Joseph Leads Fundraiser Program
Dr. Clark Joseph (M.T.S. ‘05) led the 200-voice Unity choir at Together We Sing, a fundraiser for Project Unity held June 15, with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, at Dallas’ Morton Meyerson Symphony Hall. The event was presented by Texas Capital Bank. This year’s night of gospel and classical paid tribute to Richard Smallwood, who also performed. Project Unity also introduced its inaugural “Together We” Awards recognizing individuals, corporations and organizations who have shown outstanding commitment to supporting and implementing racial unity, inclusion, social justice, and health efforts in the community and workplace that align with Project Unity’s activism. Richie Butler, a member of Perkins Executive Board, is the founder of Project Unity. Read more about the program here.
Hill Interviewed on Podcast
Dr. James Howard Hill, Jr., (M.T.S. ’16) was recently featured on The Method Podcast. Hill is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Oklahoma. The podcast explored why it’s important for young adults and college students to be of service in the local church and community and how to prepare for service to God and others. Find the podcast here.
Randall Lucas Profiled
The Rev. Randall Lucas (M.A.M. ’19, M.Div. ’22) was featured in a story on the food pantry at Lover’s Lane United Methodist Church in The Dallas Morning News. The church has given away more than 1.2 million pounds of groceries since 2020. Lucas, who is associate pastor and director of missions and outreach for the church, said, “We are an extension of God’s grace. God just gives. None of us have to do anything to receive God’s grace.” The church is just a few miles from predominantly Hispanic apartment complexes, where many residents have been hit hard by the pandemic and inflation. “The people we serve do not want a handout,” Lucas said. “They’re working, but they have to ask for help. We want to be a safety net, but also to lift people out.” Dallas Morning News subscribers may read the story here.
Caroline Collins Published
A work by Caroline Elizabeth Collins (M.T.S. ‘22) entitled “Return to Mine: A Call and Response Liturgy” was recently published in Issue 4 of the journal The Unmooring. Collins was active in Feminists Advocating Change and Empowerment (FACE) at Perkins and wrote an earlier version of the liturgy for the Women’s Week Chapel Service at Perkins. Read the liturgy online here.
Muckleroy History Paper Honored
Perkins graduate the Rev. Adam Muckleroy (M.Div. ’14, M.Th. ’21) has won second place in the John Harrison Ness Award sponsored by the UMC General Commission on Archives and History. His paper, “An American Parable,” deals with the work of AME church founder Richard Allen and his associate Absalom Jones — who would become the first African American ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church — ministering to people in Philadelphia during the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793. “I found it a blessing for my pastoral leadership to study the voices of the Church’s past to help lead through the pandemic,” Muckleroy said. “I am thrilled at the prospect of lifting up one of those voices to a larger audience through publication.” Muckleroy currently serves as pastor of First United Methodist Church in Canton, Texas. The paper was written while he was a student at Perkins and submitted to the competition by Ted A. Campbell, Albert C. Outler Professor of Wesley Studies at Perkins.
Robbins to Hendrix Board
The Rev. John C. Robbins (M.Div. ‘90; D.Min. ‘05) is one of two new members named to the Hendrix College Board of Trustees, along with Heather Gardner of Chicago. Both will begin their terms at the board’s October meeting. Robbins, who will serve a three-year term in a Board seat designated for United Methodist clergy, became the Senior Pastor of Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church in Little Rock in July of 2020. Prior to that appointment, he served as senior pastor of Memorial Drive UMC in Houston, Texas, and of Central UMC in Fayetteville, Arkansas. A native of Texas, he is a graduate of Tarleton State University and received his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from the Perkins School of Theology at SMU. Robbins is married to Hendrix alumna Susan Roberts Robbins. His daughter, Rachel Robbins Sitler, also is a Hendrix graduate. Read the announcement here.
Commentary Published
A commentary by the Rev. Dr. Linda A Holbrook (M.Div. ‘05) recently appeared in the Morgan Hill Times. Read the commentary, reflecting on the beauty of creation during the summer season, here. Holbrook is pastor of Morgan Hill United Methodist Church in Morgan Hill, Calif.
Sermon Published
A sermon by Perkins alum Lindsay Bruehl (M.Div. ‘22) was published in Christian Ethics Today’s Spring 2022 issue. The sermon, “Reflections on Ruth,” was delivered in Chapel at Perkins on October 28, 2021. Read the sermon on pages 13-15 here.
New Book
A new book by the Rev. Dr. Yvette R. Blair-Lavallais (M.T.S. ‘22) titled Scrimpin’ and Scrapin’: The Hardships and Hustle of Women and Food Insecurity in Texas ~ Through a Womanist Theological Lens has been published. Visit this link to order and download your copy. “Food is theological,” Blair-Lavallais writes. “This book is biblically grounded and provides you with resources and the language to engage in this conversation around food deserts, food apartheid, and food insecurity.”