Join us for Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary Homecoming! This fall, alumni with class years ending in 1s and 6s will celebrate reunions. Make plans to gather with friends, reconnect with classmates, and come home for one last visit.
This weekend is for Every Garrett alum. Every era. Every campus. Every calling.
We can’t wait to see you at Homecoming, November 12-14, 2026!
Formation doesn’t end at graduation. Neither does the Spirit that began it.
Garrett Homecoming 2026 invites alumni of every era home for a gathering unlike any in our history — a sacred closing and a global opening. As Garrett enters its next chapter, transitioning our physical home and going global, we gather to honor the formation that shaped our calls, to give thanks to the community that carried us, and to commission one another to carry it forward, wherever the church is called next.
Whatever campus, classroom, or season formed you, you belong here. The Spirit that moved through time at Garrett moves still — and now it moves outward, with us.
Come home. Then go, unbound.
Homecoming events are subject to change.
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Welcome & Registration (alumni and guests)
9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Centers & Institutes Open House
10:00 a.m. | Beyond the Stacks Tour, Styberg Library (limit 10; repeats at 2:00 p.m.)
11:00 a.m. | Figures in the Glass Tour, Chapel of the Unnamed Faithful (limit 17; repeats at 2:00 p.m.)
12:00 p.m. | Reunion Lunches Class of 1976 (50th) and Class of 2001 (25th) at The Homestead
12:00 p.m. | Campus Lunch, all other alumni and guests
2:00 – 3:00 p.m. | Memorial Chapel, all alumni (optional)
2:00 – 3:00 p.m. | Afternoon Tours, choose one (optional)
4:00 – 5:15 p.m. | Keynote Address
5:30 p.m. | Alumni Reception & Community Meal, Loder Dining Hall
7:00 – 8:30 p.m. | Alumni Social (alumni and guests)
8:30 – 11:00 a.m. | Welcome, Registration & Breakfast (alumni and guests)
9:00 – 10:45 a.m. | Homecoming Chapel
11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. | Deeper Dive with Andrew Root*
12:15 p.m. | All-Alumni Lunch
1:30 – 2:30 p.m. | Going Unbound: A Word from President Viera
2:45 – 3:30 p.m. | Unbound: Garrett Next: Up Close, Round One (optional; choose one)
3:30 – 3:45 p.m. | Break
3:45 – 4:30 p.m. | Unbound: Garrett Next: Up Close, Round Two (optional; choose one)
6:00 p.m. | Alumni Awards Dinner & Ceremony
Sessions marked with an asterisk (*) are still being confirmed.
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Alumni Day of Service (lunch provided)
This is a moment in Garrett’s life that will not come again. Unbound: The Spirit of This Place marks both a benediction over what has been and a charge toward what is next.
A Sacred Closing. We give thanks for the people, the formation, and the community that has carried Garrett for generations. We honor the ground, in every sense, that has held us.
A Global Opening. We celebrate Garrett expanding our global reach — the next chapter in a calling that was never bound by zip code or a building. The Spirit of this place is being sent outward, and so are we. Homecoming 2026 is an invitation for every alum to be part of what Garrett becomes next.
A Commissioning. Homecoming has always been a return. This year, it is also a sending. Alumni and institution will bless one another for whatever the church calls us to do next.
Most of the weekend is open to the whole community. Registration, the guided tours, the meals, and the Alumni Social are for alumni and their guests. Students, staff, and faculty are invited to the keynote, chapel services, the Open House, Global Conversations, the Friday afternoon sessions, the Community Meal, the Alumni Awards Ceremony, and Saturday’s Day of Service.
Friday afternoon runs in two rounds of concurrent sessions. Please note one pick for each round when you register so we have an accurate headcount. Both rounds are optional — if you would rather spend the afternoon on campus or with friends, select “attending neither round.”
Yes. Guests are welcome at the tours, meals, the Alumni Social, the Friday afternoon sessions, and the Day of Service. Please register each guest so we have an accurate count.
The Styberg Library tour is limited to 10 people and the Chapel of the Unnamed Faithful tour to 17, and each runs twice on Thursday. Both spaces are also open to walk through on your own at any point during the weekend.
If you have accessibility needs, dietary restrictions, or questions about the weekend, let us know at registration or contact the Office of Development and Alumni Relations.
Alumni can take advantage of a special rate at the Graduate by Hilton in Evanston.
