READY TO RENEW THE CHURCH AND TRANSFORM THE WORLD

Celebrating Garrett-Evangelical’s 166th Commencement

“If you are going into churchwork, you are either a hospice worker or an EMT.” Commencement keynote speaker Rev. Adam Hamilton’s opening words reflect the stark reality facing seminary graduates. “You’re either reformers, or the church has no future,” he said, “We need you, and God has called you.” But, while no one assembled had any delusions about the stakes of their call, the mood was not somber—it was electric. Indeed, the paradox of joyfully entering difficult work was beautifully captured in President Javier Viera’s reminder to the graduating class: “You are a source of hope and promise in the world.”

The gospel isn’t a story of soft and easy labor, of God’s revolutionary change welcomed by the world with open arms. Nor is it a story of God imposing God’s will through overwhelming force. God’s presence is born in naked vulnerability and works through those brave or foolish enough to say, “Here I am. Send me.” It is the power of that story that filled stone arches with joyful singing—not people ignorant about the task ahead but nevertheless filled with divine hope. It’s a strength they draw from the seminary’s broader mission. “I hope we have prepared you to lead at the margins and from the margins,” President Viera said, “We are called to the margins to work diligently,” so those places can become God’s new center.

The day was also an opportunity to celebrate those who have spent their careers fulfilling that vision. When Rev. Dr. Cheryl Anderson’s retirement was announced, the sanctuary erupted into a standing ovation. “As a womanist scholar of Hebrew scripture,” President Viera remarked about her incredible career, “she has made issues of race, gender, class and sexual orientation central to the reading and understanding of the Bible.” He then announced that the board had awarded her the title of Professor Emerita, an indication of how GarrettEvangelical will continue in that mission.

Three honorary doctorates were also conferred upon three deeply impactful friends of the Seminary: Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Conde-Frazier (Doctor of Divinity); Rev. Adam Hamilton (Doctor of Divinity); and Jerre L. Stead (Doctor of Humane Letters). Their impact and influence upon Garrett-Evangelical, the church, and the world would be far too great to list in such a short space.