Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
summer|fall 2021
In this Issue Pastoral Residencies | 6
Honor Roll of Donors | center
Class of 2021 | 15
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AUSTIN
AUSTIN
PRESBYTERIAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
PRESBYTERIAN THEOLOGI C AL
SEMINARY
summer | fall 2021
features
President
Theodore J. Wardlaw
The New Austin Seminary Post-Graduate Pastoral Residency
Board of Trustees Keatan A. King, Chair
James C. Allison Lee Ardell Janice L. Bryant (MDiv’01, DMin’11) Kelley Cooper Cameron Katherine B. Cummings (MDiv’05) Thomas Christian Currie James A. DeMent (MDiv’17) Jill Duffield (DMin’13) Britta Martin Dukes (MDiv’05) Beth Blanton Flowers, M.D. G. Archer Frierson II Stephen Giles Jesús Juan González (MDiv’92) William Greenway John S. Hartman Ora Houston John A. Kennedy Steve LeBlanc Sue B. McCoy Matthew Miller (MDiv’03) W. David Pardue Denice Nance Pierce (MATS’11) Mark B. Ramsey Stephen J. Rhoades Sharon Risher (MDiv’07) Conrad M. Rocha Lana Russell John L. Van Osdall Michael Waschevski (DMin’03) Teresa Welborn Elizabeth C. Williams Michael G. Wright
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8 Austin Seminary’s new pastoral residency program gives real-time experience to new graduates preparing for their first call to ministry. Illustrations by Mai Achaval.
8
Paul Hooker, who serves on the team that created this new enterprise, describes its impetus
8 The Residents
After a year as Residents, Kallie Pitcock and Brendan McLean visit with Dean of Students Sarah Gaventa about their experiences
12 The Mentors
Participating pastors and congregations create and discover value in the residencies
13 The Supporters
Inspired by her own experience at Austin Seminary, Shelly Craig encourages support of the new program
Center: The 2020-21 Honor Rolls of Donors
5
Max R. Sherman Anne V. Stevenson
Austin Seminary Association (ASA) Board
Melinda Hunt (CIM’16), President Josh Kerr (MDiv’14), Vice-President Sheila Sidberry-Thomas (MDiv’14), Past-President Sarah Allen (MDiv’07, DMin’19) Candi Cubbage (MDiv’89) David Gambrell (MDiv’98) John Guthrie (MDiv’06) Sarah Hegar (MDiv’09) Amy Litzinger (MATS’15) Carl McCormack (MDiv’95) James Morley (MDiv’88) Denise Odom (MDiv’99) Jean Reardon (MDiv’05) Amy Sergent (MDiv’92) Paul Sink (MDiv’00) Rita Sims (DMin’15) Tony Spears (MDiv’15) Ayana Teter (MDiv’06) Marta Ukropina (MDiv’06)
Introduction
Trustees Emeriti Lyndon Olson B. W. Payne
Volume 136 | Number 3
Editor
Randal Whittington
Contributors
Selina Aguirre JR Barden Nancy Benson-Nicol Sylvia Greenway Usama Malik (MDiv’20) Gary Mathews Mikala McFerren Alison Riemersma Sharon Sandberg Mona Santandrea Kristy Sorensen Mary Wall
& departments 2 seminary & church 3 twenty-seventh & speedway 15 the class of 2021 19 faculty news & notes 20 alumni news & notes 21 live & learn
Windows is published three times each year by Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Austin Seminary Windows Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary 100 E. 27th St. Austin, TX 78705-5711 phone: 512-404-4808 e-mail: windows@austinseminary.edu AustinSeminary.edu ISSN 2056-0556; Non-profit bulk mail permit no. 2473
seminary church
from the president |
I
President’s Schedule August 29: Preach, First Presbyterian Church, Lufkin, Texas September 19: Preach, Theological Education Sunday, First Presbyterian Church, Shreveport, Louisiana November 14: Preach, University Presbyterian Church, Austin
went to seminary in the late 1970s, which was a particularly creative time for theological education. In great measure, what made it so creative was an experiment that my seminary (Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond) was conducting with what at the time was a brand-new degree—the Doctor of Ministry or DMin. The DMin degree was arriving at the doorsteps of many mainline seminaries in those days, and seminaries were opting to shape it in one of two different forms. Many schools were treating the DMin as a postgraduate degree. Their assumption was that, five to ten to fifteen years after a seminarian had earned the Master of Divinity degree, she would “know what she didn’t know” about how theology and all of a seminary’s other disciplines shaped practice, and so she would enroll in a DMin program. Such a program was designed to enable her to go back to seminary and focus more purposefully upon tooling up in particular areas of ministry even while remaining in her ministry setting. Other seminaries—like my seminary, and such sister institutions as Austin and Columbia and so many others in and beyond our denominational tradition—were approaching the DMin degree not so much as a reflective experience but as a formational experience. An internship year—year three of what had now become a four-year degree program—was a critical piece of one’s theological/ecclesial formation, and those of us opting for that sort of DMin program were sent out to work in outstanding congregations with outstanding pastors. When that year was over, we came back to campus with a taste of parish experience and far greater clarity about what the shape of our ministries might be like beyond graduation. In due time, the DMin degree became universally modeled upon the “postgraduate” program, and Austin Seminary and all of its fellow outliers adjusted to that model. It is a very fine model, by the way. But, forty years later, many seminaries are still intrigued with praxis-based models in what we now call “residencies.” These residencies, generously endowed as ours are, enable graduating seniors to be ordained—most often in parish-based settings— where they can still hone their gifts and skills for two additional years after graduation amid mentoring pastors and congregations. We’re going to read about some of these residents and some of their supervisors in the pages ahead, and you will get an inside glimpse of the difference that these residencies are making in the vocational lives of a couple of our recent graduates. Elsewhere in this issue, note the latest news from our campus—specifically our plans for re-embodying on campus, beginning in the fall. Note as well the annual donors’ list, and join me in thanking God for the gift of generosity!
Faithfully yours,
2 | Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Theodore J. Wardlaw President
twenty-seventh speedway
Two new grant projects to explore migrant experience in Texas
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he Institute for Diversity and Civic Life’s 2021 Migration Narratives Project includes two Austin Seminary grantees. Education Beyond the Walls received a collaborative grant of $19,700, shared with Austin Region Justice for our Neighbors, and Professor Gregory Cuéllar, associate professor of Old Testament, received an individual grant of $5,000 for his Arte de Lágrimas: Refugee Artwork Project. Both initiatives seek to celebrate the humanity of migrants and foster reflection on immigration policy and practices. Education Beyond the Walls at Austin Seminary will collaborate with Justice for our Neighbors to expand on the “Undocumented Stories” project, which began in 2017 with the objective of giving voice to members of the immigrant community in Texas. “The center of our project is education through the voices of our Latinx immigrant brothers and sisters to disrupt the conventional narrative about immigration and the immigrant experience,” says Mónica Tornoé, director of Latino/a Programs and of the Undocumented Stories project at Austin Seminary. “Often in non-profit circles, client storytelling is seen as a tool for fundraising, a compelling way to connect with donors and show positive outcomes while asking for more funds,” Tornoé continued. “Too often, the hero of the story is the nonprofit which stepped into a person’s life at just the right time to do something good and resolve the problem. We want to challenge that narrative by centering the immigrant as the actor in their own story.” Funds from the grant will support publication of a book—which can be used in whole or in part alongside video clips of the storytellers—and resources for community and church education programs. I n August 2014, Professor Cuéllar and a small team of faith-based volunteers initiated the Arte de Lágrimas: Refugee Artwork Project. According to Cuéllar, “The stories of the ‘Other’ that this project aims to bring into public view are those of asylum-seeking children and youth from Central America’s Northern Triangle. As part of the broad humanitarian response to the influx of asylum-seekers at the Texas-Mexico border from 2014 to 2017, we saw art-making as a friendly activity for asylum-seeking children and youth to do while they waited at bus stations in McAllen, Brownsville, and San Antonio, Texas. In contrast to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s inhumane response to their arrival (many placed in animal-like cages and freezing detention cells), we felt the need to act by offering at the very least a neighborly welcome to the newly arriving asylum-seekers at the Texas-Mexico border. Hence, our project is less focused on the academic study of migration than on a faith-based ethics of care for refugees, migrants, and asylum-seekers.” This grant will allow the digitization and archiving of original artwork by asylum-seekers (2014–2017, 2019), thereby ensuring future access to the stories they tell about migration and religion in the Texas-Mexico border region. This grant will also fund the production of a virtual storytelling art exhibit, using a selection of the digitized art pieces (see https://www.artedelagrimas.org/). v
Campus to re-open for the fall semester
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he Austin Seminary campus will re-open to the Austin Seminary community on Tuesday, September 7, beginning the 2021-22 academic year. All faculty, staff, and students will be required to have received a COVID-19 vaccination. Courses will be taught in classrooms and offices will be open. We anticipate that Discovery Weekend will be in person on campus, October 29-31, while Education Beyond the Walls events will remain primarily online. At this time, the Seminary does not plan to open the campus to outside individuals or groups during the fall semester. Decisions about opening to the public will reflect the guidance of public health authorities, and while this re-opening does not include a general opening to the public, as guidance changes, so will our response. Austin Seminary takes seriously its responsibility and duty to provide everyone with a safe place for working and learning, therefore the Seminary is requiring vaccination against COVID‑19 for Seminary students, faculty, staff, and members of the Board of Trustees. The goal is to protect—to the greatest extent possible—our students, employees, their families, and the broader community from COVID-19 infection as we all do our part to survive this worldwide pandemic. Students, faculty, staff, and trustees may obtain approval for an exemption of the vaccine requirement for medical reasons or objection of conscience. v Summer | Fall 2021 | 3
community notes | On May 19, 2021, the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest conferred the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters on Ora Houston, civic leader and a member of the Austin Seminary Board of Trustees since 2020. Houston was the first elected member for District 1 on the Austin City Council.
Daniel Clark Jr., the first African American to matriculate at Austin Seminary (1950-1951) died on May 15. He was a long-time member and elder at Pioneer Presbyterian Church, Beaumont, Texas, and attended General Assembly as a commissioner. In 2019 the Seminary hosted a Day of Memory and Hope and recognized Clark for the doors he opened for others. Katrina (Kat) Olson will be serving as an instructor on the Austin Seminary faculty during a one-year externship, as part of her PhD program in homiletics and liturgics at Vanderbilt University. In July, Andrew Frazier (MDiv’19) and Rykie Marx joined the Office of Admissions as recruitment associates. Marx is an ordained minister of word and sacrament in the Dutch Reformed Church and former chair of Pretoria East Presbytery in South Africa. Frazier is an ordained PC(USA) minister who served a two-year Lilly Pastoral Residency at First Presbyterian Church, Ann Arbor, following graduation. v 4 | Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
De Puertas Abiertas grants for students of color
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he Austin Seminary Board of Trustees at its May meeting approved a proposal to establish De Puertas Abiertas, a program to create nine full fellowships and offer 100% tuition discounts exclusively for students from the “Global Majority” (Black, Indigenous, Hispanic/LatinX, and Asian/Pacific Islander). The program goes into effect with the Fall 2021 term. The De Puertas Abiertas Fellowships will be awarded to three entering students in the Master of Divinity program each year. Each fellowship, renewable for a period up to three years, will cover the full cost of matriculation: tuition, fees, and a stipend for campus housing and additional expenses. These merit fellowships will be voted upon by the faculty each spring and awarded to students from the Global Majority who demonstrate interest in and strong promise for leadership in the church and exceptional academic achievement. The De Puertas Abiertas Tuition Grants will cover 100% of the tuition for students of the Global Majority who are enrolled full time in the MDiv, MAMP, or MATS program. Though given without regard to need, recipients are required to meet satisfactory academic progress, and the grants are subject to the availability of funds. Current students of color are invited to opt in to this new program. The De Puertas Abiertas program is a response to past and present realities of theological education opportunities for people of color. Austin Seminary has a long and storied history for developing pastors and leaders for the church, but as an institution that crosses centuries, our ethos does not now look as it did 100 years ago. Some of those changes reflect ingenuity, scholarship, and character, and these we laud with photographs on walls and integration into our story; other decisions and parts of our history caused harm to our communities of color. While a student, Hierald Osorto (MDiv’18) undertook an extensive study, with the support of Seminary Archivist Kristy Sorensen, into the history of Austin Seminary’s policies and practices with regard to race. He uncovered connections of shame, perhaps foremost the racist ideas of Robert Dabney, a 19th-century Virginia theologian who migrated to Texas and taught at The University of Texas and the Austin School of Theology. Although he died before the Seminary’s founding in 1902, Dabney’s scholarship surely influenced some of the early faculty. Yet Osorto also discovered advocacy for the education of Black Americans in the early 20th century by Austin Seminary’s third president, Thomas White Currie, and the beginning of Austin Seminary’s own racial integration, which occurred six years before the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown vs. the Board of Education. Even so, Osorto found that the experiences of Austin Seminary’s first Black students were complicated by the policies of the Seminary and the social tensions of the day. In one of Austin Seminary’s more disturbing practices, early 20th-century students of Hispanic ancestry were not allowed in the classrooms but were kept separate—at desks in the halls—where they could gather what learning wafted through open doors and windows. It was through these puertas abiertas (open doors) that students of color found the education that encouraged their call to Christian vocation. Austin Seminary has gone through a deliberate period of reflection on its history, culminating in “Days of Memory and Hope,” honoring its first LatinX/ Hispanic and African American students, faculty, and staff. Through these events, and the research leading up to them, we learned many of the ways students of color were kept on the margins of the community, even when enrolled as students. As part of a path forward and to honor the students who came before, Austin Seminary is pleased to establish De Puertas Abiertas—where students are not held outside but invited into full participation in this community of learning. v
twenty-seventh speedway
The online Commencement on May 16 concluded with a series of video benedictions by the faculty, including those of Professor Aymer in front of Shelton Chapel and Professor Cuéllar with his bovine neighbors in the background.
{ This summer, donors Michael and Stacey Wright of Dallas visited campus for a tour of the construction progress on the new Mary and Robert J. Wright Learning and Information Center. The library is scheduled to open in the fall with a dedication planned for January.
{
Unusual times call for new traditions—like the first annual Graduation Water Balloon Tunnel! Remember your baptism, Class of 2021! Photos by student Aiden Diaz.
{ Summer | Fall 2021 | 5
It’s every new pastor’s n
6 | Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
By Paul Hooker
I remember the first time I ever moderated a session meeting. I was a newly minted associate pastor, fresh out of a Presbyterian seminary, and I had never drafted a meeting agenda, wasn’t familiar with Robert’s Rules of Order, and didn’t know half
nightmare …
of the names of the ruling elders who would take their seats around the table at that meeting. The pastor was away on vacation, and the moderator’s chair was all mine. I can remember thinking, and maybe even saying out loud, “They didn’t teach me this in seminary!” It’s every new pastor’s nightmare, whether it’s a session meeting or a funeral or the first time you sit down to counsel a young couple getting married. You reach back into your well of experience, hoping there will be something usable there to get you through the moment—but there isn’t. You’re on your own to figure it out. I was one of the lucky ones. The pastor called me from vacation, he talked me through what I needed to know, the ruling elders were merciful and understanding, and it went well enough for a first time. But what if you don’t have those support systems? I hasten to add that this seminary was not Austin, and the times were long ago. At Austin Seminary, we now teach both session meeting management and parliamentary procedure as part of the Presbyterian polity course. Significantly, we have a dedicated pastoral leader in the Zbinden Distinguished Chair of Pastoral Ministry and Leadership who teaches our students the ins and outs of ministry from a wealth of parish experience. But one wonders what more we might be doing to enhance the skills of particularly promising students to become excellent pastoral leaders. That is at least one of the reasons why Austin Seminary has created the Post-Graduate Pastoral Residency: to give some of our most promising students a two-year, post-graduate exposure to pastoral leadership. The residency is the brainchild of our president, Ted Wardlaw, who described it not long ago in this manner: In those crucial first years of ministry, Austin Seminary residents will learn more deeply the rhythms of ministry—worship, pastoral care, formation, leadership—and will emerge at the end of these two years as prime The Reverend Dr. Paul Hooker is associate dean for ministerial formation and advanced studies at Austin Seminary. He served on the team that designed the Austin Seminary Post-Graduate Pastoral Residencies. Summer | Fall 2021 | 7
candidates for congregational leadership elsewhere. Austin Seminary Residents serve in congregations where ministry is done with excellence under the tutelage of pastors who mentor those students with wisdom and
years in a pastor’s ministry at which he or she is the most creative, the most unlimited by habit or expectation, and therefore freest to try something new. Congregations that are open to that “something new” can benefit from
I have never felt more loved in compassion. Congregations like First Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth, St. Philip Presbyterian in Houston, First Presbyterian in Waco, and First Presbyterian in Austin, and pastors like Michael Waschevski (DMin’03), John Wurster (DMin’01), Leslie King, and Elizabeth Boone McLean. As the years go on, these lists will grow, filling with the names and locations where ministry is done with excellence in our part of the world. Places where students become adept at the quotidian tasks of ministry that, done with faithfulness and thoughtfulness, lead to the health and wholeness of the church. Which leads to another reason for creating this residency: to give congregations in this part of the world an opportunity to experience some of the bright, creative, and energetic talent Austin Seminary is producing. The years immediately following seminary graduation are the
what our best students have to offer. I spent the longest season of my professional life as a presbytery executive, watching pastors and congregations seek to carve out places for ministry in communities occasionally less than receptive to them. I know how difficult the task is. I also know that, without a network of support and encouragement, new pastors can find themselves adrift in uncertainty and insecure about their calling. The hope of this residency—to say nothing of the pastors, congregations, and presbytery leaders who participate in it—is to anchor as many of our graduates as possible in best practices that reduce that uncertainty and in collegial relationships that solidify their sense of call to congregational ministry. We think, at the very least, that the church will be better for it. It might just be the case that the future of the church may depend on it. v
THE RESIDENTS Kallie Pitcock (MDiv’20) and Brendan McLean (MDiv’20) have been serving as Dickson Residents at St. Philip Presbyterian Church, Houston, and First Presbyterian Church, Fort Worth. Dickson Residents (see page 14) are the first of several residencies that will comprise the Austin Seminary Post-Graduate Residency program. Dean of Students Sarah Gaventa administers the program. Windows caught up with them at the end of the program’s first year. Let’s start with Brendan and Kallie—tell us what you were doing before seminary. Brendan McLean: Before seminary I was a college student. I got a degree in music and comparative religion then went straight into seminary. Kallie Pitcock: Many things were happening between my undergraduate degree in special education and master’s in school psychology: I married an active-duty marine, moved around the country, 8 | Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
tried out multiple careers, mothered three children, and then came to seminary—plus serving in the role of youth pastor right before I came to seminary. Sarah, what’s your role here? Sarah Gaventa: Once congregations have agreed to participate, I become the point person. I get to know the congregations, I get to know the Residents, I set up interviews and remind the graduates and their supervisors about checkins, that kind of thing. My favorite part is that once a month, the Residents gather over Zoom®, and we reflect on their experiences in
my life than by this congregation …
the congregations and think about them in terms of what they learned in seminary. It gives a chance to deepen the learning experience and to continue the community of students.
project that’s entirely under their belt and entirely within their set of responsibilities. The congregations are expected to provide a supervisor with pastoral experience.
What are the expectations of both the graduates and the churches?
What made you decide to apply for the Dickson Residency, and how did your expectation about the residency compare with the reality?
Sarah: For the graduates there’s an expectation of developing some learning goals, to think about what skills they want to deepen, what things they want to learn about parish ministry, so that they can really explore those. Students are also expected to complete a project—a combination of what the congregation might need done and what they’re interested in doing. It’s a way to have one
Kallie: Well, I did not want to do a residency at all! I had this sense of, I’m 35, and it’s time for me to go do the job! That’s kind of a “senioritis” stance, and Sarah, who has been a trusted mentor all the way through seminary said, What about just talking to them? So I agreed, grudgingly is my point. And I can see God’s hand on it all the way through, even if my attitude was very poor. It was exactly Summer | Fall 2021 | 9
the spiritual and skill formation I needed—I can’t imagine having entered parish ministry any other way. It was with support, it was with mentorship, it was with opportunities to try new things. It gave me a place to learn and really explore what my gifts are and where my holes are without burning out. I’ve come in and learned a pace of ministry that is sustainable. So, I was wrong, and Sarah and the Seminary were right. Maybe not for all, but for many, it can be a really great gift to receive the opportunities offered a Resident.
riculums and facilitating classes. You have that space to explore where your gifts are and where your growing edges are. And so one of the big things I’ve learned is where I need to invest in a continuing ed budget, either reading or going to conferences to improve on particular parts of ministry. I’ve learned you’re never done learning. And the minute you think you’re done, God is going to put someone in your life, and probably in your church, who’s going to do a good job of humbling you!
Brendan: The only thing I will add from my own experience is that, coming straight from college into seminary, I felt like the residency was exactly what I needed having no prior real church work experience—the same reason I did three internships when I was in seminary! I would add that Kallie and I started in the midst of a pandemic, and so one of the unexpected gifts of the residency is basically having our call affirmed with a baptism by fire—the way we learned how to adapt, how to be flexible, and how to change our plans on a dime when the world was changing into a new world right before us is probably the biggest thing for me. My pastoral care instincts have really grown in the past year because they’ve had to. And now, as we’re cranking up, it seems there are a lot of people who just want everything to kind of be like a rubber band, and snap back to the way it was. But we’re not rubber band people, we’re Resurrection people.
Brendan: I’ve been doing work with this group here called Circles of Christ, which is a partnership with Mount Moriah, an African American congregation, to build bridges and to establish intercultural, inter-church connections. One of the other things that happened at the beginning of our residencies was the George Floyd murder and the national reaction to that. A lot of Circles of Christ work was basically doing book studies and film discussions on Zoom®. A few of the members of the church really expressed enthusiasm and curiosity about what reparations look like, and so I’ve constructed a project to hopefully help the church introduce the conversation of reparations and make space for discussion about what that is. This isn’t just something where we set aside a certain amount of money to give to the NAACP; it needs to be an intentional, thought-out process. And it doesn’t always need to be financial. And so what I’m hoping to do is make a presentation to the Mission Committee here next month about the research and then guide them through a curriculum that opens us into that discussion. It’s not exactly what I expected to start with, but it’s absolutely what I think the church needs right now.
What are some of the key things you’ve learned in this first year of ministry? Kallie: One of the things I’ve learned in a multi-staff congregation is to name and claim my gifts for ministry. When I got here I said, I love to change, to rearrange the furniture, if you will. Naming that felt scary, but it was really affirmed here. So they told me, the Mission Committee is going great, but Fellowship needs, literally, a total makeover. Also, I remember the first week John [Wurster, her supervisor] said, okay, this Sunday, you’re going to read Scripture. I thought, I went to seminary for three years—What?! But it was so great. He led me in gently. I did each part of the service, and then I started linking them together, then I did the whole thing. And so it just really allowed me to reframe the pacing of ministry. Brendan: Figuring out my gifts for ministry is just a continual process, but seminary didn’t necessarily afford me all the opportunities that this does to really dive into it. I’ve learned that I have a knack for adult Christian cur10 | Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Tell us about your projects.
Kallie: My project came organically from the life of the church. I told John to put me where I can be the most support. I looked at what fellowship was like in the past, what was important, and I did a lot of listening. They gave me a month-by-month account of fellowship activities, and when we looked at the calendar, none of these things were possible. Not a single thing. And there was a sadness about that. And so we started imagining what might be possible, and I gently guided that conversation. The St. Philip congregation is spread over basically Harris County—that is an enormous amount of geography. We mapped the congregation into clusters and came up with an initiative called Neighborhood Gatherings. We located a facilitator for each geographical group, and I did
six facilitator trainings for which I wrote the curriculum. I made a launch packet for the facilitators. It was such a deep learning for all of us to be prepared: the second the virus conditions and the spring weather allowed people to gather, we could spring into action. There were tears in my eyes over the beauty of the opportunity to connect through the deep loneliness that was voiced. We were able to hear lots of pastoral concerns because we called every single person who is a member or associated with the congregation. And we’ve reconnected with a lot of congregants who have been out of touch for years. Those sound helpful for both you and the church. Talk a bit about that mentoring process. Brendan: I just think it’s wonderful to have that be intentional. We have dinners, probably every other week or so, and we have one-on-one meetings. Michael [Waschevski, his supervisor] has done a really good job of just even checking in and saying, “Hey how you doing?” And it’s like, you know, I didn’t realize that was a question I needed to be asked, but it is. I’m on a staff with four other ministers and I kind of have my hand in all these different things, and all the other ministers have been wonderful mentors as well. Kallie: John has seen that this is different from an associate position: I have a specific amount of time and here’s what’s important to get done. When I got here we had live-streamed prayer service seven days a week which gave me many opportunities to prep the prayer service. It’s the same with presiding at the Table as soon as I was ordained. I’ve gotten to preach as much as the other associates. And then in terms of congregants, once he got to know me he said, “This is a congregant I’d love you to call.” She and I have similar spiritual dynamics. We’re able to really pray with one another and share dreams and hopes for the church with one another, and she helped me develop an adult Christian ed class I wrote and taught. So having a congregant be a partner in that discussion has been wonderful. And in a similar vein, this congregation is highly connected across the PC(USA). I got a call asking me to serve on General Counsel for the presbytery. I was like, Who, me? I didn’t see that coming! So, opportunities to serve the church in larger ways that, again, I don’t know how I otherwise would have had this much space and opportunity to explore all of those things. I have to say, I have never felt more loved in my life than by this congregation. I get letters, presents on my desk, meals—that’s the essence of who this congrega-
tion is. The support I experienced even in a pandemic was just really incredible. The congregation took ownership of the residency. The whole congregation saw this as their chance to serve the church and to lift me up and support me in ministry. It’s just been really awesome. Brendan: The one disadvantage that I would add, is to be prepared that people will connect so much that they won’t want to accept that you’re only going to be there for two years. And then you have to have difficult conversations like, This is a temporary position and I love you and I know you love me but it’s also about discerning God’s call. Sarah, I know one of the intentions of the residency is to put graduates in touch with healthy, thriving congregations—that’s kind of the genius idea behind the program, right? Sarah: It’s been so wonderful to hear these stories and to learn in more detail about the projects you all are doing and how loved you’ve felt by the congregations. I think President Wardlaw is very thoughtful as he considers congregations to host these residencies. He is looking for thriving congregations with mature leadership who will be wonderful mentors with a lot to offer from their own experience. In our monthly meetings we include some Austin Seminary graduates who are serving in other residencies. And the quality of deep reflection that they’ve done with each other and their ability to see patterns or to think about how congregational anxiety functions in their church or in themselves or how thriving functions in their congregations and to analyze and to watch them support each other through these learning processes has been really cool. What are you residents looking forward to? Brendan: The residency teaches you skills that are not geographically based. I originally thought I was going to stay in Texas, because this is where my connections are, this is where I’ve become grounded as a minister. And I realized that I’ve learned skills here and I’ve built a confidence here such that I don’t necessarily feel like I need to stay tethered to where I’m comfortable. Kallie: The thing I keep thinking about is the network of connections won’t go away, even at the end. These relationships that are being fostered just develop a web of relationships that we hope and pray for in this connectional denomination. And in these times, that’s a real gift. v Summer | Fall 2021 | 11
THE MENTORS
Our pastoral staff is superbly suited for
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ed Wardlaw has a foundational belief that informs nearly everything he does as president of Austin Seminary: Where there are committed and faithful pastors, elders, and deacons, you will see healthy congregations; when there are healthy congregations, the church thrives. Over the course of his presidency, this conviction has driven the Seminary to focus its efforts on grounding students in the sort of biblical, theological, and spiritual foundations they will need to love and lead their flocks upon graduation. The Austin Seminary Post-Graduate Pastoral Residency program is, you might say, a final piece of that formation. As he went about designing the program, Wardlaw felt the most critical element was identifying “best practices” congregations led by “best practices” pastors or 12 | Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
pastoral teams. It seemed natural that the first two congregations to participate, First Presbyterian Church, Fort Worth, and St. Philip Presbyterian Church, Houston, not only fit that description but already have deep ties to Austin Seminary. Both churches enthusiastically embraced the invitation. St. Philip senior pastor John Wurster (DMin’01) said, “Hosting a residency offered us an opportunity to be involved in the formation of a new pastor and to contribute to the future ministry of the wider church.” Ruth Waldrop, an elder who chairs St. Philip’s Fellowship Committee and who has worked closely with Resident Kallie Pitcock (MDiv’20) agreed, “The residency seems like a very well-thought-out means for immersing a new seminary graduate into the life of a congregation with requirements and benefits for both sides and without a
long-term commitment. Our pastoral staff is superbly suited for teaching and coaching a beginning minister, and Kallie is an eager learner. She jumped in with both feet! That combination certainly maximizes the positives for both parties.” Michael Waschevski (DMin’03), associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church, Fort Worth, has served as the primary mentor for Resident Brendan McLean (MDiv’20). He agrees it has been a good fit: “As a strong supporter of Austin Seminary, the church has had a long history of offering internships to its students. Because of our commitment to developing leaders for the PC(USA) and our outstanding experiences with Austin Seminary students, we were excited to participate in the residency program.” Waschevski appreciates two strengths of the pro-
for significant relationship building, opportunities for experiencing multiple aspects of congregational ministry and leadership, and the ability to plan and lead a thoughtful and significant ministry project.” One year into the two-year program, both congregations express confidence in the graduates’ seminary preparation and appreciation for the surprising result of having these young and energetic Residents in their midst. “In a Sunday School class on ‘The Faith of a Child,’ we were invited to wonder and question and wrestle together on topics such as salvation, with Kallie providing excellent layered resources,” says member Betsy Boston. “Her leadership of circle led to authentic discussion on personal grief, beyond the norm.” Waschevski concurs that Brendan “is a valuable part of our ministry team. He is well prepared for ministry in
teaching and coaching a beginning minister . . . gram, the two-year time frame and the intentional ministry project, designed by the Resident, that addresses a particular need of the congregation. “Two years allows
multiple settings. This time as a Resident has been affirming of his gifts as it offers deeper experiences in the practice of ministry.” v
THE SUPPORTERS Inspired by her own experience during her Supervised Practice of Ministry placement while an Austin Seminary student, Shelley Craig along with her husband, Forrest, financially support the Austin Seminary Post-Graduate Residency program. Through the Craig Residency Stipend, Residents receive a check to supplement expenses not covered by the program. By Rev. Shelley Craig (MDiv’98)
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he Austin Seminary Post-Graduate Pastoral Residency program aligns with and expertly expands upon my own vision and experience of optimal preparation for PC(USA) pastors. Through it, graduates become effectively equipped to serve congregations and the larger church, supplemented by the high academic standards represented in our MDiv degrees. I have invested in this residency program, and I heartily endorse and encourage its vision for the well-being of the church. The joys and challenges of my experience of ordained ministry and pastoral leadership were honed by my fourteen-month, less-structured “residency” at
First Presbyterian Church, Conroe, Texas, under the supervision of the pastor, Rev. Dr. Rick Young (DMin’96). In a dual-purpose internship, I served the congregation while the congregation assessed my presence as part of their process for discerning whether they were ready to call an associate pastor. Ministering at First Presbyterian through the whole liturgical year (a significant ingredient of preparation), I staffed and served through all areas of congregational ministries. Rick phrased his supervision and commitment to my preparation for congregational ministry as “The Big P.” The “Big P” was shorthand to guide me into assuming Summer | Fall 2021 | 13
roles of pastoral caregiver, priest, congregational traditions. I adapted teacher, and preacher appropriate and created new ways of “being church” to each area of ministry. Rick and I together. I took risks with supervisor discussed which “P” hat I wore as I backing and protection. I learned from visited members, taught Sunday school, mistakes without falling off a cliff. staffed various committees, preached, Members engaged eagerly and presided over Communion and funerals, seriously in their roles to nurture, moderated Session, and supported and listen to, and call upon me and provided was supported by administrative staff. honest feedback and critiques. Along I learned to adapt to the flexibility with Rick’s supervision, they shaped Shelley and Forrest Craig needed for the unknowns of any given me into a pastor who considered day throughout the church seasons. Serving through the ministry one of the most joyous gifts God has granted whole liturgical year allowed me to witness the ebb and me. flow of the work of the congregation, as well as the ebb My leave-taking at the end of fourteen months was and flow of church members’ lives. marked with a “toast” of our memories while I sat atop In addition to the multiple personal and professional a toilet paper throne, laughing at their humorous stories challenges, the most stunning aspect of my experience was and basking in our mutual appreciation. That experience the members’ regard for and trust in me as their pastor. marked my effective entry into congregational ministry Rick treated me as pastoral colleague with the respect with confidence, ideas, compassion, and a maturity of afforded one. Absorbing and responding to this respect, experience, grounding me in my love for the people I’m credibility, and authority was initially breathtaking. With called to serve through Christ’s grace. While ministry time, I blossomed in self confidence. involves surprises, both welcome and unwelcome, I Throughout my twenty-three years of ordained believe my ministerial leadership aptly reflects the time ministry, I have called on the wisdom, sustenance, and invested in me through my “preparation-in-residence.” creativity of these experiences and of Rick’s unstinting Even in tough situations I understood I was equipped wisdom in our weekly debriefings—a time of feedback, to equip others to serve in Christ’s name together—a critique, and encouragement. I learned to respect leadership of disciple-building and consensus. v
The Dickson Endowment for Post-Graduate Pastoral Residencies Through the faithful and visionary generosity of Paul and Beverly Dickson of Shreveport, Louisiana, Austin Seminary is blessed to provide two-year residencies in best-practices congregations for two well-qualified graduating seniors at Austin Seminary each year. The residencies are an opportunity for graduates to refine skills for pastoral ministry—particularly in preaching, pastoral care, church administration, and effective church leadership—while serving under the tutelage of wise and experienced pastoral leaders. Asked what moved them to make a $3.3 million gift to endow the program, Paul observes, “Beverly and I are fortunate to have received a series of great pastors through the years at First Presbyterian Church in Shreveport. Pastoring is a gift of grace that we are thankful to support through the Dickson Pastoral Residencies. We hope that many congregations over many years will enjoy great pastors who were launched and enriched by their residencies. Likewise we hope that the congregations who host the residents will be enriched as they share in the spiritual and vocational journey of each resident.” The two residents selected from the Class of 2021 are Parker Lucas (MDiv’21), serving First Presbyterian Church, Waco, Texas, and Jonathan Freeman (MDiv’21), serving First Presbyterian Church, Austin. The Seminary welcomes gifts from other generous benefactors to ensure that additional well-qualified graduates may engage in this foundational experience for generations to come. v 14 | Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
The Class of 2021 Master of Arts in Ministry Practice
Danita Myrlane Nelson Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Master of Arts (Theological Studies)
Master of Arts in Youth Ministry
Aymara Melvina Margaret Albury
Sarah Bush Henson Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Episcopal Church
The Sam O. Morris Youth Ministry Award
Jesse Kenneth Parker Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Justin William Bowers United Methodist Church
William Henry Luedecke IV Nondenominational
Conor Dean Peters United Methodist Church
Alex Danielle Cato Baptist Church
Patrick Ryan McCarthy United Methodist Church
Oksana Louise Schwack United Methodist Church
Jackie Jones Flores United Methodist Church
Charles Arthur Mencio Jr. Lutheran, Missouri Synod
Continued on following page Summer | Fall 2021 | 15
The Class of 2021 Master of Divinity
Samantha Suzanne Bell UMC, Rio Texas Conference
Christal LeMay Borchelt The Wesleyan Church
Luke Allen Donahue
Anglican Church of North America
Jonathan Pearson Freeman
Kailey Noel Gray PC(USA), Grace Presbytery
Jesse Dean Hinds
PC(USA), Northeast Georgia Presbytery
UMC, Great Rivers Conference
Promise Award Rachel Henderlite Award
Trull-Herlin Fellowship Chidester Preaching Award Hendrick-Smith Award for Mission & Evangelism
Carl Kilborn Book Award Dickson Resident
Kelly Jo Bratkowski PC(USA), Mission Presbytery
Promise Award The David L. Stitt Fellowship
Katherine Ann Graham ELCA, Southwestern Texas Synod
Audrey Phyllis Burnett
James A. “Buddy” Davidson Scholarship Donald Capps Award in Pastoral Care Ethel Lance Human & Civil Rights Award
Gus Kaderly Lott III
UCC, Heart of Texas Association
Jean Brown Fellowship
Dual Degree MDiv/MSSW
PC(USA), Mission Presbytery
Crawley Fellowship The Janie Maxwell Morris Fellowship
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Addison Parker Lucas PC(USA), Trinity Presbytery
Dickson Resident
Charge to the 2021 graduates By President Theodore J. Wardlaw
T Stephen James Milburn Episcopal Church
Jean Brown Fellowship The W.P. Newell Fellowship
Kimberlee Christine Runnion UCC, Heart of Texas Association
Elizabeth Currie Williams Fellowship Max Sherman & Barbara Jordan Fellowship
Jacob Wesley Naron Nondenominational
Johnston Family Fellowship The Alsup-Frierson Fellowship
Kimbol Dianne Soques PC(USA), Mission Presbytery
Charles L. King Preaching Award John B. Spragens Award
Caitlin Marie Parsons United Methodist Church
Betty Wilson Jeffrey Fellowship The Pile-Mogan Fellowship
John Crandon Weller
Presbyterian Church in America
Jean Brown Scholarship
oday, for the nineteenth year in a row, I am honored—almost beyond words … almost—to have the special privilege of offering a charge as you now prepare to leave this place and to step into what’s next. A parish or more graduate school or a youth ministry setting or a chaplaincy or a non-profit or some other form of service. And, at this moment in every year that I’ve been here, it is my privilege to send you, the Class of 2021, out into some corner of the world that needs nothing quite so much as you. But I do need to warn you that, precisely because you are the Class of 2021—whether it’s a class graduating from a seminary or a university or a medical school or a business school or a law school or whatever—because you belong to the Class of 2021, somebody’s eventually going to say to you, “Well, that’s the COVID class.” And just that remark will carry with it a host of assumptions. The COVID class. You entered this place, most of you, when we didn’t know what the word “COVID” meant. When the COVID-19 pandemic could not have been imagined. Who could have dreamed this scenario fifteen months ago? Who could have forecast, let’s say in February of last year, the encroachment of a cumulative effect of so many deprivations and horrific scenarios piling up on top of one another? The isolation as we all quarantined, the backdrop of a national political meltdown, the painful demonstrations of ongoing discrimination and violence toward people of color, the stress, the fear of getting sick, the hundreds of thousands of deaths, the way in which every day felt like Groundhog Day, all of it accumulating into a feeling that wasn’t necessarily depression, but more like what David Brooks described a few weeks ago in the New York Times as “lassitude:” a state of mental or physical weariness; a lack of energy. You would walk into a room and forget why you’d gone in there and what you were searching for. Over time, it was like the wilting of muscle memory. You would forget the names of people, you would forget the places and the names of streets beyond your COVID bubble, you would forget at night what you were supposed to do the next day. Even if we managed to avoid the illness, we could not escape the flatness, the solitude. So what do we do now, as it looks like things are lightening up? Summer | Fall 2021 | 17
The Class of 2021 David Brooks again: “I’ve been surprised,” he writes, “by how much it feels like not just a social problem but a moral one. We say we feel a sense of purpose and mission when we are serving a cause larger than ourselves. But I’ve learned this year, how much having a feeling of purpose depends upon the small acts of hospitality we give and receive each day, sometimes with people we don’t know all that well.” Small acts of hospitality that we give and receive each day. Certainly you, the COVID class, have seen, from time to time across this year, such small acts of hospitality. In that horrible winter storm that came through Austin and froze up our campus, your apartments, and the homes and families of our faculty and staff; there was so much disruption. And, in its wake, such fear and despair. But there was something more redemptive than all of that. There was also kindness. In the midst of all of the frightening chaos, one of our students managed to distract some of the children of our campus by teaching them how to snowboard. Others of you left gifts at the doors of your neighbors’ apartments—cookies, hot chocolate. And in that horrific experience that went on for days, so many of you managed to access a courageous kindness. I believe that the aroma of such kindness still lingers on our campus—long after the effects of the storm. And I want to commend the relentless practice of kindness— even in a coarse and disheartening world—as one Christian virtue that has the potential, nonetheless, to change the world. In Luke’s gospel, there was an occasion when an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What’s written in the law?” Jesus replied. “How do you read it?” The man answered well because he knew his Bible. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and Love your neighbor as yourself.” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But the man wanted to push the matter. He knew his Bible, but he also knew his comfort zone; and he wanted to test the outer limits of correctness, and so he asked 18 | Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
The Class of 2021 Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” There’s where the rub always is, isn’t it? In his reply to the man, Jesus gave us one of the most fetching parables in all of the gospels. A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers who stripped him of his clothes, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. A United Methodist seminarian happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he feared that he might be an Episcopalian and so he passed by on the other side. So too, a Presbyterian seminarian, preoccupied with the polity portion of his ordination exams, saw the man and passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan—someone who probably could not have been admitted to Austin Seminary—came where the man was; and when he saw him he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said, “and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.” “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” said Jesus. The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” I read the news every morning, like I’m eating a dog’s breakfast, and sometimes it breaks my heart to see the latest evidence of the cruelty in the world. But we are shown throughout scripture a stubborn compassion, a relentless kindness, that shows us how to overcome the world. I charge you today, as you go out to engage that very same world, to practice a relentless, non-discriminating kindness. I’ve read that the Jewish sage Hillel the Elder was once challenged by a Gentile to teach him the entire Torah while he, the Gentile, stood on one foot. Hillel the Elder fulfilled the challenge in one short paragraph. “What is hateful to you,” he said, “do not do to your neighbor. That’s the entire Torah; the rest is commentary—now go and study it!” That, friends, is the Gospel. So go from this place with our blessing, and study it! And practice, for as long as you draw breath, the radical grace, mercy, and peace of our faith. v
faculty news notes The Reverend Bobbi Kaye Jones installed into Zbinden Chair
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he installation of a faculty member into a named chair recognizes a faculty member’s distinctive contributions to a field of study, the importance of that field of study for theological education, and the Seminary’s affirmation of that faculty member as a scholar and teacher of the church. On April 29, Professor Bobbi Kaye Jones (MDiv’80) was installed as Professor in The Louis H. and Photograph by Alison Riemersma Katherina S. Zbinden Distinguished Chair of Pastoral Ministry and Leadership. Professor Jones was invited in 2019 to be the fourth holder of the Louis H. and Katherine S. Zbinden Distinguished Chair of Pastoral Ministry and Leadership. She teaches the practical areas of pastoral ministry: church administration, congregational leadership, stewardship, and liturgy. An ordained minister in The United Methodist Church (UMC), Jones retired in 2018 from her appointment to Tarrytown United Methodist Church in Austin, Texas, where she served for six years. She was District Superintendent from 2008-2012, preceded by tenures in Austin and Corpus Christi United Methodist congregations. She served as senior pastor of St. John’s UMC in Austin (2001-2008), co-pastor of Grace UMC in Corpus Christi (1997-2001), senior associate pastor of First UMC, Austin (1984-1997), and associate pastor of Memorial UMC, Austin (1981-1983). A graduate of Austin Seminary, Jones has been actively involved in all facets of her alma mater since earning her degree in 1980. She has been an adjunct faculty member (1995-2011) and served on the alumni association board (1998-2001) and board of trustees (2017-2019). She was named a Distinguished Alumna in 2004. Jones’ ministry has extended to several state and local organizations such as Texas Freedom Network, Common Good Community Development, Freestore Austin, and The Ecclesiastes Project—for all of which she was a founding member—along with Campfire Organization of Central Texas, Imagine No Malaria, and Interfaith Action of Texas (iACT). She is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin Plan II honors program. v
faculty notes |
board actions |
Gregory Cuéllar (Old Testament) will be an Academic Visitor at the University of Oxford’s Centre for Criminology from June 2021 to January 2022 where he will be conducting research for his next book, Religion in Immigration Detention: Securing Faiths in a State of Removal. Project description: In examining the role of religion in immigration detention, this project not only reveals the unsuspected tentacles of elite power but also the overlooked power of faith in freeing immigrants from inhumane capture and deportation.
The Austin Seminary Board of Trustees took the following actions during the 2020-21 academic year:
Bridgett Green (New Testament) has been elected vice president for publishing for the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation and editorial director of Westminster John Knox Press. She begins that new chapter of her career in January 2022. Carolyn Helsel (preaching) preached on June 20 at Prairie Circle Unitarian Universalist Church in Grayslake, Illinois, a community northwest of Chicago, and she gave a presentation about her newest book, The ABCs of Diversity, to several public libraries in the Chicago area. Her article, “Spiritual Practices for AntiRacism,” appears in the August 2021 issue of Call to Worship: Liturgy, Music, Preaching, and the Arts 55.2. She is the keynote speaker for the Rethinking Preaching Conference, August 20-21, 2021. This summer Bobbi Kaye Jones (pastoral ministry and leadership) taught the Downtowners Sunday School Class at First United Methodist Church, Austin. David White (Christian education) gave the keynote address, “Tending the Fire at the Heart of the World—Beauty and Christian Formation,” at the Godly Play national conference on June 17. v
Reappointed Dr. Bridgett Green as assistant professor of New Testament. Promoted Dr. Asante Todd (MDiv’06) to associate professor of Christian ethics. Reappointed the Rev. Dr. Paul Hooker, associate dean for ministerial formation and advanced studies. Reappointed the Rev. Dr. David W. Johnson, associate professor of church history and Christian spirituality. Reappointed the Rev. Dr. Andrew Zirschky, director of the MAYM Nashville extension and research professor in youth ministry. Approved a six-month sabbatical leave for Dr. Jennifer Lord, effective February 1, 2022. Approved a six-month sabbatical leave for Dr. Suzie Park, effective August 1, 2022. Accepted the sabbatical reports of the Rev. Dr. Timothy Lincoln, Rev. Dr. Cynthia Rigby, Dr. Asante Todd, and The Rev. Dr. David White. Approved a search for a faculty position in Evangelism and Missions and a faculty position in Church History. Endorsed the COVID-19 Vaccination Policy. Approved a solar installation project and a plan to sell the duplex housing known as Mission Ranch and invest the proceeds into the Seminary’s endowment. Approved a proposal to form a committee to develop renovation plans for Shelton Chapel. Approved a proposal to provide 100% tuition discounts and to create nine new full-ride fellowships (three per year) eXclusively for students of color (see story page 4). v Summer | Fall 2021 | 19
alumni news notes
class notes | 1950s Pat Brandenburg, partner of John R. “Pete” Hendrick (MDiv’52), died April 10, 2021, Tucson, Arizona.
1970s In April, the Parson’s Porch Press published a book translated by James Currie (MDiv’79; ThM’89), And God Spoke with His People (Sermons from the 1980s by an East German Pastor), written by Werner Krusche.
1980s Stephen Taylor (MDiv’85) retired from the Church of Scotland. He and spouse, Gillian, continue to live in Scotland.
1990s Dan Walker (MDiv’96) has been appointed interim parish associate for care at Webster Presbyterian Church, Webster, Texas, effective July 1, 2021.
2000s Pete Seiferth (MDiv’01) has accepted a call to be interim senior pastor and head of staff at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Tucson, Arizona. Kevin Downer (MDiv’06) has been called as pastor to First Church of Woodstock, a UCC congregation in Connecticut.
2010s Jody Maas (MDiv’11) has been called as a chaplain for Total Hospice & Palliative Care in Fort Worth, Texas. In May, Allie Utley (MDiv’13) earned the PhD in homiletics and liturgics from The Graduate Department of Religion of Vanderbilt University. Layton Williams-Berkes (MDiv’14) married Billy Berkes, March 20, 2021; they reside in Charleston, South Carolina. Chris Reyes (MATS’15) has accepted a call to be associate pastor of discipleship at Memorial UMC in Farmington, Missouri.
Brianna Benzinger-Luckevich (MDiv’16) is a pediatric chaplain at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth. Meagan Findeiss (MDiv’18) has been called to First Presbyterian Church, Dallas, as associate pastor for care and belonging. Devon Border Reynolds (MDiv’19) has been called as pastor to Westminster Presbyterian Church in Lawton / Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
in memoriam Keith F. Nickle (MDiv’58), May 21, 2020, Brenham, Texas James “Jim” Walter Sawyer (MDiv’65), April 1, 2021, Baton Rouge, Louisiana Carol S. Wood (MDiv’80), November 12, 2019 Ila Mayes (MDiv’86), March 24, 2020, Amarillo, Texas Dean Pogue (MDiv’05), March 10, 2021, Big Canoe, Georgia Tom Mitchell (MDiv’07), June 21, 2021, Austin, Texas
ordinations & commissions Don Moore (MDiv’16), ordained as an elder in full connection in the UMC by the Central Texas Annual Conference, June 21, 2021. Janine Zabriskie (MDiv’17), ordained into the PC(USA) at her current home church, Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, on behalf of Mission Presbytery. She serves as chaplain and child life specialist with the University of Maryland Medical Center. Matt Edison (MDiv’18), commissioned as provisional elder in the UMC by Rio Texas Annual Conference, June 12, 2021. He is an associate pastor at University UMC, San Antonio, Texas. Randy Knighten (MATS’18),
20 | Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Richard D. “Dick” Gould (MDiv’71) celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination on June 6 with the Presbyterian congregation he now serves in Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico. commissioned as deacon in the UMC by Rio Texas Annual Conference, June 12, 2021. He is an associate pastor at St. John’s United Methodist Church, Austin, Texas. Victoria (Vikki) Schwarz (MAMP’18), commissioned as deacon in the UMC by Rio Texas Annual Conference, June 12, 2021. She is director of music at Berkeley United Methodist Church, Austin, Texas, and resident composer at Austin Children’s Theater. Matthew Cardona (MDiv’19), ordained as an elder in full connection in the UMC by Rio Texas Annual Conference. He is a discipleship pastor at Bee Creek United Methodist Church, Spicewood, Texas. Andrew Frazier (MDiv’19), ordained by the Presbytery of Detroit on Sunday, March 8, 2020, at First Presbyterian Church, Ann Arbor, where he has been a pastoral resident (see page 4). Curtis Davis (MDiv’20), commissioned as provisional elder in the UMC by Rio Texas Annual Conference, June 12, 2021. He is an associate pastor at Westlake United Methodist Church, Austin, Texas. Jacqueline Griffin Freeman (MDiv’20), commissioned as provisional elder in the UMC by Rio Texas Annual Conference, June 12, 2021. She is pastor at St. Luke United Methodist Church, Austin, Texas. Jason Surdy (MDiv’20), commissioned as provisional elder in the UMC by Rio Texas
Annual Conference, June 12, 2021. He is an associate pastor at First United Methodist Church, Corpus Christi, Texas. Carrie Winebrenner (MDiv’20), ordained May 23, 2021 into the PC(USA) by Whitewater Valley Presbytery. She is completing a pastoral residency at First Presbyterian Church, Fort Wayne, Indiana. v
New ASA board members elected Following ASA Board elections on June 17, the following alumni are filling vacancies for the class of 2023: Sarah Hegar (MDiv’09) and James Morley (MDiv’88). Completing the class of 2024 are: Candi Cubbage (MDiv’89), David Gambrell (MDiv’98), Amy Litzinger (MATS’15), Carl McCormack (MDiv’95), Amy Sergent (MDiv’92), and Tony Spears (MDiv’15). v
Submit your nominations for the 2022 ASA Awards Deadline: September 13 AustinSeminary. edu/asa-nominate
live learn
Beginning this fall!
Practicing Theology in Public How should we live together? What can unite us in hope? With the new Practicing Theology in Public series, Education Beyond the Walls offers compelling ways to explore these contested questions of our common life. Practicing Theology in Public presents a suite of educational opportunities for pastors and other leaders interested in how their Christian faith informs the way they engage issues of social concern; those who want to deepen their skills for faithful engagement; and faith leaders who sense an urgency to this calling in 21st-century America. This series extends EBW’s work in the Pastoral Leadership for Public Life program, funded in large part by Lilly Endowment Inc. It is our pleasure to offer this to a broader audience this year.
What We Mean by Practicing Theology in Public
What’s Ahead?
Practicing: • To engage in the continuous exercise of a profession— including a religious profession
Online and in-person options
• To become proficient through systematic exercise Theology: • How God relates to the world—interpreted through the lens of Christian scripture, tradition, practice, and experience • In respectful conversation with varied other ways of knowing, from the margins to the halls of the academy • Done in community—recognizing all who seek to engage the questions as public theologians In Public: • Participating in the incarnational character of the church • Concerning issues of public life—economics, government, security, flourishing • Seeking to promote the common good • Requiring humility, a willingness to enter into dialogue, to resist foreclosure, and to bridge gaps in understanding
Practical workshops in: • Facilitating racially and socially conscious dialogue • Engaging the public through creative practices that circumvent polarization • Framing faith-informed messages for the media • Leading a congregation to be a faithful witness in challenging times Seminars with Austin Seminary faculty that include online and travel components: • Hope from the Margins: The Immigrant Experience with Gregory Cuéllar • Criminal Justice, the Age of Security, and Beloved Community with Asante Todd Facilitated small-group courses online: • ABCs of Diversity • Doing Justice
Follow EBW on Facebook, sign up for Monthly Musings, and join EBW Springs to get the latest info on what we’re up to!
ebwsprings.org | AustinSeminary.edu/EBW
2022 MidWinters January 24-26 Currie Lecturer
Anthony B. Pinn
Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities, Professor of Religion, Rice University
Westervelt Lecturer
Jones Lecturer
Evelyn L. Parker
Matthew Gaventa Betsy Lyles Pastor, University Swetenburg
Preacher
Susanna Wesley Centennial Professor Presbyterian Church, Pastor, Northridge of Practical Theology, Austin, Texas Presbyterian Church, Perkins School of Dallas, Texas Theology, Southern Methodist University AustinSeminary.edu/midwinters Summer | Fall 2021 | 21
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Discover Austin Seminary.
In-person Discovery Weekend October 29-31
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Commencement was virtual this year, but the administration offered a Drive-by Diploma Extravaganza for those who could join them on May 18. In addition to their diplomas, each graduate received gifts from the Alumni Office and the Office of Student Affairs and Vocation and a set of three hymnals, courtesy of the Hal and Martha Hopson Endowed Symposium Fund.
