Perkins School of Theology is pleased to announce the 2024 and 2025 recipients of the Woodrow B. Seals Laity Award:
Receiving the 2024 Award is Denise Espinosa Lloyd (M.Div., 1985), an active member of First United Methodist Church of Missouri City, Texas, and a longtime community volunteer and advocate for the unhoused.
The 2025 recipient is Thomas C. Sellers, a banking executive, community volunteer and lay leader in First United Methodist Church of Sulphur Springs, Texas. The Seals Laity Award honors laypersons in the United States who exemplify an exceptional commitment to service to Christ through faith and action in the church, community and world.
“It is our distinct honor to recognize these outstanding laypersons, whose faithful leadership and Christian ministry are so important in the churches and communities they serve,” said Hugo Magallanes, Perkins Dean ad interim. “By living out their faith in tangible and transformative ways, they have made a lasting impact. We are thrilled to celebrate their contributions and honor their faithful witness.”
Lloyd and Sellers, along with the recipients of the 2024 and 2025 Distinguished Alumni Awards, will be honored at the Perkins Awards Banquet on Monday, April 7, at 6:30 p.m. in the Great Hall of Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Hall, 5901 Bishop Blvd., on the campus of SMU in Dallas.
This marks the first year both the Distinguished Alumni and Seals Laity awards will be presented on the same evening. The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes Perkins graduates who have demonstrated effectiveness and integrity in service to the church, continuing support for the goals of Perkins and SMU, distinguished service to the community, and exemplary character.
Registration for the Awards Banquet is open now through April 1. Tickets are $45 per person or $300 per table of eight. Parking passes are available for $10. [Click here to purchase tickets and register.]
About the Recipients
2024 Seals Laity Award: Denise Espinosa Lloyd
Denise Espinosa Lloyd graduated from Perkins School of Theology in 1985 and was ordained in what is now the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. She was the only Hispanic clergywoman in the conference at the time. After leaving ordained ministry, she remained an active layperson of First United Methodist Church in Missouri City. Texas. She served as a choir member, missions committee leader, Disciple Bible Study leader, education committee chair, Sunday school teacher and for 20 years, a lay member of the Texas Annual Conference.
“Mrs. Lloyd shows her leadership by being organized, recruiting others, guiding and teaching people to be part of missions and outreach, and demonstrating compassion to families without homes as a longtime volunteer with Fort Bend Family Promise,” said the Rev. Dr. Jerome Brimmage, pastor of First United Methodist Church Missouri City.
A lifelong learner, Lloyd is also participating in the Fort Bend Leadership Forum, a 10-month program sponsored by the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce to expand her network of nonprofit organizations.
Lloyd currently serves as board president of Fort Bend Family Promise, a nonprofit that meets the immediate needs of families experiencing temporary housing insecurity while empowering them to regain self-sufficiency.
“I first met Denise during a challenging time when my family and I were welcomed as guests at Fort Bend Family Promise and empowered to self-sufficiency,” said Rosinda Pinon, now a housing navigator specialist at Fort Bend Family Promise. “Denise’s dedication to her work, community and faith is truly inspiring. She has been a blessing to the staff, families and community.”
2025 Seals Laity Award: Thomas C. Sellers
Thomas C. Sellers is a longtime member of First United Methodist Church in Sulphur Springs, Texas, as well as an Eagle Scout, school board member and community volunteer. Over the years he has taught Sunday school and chaired multiple church committees; most recently, he began hosting “Toddler Time with Tom,” a weekly playdate in the church gym to welcome local families with young children.
Sellers graduated from SMU’s Southwestern Graduate School of Banking and joined Alliance Bank in 1988, rising to chief executive officer in 2004. In 2021, he was named chairman and CEO of Alliance Bank. Among those recommending Sellers for the award was Craig Roberts, a competitor at Guaranty Bank & Trust and a member of the Sunday school class Sellers taught for 20 years.
“As a professional, Tom and I have battled for business for 23 years,” Roberts said. “Never have we battled negatively. At times, we teamed up as bank leaders to help those in need or in our community development by sharing common goals.”
Barbara C. Law, a member of the church who was Sellers’ high school English teacher, highlighted his leadership during the recent disaffiliation process, when many members of First UMC Sulphur Springs left to form another congregation.
“His continued leadership and good sense, and especially his kindness and acceptance of varying viewpoints, helped keep our First UMC alive in Sulphur Springs,” Law said. “I believe that Tom exemplifies the Wesleyan concept that, while we cannot do everything for everyone, we can do something for someone.”
“We as a church had an incredible past, and we were going to have a beautiful, expectant future,” added the Rev. Peter McNabb, senior pastor of First UMC Sulphur Springs. “We just needed help seeing it. And Tom was key in helping us do that.
“Tom carries the torch of that long line of saints who have come before us and shines the light for the church going into the future.”
Since 1993, the Woodrow B. Seals Laity Award has been presented annually to a layperson embodying the Christian faith and commitment of service to Christ as exemplified by Judge Seals, a distinguished layperson whose interest and energy were instrumental in establishing the Perkins Theological School for the Laity (now the Perkins Summit for Faith and Learning.) See a list of the past recipients here.