2014-01 Archive

On December 8, 2014, the Garrett-Evangelical faculty met to draft a statement concerning the national crisis generated by the multiple incidents of killing of Black men by white police officers.  The meeting was convened and co-led by Dr. Luis R. Rivera, Academic Dean, and Dr. Gennifer Brooks, Chair of the Committee on Faculty.

In response to the crisis plaguing communities of color across these United States of America as it relates to abusive and murderous practices of law enforcement, Garrett-Evangelical Black Seminarians (G-EBS) sponsored three events on Monday, December 8, 2014, including a prayer vigil, dialogue, and strategic conversations. In preparation of these events G-EBS members crafted the following statement.

Dr. John Walter Cason, church history and missions professor, passed away on November 3, 2014. Cason was a member of the Evangelical Theological Seminary (ETS) faculty in Naperville, Illinois and at the time of the merger became a part of the Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary faculty in 1974. He was remembered as an avid reader and explorer of the new politics of liberation theology and the transformative role of church teachings.

On October 23, 2014, it was announced at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary’s board of trustees meeting that Jerre and Mary Joy Stead of Scottsdale, AZ officially kicked off The Final Lap of the seminary’s Forging Our Future campaign with an additional commitment to their earlier commitments in Phase One, Two, and Three of the campaign. Their earlier commitments totaled $6 million, and their most recent commitment is for another $9 million—the largest single gift in the seminary’s history—bringing their total commitment to this campaign to $15 million!

This news release was originally posted at NorthCentralCollege.edu

North Central College is honoring The Rev. Thomas Babler of Naperville with a Wall of Witness recognition during Homecoming.

Babler and four others will be honored during the College’s Homecoming Reunion Celebration from 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, at the College’s Residence Hall/Recreation Center, 440 S. Brainard St.

Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary will be hosting an Admissions Open House for those interested in pursuing theological education on Wednesday, October 8, 2014. The Open House will include opportunities to sit in on a class; hear from other students about their seminary experience; and take a tour of the seminary and Northwestern University campus.

Interest in caring for the environment is cropping up in all kinds of places, including at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. While care for the environment has been a much-debated topic in the political sphere, it is now gaining positive traction in America’s theological training institutions. One example of this growing movement is Blessed Earth’s Seminary Stewardship Alliance, which will be meeting September 11th-13th in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

In recognition of Rev. Donald Struchen’s outstanding ministry and significant contributions to the church and our world, family and friends have established the Donald E. Struchen Endowed Scholarship at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. A graduate of Garrett Biblical Institute (1948), one of the three institutions that formed Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Struchen has been in ministry for over 60 years. The Donald E.

Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary Ph.D. student, Rev. Michele Watkins-Branch has been awarded both the Fellowship for Doctoral Students of African Descent from the Forum for Theological Education (FTE) and the Dempster Graduate Fellowship from the United Methodist General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. Watkins-Branch is Ph.D. candidate in theology and ethics, and her current dissertation title is “Toward a Socialized Soteriology: Saving Black Souls and Black Bodies.”

Committed to deacon studies since the creation of the order in 1996, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary is proud to offer a new course this fall entitled, The United Methodist Deacon. Taught by Professor Emeritus of Christian Education, Dr. Margaret Ann Crain, this much anticipated course will explore the possibilities, origins, theology, and ministry of the Order of Deacon in The United Methodist Church.

Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary will welcome Rev. Stephen Lewis, president of the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE), as keynote speaker at the 2014 academic convocation on September 3, 2014. Titled “Start Boldly, Lead Differently,” Lewis will deliver his convocation address at 4:00 p.m. in the Seminary’s Chapel of the Unnamed Faithful and all are welcome to attend.

The United Library at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary was awarded a Historical Records Preservation Grant to financially assist in the preservation and digitization of the Lucy Rider Meyer and Chicago Training School archives. Issued by the Illinois State Historical Records Advisory Board (ISHRAB) and the Illinois State Archives, the United Library is one of the first theological institutions in Illinois to be selected for this grant.

Garrett-Evangelical alums have once again shown unrivaled support for their seminary. More than 300 seminaries are invited to report their fundraising statistics to the Council for Aid to Education each year, and this past fiscal year (July 2012 – June 2013), Garrett-Evangelical was ranked first in alum participation. More than 37% of the alum family made a gift to the Seminary!

Friday, May 30^th, the Minnesota Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church honored former Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary trustee, Rev. Jeanne Audrey Powers, for her extraordinary service to the people and churches of the Minnesota Annual Conference.  Powers was one of the first women to be ordained in The United Methodist Church in 1958.

Rev. Alfred T. Day, an adjunct faculty member at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, has been named General Secretary of the General Commission on Archives and History (GCAH) of The United Methodist Church. Day currently serves as the pastor at Historic St. George’s United Methodist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and an adjunct professor in United Methodist studies at Garrett-Evangelical. Day’s new position will take him to the United Methodist Archives and History Center at Drew University, located in Madison, New Jersey.

Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary is pleased to announce that Dr. Pamela Holliman, Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Pastoral Psychotherapy, has been elected the President of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC). The mission of this association is to bring healing, hope, and wholeness to individuals, families, and communities by expanding and equipping spiritually grounded and psychologically informed care, counseling, and psychotherapy.

Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary is pleased to announce Rev. Dr. Gennifer Brooks has been elected Dean of the Association of Chicago Theological Schools (ACTS) Doctor of Ministry Preaching Program, effective May 1, 2014. Dedicated to helping students discover their own pulpit hermeneutic, Brooks is Ernest and Bernice Styberg Professor of Preaching and Director of the Styberg Preaching Institute at Garrett-Evangelical. In addition to teaching and advising students in the ACTS DMin Preaching Program, Brooks is a long-standing member of the Program Committee.

Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary is delighted to announce Rev. Dr. Justo L. González, foremost scholar in religious studies and Methodist history, will speak at the seminary’s 157^th Commencement on May 16^th. The Commencement service will begin at 10:00 a.m. at First United Methodist Church of Evanston.