Robert Hasley’s New Book
As a young man, the Rev. Robert Hasley (Master of Sacred Theology ’77, M.Div. ‘78) wondered how his grandmother could always say, “Everything is gonna be all right,” when pain, harm and suffering persist. Yet her faith sustained and comforted her in times full of fear, anxiety and stress. Hasley shares homespun stories and anecdotes of a life lived in faith through good times and bad in his new book, Everything Is Gonna Be All Right (Invite Press, 2020). Hasley, who is senior pastor of St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano, was honored in a book-signing event on November 8. To learn more or to purchase the book, click here.
H-G Alumni Featured
Together, Pastors Frank and Elizabeth Acosta have navigated moving to a new country, learning a new language and attending two different seminaries. They banded together in marriage and parenting while sharing pastoral duties at First Methodist Conroe’s Celebración ministry. Married 16 years with a two-year-old son, the couple is originally from Cuba. Read a feature about the Acostas on the Texas Conference website here. The Acostas both completed M.Div. degrees in 2020 at Perkins’s Houston-Galveston program.
Sutton-Adams Attends Boston College
Hannah Sutton-Adams (M.Div. ’18) was accepted into Boston College and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Theology and Education. Sutton-Adams expressed appreciation for the support of the Perkins community. “This acceptance is a testament to the nurturing power of academic and religious communities,” she said.
Christian Watkins at NCC
Rev. Christian Watkins recently moderated a Zoom panel hosted by the National Council of Churches, “Where are we? Spiritually diagnosing America’s Illnesses.” Watkins (M.Div. ’19) recently joined the staff of the NCC in a newly created position to serve as Justice Advocacy and Outreach Manager. In this role, he is helping elevate NCC’s work on ending mass incarceration and racism as well as developing a mini-grants program to support ministries involved in this work. Most recently, Christian served as the 2019-20 Wendland Fellow for Faith and Justice of the General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church.
Fighting Racism
Lowry Minton Manders (MSM ’04) is working in the Lake Highlands neighborhood of Dallas to fight racism. Along with Denita Jones, she has established a Facebook group of more than 1,000 “Lake Highlands Area Moms Against Racism.” The Facebook group has created a forum for conversations on anti-racism, the Black Lives Matter movement and personal experiences of neighbors. “We are trying to create a safe place for everyone,” Manders said. Read stories in Lake Highlands Advocate magazine here and here.