“When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?”...Philip answered him, ‘Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.’ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what is that among so many?’” (John 6:5, 7-9) [...]
The Rev. Dr. Margot Perez-Greene, Ph.D., Associate Dean of Enrollment Management Replacing the traditional “Inside Perkins” events held on campus in past years, Perkins School of Theology’s Office of Enrollment Management (OEM) is offering a series of virtual gatherings designed to allow you to safely Connect, Discern and Explore our community as you consider your theological educational future. The full schedule of events and links for registration is available here. Connect events provide an opportunity for you to meet with staff from the Office of Enrollment Management, which oversees recruitment, admission, financial aid and financial literacy services. You will learn about degree programs, the [...]
In spite of many disruptions in our society, important events continue this fall. Several of these impact funding for the school and for student scholarships. We are grateful for the generosity of donors who continue to stand behind us during these “interesting” days, and I want to tell you about two of these events featuring some of our steadfast supporters. On October 7, the Perkins Campaign Steering Committee convenes to discuss the coming capital campaign. The women and men of this [...]
Due to the pandemic, campus life looks different this fall at Perkins School of Theology. But while the situation is far from ideal, the educational process is moving forward, and the “new normal” has even yielded a few unexpected blessings. Students attending at the Dallas campus had the option of taking classes in person or online this fall. Some classes are now offered entirely online; others are taught “HyFlex,” an approach that combines in-class instruction as well as online, [...]
Members of the Perkins community had the chance to meet international students at a special Community Hour at Perkins (CHAP) on September 15. Six international students introduced themselves to the two dozen people in attendance via Zoom. Alice Bonareri Ondieki, a returning student from Kenya, is pursuing her MTS. Ondieki, who is visually impaired, expressed her appreciation to members of the Perkins community for “showing us that you’re our sisters and brothers, and our moms and dads.” Soo Hyun [...]
Several years ago, while reading a monthly periodical called Vital Speeches of the Day, Dana Rubin noticed something was missing: speeches by women. She emailed the editor to ask why there were so few women’s voices in the publication. The editor replied that what he published was “descriptive, not prescriptive,” and he couldn’t commit to featuring at least one woman’s speech each month, because that would be “tokenism.” Rubin didn’t like that answer. That experience launched her on a [...]
Accepting. Evocative. Prophetic. Conflicted. Those were a few of the words that students shared in response to the Beyoncé Mass, a Christian worship service inspired by the life and music of its namesake, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter. Students are engaging with the Mass this semester as part of the Seminary Singers curriculum in the Master of Sacred Music program, taught by Dr. Marcell Silva Steuernagel. “Not everyone likes the Mass,” said Steuernagel, who is Director of the Sacred Music Program. “And [...]
Daniel and his sister, Stella. The Perkins community doesn’t just feel like family for JaeJun “Daniel” Cho. Family ties led him to the Perkins campus, and now, one of his siblings is a fellow Perkins student. Cho, a second-year M.Div. student, grew up in South Korea, the son of two pastors in the Korean Methodist Church (KMC). Having heard about Perkins since he was a child, coming here was a dream come true. “My father wanted to [...]
This photo was taken the first time Aaron preached in Spanish at Gracia Viva in Dallas. Pastora Isabel Marquez (right) invited him to preach; his teacher from Costa Rica (where Aaron attended a Spanish language immersion program) helped him translate the sermon. Many faculty members are challenged to stay connected with the “outside” world beyond the walls of academia. For Charles “Chuck” Aaron, the challenge tends to run in the opposite direction. As co-director of the Intern [...]
The Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence at SMU has received a $250,000 gift from the Robert H. and Beverly U. Fowler Foundation of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The gift will allow the Center to launch innovative initiatives and continue its current programs from a foundation of financial stability in years to come. “In these tough times, good preaching has never been more crucial,” said Dr. Alyce M. McKenzie, Director of the Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence at SMU. “We are grateful [...]
