R. Nolasco Jr. • Appoint a new director of the Center for the Church and the Black Experience, Mr. Taurean J. Webb • Hire a new Neal F. and Ila A. Fisher Professor of Theology (see page 12) • Secure re-accreditation for an additional 10 years, the maximum allowed, by all three accrediting bodies • Launch a new credit-bearing certificate program • Establish a new partnership with North Central College • Be recognized for a fourth year in a row as a “Seminary that Changes the World” by The Center for Faith and Service • Add $3.3 million to the endowment
Mr. Taurean J. Webb, Director of the Center for the Church and the Black Experience
We are grateful for your support, and we invite you again this year to help us fulfill our mission of preparing bold Christian leaders for the church, the academy, and the world. There are numerous ways to support our mission. To find which way works best for you, go to Garrett.edu/WaysToGive.
Dr. Rolf R. Nolasco Jr. Professor of Pastoral Theology
REVENUES (2018-2019)
EXPENSES (2018-2019)
ENDOWMENT AND INVESTMENT
39%
10% AUXILIARY AND OTHER REVENUES
FINANCIAL AID
29%
GRANTS, GIFTS, AND BEQUESTS
22% STUDENT TUITION AND FEES
AUXILIARY EXPENSES
16% 15% GENERAL OPERATIONS
20% 49% INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT AND INSTRUCTION
Our financial position is strong due to your generous support and the performance of the equity markets. The total investment portfolio as of June 30, 2019, is $102.9 million. 6 AWARE MAGAZINE | FALL 2019
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2018-2019 SEMINARY HIGHLIGHTS
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1. New student orientation 2. Bob Ravenscroft concert 3. Installation of Dr. James Papandrea as full professor 4. Chicago alum gathering 5. Naperville, Illinois alum gathering 6. Staff recognition awards 7. Faculty and friends at the Oxford Institute of Methodist Theological Studies 8. Reception for the Center for the Church and the Black Experience anthology 9. Installation of Dr. Wonhee Anne Joh as full professor 10. Climate strike in Evanston, Illinois 11. Robert and Marilyn McClean inducted into the Founder’s Society 12. The 162nd Commencement 13. English, Spanish, and Hmong course of study students AWARE MAGAZINE | ANNUAL REPORT 7
FUNDRAISING AS MINISTRY HELPING PEOPLE INVEST IN SOMETHING LARGER THAN THEMSELVES REV. DR. DAVID L. HEETLAND, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR PLANNED GIVING Shortly after David Heetland accepted his first job in development, a friend approached him to say how sorry he was that Heetland was leaving the ministry. Before agreeing to head up Dakota Wesleyan University’s development office, Heetland had been serving as dean of students there and before that, as campus minister and assistant professor of religion and philosophy. Upon hearing the news of his job change, another friend warned him that fundraising was a “series of disappointments, interspersed with a few happy surprises.” Now, after many years in development, Heetland can definitively say that both friends were wrong. “I did not leave the ministry,” he said. “While fundraising may not be the image many people have of ministry, I have found it to be a vitally important one. It can be a spiritual experience for both the asker and the donor.” Furthermore, he continued, for him fundraising has been a series of happy surprises, interspersed with occasional disappointments. “I have found that the happy surprises far outnumber the disappointments,” he said. “It is the happy surprises—never knowing for sure who will make a significant gift, or when, or why—that have kept me motivated all these years.” Heetland, who joined Garrett-Evangelical’s development office 36 years ago, has documented many of those happy surprises in his recently published book, Happy Surprises: Help Others Discover the Joy of Giving. The purpose of his book is twofold. First, he said, he hopes to inspire development professionals, volunteers, and trustees—anyone who is asking for money—to see it as a joyful experience and an opportunity to connect individuals and institutions. After every vignette, he asks, “What can we learn from this happy surprise?” He then goes on to share a lesson they might find useful. The second purpose, he said, is to help people discover the joy of giving. “Throughout my career, I have discovered that fundraisers can help people grow spiritually by inviting them to invest in something bigger than themselves,” he said. “And in the process, they discover the joy of giving.” Heetland started sharing stories about his “happy surprises” with GarrettEvangelical’s former president, Neal Fisher. “Every time I shared one of my memorable visits, he would say, ‘Another chapter for your book someday,’” Heetland recalled. 8 AWARE MAGAZINE | FALL 2019
Several years ago, Heetland started sharing his stories and lessons with Garrett-Evangelical’s Board of Trustees. “The Trustees really seemed to enjoy them, and in fact, before each Board of Trustee meeting, some Trustees would ask me if I had a happy surprise to share with them that day.” A few trustees suggested that others could learn from his stories as well, and so Heetland wrote 36 vignettes (one for each year he has been at Garrett-Evangelical) and sent his manuscript off to Wesley’s Foundery Books, who happily agreed to publish it. In his book, Heetland teaches others about the importance of passion, persistence, and patience when creating and sustaining long-term personal relationships with donors. “First, we have to be passionate about the institution we represent,” Heetland said. “Don’t be afraid to tell your organization’s story. It’s the only way to get people excited.” “You also have to be persistent, telling that story again and again to anyone and everyone willing to learn more about your mission,” Heetland continued. “If you really believe it and are passionate about it, it doesn’t get old.” In his book, Heetland illustrates persistence as he tells the story of Sharon, an active church member
he thought might be interested in supporting Garrett-Evangelical. After more than a year of trying to schedule a visit with her, he finally found a time that worked. During that visit, Sharon said she thought that Garrett-Evangelical might be a good place to support, but she wanted to visit the seminary first. Despite Heetland’s many attempts to schedule a visit, it took more than five years before she came to campus. Not too long after that, Heetland received notification that she had included the seminary in her estate plans for $100,000. “What we learned from that is persistence pays,” he said. The third lesson he champions in his book is patience. “We can be persistent as long as we think it is appropriate to do so,” he said. “But we also have to learn to be patient because donors give on their schedule, not ours.” According to Heetland, the most significant takeaway from the book would be the importance of building long-term relationships. “In real estate, it’s location, location, location,” he said. “But in fundraising, it is relationships, relationships, relationships. I have discovered that if you are willing to tell your story passionately and then be willing to hear their stories and what motivates and excites them, amazing things will happen. It is when these long-term relationships are nurtured, happy surprises result.”
David Heetland has given us delightful snapshots of generous people who have translated their hopes for the church into tangible help for preparing future spiritual leaders. Seeking to be a blessing, these donors have themselves been blessed by the knowledge of the difference these leaders can make in the future of the church. Neal Fisher, President Emeritus, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary A book of inspiring stories from a long and successful career in fundraising. Happy surprises yes, but more than that, they are the result of David’s commitment to provide genuine ministry and build authentic relationships with donors. Ron Gunden, Partner, Gonser Gerber LLP Happy Surprises: Help Others Discover the Joy of Giving can be purchased through the websites of Cokesbury, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon. AWARE MAGAZINE | 9
REV. DR. MAI-ANH LE TRAN NAMED VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS AND ACADEMIC DEAN Effective August 1, 2019, Rev. Dr. Mai-Anh Le Tran was named vice president for academic affairs and academic dean. This is a historic appointment in the seminary’s 166-year history as she is the first woman of color to serve as academic dean. A 2004 doctor of philosophy Garrett-Evangelical graduate, Tran is an internationally recognized leader in theological education, an accomplished scholar, and much sought-after expert in pedagogy. She joined the faculty of Garrett-Evangelical in 2017 as associate professor of religious education and practical theology. In order for the Garrett-Evangelical community at-large to learn more about Dean Tran, we asked her to share her thoughts on a number of topics pertinent to the seminary. When considering the position of vice president for academic affairs and academic dean, what were the determining factors that made you say yes? Or put another way, what excited you most about the position? When I began to enter serious discernment with President Lallene Rector over the prospect of deanship, Alexander Pope’s immortal words kept ringing in my head, “…fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” It is simply a matter of common sense to know that, in such a time as this, one should venture into all varieties of theological educational leadership with a healthy dose of fear and trembling. At the end of the day, I was able to say “yes” because I love this school, I admire its people, and I believe in its mission and purpose. I have said “yes” to the responsibility of ensuring that the “academic affairs” of Garrett-Evangelical will enable each member of this community and anyone who crosses paths with us to flourish in the vocations that God has forged with us. I know that “academic affairs” is a “team sport,” and I have worked and learned and experimented since day one to ensure that the structure and work of the dean’s office reflect a shared leadership, which we all value. My predecessors led with similar values and commitment. I am walking the path they’ve paved—though never in a straight line, as those who know me can confirm!
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Upon accepting the position of academic dean, you mentioned in the press release that the seminary and its multitude of constituents are “standing in a kairotic moment.” We wonder if you might say a bit more about this insight and how such a moment might shape or influence your own work as academic dean. Referring to the founding of a seminary in 1866, historian George Mooar wrote: “It required a courage bordering on rashness to venture on a Theological Seminary at that date.” The words couldn’t be more true today. I am a doctor of philosophy graduate of Garrett-Evangelical, and I remember vividly being enrolled in a doctoral seminar with Dr. James Poling on “aggression and evil” in September of 2001. Thirteen years later, I found myself marking time on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, in August 2014, by then a professor with some academic and awkward street creds, wondering what it meant to embody the conviction that I “ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around” in my efforts to confront social and structural “evil” by its many names. Five years later, I returned in 2019 to Saint Louis with faculty and student colleagues from Garrett-Evangelical for a Special General Conference Session of The United Methodist Church, when I witnessed what it was like for a gathered body to be knocked out of its breath due to arguments over who is and is not “compatible” with Christian witness.
These are kairotic moments. They are moments in which we yearn for God’s in-breaking to alter and transform human affairs. Following the wisdom that liberation theologian James Cone left for us in his memoir Said I Wasn’t Gonna Tell Nobody (which many first-semester students are reading together this fall), the world still needs interpreters of theological and religious imagination. We need leaders who can help us reach into the deep archives and repertoires of past and present cultural and religious wisdom to make sense—to make sense-filled meaning—of what on earth God is doing in our midst. Seminary should prepare us for that, and Garrett-Evangelical is poised to do so, with that dose of courage and a splash of rashness to dare to “interpret God” in our plural world. From your perspective, what are some of the biggest challenges theological education currently faces? What opportunities do you see for GarrettEvangelical amongst these challenges? I keep up with studies on “trends and landscapes,” and I still don’t want to root the goals of theological education in anxieties about challenges. As long as there are yearnings for spiritual grounding, moral vision, and courageousethical leadership in the face of human suffering and social strife, there will be a need for theological education. The stakes couldn’t be higher to invest in sustaining a theological school that trains religious professionals—spiritually and theologically grounded leaders—for what the writer Adrien Maree Brown describes as a “galactic vision for justice” for a creation that is groaning for renewal. Garrett-Evangelical exists today because of the “courage bordering on rashness” of the named and unnamed faithful. Forged out of the union of three schools, we have deep in our “DNA” an appreciation for the inextricable co-operation between the church, the academy, and the public. We understand that theological education ultimately has a public purpose, and that we are endeavoring to prepare a new kind of “public intellectual” who leans not on the certitude of “the things of old,” but rather is scholar-pastor-teacher-
organizer-artist-artivist-all-round-organic placebased, faith-rooted leader (not just “intellectual”) who is equipped to “perceive” all that which “springs forth” from God’s creative work (Isa. 43:18-19). We are an amazingly gifted, diverse, transnational community of faculty, staff, and students—(bio)diverse in bodies, in thought, in faith, in life experiences and sources of origins (meaning we come from many roots). Our alums are leaders across the country and in different parts of the world. It is out of our very diversity, our very selves that God will allow new things to spring forth, so that we may become “repairer[s] of the breach… restorer[s] of the streets to live in” (Isa. 58:12). Though it may be next to impossible to pick just one, what is your favorite passage or story in the Bible and why? My very first scholarly publication was an essay on Lot’s wife—the “pillar of salt”—and her socalled backward glance to Sodom and Gomorrah. Reading it cross-culturally with a Vietnamese folk story about a rock deposit that resembles a “pillar of longing” on the border of China and Vietnam, I wondered what it would be like to look in the direction of these female characters’ gaze—back at an incineration of a place and its people, much like the backward turn of my maternal grandmother, when she refused to leave the hellfire that was Vietnam because her son had not yet been found. What if someone’s “axis of evil” is where another might call “home?” What do you like to do in your free time? My father was in political detention in Vietnam, when I was born. Upon learning of my “planetary arrival,” dad wrote a short lullaby, with lyrics asserting (literally) that I would grow up to “love God more than eating, drinking, playing.” There it is: my killjoy ambition. A service of installation will be held for Dean Tran on Wednesday, February 5, 2020, and we encourage you to save the date. Details about the service will be posted on the seminary’s website in mid-December.
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DR. BRIAN BANTUM NAMED NEAL F. AND ILA A. FISHER PROFESSOR OF THEOLOGY Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Brian Bantum as the Neal F. and Ila A. Fisher Professor of Theology, effective July 1, 2019. Bantum is an accomplished theologian who writes on the intersection of theology and identity, exploring how the claims of Christian identity are illumined and challenged by the realities of race, ethnicity, and gender. “Dr. Bantum brings years of teaching experience, critical interdisciplinary research in the areas of theology and religious studies, critical race, and African American studies as well as his most current research in the arts, embodiment, race, and religion,” said Dr. Wonhee Anne Joh, who served as the chairperson of the search committee. “These areas will further expand and deepen conversations already taking place at Garrett-Evangelical. We are delighted Dr. Bantum will be our colleague.” Prior to coming to Garrett-Evangelical, Bantum was professor of theology and cultural studies at Seattle Pacific University for 10 years. As a systematic and constructive theologian, his research covers Christology, theological anthropology, identity, race, mixed-race, art and theological method, and critical theory. “I am ecstatic to be joining the GarrettEvangelical community and its mission of theological reflection as prophetic witness,” said Bantum. “I have been a long-time admirer of Garrett-Evangelical’s faculty and students, and I am looking forward to our mutual work in preparing leaders for a world in desperate need of hope, courage, and theological imagination.”
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When asked about Bantum, President Lallene J. Rector said: “He is just the right kind of theologian for Garrett-Evangelical and for ‘such a time as this’ as we face so many social challenges. Dr. Bantum brings intellectual gifts and accomplishments, a commitment to teaching, deep Christian spirituality, and a passion for justice—perfect for the formation of bold spiritual leaders.” Bantum has published numerous articles and chapters in academic journals and popular magazines. His first book, Redeeming Mulatto: A Theology of Race and Christian Hybridity (Baylor University Press, 2010) explored how black, mixed-race identity illumines how race shapes us and re-imagines Christian discipleship through Christ’s body as both human and divine, a union of flesh and divinity that remakes the lives of disciples into a new people, a holy “mixture” of flesh and Spirit. Bantum’s second book, The Death of Race: Building a New Christianity in a Racial World (Fortress Press, 2016) offers the church ways of re-imagining Christian claims regarding humanity, human fallenness, and Christ’s work in light of modern race and racism He holds a doctor of philosophy from Duke University, a master of theology studies from Duke Divinity School, and a bachelor of arts from Houghton College. He is a member of the American Academy of Religion, the International Society for Religion, Literature, and Culture, and the Workgroup on Constructive Theology. Bantum serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Theology and Literature and is a regular contributor to The Christian Century. He also serves on the Mentoring Consortium Team for The Forum for Theological Exploration.
NEW FACULTY PUBLICATIONS The foundation for Bishop Sharon Zimmerman Rader (G-ETS 1976) and Rev. Dr. Margaret Ann Crain’s new book, Women Bishops of The United Methodist Church: Extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit, is a series of interviews they conducted with each of the women bishops of The United Methodist Church. Through the stories they collected, they learned what enabled these women to persevere, claim authority, define leadership in their own ways, and rise to the episcopacy. The stories reveal how these clergywomen changed the church, blazing leadership trails both before and after their elections. Rader is a life trustee at Garrett-Evangelical and Crain is professor emeritus of Christian education. To read an interview with Radar and Crain about this publication, go to Garrett.edu/WomenBishops. It is “for such a time as this” that Let Your Light Shine: Mobilizing for Justice with Children and Youth has emerged. From broken immigration policies, hunger, school shootings, mass incarceration, human trafficking, failing schools, and child soldiers in wars worldwide, the harsh realities our children are living in cannot be ignored. The book is edited by Garrett-Evangelical faculty members, Rev. Dr. Reginald Blount, assistant professor of formation, youth, and culture, and Rev. Dr. Virginia A. Lee, associate professor of Christian education. They, together with contributors like Marian Wright Edelman, Rev. Dr. Janet Wolf, Rev. Dr. Gregory C. Ellison II, Ched Myers, and more, believe there is still hope and present ways to engage in works of justice that offer life, meaning, and hope to our children and youth. To read an interview with Blount and Lee about this publication, go to Garrett.edu/LetYourLightShine. Theological education in the United States finds itself in untested circumstances today. Rapid social change is creating an increasing multicultural, multiracial, and multireligious context for leadership formation. At the same time, international enrollment, cross-border educational initiatives, student and faculty exchanges, and more are connecting US theological schools with a global community of Christian teaching and learning. Building on the decades-long discussion about the globalization of US theological education, Locating US Theological Education in a Global Context: Conversations with American Higher Education argues that, in engaging such questions, US theological institutions have much to gain from a sustained conversation with the burgeoning literature on the internationalization of American higher education. This research offers theological institutions a trove of insights and cautionary tales as they seek to discern their rightful place and role in educating leaders in and for a global Christian church. Dr. Hendrik Pieterse, associate professor of global Christianity and intercultural theology, served as editor. Rev. Dr. E. Byron Anderson, associate dean of institutional and educational assessment and Ernest and Bernice Styberg Professor of Worship; Dr. Luis R. Rivera, associate professor of theology; Rev. Dr. Brent Waters, Jerre and Mary Joy Stead Professor of Christian Social Ethics; and Dr. K. K. Yeo, Harry R. Kendall Professor of New Testament contributed chapters to the book. The latest book from Dr. Rolf R. Nolasco Jr., professor of pastoral theology, offers a unique look at what it means for queer people to locate and anchor their identity as a beloved child of God. God’s Beloved Queer: Identity, Spirituality, and Practice draws from a wide range of disciplines— pastoral theology, spirituality, counseling psychology, affective neuroscience, anthropology—to offer a more nuanced description of what it means for queer folks to be sacred icons of God like everyone else. It also explores with penetrating detail the inner psychological and spiritual terrain of queer lives, along with spiritual practices that will help support their flourishing. To read an interview with Nolasco about this publication, go to Garrett.edu/GodsBelovedQueer. AWARE MAGAZINE | 13
ALUM NEWS Beth LaRocca-Pitts (G-ETS 1984) was named one of 12 Atlanta Pride Parade Grand Marshals. Elizabeth (Lib) Caldwell (G-ETS 1990) received the Award for Excellence in Theological Education from the Committee on Theological Education and the Theological Education Fund of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The award is the highest honor in the Presbyterian Church (USA) for those who teach, lead, and support theological education. Jeffery Tribble, Sr. (G-ETS 1990 & 2003) was appointed associate dean of advanced professional studies at Columbia Theological Seminary. Kent Lundy (G-ETS 1993) graduated in May 2019 from Wesley Theological Seminary with a doctor of ministry degree. His project paper was titled, “Held Together and Sent Out in Grace: The Interplay Between Prevenient Grace and Evangelism.” Sally Carpenter (G-ETS 1996) gave a presentation on the deuterocanonical books in April 2019 at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in Camarillo, CA, as a part of the annual University series, a multi-parish adult education program held in Lent. Carpenter also recently published her fifth adult mystery novel, Flower Power Fatality (Cozy Cat Press, 2018). Keith Herron (G-ETS 2004) published Living a Narrative Life: Essays on the Power of Stories (Smyth & Helwys, 2019). The book is an exploration of our vault of stories assembled along the arc of life. By making sense of our stories, by mining them for their shades of meaning, and by sharing them in community with others, we deepen our understanding not only of ourselves but also of our place in our families and world. Chris Marchand (G-ETS 2008 & 2010) recently published Celebrating The 12 Days of Christmas: A Guide for Churches and Families (Wipf & Stock, 2019). The book explores the history behind the season and individual feast days from December 25 to January 6, and then offers suggestions for how you can celebrate it with your family, church, or community.
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Krista Paradiso (G-ETS 2013), April Gutierrez (G-ETS 2017), Hope Chernich (G-ETS 2018), and Anna Voinovich (G-ETS 2018) received a renewal grant from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary’s College of Pastoral Leaders. The College of Pastoral Leaders renewal grants seek to “enliven, invigorate and sustain pastors in congregational ministry.” Stephanie Bliese (G-ETS 2017) co-wrote the chapter, “The Jesus Movement as Folk Group,” in Contexts of Folklore: Festschrift for Dan Ben-Amos on His Eighty-Fifth Birthday (Peter Lang Publishing, 2019). She also co-wrote the chapter, “Faith and Fellowship: Reputational Entrepreneurs, Group Cultures, and the Jesus Movement” in Social and Collective Memory: Critical Readings (Bloomsbury T&T Clark, forthcoming). Celona Denise Hayes (G-ETS 2017) and Terrance Thomas (G-ETS 2017) were ordained as itinerant elders at an ordination ceremony of the Chicago Annual Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Kit Evans-Ford (G-ETS 2017) received the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for Outstanding Public Service Benefiting Local Communities. Awarded by the Jefferson Awards Foundation, this award recognizes people in communities who are “multiplying good” and proving that one person can make a difference. Julia Puac-Romero (G-ETS 2017) was named assistant chaplain at McMurray University. Erin Floyd (G-ETS 2019), development editor of children’s curriculum and resources for the United Methodist Publishing House, has designed an activity book for preschool and elementary-aged children. A Manger Miracle (Abingdon Press, 2019) uses puzzles, a sticker calendar, and a letter to parents to teach children the Nativity narratives from Matthew and Luke. Heesung Hwang (G-ETS 2019) was selected as a Louisville Institute Postdoctoral Fellow. Through the fellowship’s funding, Hwang is currently serving as visiting professor of religious education at Chicago Theological Seminary.
IN MEMORIAM Our Christian sympathy is extended to the family and friends of the following alums who have died in Christ. 1940s Samuel Batt, ETS 1946, Columbus, WI, died September 29, 2019. Ronald J. Winsor, GBI 1947, Batavia, IL, died May 9, 2013. Julius Scott, GBI 1949, Hilton Head Island, SC, died August 1, 2019. 1950s Robert H. Adams, Jr., GBI 1950, Madison, WI, died May 15, 2019. Darrel Berg, GBI 1951, Coupeville, WA, died August 15, 2019. R. Bruce Smay, GBI 1952, Hughesville, PA, died February 16, 2019. Floy Ekin, GBI 1953, Galesburg, IL, died June 19, 2017. Thomas Brereton, GBI 1954, Colorado Springs, CO, died March 31, 2019. Richard Eis, GBI 1954, Bonaparte, IA, died April 2, 2019. Glen Hulbert, GBI 1954, Lafayette, IN, died September 21, 2019. Elaine Fish, GBI 1955, Racine, WI, died May 17, 2019. Donovan Hull, GBI 1955, Wilmington, NC, died September 20, 2019. Marvin Hulse, ETS 1955, Fort Dodge, IA, died March 24, 2019. Robert Firary, GBI 1956, Rothschild, WI, died August 29, 2019. George Polhill, ETS 1956, Staunton, VA, died February 20, 2019. Lloyd John Ogilvie, GBI 1957, Los Angeles, CA, died June 5, 2019.
Paul E. Steele, ETS 1958, Fort Wayne, IN, died December 10, 2018.
Ernest Fritschle, GTS 1969, Neenah, WI, died January 22, 2019.
Charles Garrod, GBI 1959, Grand Rapids, MI, died July 25, 2019.
1970s
Leon Richey, GBI 1959, Toledo, OH, died July 2, 2019. 1960s Jurjen John Hoomans, GBI 1960, Spencerport, NY, died September 13, 2019. Douglas D. McPherson, GBI 1960, Arlington, TX, died May 9, 2017. John Pattison, GBI 1961, Warren, IN, died February 1, 2019. Chomingwen Dorothy Pond, GBI 1961, Minocqua, WI, died August 4, 2019. David Schuldt, GBI 1961, Iowa City, IA, died May 6, 2019.
Bruce Denton, G-ETS 1975, Lake Orion, MI, died May 5, 2019. Allan Howe, G-ETS 1978, Evanston, IL, died July 2, 2019. Joyce Wallace Favors, G-ETS 1979, Evanston, IL, died April 27, 2019. 1980s Albert D. Tyson III, G-ETS 1980, Chicago, IL, died June 21, 2019. Carlton Abu Gbondo Eversley, G-ETS 1981, Winston-Salem, NC, died September 16, 2019. Betty Luginbill, G-ETS 1982, Garden City, ID, died December 12, 2017.
Kwame John R. Porter, GTS 1962, Chicago, IL, died April 8, 2019.
Douglas Williams, G-ETS 1982, Machesney Park, IL, died June 11, 2019.
George G. Russell, GTS 1962, Pontiac, IL, died July 11, 2019.
Mallothi Brown, G-ETS 1984, Milwaukee, WI, died January 20, 2017.
James L. Swenson, GTS 1962, Salinas, CA, died March 31, 2019.
Marilyn (Lyn) Nelson, G-ETS 1985, Minnetonka, MN, died April 7, 2019.
Earl Renshaw, GTS 1963, Marion, IL, died July 20, 2019.
1990s
David G. Pease, GTS 1964, Janesville, WI, died May 13, 2019.
Nanette H. Thompson, G-ETS 1991, Fennimore, WI, died July 29, 2019.
Kenneth Brockway, GTS 1967, Portsmouth, RI, died May 24, 2019.
Judith Ann Newman-St. John, G-ETS 1993, LaVergne, TN, died September 23, 2019.
Keith C. Ferguson, GTS 1967, Normal, IL, died June 17, 2019.
Rosemarie Green, G-ETS 1997, Gurnee, IL, died May 31, 2019.
Preston Woods, GTS 1968, Lombard, IL, died October 5, 2019.
2000s Brian William, G-ETS 2002, West Bloomfield, MI, died April 16, 2019. AWARE MAGAZINE | 15
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2020 TOWN HALL With President Lallene J. Rector Wednesday, February 5, 2020 | 12 - 1 p.m. (CST) Our annual Town Hall with President Lallene J. Rector will be held on Wednesday, February 5, 2020. In this 60-minute live presentation, participants will hear directly from President Rector, who will share the latest news and updates from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. Participants will also have an opportunity to engage in dialogue with President Rector and ask questions. This telephone forum will begin at 12:00 p.m. (CST). Details on how you can be a part of this exciting conversation will be made available beginning January 15, 2019. We encourage you to save the date!