Author: Bridget Anderson

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Student Spotlight: Maxwell Urbina

Post author By Bridget Anderson
Post date January 9, 2019

Sometimes, when you’re looking to help someone, you find something for yourself. That’s how Maxwell Urbina ended up a Perkins student.

“Initially, I looked into SMU for my brother, who was interested in a career in engineering at the time,” he said. “And I realized that God was guiding me to Perkins.”

In researching SMU, Urbina discovered that Perkins offered the M.Div. degree. A member of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, he’d been planning to pursue that degree at Andrews University’s Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary in Michigan. But that would have meant spending years away from his family. His wife, Avelina Diaz de Urbina, is a physician and needed to stay in Dallas to work on obtaining her medical license in the U.S.

Thankfully, Perkins proved a good fit, and Urbina is on track to graduate in 2020. He has jumped wholeheartedly into campus life. He represents Perkins in the SMU Student Senate, serving on the Senate Scholarship Committee and the Senate Finance Committee, and is a member of the Perkins Student Development Committee.

Urbina also serves as Residential Community Chaplain (RCC) for the residential Commons that includes Mary Hay, Peyton, and Shuttles Halls, a responsibility he takes to heart. After learning about the practice of walking prayer in Ruben Habito’s spiritual formation class, Urbina began visiting every floor of each building in the commons every day, conducting a daily one-man walking prayer vigil.

“I’m walking the hall slowly and having a word of prayer for each student as I pass each student’s doorway,” he said.

Urbina hasn’t met any other Seventh-Day Adventist students on campus – but sees that as a source of blessing.

“Most of my Perkins classmates do not belong to the United Methodist Church,” he said. “They’re Pentecostal, Episcopal, Lutheran, Church of God, Catholic – and I learn from all these traditions. I think God sent me to this university to open my mind and my eyes and my theology. Not to change my doctrines or my beliefs, but to understand more when I meet someone who’s not in my faith … to understand that we are still children of God, all worshipping the same God, but from different perspectives.”

Urbina, who is originally from Nicaragua, comes from a family of politicians. He is the great-grandson of Joaquín Zavala Solís, President of Nicaragua in the late 19th century, and several of his family members were close associates of Anastasio “Tachito” Somoza DeBayle, who served two terms as President of Nicaragua in the 1960s and 1970s. But since he was a young boy, he has felt the call to ministry. He has already chalked up 18 years of experience as a pastor, having served Seventh-Day Adventist churches in Puerto Rico, California and Texas. For his next chapter, he’d like to pursue the chaplaincy full-time. He’s currently serving as a chaplain at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.

“I know God called me to this ministry as a pastor,” he said. “Now, I believe He can use me to help people in the last moment of their lives.”

In the educational journey that eventually brought him to Perkins, he says, he has often had to step out in faith. When he first began pursuing an undergraduate degree at Washington Adventist University in Maryland, he was undocumented, lacking the proper paperwork to matriculate as well as the money to pay the deposit on his tuition and expenses. Somehow, he says, God provided.

Even his own birth, Urbina believes, was a miracle. His mother was in Managua, just three weeks pregnant, in December 1972 when a devastating earthquake struck, killing thousands and leaving 300,000 homeless. She was injured by a falling piece of heavy furniture and began to bleed; the family believed she was miscarrying. Maxwell believes it was prayer that healed her and saved the pregnancy.

Experiences like these lead Urbina to claim Joshua 1:9 as his favorite Bible verse: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

“When I read Joshua 1:9, it’s like it was written it for me,” he said. “Every day it reminds me that I have to be strong. Because God is always there for me.

Faculty January 2019 News Perspective Online

Faculty Profile: Alyce M. McKenzie

Post author By Bridget Anderson
Post date January 9, 2019

Alyce McKenzie remembers vividly an image that struck her deeply, in the early days of her career: the look of expectation in the faces of worshippers at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in York, Pa., as she stepped up to the pulpit to begin her sermon.

“It was like, ‘Please, sir, can I have some more?’” she said, invoking the iconic scene where Oliver Twist pleads for more food. “There’s this hope that springs eternal. I thought, ‘Surely there’s additional training I can seek that can help me answer that hunger more effectively.’”

That moment put McKenzie on a path that’s still guiding much of her academic work and career. She’s not only preparing Perkins students to become better preachers, but also coaching current pastors in improving their preaching, constantly researching new ways to help pastors preach more effectively, and often preaching at local churches. All of which, in turn, inspires and informs her academic work.

As Director of the Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence at SMU, “I’m in touch with church leaders and pastors from a variety of denominations, helping to form and lead groups of pastors dedicated to taking their preaching to the next level,” she said. “It gives me a connection with the challenges and needs for enrichment of pastors in local congregation.”

McKenzie also gives lectures and leads workshops at seminaries and colleges. This spring she’ll lecture at Memphis Theological Seminary, and she is guest lecturer for the John and Marjem Gill Preaching Workshop at Hendrix College. She recently published a textbook for preachers and preaching students, Making A Scene in the Pulpit: Vivid Preaching for Visual Listeners, which grew out of the Lyman Beecher Lectures she presented at Yale Divinity School in 2015.

McKenzie is enthusiastic about a new project co-sponsored by the Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence at SMU and Westminster John Knox Press called “Preaching and…” which came out of a brainstorming session with colleague O. Wesley Allen, Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics. It pairs experts in homiletics with scholars from other disciplines in interdisciplinary workshops that offer fresh insights for preaching from other fields. The first workshop, scheduled for April 8, 2019 at Perkins, will bring together Allen and Carrie La Ferle, a professor at SMU Meadows’ Temerlin Advertising Institute, on the topic, “Preaching and the Thirty Second Commercial.” The second workshop will be Preaching and Politics in which McKenzie will collaborate with a political scientist. Ultimately, the workshops will result in a series of books for preachers, edited by Allen and published by Westminster John Knox Press.

“Now that there is so much competition for people’s attention, it’s more important than ever that we learn strategies from other disciplines for reaching people’s minds, hearts and wills,” McKenzie said. “Marketing experts are masters of analyzing the market, branding the product and then putting on a campaign to convince people that the product is absolutely necessary to their everyday lives.” Future “Preaching and” topics include neuroscience, humor studies and screenwriting.

McKenzie attends First United Methodist in Allen, which will focus its 2019 Lenten sermons and study groups on a book she has written for a popular audience published in 2018, Wise Up! Four Biblical Virtues for Navigating Life. She also serves as “Preacher in Residence” at Christ United Methodist Church in Plano, where she coaches the church’s preaching staff, leads group workshops on preaching, and also preaches several times a year.

This month, McKenzie will be honored by the Academy of Preachers, a group dedicated to nurturing the skills of young preachers, with an Award in Homiletical Writing at the Academy’s National Festival in Atlanta.

“I enjoy teaching at Perkins, but the other things I do are not add-ons,” she said. “They are integral to Perkins’ mission to ‘prepare women and men for faithful leadership in Christian Ministry.’”

Teaching Specialties

Preaching biblical wisdom literature; imagination and preaching; spiritual formation and preaching; preaching as teaching; creative sermon design; preaching the sayings and parables of Jesus; preaching on controversial public issues.

Research Interests

Preaching the biblical wisdom literature of the Hebrew Bible (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job); preaching on the short sayings and parables of Jesus; imagination, storytelling and preaching; creative sermon design; preaching on controversial public issues; preaching in scenes to capture and hold the attention of visual listeners.

Family

Husband Murry McKenzie, who directed youth musicals at the first church she was appointed to after seminary. “The ladies of the church played matchmakers – they put us on the same committees,” she said. The McKenzies have three grown children: Melissa McKenzie, a chef in Fredericksburg, Texas, Matthew McKenzie, a financial analyst for VMG Health Services, and Rebecca Gingles, a Perkins graduate and Director of Communications for The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in Dallas, who’s married to Dallas Gingles, Associate Director of Perkins’ Houston-Galveston Program. The McKenzies have two grandsons, Graham (5) and Silas (1).

Book on the nightstand

“Right now, it’s a novel, The Witch Elm by Tana French. I rotate between biographies, novels, non-fiction and history. I just finished Jon Meacham’s The Soul of America and The Future of Nostalgia by Svetlana Boym.”

Question she’d ask God at the Pearly Gates

“What false assumption that human beings spout about you do you find most offensive?”

Fantasy dinner party

“I’d invite people who, in their own ways, acted boldly in keeping with an inner conviction. George Whitfield, who was a phenomenal 18^th century preacher known for his riveting storytelling and resonant voice; Queen Vashti, who stood up to King Ahasuerus in the book of Esther; Sophie Scholl, who at age 22 stood up to the Nazis in Germany, and suffered the consequences; St. Francis of Assisi; Jarena Lee (1783-1864), a traveling female AME evangelist who boldly stood up for her right to preach; Aimee Semple McPherson, the Pentecostal evangelist who founded the Foursquare Church in the 1920s and 1930s; Audre Lord, poet, feminist and civil rights advocate; and Winston Churchill. The question I’d ask each: What’s the source of your fire in the belly?”

Signature dish

“McKenzie’s Fabulous Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies, with bran, flaxseed, ground nuts and oatmeal. I made a game out of trying to see how many heathy ingredients I could add and still have them taste good.”

January 2019 News Perspective Online

Meet the Perkins Scholars

Post author By Bridget Anderson
Post date January 9, 2019

Meet the newest class of Perkins Scholars! These students, who arrived at Perkins in fall 2018, represent the latest cohort in this new scholarship program, which was launched in 2017. The program is geared toward attracting outstanding M.Div. students who have distinguished themselves in their previous studies.

The inaugural class of Perkins Scholars entered the community in the fall of 2017, and the third class will begin in the fall of 2019. A total goal of $630,000 in funding will provide for three classes.

Read more about the Perkins Scholars program from Director of Development John Martin.

Paul Bussert
Hometown: Bixby, Oklahoma
Undergraduate major: Instrumental Music Education – Oklahoma State University
Career goal: Serving as a fully ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, hopefully within the Oklahoma conference.

Jessica Hallett
Hometown: Quitman, Arkansas
Undergraduate major: History, minor in Anthropology – Arkansas Tech University
Career goal: Serving as an elder in the United Methodist Church.

Steven James
Hometown: Mesquite, Texas
Undergraduate major: Journalism – University of North Texas
Career goal: Considering pastoral ministry as well as opportunities in immigration chaplaincy, refugee chaplaincy, and prison ministry.

Shayla Jordan
Hometown: Wichita, Kansas
Undergraduate major: Philosophy and Religious Studies, minor in Leadership Studies – Southwestern College
Career goal: Ordination in the United Methodist Church while pursuing a calling in higher education.

Shandon Klein
Hometown: Richardson, Texas
Undergraduate major: Biology and Chemistry – Minnesota State University Moorhead
MS in Biotechnology – Johns Hopkins University
Career goal: An ordained elder within the United Methodist Church.

Adam Lubbers
Hometown: Granbury, Texas
Undergraduate major: Biblical Text & Languages and History – Abilene Christian University
MA in Medieval History – University of York
Career goal: Ordained elder in the United Methodist church, with plans to pursue a doctorate.

Margo Moore
Hometown: Westfield, Indiana
Undergraduate major: Communications – Baylor University
Career goal: Sharing the gospel with people from an academic perspective.

Kelly Rose
Hometown: Kingswood, Texas
Undergraduate major: Christian Ministry, emphasis in Youth Ministry, minor in Communications – University of Mary-Hardin Baylor
Career goal: Pursuing a doctoral program with the hopes of being a professor.

Matthew Schroeder
Hometown: McKinney, TX
Undergraduate major: Literary Studies – The University of Texas at Dallas
MA in Literary Studies – The University of Texas at Dallas
Career goal: Either to start a church with a focus on LGBT+ and disability ministries or to get a PhD and teach queer and disability theology.

Victoria “Vicki” Wood
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Undergraduate major: Theatre – Hendrix College
Career goal: Ordination as either an Elder or Deacon in the United Methodist Church.

January 2019 News Perspective Online

Twelve Receive Degrees at December Graduation

Post author By Bridget Anderson
Post date January 9, 2019

Perkins celebrates our newest graduates, who received their diplomas during SMU’s December Commencement Convocation on Saturday, Dec. 15.

The 12 graduates include: Amber Rose Oxley Mitts, Master of Divinity degree (M.Div.); Kuppusamy Balasupramaniam, Jacqueline Dean-Shaw, Mark Andrew Hardin, Boon Hwa Lee, Demetrese D. Phillips, Tian Yeow Aaron Tay, Blair Elizabeth Thompson-White and James E. Woods II, Doctor of Ministry degree (D.Min.); and Duk Kun Kim, Darrius Josiah Montgomery and Walter Sithole, Master of Theological Studies degree (M.T.S.)

We give thanks to God for each of these students as they embrace their calls to serve in the world!

January 2019 News Perspective Online

2018 Advent Service Wrap-up

Post author By Bridget Anderson
Post date January 9, 2019

The weather outside was frightful, but indoors the spirit was warm and festive at Perkins’ annual Advent Worship, held December 6 at Perkins Chapel. More than 150 people ventured out in the cold and rain to attend the two services at 4 and 8 p.m.

This was the first Advent service led by Marcell Silva Steuernagel, Perkins’ new Director of the Master of Sacred Music program. Centered on three Nativity canticles (lyrical passages) found in the gospel of Luke, the liturgy alternated between scriptural readings, traditional congregational hymns, and five new compositions commissioned especially for the occasion.

“I got feedback from quite a number of people who really enjoyed the worship,” said Steuernagel. “They felt the new music shed fresh light on these nativity canticles. And people participated quite vigorously in song!”

January 2019 News Perspective Online

Alumni/ae Update

Post author By Bridget Anderson
Post date January 9, 2019

Perkins Grads Witness at the Border

Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño (Masters of Theology, 1979) recently led a group of more than 300 faith leaders in a march at Border Field State Park in San Diego on International Human Rights Day, Dec. 10, in a “moral call for migrant justice.” Dozens of protesters, including two United Methodist pastors, were arrested and charged with civil disobedience when they stepped across the barrier set up by the U.S. Border Patrol. Bishop Carcaño is episcopal leader of the California-Nevada Conference and leader of the United Methodist Task Force on Immigration. Read the UMNS story here.

At the immigrant detention center in Tornillo, Texas, 400 teen-agers are getting the opportunity to join in interfaith worship thanks to the efforts of North Texas United Methodists, led by Perkins alums the Rev. Owen Ross (M. Div. ’02) and the Rev. Elizabeth Moseley (M.T.S. ’07). Read the UM Insight story here.

Melville Family Foundation

Randolph (Randy) and Lael Melville (M. Div. ’16) recently established the Melville Family Foundation, with the mission of closing “the education gap for black and brown children in Southern Dallas.” The Melvilles both hold BA degrees from Princeton University, where they met during college and developed their shared passion for education.

Prophetic Voice

D Magazine recently highlighted the pastoral work of a Perkins graduate in an article entitled “The Rev. Dr. Michael Waters Is Here to Heal the City’s Soul.” Waters (D. Min. ’12, M. Div. ’06) is senior pastor at Joy Tabernacle A.M.E. Church in South Dallas. He spoke eloquently following the death of Botham Jean, an African-American man who was shot by a Dallas police officer. “When he approached the podium that day at City Hall, it was a moment he spent his life preparing for,” the story said. Read the story here.

Police Chaplain

*The Rev. Heather Gates, shown here with Police Chief Vernon Hale, was recently named Lead Chaplain of the Galveston, Texas Police Department.*

The Rev. Heather Gates (M.T.S. ’13) has been named Lead Chaplain for the Galveston Police Department in Galveston, Texas. In this extension ministry, she serves as a full-time employee of the City of Galveston as well as a pastor on the staff of Moody Methodist Church. Gates provides “a ministry of presence and a listening ear” to officers who have experienced trauma on the job as well as those who may be facing personal or family challenges. “One of the officers talked me into doing a ride-along in early 2016 and my involvement in the department slowly increased from there,” she said. “Now, I spend a lot of my time out riding in the cars with the officers and networking with the community.” Gates says she loves the work because “it takes the church to places it might not always be.” Read more about her ministry on her blog.

In Memoriam

Bishop Benjamin Chamness

Bishop Benjamin Chamness (M.Th. ’65) died December 22 in Huntsville, Texas, with his family by his side. Bishop Chamness, 78, was elected to the episcopacy by the South Central Jurisdictional Conference in 2000 and assigned to the Fort Worth Area. He served as the resident Bishop of the Central Texas Conference and the Fort Worth Area. He retired from the episcopacy in 2008. Bishop Chamness was buried at the cemetery at Rehobeth UMC in Carthage, Texas, on December 29, and a memorial service was held at First UMC of Huntsville on January 4. Read the UMNS obituary for Bishop Chamness.

Rev. Dr. David Thomas Howeth

The Rev. Dr. David Thomas Howeth (M.Div., ‘90) died in his home in Wylie, Texas, on December 24. Howeth, 68, was ordained by the United Methodist Church as a Deacon in 1989 and as an Elder in 1992. He served several churches in the North Texas Conference before retiring in 2015, including Spring Valley United Methodist Church in Dallas; First UMC in Sachse; First UMC in The Colony; First UMC in Nocona; Greenland Hills UMC in Dallas; Buckingham UMC United in Garland; Schreiber Memorial UMC in Dallas; and First UMC in Howe. He also loved working with the North Texas Conference’s youth camps at Bridgeport, Texas, and served as a leader for numerous Walks to Emmaus and Chrysalis Flights. A memorial service was held at First United Methodist Church of Gainesville on January 3.

Rev. James “Jim” Marvin Meadors, Jr.

The Rev. James “Jim” Marvin Meadors, Jr. (Master of Theology – 1956), retired Elder and former District Superintendent in the Arkansas Conference, passed away on Dec. 9 at the age of 89. Jim was the pastor of many different churches in the Arkansas Annual Conference and served as conference secretary for many years. He was also director of the council office for what was then the North Arkansas Conference and a delegate to the United Methodist General Conference. Rev. Meadors was the father of Rev. Stephen Meadors. A memorial service was held at Goddard UMC on December 15. Condolences may be sent to the family at the following address: Ms. Ella Mae Meadors, 123 N 53rd St, Fort Smith, AR 72903. Read his obituary at the Arkansas Conference website here.

Bishop William B. Oden

Former Council of Bishops President William B. Oden passed away on December 22 in Highlands Ranch, Colo., with his family surrounding him. Bishop Oden was elected to the episcopacy by the South Central Jurisdictional Conference in 1988; he served the Louisiana Conference from 1988 -1996 and the North Texas Conference from 1996 until his retirement in 2004. Bishop Oden was president of the Council of Bishops from 2000-2001 and served as the Council’s Ecumenical Officer from 2004-2008. Bishop Oden was well-known to the Perkins and SMU community, having served on the SMU Board of Trustees from 1996 to 2004, as Perkins’ Bishop in Residence from 2004 to 2008, and as a member of the executive board for SMU in Taos. Bishop Oden’s memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on March 9 at Christ Church UMC in Plano. Bishop Oden’s family asks that, in lieu of flowers, gifts may made to the William B. Oden Scholarship at Perkins. Read the UMNS obituary for Bishop Oden.

Rev. Richard L. Wright

The Rev. Richard L. Wright (M.T. S. ’88), a retired minister from the West Virginia Conference, died on December 4, 2018, at the age of 88. A devoted father, grandfather and husband, Wright served congregations in West Virginia at Clifton Methodist Church, Mason Methodist Church, Rainelle Methodist Church, and The Church of the Good Shepherd in Grafton, Bridgeport United Methodist Church and Wesley United Methodist Church in Morgantown. He was the Council on Ministries Director in Charleston for five years, District Superintendent of the Buckhannon District for six years, and the Dean of the Bishop’s Cabinet. He served eight years on the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and was elected five times as a delegate, and once as reserve, to the General Conference of the United Methodist Church. Wright retired in 1997 after 45 years of active ministry. Read his complete obituary here.

December 2018 News Perspective Online

A Message from Dean Hill: Advent 2018

Post author By Bridget Anderson
Post date December 3, 2018

Advent is a time of expectation. The seasonal hymns are full of anticipation: Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus; O Come, O Come, Emmanuel; Savior of the Nations, Come.

But it is not only Christmas, the coming of God’s Messiah to the Bethlehem manger, that Christians anticipate. The biblical hope also includes the expectation that God in Christ ultimately will right all wrongs and bring in everlasting peace. It is this hope that is expressed so powerfully in Revelation 21:

I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.”

But there is at times a gap between what we hope for and what actually happens, between our interpretation of God’s intentions and their fulfillment. When Christmas arrived two millennia ago, it was all a bit of a surprise. No one expected the Messiah to come like this, in such a place, in such humility. In retrospect, birth in the Bethlehem manger might seem the perfect start to this most exceptional life, but no one at the time appears to have expected it.

When Jesus later began his ministry, he proclaimed, “The time is fulfilled, and the reign of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” There was a large audience well prepared for this message. People had been hoping for centuries that God would act on behalf of Israel, an expectation encouraged by John the Baptist. Still, while the message might have sounded familiar, there appeared to be something wrong with the messenger. Jesus wasn’t at all the Messiah people had expected.

It was not until after the death and resurrection that Jesus’ own disciples came to understand what the coming of the Christ meant. In particular, it revealed the character of God in ways far beyond their expectation. God in Christ joins with us, suffers with us, lives with us. The reign of God had begun in a new way among them, but to see it, they themselves had to become a new creation.

During the Advent season, Christians celebrate the coming of Christ, believing that we, at least with the benefit of hindsight, got this one right. The future Advent of Christ also is eagerly anticipated by many millions of Christians, which in and of itself is not a bad thing. Matthew’s Gospel, for example, enjoins us to keep our lamps lit, to stand at the ready, to watch and pray. Indeed, on a practical level, none of us knows when our own end will come. Even if the world goes on for millions of years, these are for us the last days, and it behooves us to live at the ready, to redeem the time, to watch and pray.

Unfortunately, the perspective found in most popular books about the biblical future is deeply problematic. It takes a piece of this and a piece of that, joined together with extraordinary imagination, and creates a version of God’s ultimate reign that is actually foreign to every biblical author. In other words, people are tempted to homogenize various perspectives for the sake of a larger interpretation that itself is not found in any biblical book, prying texts free of their context and effectively drowning out the distinctive voices of the individual authors.

It is not the case that the Bible gives us a simple roadmap to the ultimate advent of God’s reign. At the end of the day, that’s probably a good thing. Those who do think of these texts in that way are always in danger of constructing a religion of escapism, whose main business is that of departing this world and leaving behind (certainly not solving) its problems.

We might instead take a lesson from Christ’s first Advent. Jesus did not offer his contemporaries what they wanted, which was escape from Roman occupation. Instead, Jesus offered them almost the reverse, telling them to love their enemies, shown in a willingness to carry the enemy’s cloak a second mile. He submitted himself to them, even when he knew it would kill him.

Jesus offered hope, to be sure: hope both for God’s presence, forgiveness, and meaning in our lives today, and hope for God’s ultimate victory, for the final triumph of meaning, justice, purpose, and love. But he did not offer escape. If anything, he is the model of one who chooses to do the will of God without exercising the escape clause.

Many people in the early church understood that, which is why they experienced so much liberation and joy in the present. They had something to hope for and something to do in the meantime. Living lightly to possessions and pride, to things that the world gives and therefore can threaten to take away, they were set free to live much more fully in the world, not to evade it.

It is possible to be so heavenly minded that we are of no earthly good, and, conversely, to be so earthly minded that we are of no heavenly good. The best thing, in the only moment in which we can actually choose and influence–which is of course the present–is to bring heaven to earth, to live as God equips us today. Not because we have no future hope, but because we rest in it and are set free by it from all that would weigh us down and make us ineffective, self-absorbed, and afraid.

We are called to newness of life today. It is in fact a much greater act of faith to live Christianly in this present world than it is, in effect, to check out of this world in expectation of a divine escape.

Of course, none of us would want to miss out on God’s future. At the same time, we ought to be careful not to miss out on all that God would do with and through and for us right here, right now.

Wishing you the joy and reality of Christ’s Advent,

Craig C. Hill

December 2018 News Perspective Online

Office of Enrollment Management Update

Post author By Bridget Anderson
Post date December 3, 2018

For the second year in a row, enrollment at Perkins has increased significantly, and applications are on track for yet another uptick in enrollment by next fall.

It’s a happy milestone for the Office of Enrollment Management, Perkins’ recently reorganized admissions and recruiting function. The office was formed in 2017, following the arrival of Dean Craig Hill and the hiring of Margot Perez-Greene as Associate Dean for Enrollment Management.

“With the new vision brought forth by Dean Hill, it was an ideal time to refocus and re-energize the team,” said Perez-Greene.

The Office of Enrollment Management’s mission: to engage and recruit prospective students, shepherding them each step through enrollment, whether on our Dallas campus or as part of the newly launched hybrid Houston-Galveston Extension Program. That means not just boosting enrollment but also finding students who will thrive and flourish at Perkins, helping them leverage financial aid to best advantage, and overcoming any barriers that might keep them from applying.

“Enrollment management is much broader in scope than simply processing admissions applications,” Perez-Greene said. “It includes the entire school – faculty, programs and services, marketing, groundskeepers, financial aid staff and staff hospitality and services.”

Behind the comprehensive approach to Enrollment Management is the notion that “recruitment is everybody’s responsibility.”

“It’s up to all of us to attract students who are a good fit for Perkins, retain and graduate them,” Perez-Greene said. “Enrollment management is shaping the institution by recruiting students whose goals align with its mission. We have what they need; we deliver what we say we have; and our students are successful.”

Perez-Greene notes that the Office of Enrollment Management posts its staff travel schedule so everyone at Perkins may stay informed – and alert the staff of potential connections.

“If we’re visiting a place where you know someone we should talk to – a faculty member, a personal connection, a student with an interest in Perkins – please let us know, and we’ll be sure to follow up,” she said.

So far, this new approach seems to be working. This fall, Perkins experienced a 14.1% increase in enrollment over the previous year—building on 2017 totals, when the increase was more than 40% over 2016. And next year is looking promising, too – so far, the Office has received about 50 percent more applications for the fall of 2019 than it had this time last year.

Meet the Staff

The Office of Enrollment Management invites faculty, staff, students, alumni and other stakeholders to join this effort. Do you know a prospective student who is considering graduate theological education?  Refer someone here  or alert them to on-site information events this fall through  Inside Perkins.

Margot Perez-Greene, Associate Dean of Enrollment Management, leads the team of recruitment and admissions personnel, focused on making theological education possible and the admissions process seamless. Perez-Greene encourages all members of the Perkins community – faculty, staff, students and alumni – to contact her with any leads, connections or events that might help her staff connect with potential Perkins students.

Stephen Bagby, Director of Recruitment and Admissions, meets with prospective students and helps them through the admissions process. He also coordinates individual visits and Inside Perkins events. One of his greatest joys is calling applicants to let them know they’ve been accepted to Perkins School of Theology.

Yazmin Strauss, Recruitment and Admissions Specialist, assists students as they move through the application process, managing the applications process through a customer relationship management (CRM) system. She is also actively involved in events planning.

John Lowery, Ministry Discernment Associate, travels extensively throughout the U.S. meeting prospective students and chatting with them about the call to vocational ministry in its various forms, as well as the diverse and inspiring learning environment of Perkins School of Theology.

Caleb Palmer, Ministry Discernment Associate, also travels extensively to campuses, camps, and churches, and cultivates connections with Wesley Foundation leaders and religious faculty members at undergraduate colleges.

Sandy Oswalt, Financial Aid Coordinator and Administrative Assistant to the Associate Dean, gets involved the minute a student is admitted to Perkins to assist with financial aid. She also serves as the point of contact for all questions and issues regarding financial aid.  

Jean Nixon, Financial Literacy Coordinator, is working to help make seminary students financially savvy, in terms of affording seminary, staying out of debt and budgeting. She leads an educational program of workshops and monthly events, funded by the Lilly Foundation.

By Mary Jacobs, a Dallas-based freelance writer and former staff writer for The United Methodist Reporter and the Dallas Morning News.

December 2018 News Perspective Online

Office of Development: End of the Year Giving and Gift Planning

Post author By Bridget Anderson
Post date December 3, 2018

Perkins’ fiscal year begins on June 1 and ends on May 31, but for most of us, our personal fiscal year ends on December 31 and coincides with our IRS tax responsibilities.

While the vast majority of us don’t give to charities in order to get a tax benefit, it is a nice advantage to claim on our income tax returns. Because of the 2018 change in the U.S. tax law, I urge you to pay close attention this year. With the loss of the personal exemption but the large increase in the standard deduction, along with new tax brackets, many will want to get advice in filing under the new system.

The SMU Office of Gift Planning, under the expert leadership of Marianne Piepenburg, will be glad to talk to you about specific year-end gifts you may wish to make to Perkins or to the University. I also can be a point of contact (johnma@smu.edu).

Without regard to whether the entire gift is deductible or not, gifts of appreciated stock are tax-effective as they avoid the capital gains tax when transferred to charity. For those over 70 ½, IRA Charitable Rollover gifts are a good way to make gifts up to $100,000 to the public charity of your choice, meeting your required minimum distribution without increasing your income tax liability.

For information about gift planning, visit smu.planmylegacy.org for some useful ideas to maximize your legacy of giving. At that site you can be reminded how to donate stock, find information about charitable gift annuities, see sample language for bequests, and so much more. You will see helpful steps based on your general gift amount, your age, or the kind of asset that you have in mind. The website is informative and intuitive. You will find it very helpful.

Are you aware that almost 60 percent of adults in the United States do not have a will or any document detailing what happens to their estate after their death? Perhaps it is time for you to review your documents—or create them if you have not already done so! A review is especially important if you have moved to a new state because each state has its own laws pertaining to wills and trusts.

I am grateful for the faithful and generous donors who have allowed Perkins to continue in its ministry of education for more than 100 years. Many of our sustaining gifts came about because of careful estate planning. I hope each one of us will take that responsibility on our shoulders so that the charities we care so deeply about will benefit for years to come.

With a heart of thanks,

John A. Martin
Director of Development
Perkins School of Theology

December 2018 News Perspective Online

‘Nativity’ Reflects Divergent Scripture Texts, Perspectives

Post author By Bridget Anderson
Post date December 3, 2018

“Nativity,” an 86 x 104-inch oil-on-canvas painting by Luke Allsbrook, is currently on display in the stairwell of Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Hall. The artwork pictures the birth of Jesus in the midst of a great heavenly battle, with imagery and text from the Nativity story in the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Revelation.

“As a New Testament professor, I am strongly drawn to this painting because it encourages me to consider together very divergent scriptural texts and perspectives,” said Dean Craig Hill. “Needless to say, ‘Nativity’ is inspiring and thought provoking in ways not achieved by the traditional Christmas-card image.”

Text and images from traditional Christmas carols are also incorporated into the piece, which was previously displayed in 2017 at Duke Divinity School. To read more, visit the artist’s website.