Honoring Leadership for an Unbound Future 

“Returning to Garrett is a joy and a tremendous honor, especially at such an important moment in the life of the seminary and our wider Church.” Bishop Tracy S. Malone (MDiv ’93) is no stranger to pivotal moments. The first Black woman to be elected as President of The United Methodist Council of Bishops, from 2024 – 2026 she led the denomination through a period of significant transformation. The daughter of the late Rev. Willie R. Smith (MDiv ’82) a United Methodist pastor, Bishop Malone embodies a profound familial legacy and commitment to Garrett and its mission. At this year’s Homecoming celebration, she’ll be honored as one of Garrett’s two distinguished alumni award recipients in a ceremony that will highlight the ways Garrett has been an indispensable partner to The United Methodist Church, and how both institutions are changing to better serve the church and world.

Bishop Malone will be honored alongside the Reverend Dr. Lieutenant Colonel Kent Lundy (MDiv ’93), whose 38 years of faithful service as a UMC pastor, Air National Guard chaplain, and denominational leader exemplify the service ethic Garrett seeks to instill in its graduates. In some ways, Rev. Lundy’s steadfast Methodism seems almost destined. “Believe it or not, I was literally born the same day as the United Methodist Church,” he laughs. “April 23, 1968 was the uniting worship service in Dallas, and I was born later that afternoon in Wichita.” From childhood, Rev. Lundy felt God drawing him toward ministry. “I went to the Middle East when I was 12 years old with a group from my local United Methodist Church,” he recalls. “I had my baptism renewed in the Jordan River, and at that point I knew I was called to be Elder.”

One blessing for which Bishop Malone and Rev. Lundy express gratitude is how Garrett helped them intellectually engage the Christian tradition without losing reverence. “One of the greatest gifts of my Garrett education was learning to think critically about my faith while simultaneously becoming more deeply grounded in it,” Bishop Malone shares. “Garrett challenged me to wrestle with difficult questions, engage different perspectives, and understand that theology must inform how we live, lead, and respond to the needs of the world.” Similarly, Rev. Lundy celebrates Garrett’s resistance to easy answers and false binaries. “Garrett weaves together social witness with personal holiness, framing that Wesleyan formation as a both-and, not an either-or,” he observes. “What a gift it is for the world that Garrett to trains Christian leaders of depth and substance, because we need that more than ever before.”

Indeed, during the time that Bishop Malone led the Council of Bishops, The United Methodist Church had been deeply affected by our broader world’s social fracturing and fragmentation. Bishop Malone helped steward the Church towards its new vision statement and through the historic Council of Bishops Leadership Gathering that brought together 300 laypeople and clergy from across the worldwide connection to inspire hope and imagine the church yet to be. “Especially in my episcopal leadership and service as President of the Council of Bishops, I have drawn upon my Garrett education to help navigate complex situations, make difficult decisions, and bring people together around our shared mission,” she says. “Garrett helped prepare me to lead with faith, conviction, humility, and courage.”

Part of that conviction is grounded in the ministries of United Methodist leaders like Rev. Lundy, who have responded to social fractures with a love that seeks to mend them. After more than a decade in parish ministry, it was events following 9/11 that prompted him to become a military chaplain. “God really got my attention in those days, telling me that there’s more that needs to be done to protect religious freedom,” he recalls. “There were Sikh people being killed because they wore a turban, and I knew we could do so much better.” That decision led Rev. Lundy to more than 20 years of serving the Indiana Air National Guard as a wing chaplain, while he also served nearby parishes. A decision made from compassion for Sikh neighbors suffering grave injustice led to ministry that extended far beyond what he could have imagined in those days. “My first deployment was at a flight line medical clinic in Germany—I was part of transferring the war wounded,” he recalls. “I was the only chaplain, and in three months I saw 5,071 patients.”

Bishop Malone and Rev. Lundy’s willingness to follow God beyond what is familiar and comfortable mirrors the overarching theme of this year’s Homecoming—Unbound: The Spirit of This Place. As Garrett prepares to strategically relocate to a new home on Northwestern’s campus next fall so we can better serve our students, the moment is bittersweet. Excitement for the journey ahead mingles with gratitude and sadness for the buildings we leave behind—spaces like the classroom where Rev. Lundy met his wife, Rev. Marti Gates Lundy (MDiv ’93), in Dr. Al Caldwell’s introduction to ministry seminar. “I’m grateful that we haven’t made facilities that are so personally meaningful into an idol,” he says. “This isn’t just a physical move, it’s a spiritual move to stake our claim to the future of theological education.” Bishop Malone likewise sees Garrett’s future as reflective of where the church, itself, is moving. “What excites me most is Garrett’s willingness to reimagine theological education in ways that make it more accessible and responsive to the Church’s and world’s changing needs,” she explains. “I am especially encouraged by the expanded learning opportunities and partnerships that are opening the doors for people from diverse backgrounds and communities to pursue their callings.”

Still, as excited as they are about the vibrant future for Garrett and The United Methodist Church, Bishop Malone and Rev. Lundy are equally thrilled for time to simply reconnect and express gratitude. “I invite my fellow Garrett alumni to join us for this special gathering as we celebrate the seminary’s rich legacy and look forward with hope,” Bishop Malone says. “Each of us carries a part of Garrett’s story through the relationships we formed, the lessons we learned, and the ways this seminary helped shape our faith, lives and ministries.” Rev. Lundy’s eyes grow misty as he thinks about that gift. “I have a huge debt of gratitude, and I want to say thank you for what God’s spirit has done in that space,” he says. “And it’s not just old spaces, but old faces as well. I understand Rev. Caldwell will be there, I can’t wait to see him alongside old friends.”

It will be fitting to honor Bishop Malone and Rev. Lundy as distinguished alumni while we gather in a room filled with the kind of love that formed them. Hearing their stories and naming their legacies, we will celebrate the wondrous gift that Garrett continues to bestow on students. “Garrett has an extraordinary opportunity to nurture spiritually grounded, courageous, and compassionate leaders,” Bishop Malone says. As Rev. Lundy prepares for this tender moment of return, he is likewise fixed upon that future. “The pain of saying goodbye in this season is eclipsed only by the glory that’s about to come in the new campus,” he concludes. “If I have hope for the future of us as a planet, it’s only because I have hope for Garrett and everything the seminary is doing to shape future generations of Christian leaders.”