This Summer, Perkins Representatives Attended 23 Annual Conferences Around the U.S.
Summertime has always been annual conference season for several Perkins faculty and staff, who fan out to various annual (regional) conferences of the United Methodist Church to represent Perkins School of Theology, catch up with alumni and meet prospective students. But this year, Perkins’ reach extended further than ever.
“We visited 23 annual conferences, including four – Michigan, North Carolina, Eastern Pennsylvania, and Greater New Jersey – for the first time,” said Andrew Keck, Chief of Staff and Assistant Dean of Marketing & Communications, ad interim. “That’s more than we’ve ever visited in one year, at least in recent memory. With our new hybrid program, we felt it was important to broaden our scope geographically.”
Perkins staff were on hand for these annual conferences: North Texas, Texas, Greater New Jersey, Michigan, Iowa, North Carolina, Missouri, Arkansas, Alaska, Great Plains, CalPac, Rio Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Tennessee/Western Kentucky, Northwest Texas, Eastern Pennsylvania, Florida, Dakotas, Oklahoma Indian Missionary, Central Texas, New Mexico and Desert Southwest. In addition, Perkins reps attended the South Central Conference of the United Church of Christ.
Those traveling to the events from Perkins included Andy Keck; Bart Patton, Assistant Dean of External Programs and Church Relations; Christina Rhodes, Assistant Dean of Enrollment Management; Rachel Holmes, Program Specialist, Intern Program; Dr. Hugo Magallanes, Dean, ad interim for Perkins School of Theology; Wes Allen, Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics; Joell Stanislaus, Executive Assistant to the Dean; Jesus Urdiales Rodriguez, Program Specialist, CASA (Centro de Acompañamiento, Solidaridad y Adiestramiento); Emilie Williams, Ministry Discernment Associate; alum Flor Granillo (M.Div., 2019); Heather Gottas Moore, Associate Director of Recruitment and Admissions; Caleb Palmer, Associate Director of Recruiting & Enrollment Marketing; and Dr. Jaime Clark-Soles, Professor of New Testament and Director of the Baptist House of Studies at Perkins.
A few highlights and Perkins connections from the 2024 “Annual Conference Tour”:
At the Texas Annual Conference, Dr. Magallanes presented on the CASA (Centro de Acompañamiento Solidaridad y Adiestramiento) and M.Div. in Spanish programs and met with Hispanic pastors in the conference, held June 9-12 in Houston. Magallanes’ presence generated interest in the upcoming Perkins Summit for Faith and Learning in Houston as well as inquiries from prospective students.
At the North Texas Annual Conference, held June 2-4 at First United Methodist Church in Richardson, the Rev. Michael Gienger (M.Div., 2017) was keynote speaker. Gienger is an ordained elder in the Texas Annual Conference and has been serving as co-pastor of Central United Methodist Church in Galveston, Texas, since 2014. He is also the founder of Galveston Housing Plus (GH+) — a new nonprofit providing supportive housing for persons exiting homelessness.
The Rev. Kristina Roth-Klinck (M.Div., 2020) represented Perkins at the Iowa Annual Conference. Roth-Klinck splits her time equally between two locations, as Associate Pastor at Lovely Lane United Methodist Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and at Nourished, one of Iowa conference’s newest communities of faith.
Andy Keck met 12 Perkins alumni at the Michigan Annual Conference, held May 30-June 1 in Lansing. He also participated in the 30-year recognition of Bishop David Bard, who earned a PhD from SMU in 1994. Bishop Bard was elected to the episcopacy by the North Central Jurisdiction in 2016 and is currently the presiding bishop of the Michigan Area.
Dr. Ashley Boggan was a speaker at the Rio Texas Annual Conference. Boggan is the General Secretary of the General Commission on Archives and History and the daughter of two Perkins alumni: The late Rev. Rebecca Boggan (M.S.M. ‘80 and Master of Music ‘80) and the late Rev. Dr. William “Kurt” Boggan (Th.M. ‘81, D.Min. ‘93).
“Attending this many annual conferences involved a lot of work and the help of many people at Perkins, but we think it’s important to continue to expand and deepen Perkins’ reach,” said Patton.