November 9-10, 2022
Fall in Illinois – leaves crunch underfoot, crisp breezes stir, and warm classrooms thrum with conversation and laughter.
Whether you attended seminary in Naperville or Evanston, we happily invite you to our Homecoming celebration!
We are thrilled to welcome all alums to campus for worship, classes, storytelling, food, chatter, and laughter. Come home to Garrett-Evangelical. We’ll have hot cider waiting for you.
Questions? Contact Mary Bowmann Arents, director of annual giving and alum relations, at 847.866.3889 or mary.arents@garrett.edu.
Registration Rates
$15 per person or $25 per couple for Wednesday only
$30 per person or $50 per couple for Thursday only
$40 per person or $70 per couple for Wednesday and Thursday
“Our seminary community is thrilled to welcome you back to campus. Our Chapel Planning Team is designing worship that will enliven your spirit. Faculty members are preparing sample classes that will stimulate your mind. And of course, there will be plenty of time for fellowship that feeds the soul.” – President Javier A. Viera
“I am looking forward to reconnecting with classmates, creating connections with new students, faculty and staff, and sharing information about the Junius B. Dotson Institute for Music and Worship in the Black Church and Beyond.” – Rev. Dr. Cynthia Wilson (G-ETS 2013)
“I’m excited to connect with friends, meet new students, and invest into this community!”
– Rev. Scott Marsh (G-ETS 2019)
“I enjoyed my seminary experience and would love to seeing my fellow colleagues again.”
– Rev. Harlene Harden (G-ETS 1994)
“Garrett-Evangelical is not a building or a fixed address. Rather, our seminary is a people, richly diverse. A web of relationships—local and global. A nexus of life-long and life-wide apprenticeship for active leadership and discipleship. A synergy of charisms dedicated to the vision of joining in God’s transforming work in this world. As such, whenever and wherever we are gathered, that is Garrett-Evangelical. Let’s come together and share what God is doing in and through each one of us!“
All events will take place on the Garrett-Evangelical campus at 2121 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL. Specific locations will be provided upon arrival.
Welcome Table
Stop in for your name tag, schedule of events, and a cup of hot cider.
Worship Service
Join our seminary community for our weekly chapel service in the Chapel of the Unnamed Faithful – preaching, communion, and stained-glass windows.
Community Meal
Enjoy a casual meal with the opportunity to mix and mingle with current students as well as long-time friends.
Evening on Your Own
Following Community Meal, we encourage you to visit with friends off campus, and we’ll see you in the morning!
Welcome Table
Stop by for your name tag and schedule of events.
Morning Refreshments
Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and a morning pastry.
Morning Open House
Learn about our centers and institutes, connect with resources for alums, and/or enjoy a campus tour.
Lunch with Classmates
Reconnect and reminisce with contemporaries in breakout rooms based on graduation year.
Sample Courses
Feel like a student all over again! Attend a sample course taught by a member of our world-class faculty:
“Hacking Christian Ethics: Practices for Living in a Digital World” with Dr. Kate Ott, Jerre and Mary Joy Stead Professor of Christian Social Ethics
“Rediscovering the Joy of Two Christmases in the New Testament” with Dr. Dong Hyeon Jeong, Assistant Professor of New Testament Interpretation
“Exploring Biblical Interpretation: The Case of the “Clobber Passages”” with Dr. Cheryl Anderson, Professor of Old Testament
Dinner with President Viera
President Viera invites you to hear about the seminary’s future and strategic directions.
Campus housing is currently at capacity with students, so we encourage you to take advantage of group rates at one of the following hotels.
1625 Hinman Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
$119/night + tax
Breakfast and valet parking available for additional fees
For Reservations
By Phone: Call 847.475.3300 option #2 and request the “Garrett” rate; based on availability.
Online: Click the button below and use Group Code: GARR221109
1501 Sherman Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
$159/night + tax
Includes breakfast and parking.
For Reservations
Call the hotel directly at (847) 491-6400 asking for the Garrett Theological Homecoming Rooms, provide the arrival and departure dates and mention rate code: GEH
Call Central Reservations at (888) 695-4678, ask for the Holiday Inn Chicago North-Evanston, IL, asking for the Garrett Theological Homecoming Rooms, provide the arrival and departure dates and mention rate code: GEH
NOTE: Reservations must be made by October 31st.
Yes. The Worship Service on Wednesday will be streamed online. Please watch your email and this webpage for updates.
Not at this time. Homecoming will serve as our signature event welcoming alums to campus each year. This decision was made in an effort to create an alum-specific experience distinct from the student-oriented events surrounding Commencement. We are thrilled to host Homecoming for ALL alums so you can return as often as you would like!
Precautions will align with the recommendations of our Campus Safety Committee, which are currently as follows: masks are strongly recommended while indoors and required for indoor gatherings with 50 people or more, regardless of vaccination status.
