SMU Perkins School of Theology

As the fall semester gets underway at Perkins School of Theology, change is in the air.

After years of work, the updated curriculum is now in place; the new hybrid program has launched, and the first cohort of the Maestría en Divinidad (M. Div. in Spanish) program has started classes.

Here’s a quick overview of “what’s new” at Perkins this fall.

New Curriculum
After a years-long curriculum review process, the new curriculum is now in place this fall for Perkins’s M.Div. and M.A.M. degree programs.

The required number of hours increased, slightly, with the M.Div. degree now requiring 75 credit hours instead of the previous 73 credit hours. The requirements for the M.A.M. degree decreased slightly, from 37 hours to 36. Details of the new curriculum are online here.

One key change included removing the ½-2 credit hour requirement of spiritual formation coursework, with the goal of incorporating spiritual formation more organically into all coursework.

Students with 48 or more hours as of the end of Summer 2024 may continue in the previous curriculum. Details on the changes are online here.

The new curriculum is the result of years of work by the Curriculum Review Committee, led by its Chair, Rebekah Miles. She described the need for the curriculum review in this December 2021 essay. The curriculum review was the first in more than 15 years, with the previous review undertaken in the 2006-2007 academic year and led by Evelyn Parker.

Hybrid Program
A new hybrid program began this fall, combining online coursework with occasional in-person “immersions” at a variety of locations.

With the new format, the location of the immersions will rotate. The first three immersions will take place in Dallas on the campus of SMU, in Houston and, tentatively, in El Paso. Subsequent “Mobile Site” locations are still in development.

While many hybrid M.Div. and M.A.M. programs offer in-person sessions throughout the program timeline, the new hybrid format allows students to fulfill the in-person requirements in different locations around the country. The mobile element of immersions means Perkins will strategically offer immersion courses on a one-time basis at a host-church or host-ministry in diverse locations around the country.

M.Div. students are required to attend five weeklong immersions; M.A.M. will attend two.

“We’re revamping the hybrid program to make theological education more accessible for more students,” said Christina Rhodes, Assistant Dean of Enrollment Management. “With the new program, students attend in-person twice a year, for a week in January and a week in June. That allows them to continue their ministries and to be with their families in the fall and spring.”

Students in the new program will not join formal cohorts, but most will likely progress through the program with many of the same fellow students.

Leadership of the new hybrid program is a collaborative effort between the faculty, the Academic Affairs Office and the Office of Enrollment Management.

Maestría en Divinidad
The new Maestría en Divinidad (M. Div. in Spanish) program at Perkins is now underway, with 13 students in the first cohort beginning their studies.

Students in the hybrid program will take two courses each term.
“Our students in the MDiv in Spanish program will be part-time,” said Hugo Magallanes, Dean ad interim of Perkins School of Theology. “Many are serving local Hispanic congregations as pastors and have multiple responsibilities. But the integrity of the academic degree remains the same. It’s an academically rigorous program.”

The students began the fall semester with their first two courses: Introduction to Theological Studies and Research, taught by Dr. Denise DuPont, Professor of Spanish at SMU; and Interpretation of the Old Testament, taught by Dr. Julián Andrés González Holguín, a PhD graduate of the Graduate Program in Religious Studies at SMU.

All courses in the M.Div. in Spanish program will be taught in Spanish; a key benefit is that students participate in a cohort of Spanish speakers, with all readings in Spanish, and all writing exercises completed in Spanish. Students in the program who feel comfortable doing so will also have the option of taking some courses in English.

The current plan is to open another cohort in two or three years, depending on interest and enrollment. Students will have opportunities to participate in one-week immersion courses and to attend worship experiences in bilingual settings.

Magallanes credited the support of a Perkins alum, the Rev. David Martinez, Executive Director of Contextual Leadership Development at the Global Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) in helping make the new program a reality.

“This is a unique offering with great potential to support and equip Hispanic pastors in their ministry,” he said.

Greeting the Perkins community at the Feast of New Beginnings, Dr. Hugo Magallanes, Perkins’ recently named Dean ad interim, contemplated how to navigate the many changes at Perkins and SMU.

After many days of prayer, he proposes an approach: “Embracing Change by Practicing Hospitality.”

An excerpt is below with the entire sermon available for download.

As we begin this new academic year, we do so amid unprecedented changes:

• We begin after a summer with several staff/faculty transitions; many of us are serving in interim roles.
• We are rolling out a new curriculum.
• We are implementing a new modality, which has been fantastic for recruiting students, but also has presented some challenges and required quick adjustments.
• With the new curriculum we have added new courses, and some of these are in Spanish, as part of the MDiv in Spanish (13 students).

In addition to these Perkins transitions, SMU President R. Gerald Turner just announced his retirement at the end of this academic year. I truly believe that this presidential appointment, President Turner’s successor, will be crucial for the future of Perkins. For these and many other reasons, I have been thinking, praying, and trying to come up with a plan to navigate these changes. 

I believe that by practicing hospitality we will be able not only to navigate these changes but also to embrace them as we define and redefine our institutional identity. Please allow me to illustrate this point.

The practice of hospitality and dealing with change often show up as questions in organizing a social event—a birthday party, a wedding, a retirement dinner—particularly when this event includes a formal meal and gifts. For example, when organizing such an event, we tend to ask these types of questions:

What elements are essential for such a celebration? What elements should be included in the program? Which ones can be deleted? What elements are negotiable? And what elements do we not care about? Similarly, when it comes to inviting guests, we ask ourselves:

Whose presence is essential? Who can be excluded? Who should be invited?

These questions, which are quite common, tend to indicate the importance of social status, and the decision-making power exercised by the host. In this process, the hosts are in control, and they can choose, based on their preferences, who should be invited and who won’t be included, whose presence is indispensable and whose isn’t. In many ways, and almost exclusively, the host defines the limits of hospitality and controls the levels of change.

These questions related to social events, gifts, social status, and professional favors, miss the point of the importance and significance of practicing hospitality, not only in responding to changes, but also in shaping our character and our identity.

I believe there is another way to understand and practice hospitality. Bible scholars, Christian historians, theologians, and ethicists have written and affirmed that Christian hospitality, particularly eating together, is a virtuous practice because it creates:

• A bonding experience between the host and guest
• A reciprocal connection between the host and the guest in breaking and challenging the status quo and traditional roles.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus has a different idea about meals, banquets, and hospitality. In fact, the Parable of the Great Banquet will help us see the meaning and significance of practicing hospitality in responding to change.

In reading the history of Perkins in a book by Dr. Joe Allen, I know we have practiced this kind of hospitality in previous years. I know that this kind of hospitality is part of our identity, and it represents one of our core values and the character of our community.

When people ask me about Perkins’ commitment and identity, I quickly respond by highlighting the welcoming nature of our community and the theological and ethnic diversity of our research and teaching that is palpable around us. This kind of hospitality is not only a chapter in our history; I see clear glimpses of it in our everyday life. I see great potential for our future.

I truly believe we here at Perkins are ready to face the future, which may be uncertain and ever changing. Even though theological education in today’s world, brings many challenges, I want to invite you and encourage you to embrace change by practicing hospitality.

May God help us with God’s mercy, kindness, and grace to do so.

When Baptist students arrive at Perkins School of Theology, they’re often pleasantly surprised to discover that there’s a Baptist House of Studies on campus.

But leaders hope to flip that script as they celebrate the Baptist House’s fifth anniversary this fall. They’d like to make Perkins a destination for students who choose to come, in part, because of the Baptist House of Studies.

It’s already starting to happen. Currently, 31 students in Perkins’ residential and hybrid programs are Baptists, and many are stepping into leadership roles on campus.

“This is a moment of pride for us,” said the Rev. Dr. Jaime Clark-Soles, Director of the Baptist House of Studies. “Right now, our students hold the majority of positions in the Perkins Student Association. They’re not just here in the Baptist House, they’re becoming leaders on campus.”

Launched in 2018, the Baptist House of Studies is a place for students from the Baptist and other Free Church traditions to call home while connecting with the broader Baptist world. Initially, the Baptist House was a network of people and resources; now, it’s also a physical space, with three dedicated rooms in Selecman Hall, including a comfortable student lounge stocked with snacks, a conference room and the office of Rev. Annette Owen, who joined the Baptist House as Program Specialist in 2022.

“When the idea of the Baptist House was taking root in 2018, there were a total of 11 Baptist students across all degree programs at Perkins,” said Owen. “With 31 now, in five years, we’ve almost tripled that number!”

For students who identify with the moderate and progressive strands of the Baptist tradition, the Baptist House offers an inclusive and welcoming alternative.

“There are very few specifically Baptist schools west of the Mississippi that are fully committed to women’s ordination and to the full inclusion of LGBTQ persons in ministry and the life of the church,” said Rev. Dr. George A. Mason, Lead Advisor of the Baptist House of Studies and an Adjunct Professor at Perkins. “The Baptist House offers a place for students who are looking for an inclusive environment to study theology.”

In addition to students that self-identify as Baptist, the Baptist House also reaches out to any student that claims a Free Church tradition. Considering that larger scope of Baptist plus Free Church traditions, the Baptist House has 68 students, representing slightly more than a quarter (26%) of all Perkins students.

“That Free Church tradition includes Mennonite, UCC, Pentecostal, Nazarene, Congregational, and Disciples of Christ churches, as well as some ‘Baptist-adjacent’ traditions,” Owen said.

As they gear up for an anniversary celebration later this month, the leadership team is reviewing the accomplishments of the Baptist House’s first five years.

“We started with a handful of students and Jaime’s unlimited energy, and now Baptist and Free Church students represent a significant portion of the student population across all degree programs,” said Owen. “I think the Baptist House has brought an infusion of hope and excitement to Perkins, that’s felt throughout campus and the broader community. It’s a general energy of radical community, hospitality, and ecumenical spirit.”

Among the key accomplishments of the program’s first five years:

Recruiting and supporting Baptist students. “We have very generous scholarships that make that possible,” said Clark-Soles, who is also Professor of New Testament at Perkins. “We’re particularly proud of the fact that the scholarships are going to students in typically underrepresented and minoritized populations, including women, African American, disabled and LGBTQIA+ students. They gift the Baptist House, and they gift the Perkins community.”

Offering outstanding programming.
Over the past five years, the Baptist House has hosted the Shurden Lectures and other programs of interest to Baptist students as well as the wider Baptist community, the wider Perkins community, and Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Those included lectures by Amanda Tyler, Executive Director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, Eboo Patel of Interfaith America, and Jonathan Merritt, an award-winning faith and culture writer, as part of a program entitled “Sacred Speech: A Writing Workshop for Pastors, Prophets, and Poets.”

Cultivating denominational connections. Unlike the United Methodist Church, the Baptist tradition is not centralized; churches choose to affiliate with denominational bodies like the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship or the American Baptist Churches USA. “Those do not overlap with each other, so we’ve have had to create partnerships and relationships separately with a number of different denominational bodies,” said Clark-Soles. “We help students figure out which one is their home. Then we help connect them with that denomination and connect them to potential mentors. We pay for them to attend to the denominational conference that makes sense for them.”

Building partnerships with Baptist churches and organizations. Program leaders have developed connections with Baptist churches and organizations, and an array of internship opportunities to help students in their career progress. The Baptist House also supports students who wish to pursue ordination. “If a student identifies as Baptist, we surround and support them from the minute they express any interest,” said Clark-Soles. “We’re there starting with recruitment and through placement and beyond.” Baptist pastors are ordained by local congregations, so it’s important to connect each student with a local congregation that’s a good fit, so that they can begin to develop relationships.

Expanding curriculum. Mason teaches two courses developed by the Baptist House: Baptist History and Polity, and Theology in the Baptist and Free Church Tradition. M. Div. students may now elect a Baptist Concentration. Also, in partnership with Mark Stamm, Professor of Christian Worship at Perkins, Mason has created opportunities for students of any background to learn about baptism by immersion, part of the Baptist tradition.

Expanding digital presence. The Baptist House has developed a robust website, Facebook page and Instagram page.

Developing Advisory Board. “We’ve cultivated a board that is very impressive,” said Clark-Soles. “It has clergy and students and laypeople, and they are all people who are very committed to this vision and also to shaping Baptist life.”

Reflecting on the Baptist House’s first five years, Mason said that its location in a United Methodist theology school offers a unique ecumenical flavor that enhances the education that students receive – and prepares them well for a changing world.

“Studying as Baptists in a Methodist school creates a mirror through which we can see ourselves differently,” he said. “Rather than just talking to ourselves, we hear language about other church traditions and how they approach things that we take for granted. That requires us then to grapple with that in our own tradition. The church in America is going to have to learn to see other churches that have different middle names, as being kin, not as opponents or competitors. So, we practice that by learning together in an ecumenical school.”

So, what’s next for the next five years at The Baptist House of Studies?

“We’re working on the Baptist House 2.0,” Mason said. “We’re looking to grow the program and the student body, expand our connections with the Baptist world, and expand the resourcing, so that the Baptist House is a sustainable part of the life of the Perkins community,”

Artificial intelligence (AI) will change the world. But how might it change us as humans and as people of faith?

Attendees will have an opportunity to explore those questions at the 2024 Fall Convocation at Perkins School of Theology. With the theme, “Faith in a Digital Age,” the event takes place November 14-15 at Hughes-Trigg Center, 3140 Dyer Street, on the campus of SMU. Online registration is open now through November 1, 2024.

“With the advent of AI, I think people are worried about the loss of human agency and volition, particularly as it relates to how we are formed spiritually and engage with community,” said Bart Patton, Assistant Dean of External Programs and Church Relations at Perkins School of Theology. “Many pastors and leaders are already using AI as a time-saving tool. But they’re also wondering, ‘If AI is accomplishing things that humans accomplish, what does it mean now to be human?’”

This year’s Fall Convocation features two full days of lectures, breakout sessions and panel discussions as well as time for worship. Guest lecturers are author Cole Arthur Riley and Noreen Herzfeld, a professor of science and religion. Artist Jennifer Monet Cowley will create art on-site during the program.

Riley is a writer, poet, and the author of the New York Times bestsellers, This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories that Make Us and Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human. Her writing has been featured in The Atlantic, Guernica, and The Washington Post. Riley is also the creator and writer of Black Liturgies, a project that integrates spiritual practice with Black emotion, Black literature, and the Black body.

Herzfeld is the Nicholas and Bernice Reuter Professor of Science and Religion at St. John’s University and the College of St. Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. She holds degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics from The Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Theology from The Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley. Herzfeld teaches courses in both the department of computer science and the department of theology at St. John’s University and the College of St. Benedict, reflecting her two primary research interests—the intersection of religion and technology, and religion and conflict. Various topics include computer theory, computer ethics, religion and science in dialog, the spirituality and politics of Islam, and religion and conflict.

“Dr. Herzfeld is a premiere scholar on Christianity and AI,” said Patton. “I think this program will offer some unique perspectives that attendees can’t get anywhere else.”

During the event, Dallas-based artist Jennifer Monet Cowley will also create an original piece of art, interpreting the topic of “Faith in Digital Age.” Cowley works in a variety of media: colored pencils, pastels, gouache, acrylic, watercolors, and collage. As Curator at Dallas’ African- American Museum at Fair Park, she assembled several groundbreaking art exhibitions.

The Convocation begins with Opening Worship at 10 a.m. Thursday, November 14, and concludes on Friday, November 15 at 2:30 p.m. with Closing Worship. Participants may choose to attend either day or both. The registration fee is $120 for the entire event, including lunch on both days.  Attendees may register for a single day for $75. CEUs are available for an additional fee of $15.

For more information and to register, visit the event page here.

 

The Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence (PCPE) at SMU announces a leadership change, effective Sept. 1, naming Alyce McKenzie and Wes Allen as Co-Directors of the Center.

The change reflects a division of labor for two key initiatives going forward: a new continuing education Certificate in Preaching Excellence (CPX) program, which McKenzie will primarily lead, and the Preacher’s Toolbox for non-seminary trained preachers, which Allen will run.

McKenzie, who founded the PCPE in 2013 and has served as its Director until now, says the shared leadership arrangement is in the PCPE’s best interest.

“Wes has been a consultant for the Center for the past several years and a popular workshop leader in our programs for clergy,” she said. “His ability to analyze the big picture context of both church and academy, seeing the forest, not just the trees, will help the Center to focus on excellence in its key initiatives.”

Allen adds that he looks forward to his more formal role in the PCPE.

“Alyce has not only directed the center, but she founded it and got the funding for it,” he said. “I’m excited be joining her good work.”

Certificate of Preaching Excellence (CPX)

The new CPX program will be spearheaded primarily by McKenzie, who is Le Van Professor of Preaching and Worship at Perkins, as well as Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor.

The CPX will offer a continuing education option for clergypersons with M.Div. degrees. To earn the CPX, they will attend four half day virtual courses, followed by three, one-on-one coaching sessions. Four online courses will be offered each year, but CPX students may elect to take longer than a year to complete the four courses, depending on their schedules. Registration is now open.

“I think there’ll be a lot of energy around this,” said McKenzie. “It’s a good model.”

The program will kick off in January 2025, with a course in experiential preaching taught by Allen, on ““how to shape sermons, not just so they enter your head, but also enter the heart and create emotional experiences so that people experience the Gospel,” Allen said.

In April 2025, McKenzie will teach the next half-day course, entitled Novel Preaching, which is also the title of a book she wrote, exploring how preachers can learn from creative writers.

In the fall of 2025, Dr. Thomas G. Long will teach the next course, based on his newly published book, Proclaiming the Parables: Preaching and Teaching the Kingdom of God. “Many people think of the parables as simple sermon illustrations, that boil down to nice morals of the story, and he’s going to disabuse us of that,” McKenzie said.

The final course in 2025, on preaching and trauma, will be led by Rev. Dr. Joni Sancken, Butler Chair of Homiletics and Biblical Hermeneutics at Vancouver School of Theology in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Preacher’s Toolbox

Allen, who is the Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics at Perkins. will focus his efforts on the Preacher’s Toolbox. The one-day workshops focus primarily on how to write and deliver sermons.

“This is a ‘crash course’ for people who licensed pastors, many of whom are bi-vocational and still preach week after week after week,” Allen said.  “They’re doing this part-time or full-time but haven’t had a chance to go to seminary. The goal is to give them some tools in preaching. And then we’re going to follow up the one-day workshops with online workshops that help them go a little deeper and work on other topics.”

Allen added that the Preacher’s Toolbox is a passion project for him.

“I started off as a student local pastor and had no skills at all when I started,” he said. “I really feel for these people, because the church hasn’t developed many tools to help them.”

Continuing Programs

In addition to the CPX and Preacher’s Toolbox, McKenzie and Allen plan to continue several other initiatives.

When it launched in 2013, the PCPE began with in-person peer groups. “We’ve probably had at least 60-70 groups over the years, each with 12 clergy participating,” said McKenzie.

With COVID, the PCPE shifted its focus to its online offerings, including an online lectionary blog by retired Perkins faculty member John Holbert, called Lively Lectionary, and a series of interviews with authors of recent books in preaching called Must Reads.

In addition, the PCPE has sponsored a series of books and workshops, the Preaching and…project. Preaching and pairs an expert in the field of preaching (a homiletician) with a scholar from another field in a collaborative workshop held each April at Perkins School of Theology and a preaching textbook, published by Westminster John Knox Press.

“We’ve got two more coming out in the series,” said Allen. “One on preaching and filmmaking, and another on preaching and conflict resolution (transformation.)”

PCPE programs are open for preachers in any denomination. Allen and McKenzie emphasize that the PCPE offerings are not remedial; they’re designed to help good preachers become better preachers. In addition, the PCPE gives preachers access to a wealth of expertise and academic experience. Allen and McKenzie are both past presidents of the Academy of Homiletics, the professional guild of professors of homiletics in North America, with a growing international component.

“Our mission remains the same as it did at the beginning, which is to enhance transformative preaching in local congregations, in both traditional and alternative contexts,” Allen said. “We know how hard and draining it can be to preach every week, week after week, 50 times a year. We try to give preachers a chance to reflect on and improve their craft, because it takes a lot of work.”

Andy Miller III Named Seminary President

Dr. Andy Miller III (D.Min. ’12) was named President of Wesley Biblical Seminary (WBS) in Ridgeland, MS, on July 1. Previously he served as the seminary’ s Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs. Miller is the ninth permanent president to lead the seminary, now in its 50^th year.  Prior to joining WBS in 2021, Dr. Miller had an extensive ministry in the Salvation Army, serving as a pastor, leader, and administrator as a Corps Officer and Area Commander. In addition to his D. Min. from Perkins, he is completing a Ph.D. in historical theology with Nazarene Theological College (University of Manchester). He is also an alumnus of Asbury Theological Seminary and Asbury University. Dr. Miller is an ordained elder in the Global Methodist Church and a delegate to its Convening General Conference. Read the WBS announcement here.

New Director at Turtle Creek Chorale

The Turtle Creek Chorale (TCC) Board of Directors announced Dr. Dawson B. Taylor (M.T.S. ’06) as the Executive Director of the Turtle Creek Chorale beginning November 1.  Taylor previously serving as Designated Minister of Westmoreland Congregational United Church of Christ in Bethesda, MD and sings as baritone in the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C. He also served as the sixth Senior Minister (2016-2022) and Associate Minister (2013-2015) of Naples United Church of Christ in Naples, FL. Prior to moving to Florida, he served as Executive Minister of Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ in Dallas. In additions to his Perkins degree, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Centenary College of Louisiana, and his Doctor of Ministry from Chicago Theological Seminary.

New Project Transformation CEO

Casey Mellody (M.T.S. ‘09) is the new Chief Executive Officer of Project Transformation National, as of August 27. Prior to this position, she served the National organization more than eight years as the VP of Programs and as Interim CEO for two months. Additionally, Casey served as the Director of Programming & Leadership Development for Project Transformation North Texas. Casey is an alum of Project Transformation North Texas as she began her service while an undergraduate at Southern Methodist University as a reading tutor for PT’s after-school program and as a summer intern in 2002. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies and English (Creative Writing) from SMU.

Stephanie Bohan wins Nonprofit Award

Stephanie Bohan (M.A.M. ’23) was selected as the winner of Leadership Excellence in a Midsize Nonprofit at D CEO seventh annual Nonprofit and Corporate Citizenship Awards program, presented in partnership with the Communities Foundation of Texas. The winners were announced at an awards event in July; the finalists were featured in D CEO’s August issue. Bohan is CEO of Hope Cottage, a nonprofit organization that “nurtures the strong families and relationships that communities are built on,” according to its mission statement. Under her leadership, Hope Cottage has expanded its community partnerships, expanded its parenting program, and coordinated the opening of CeCe’s Place, which provides healthcare for pregnant individuals. Another Perkins alum, Ally Stokes (M.Div. ‘23) serves as Hope Cottage’s Director of Development.

Seungli You Joins Campus Ministry

Seungli You (M.Div. ‘19) recently shared on Facebook, “I am thrilled to join the ministry at Southwestern College, serving as pastoral staff for the 2024-2025 school year. My prayer is that Christ’s love will touch the lives of our college students, providing them with a firm foundation rooted in God.”  Southwestern College is a United Methodist-affiliated college in Winfield, Kansas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maia Co-authors Book

Filipe Fernandes R. Maia (M.T.S. ‘11) is co-author of a recently published book, Methodism and American Empire (Abingdon Press, 2024). The book “investigates historical trajectories and theological developments that connect American imperialism since World War II to the Methodist tradition as a global movement.” Maia is an assistant professor of theology at the Boston University School of Theology and an instructor for the Portuguese Course of Study for the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM). In addition to his degree from Perkins, he earned a Doctor of Theology degree from Harvard Divinity School.

Audible Book Released

Keva Green (M.Div. ’05, D.Min. ‘12) reports that an audio version of her book, Where Have You Seen God? Was recently released, as was the Where Have You Seen God? Daily Life Journal in February. “I pray that they might be an encouragement so that others may recognize the Lord moving in their lives,” she said in a Facebook post. Both are available  on Amazon and Audible or her website, kevagreen.com.

 

Ministry After the Storm

Just after attending May graduation at Perkins, the Rev. Amy Castro (M.Div. ‘24) drove home to a community devastated by a tornado. The tornado, along with straight-line winds, struck the southern portion of the campus of her church, Westlake United Methodist in Westlake, La. Windows were shattered, a shed was blown across the property into a nearby field, and several structures were destroyed.

Despite the widespread destruction, the church sanctuary remained intact. “The south end of the campus may be a disaster area, but the sanctuary was saved,” Castro said. “Thank God we had a place to worship on Sunday, which was a huge blessing; it could have been so much worse.” Members of the community banded together to support each other. “The body of Christ truly came together,” she said in an email. “That was just so beautiful to me, right here in the midst of this destruction.”  Churches, including First Baptist Church, First Pentecostal, Sulphur United Pentecostal Church, and Bellview Baptist Church, joined Westlake United Methodist Church in their efforts to recover and rebuild.

Read the story and listen to a Louisiana Conference podcast interview with Castro here.

New Lay Leader

Monique Jones (M.A.M. ‘24) was elected the new Lay Leader for the Missouri Annual Conference and as a delegate to the South Central Jurisdictional Conference. See a brief video of Jones announcing the appointment of fellow Perkins grad Bob Farr (M.Div., 1985) as Bishop of the Missouri Annual Conference here.

 

Sean McDonald Featured in Voyage Dallas

Voyage Dallas recently interviewed Sean McDonald (M.Div. ‘22), who is Youth Director and Associate Pastor at Munger Place Church, the East Dallas campus of Highland Park United Methodist Church. “I believe that this generation of students is hungrier for community and genuine connection than any generation before them,” McDonald said in the interview. “This is also a generation that heavily believes in serving. Our youth ministry needs to reflect that.” Read the interview here.

Mara Richards Bim at Baptist News Global

Mara Richards Bim (M.Div. ‘24) is serving as a Clemons Fellow with Baptist News Global, a reader-supported, independent news organization covering American religion and culture from a perspective “that is Baptist in heritage and ecumenical in spirit.” Bim recently wrote an analysis of Project 2025, “Want to know who’s behind Project 2025? Follow the money through the swamp.”  That was followed by an opinion piece, “We can no longer ignore the toxic forms of ‘evangelism.’” She writes, “It’s time we begin a community conversation about the impact the Great Commission has had on a more faithful witness to Jesus and the harms this toxic form of “evangelism” has had in the world.”

Steve Moss Profiled in Odessa

The Rev. Steve Moss (M.Div. ’19) was recently profiled in The Odessa-American as the new pastor of First Methodist Church in Odessa, Texas. Moss was a pastor in Corsicana, China Springs and Granbury till arriving three months ago at the First Methodist Church. , His wife Cynthia (M.Div. ’13) is also a pastor. The First Methodist Church of Odessa is part of the Lubbock-based West Plains Conference of the Global Methodist Church. Read the news story here.

Obituary: Rev. William Arthur Holmes

William Arthur Holmes (Th.M. ’54) died on Aug. 9, 2024, eight days before his 95th birthday, in Frederick, Md. He earned a B.A. from Hendrix College and a Master’s degree from Perkins School of Theology. He then attended Union Theological Seminary in New York, studying Homiletics with nationally known preachers, and theology with Paul Tillich & Reinhold Niebuhr. Later, he received two honorary doctorates, wrote periodicals for Christian Century, Havard Divinity School, and others; authored four books: Tomorrow’s Church, Mature Christianity, The God Mask, and Religious Renegades; and hosted the TV program, “Perspective.” Holmes was a United Methodist minister for 46 years, serving churches in Arkansas and Texas before his last appointment in 1974 as senior minister at Metropolitan Memorial UMC, the national Methodist church, in Washington, D.C.  In 1963, while a minister at Northaven UMC in Dallas, he preached a sermon the Sunday after President Kennedy’s assassination calling for a new civility in Dallas to counter recent events there that included spitting on certain government officials and school children cheering when told of the assassination. Excerpts from that sermon were carried on the CBS evening news with Walter Cronkite two days later, which immediately resulted in bomb threats to the TV station and the Holmes family. Donations in Holmes’ memory can be made to: National United Methodist Church, 3401 Nebraska Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20016; or Hartley House 326 W. Patrick St., Frederick, MD 21701. Read his obituary here.

Obituary: Rev. Robert Galatas

Rev. Robert Ingram Galatas (Th.M. ’55) died on August 11. 2024 at the age of 94.    Over the course of his 38-year career, he served 14 churches throughout the United Methodist Church Louisiana Conference. After his retirement, Rev. Galatas served on the pastoral staff at First United Methodist Church, Clearwater FL, where he had married his wife, Shirley Ann Harris Galatas on July 19, 1957. In his spare time, Bob meticulously repaired and restored furniture for family and friends. Some of his pieces will live on in the Clearwater Historical Society Plumb House Museum. According to his obituary, Galatas “loved watching NFL football and due to his brevity in the pulpit, his members were afforded the same opportunity!”  A memorial service was held on August 17. in lieu of flowers, family requests donations be made to First United Methodist Church’s Music Fund at 411 Turner Street, Clearwater, Fl 33756. Read his obituary here. 

Obituary: Dr. Jerard Mosley

Dr. Jerard R. Mosley Sr. (M.T.S. ’02) passed away at the age of 50 on Friday, Aug. 9.  He served as the leader of North Star Missionary Baptist Church of Tyler, Texas, since 2015. He first accepted the call to ministry in June 1993. He later preached his first sermon and became licensed in September of the same year, according to information from a speaking engagement at a Jarvis Christian College chapel service in 2018. Mosley earned a doctorate from Houston Graduate School of Theology in Ministry in 2007. See the CBS19 report on is passing here. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Obituary: Dr. Frank Wolford Wright, Jr.

Dr. Frank Wolford Wright Jr. (ThM. ’61) died on July 27 at the age of 89 in Lubbock, Texas with his family by his side.  He served as a Methodist minister for 12 years, serving churches in Lake Dallas, Texas and Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas. He was an Assistant Professor of Religion at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and assistant to the president at Texas Wesleyan College in Fort Worth, Texas. He went on to spent more than 20 years serving as an educational administrator in community colleges in Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, Kansas, and Florida. Services were held July 30. Read his obituary in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal here.