Alumni News
Rev. Mariama White-Hammond (’17) featured in Washington Post article discussing lower-level prosecutions in Suffolk County, MA
“All those prosecutors who say this is going to endanger our communities, have they been to our communities?” said the Rev. Mariama White-Hammond (STH ’17), a pastor and activist in Boston. “Those of us who live this reality know it’s a little more complex than the ‘lock ’em up’ policies that have been sold. I don’t believe those policies are working for our communities.”
The School of Theology appreciates and respects your tireless activism, Mariama.
Click here to read the entire article.
Professor Wariboko to Deliver 41st W.E.B. DuBois Lecture at University of Maryland, Baltimore
Walter G. Muelder Professor of Social Ethics Nimi Wariboko has been asked to deliver the 41st W. E. B. Du Bois Distinguished Annual Lecture of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB). His lecture, titled “The Future of Du Bois: Consciousness, Citizenship and Epistemology in Africa”, is scheduled for Wednesday, November 13. The W.E.B. Du Bois Lecture Series was started by the department forty years ago to acknowledge the achievements of William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, the inimitable Black scholar and political activist of the early 1900s.
In his lecture, Professor Wariboko will examine how consciousness, citizenship, and epistemology combine to affect how Africans and Americans evaluate the importance of “public things” in democratic life. Congratulations to Professor Wariboko on this exceptional recognition.
To read the full lecture description, please visit the UMB website at https://africanastudies.umbc.edu/w-e-b-du-bois-lecture-series/.
Five Ways to Create an AIDS-Free World
In preparation for the annual observance of World AIDS Day on December 1, Don Messer (STH ’66, GRS ’69) wrote an article for United Methodist Insight, a forum for discerning God’s will in the United Methodist Church, which highlights ways the UMC and others might support those who’ve lived and died from the disease.
By: Don Messer (STH ’66, GRS ’69)
Several years ago I wrote a short book entitled “52 Ways to Create An AIDS-Free World” in which I argued that every person is called to take personal and social responsibility for HIV and AIDS education and prevention. The good news is that the disease is not genetic; it is completely preventable. There is no known cure or vaccine, but there are steps everyone can take to reduce and eliminate transmission of the virus. Each of us can make a difference.
Today I am not going to repeat all 52 ways—but I am going to lift up five ways that you can protect yourself and your loved ones. Five ways that will help change the course of history in the Philippines from a rising epidemic to a declining one. My goal today is to be candid, not controversial. Yet I realize that some of what I say may be upsetting to some people because of their religious, political or personal views. But stopping the epidemic requires truth-telling and honest conversation.
Hate the disease, not the people infected.
First, hate the disease, not the people infected. Too often people infected are treated as pariahs, scorned by family and friends, marginalized and stigmatized by church and society. The virus is our enemy, not the people infected and affected by the disease.
Fear and mistreatment of persons living with HIV continues to spread the disease in the world. People don’t get tested or treated because of how they think people will react. Repeatedly I have been told by people living with HIV that “worse than the disease is how people treat you.”
Just this week I read in the New York Times ( 10/27/19) about the serious outbreak of HIV in the small city of Ratodero, Pakistan. Nine hundred children have been tested for HIV. Further testing suggests that one in every 200 citizens is infected. Panic and fear are spreading. Some are claiming it is “God’s affliction” on them. One man killed his infected wife by strangling her. Another woman was tied to a tree by her family to shame her.
Continue reading here.
Assistant Professor Copeland Wins Award at CATA Conference
October 26, Rochester, NY – Assistant Professor of Theology Becky Copeland was this weekend awarded the first prize for the best paper in this year's God's Wisdom and the Wonder of Creation Conference of the Canadian-American Theological Association (CATA). Her paper, "Wells, Springs, and Commodification: Water Rights and Hagar's Tribulations," won The Jack and Phyllis Middleton Memorial Award for Excellence in Bible and Theology. Given in memory of Jack and Phyllis Middleton, parents of J. Richard Middleton, president of the Canadian Evangelical Theological Association (CETA) from 2011- 2014, essays considered for the award must address the intersection of the Bible and theology and can be interdisciplinary in nature.
Dr. Copeland's essay will be published in a forthcoming issue of the CATA Review. Congratulations to Professor Copeland on this fantastic achievement!
Hartford Seminary Joins Journal of Interreligious Studies Team
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Hartford Seminary Joins Journal of Interreligious Studies Team
Hartford, CT – Hartford Seminary is pleased to announce that it will collaborate with Hebrew College and Boston University School of Theology in publishing the Journal of Interreligious Studies (JIRS), a peer-reviewed publication dedicated to the study of the interactions within and among religious communities past and present. JIRS provides a forum for the exploration of theological, ethical, social, and historical issues related to interreligious engagement.
Dr. Joel Lohr, President of Hartford Seminary and Professor of Bible and Interreligous Dialogue will join the JIRS publishing team and Board of Advisors, and Dr. Lucinda Mosher, Faculty Associate in Interfaith Studies at Hartford Seminary, will join the JIRS editorial team as Book Review Editor.
The creation of the Book Review Editor position reflects the continued growth of the discipline of interreligious studies. The increasing rate of quality research in the field has resulted in a proliferation of books, each of which demands careful attention. Commenting on the addition of Dr. Mosher to the JIRS team, Dr. Axel Takács, Managing Editor of the Journal, stated, “Given Dr. Mosher’s scholarly expertise and deep knowledge of the field, she is distinctly suited to provide our growing readership with critical reviews written by a broad range of experts.” Dr. Mosher remarked, “It is my great pleasure to take up this role on behalf of Hartford Seminary. Indeed, assessment and promotion of the literature of interreligious studies is a crucial enterprise as this vibrant academic discipline continues to expand.”
Reflecting on the new partnership with Hartford Seminary, Rabbi Or Rose, JIRS co-publisher and director of Hebrew College’s Miller Center for Interreligious Learning and Leadership, added: “We are excited to work with our colleagues from Hartford Seminary, who share a passion for the study and practice of
interreligious engagement. Hartford Seminary has been a national leader in this field for several decades, and will help strengthen and sustain the work of the Journal.”
Dr. Mary Elizabeth Moore, JIRS co-publisher and Dean of Boston University School of Theology, expressed gratitude for the new collaboration in the context of broader societal matters: “We are living in a moment of significant polarization in our nation. In such a time, it is vital for scholars, public intellectuals, educators, and activists to explore the complexities of spiritual and ethical identity and the possibilities for engagement across lines of difference. The collaboration with Hartford Seminary will contribute much to our abilities to address these matters interreligiously.”
About the Institutions
About Boston University School of Theology: Since 1839, Boston University School of Theology has been preparing leaders to do good. A seminary of the United Methodist Church, Boston University School of Theology is a robustly ecumenical institution that welcomes students from diverse faith traditions who are pursuing a wide range of vocations – parish ministry, conflict transformation, chaplaincy, campus ministry, administration, non-profit management, social work, teaching, justice advocacy, peacemaking, interreligious activism, and more. Our world-renowned faculty help students nurture their academic goals and realize any ministry imaginable. For more information, please visit www.bu.edu/sth.
About Hartford Seminary: With roots that go back to 1834, Hartford Seminary is a non-denominational graduate school for religious and theological studies with focus on interfaith dialogue. For more information, please visit www.hartsem.edu.
About Hebrew College: Hebrew College is a Boston-area institution of Jewish learning and leadership that offers community learning programs for all ages and stages within a pluralistic environment of open inquiry, depth, creativity, and compassion, as well as graduate programs in rabbinical, cantorial, education and Jewish studies. Betty Ann Greenbaum Miller Center for Interreligious Learning & Leadership provides current and future religious and ethical leaders with the knowledge and skills to serve in a religiously diverse society. For more information, please visit www.hebrewcollege.edu.
Reverend Carl L. Howard (’58)
“Carl Howard was a great guy; a terrific preacher; and a beloved pastor for the Disciples of Christ in Virginia. He was my roommate when we were first-year students, and then, in our second year, Dan Rich joined us, and we three-roomed together. Carl married Sandy Todd in 1957, and lived off-campus, but was a frequent visitor when Dan and I roomed together on the sixth floor beneath the tower with a spectacular view of the Charles since there was no Law and Education building at that time. Carl and Sandy shared 62 years together. She was with him when he died, and there was no suffering. We three are all getting up there in years, but it is tough to lose a valued friend. We made sure to keep in touch across the years, and a highlight was Carl and Sandy, and Dan visiting with us and all of us enjoying celebrating our 50th reunion at Boston University.” ~John Lilly (STH ’58, GRS ’63)
STH Installs David Schnasa Jacobsen as Inaugural Bishops Scholar of Homiletics and Preaching
October 16, 2019 – The School of Theology on Wednesday celebrated the installation of Professor David Schnasa Jacobsen as the inaugural Bishops Scholar of Homiletics and Preaching. The Bishops Scholar position was originally named for the Bishop Edwin Holt Hughes (STH’1892) Memorial Fund, which initially honored Bishop Hughes by supporting a promising future in homiletics and preaching for STH students. Over the years, it grew to help support all bishops and preachers that have graduated from STH and have gone on to faithfully serve their religious communities.
During the Service of Installation, Dr. Jacobsen preached his sermon “Facing the Word,” and immediately after was installed by Dean Mary Elizabeth Moore and Bishop Susan Hassinger. “[We] give thanks for the cloud of witnesses…who have now established the Bishops Scholar of Homiletics and Preaching,” said Dean Moore, addressing the congregation. “Bless David as the inaugural Bishops Scholar of Homiletics and Preaching…and that our mutual ministries and work may be served with all faithfulness, wisdom, and courage.” At the conclusion of the installation, Dr. Jacobsen was given a special commemorative reproduction from the School of Theology Library archives of the STH building and Marsh Chapel, as the buildings were imagined by their original architects in the 1940s.
A celebratory luncheon for the STH community was held after the service at Hillel House on Bay State Road. With a welcome and presentation given by Dean Moore, faculty speakers included Claire Wolfteich, Professor of Practical Theology and Spirituality Studies, and Dr. Jacobsen’s colleague as co-director for the Center of Practical Theology, and Bishop Hassinger. Student and alum contributors included Nikki Young (’18, ’23), Duse Lee (’20), and Jackie Blue (’09). Several students presented Dr. Jacobsen with a token of their own appreciation for his continued service and mentorship at STH. Moving forward, Dr. Jacobsen is finishing work on a new book called Promising Signs: Toward a Public Theology of Word and Sacrament for a Disenchanted Age.
School of Theology Celebrates End of “On a Mission” Campaign by Surpassing Goal
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BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY CELEBRATES END OF
“ON A MISSION” CAPITAL CAMPAIGN BY SURPASSING GOAL
Boston, MA – October 7, 2019 – Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) is pleased to announce the completion of the first-ever Boston University capital campaign. BUSTH raised $29.4 million for its own “On a Mission” campaign, after the 2010 campaign goal of $15 million was revised to $25 million in 2015, and surpassed in 2018.
On Saturday, September 21, the greater University joined together to celebrate the campaign’s end with a special event at Agganis Arena, which included all 17 schools and colleges at Boston University. BUSTH faculty members Dr. Dana Robert, Truman Collins Professor of World Christianity and History of Mission, and Dr. Walter Fluker, Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of Ethical Leadership provided a historical background of the University and spoke to the crowd of more than 2,000 people about its commitment to inclusivity, respectively. Dr. Walter Fluker addressed the audience by offering sentiments from the University’s first president, William Fairfield Warren, that Warren insisted the University’s education should be open “to all comers, without respect to creed or race or sex.” That night the University announced that it set a record-breaking fundraising milestone with $1.85 billion raised during the campaign, revising its goal to $1.5 billion in 2015 after the initial goal of $1 billion was surpassed.
BUSTH raised more than $29.4 million in gifts and pledges over the course of the campaign, and was able to fund two new faculty chairs, one faculty scholar position, 19 newly endowed scholarships, six newly named scholarships, two student housing funds, LEED Gold certified renovation of the lower level into a Community Center, three centers, three programs, two communities of learning, and one newly named lectureship. Of the total, $7.4 million builds the School’s endowment.
“For STH, this campaign was always about participation, and our alumni, friends, faculty, staff, and even current students all stepped up,” said Raymond Joyce, BUSTH Assistant Dean of Development and Alumni Relations. “Donations of every size – including pledges through 2023 and bequest intentions – made this milestone possible. While continued support of the STH Annual Fund will always be important, this is a time of thanksgiving for the many sacrificial gifts received and committed. Thank you to our donors for all that you do for the STH community.”
Rev. Dr. Mary Elizabeth Moore, Dean of the Boston University School of Theology, is abundantly grateful for generous donors and the lasting mark they have made on the School. “They support students and faculty in vital teaching and learning, and they generate significant research and rich contributions to faith communities and the larger society. Thank you for helping make our mission – to pursue knowledge of God, to cultivate leaders for communities of faith, to enrich the academy, and to seek peace with justice in a diverse and interconnected world – possible for our students who are committed to changing the world.”
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Since 1839, Boston University School of Theology has been preparing leaders to do good.
A seminary of the United Methodist Church, Boston University School of Theology is a robustly ecumenical institution that welcomes students from diverse faith traditions who are pursuing a wide range of vocations – parish ministry, conflict transformation, chaplaincy, campus ministry, administration, non-profit management, social work, teaching, justice advocacy, peacemaking, interfaith dialogue, and more. Our world-renowned faculty and strong heritage help students nurture their academic goals and realize any ministry imaginable. For more information, please visit www.bu.edu/sth.
Dr. Nancy Hardy (STH’19)
Dr. Nancy Hardy’s husband Rick writes, “Dr. Nancy C Hardy, (STH’19), friend, sister, aunt, teacher, mentor, spiritual director, scholar, my beloved wife of nearly 32 years and best friend for more than 40, slept peacefully away from this life and into the arms of her loving God on Tuesday morning, September 24.
She had entered the hospital on September 7 with pneumonia and a week later suffered a much more serious complication of the pneumonia or of the underlying lung condition we had discovered over the course of the summer. After a week in ICU with no progress and no likelihood of recovery, she moved toward end-of-life care.
She was kind, courageous, expressive, fully aware, and resolute all along the way: her life was not to be prolonged artificially without hope of improvement or recovery. Thus, last Tuesday morning, she was made comfortable; shortly afterwards, her journey in this life had ended.
I am broken-hearted but also grateful for the life we shared all these years, and especially for dignity and peace that accompanied her to the very end.
Our life together started in parish ministry and has never been far from that core. Not having had children, we determined to put our “parenting” energy into the parts of our ministry that we enjoyed the most. As a result, we are blessed with three communities of faith where we have history, friends, and a sense of family: Michigan, Arizona, and Southern California. The services for Nancy reflect this wonderful experience we’ve shared. Please plan to participate in one of these occasions, or keep her in mind at these times:
- Vigil and Wake Service: Monday, September 30, 7 pm. Church of Our Lady of the Angels at the Franciscan Renewal Center, Paradise Valley, Arizona. Music, scripture, and shared stories.
- Mass of Christian Burial (Funeral): Tuesday, October 1, 10:30 am, Church of Our Lady of the Angels at the Franciscan Renewal Center, Paradise Valley, Arizona. Light lunch follows the Mass.
- Memorial Mass: Monday, October 7, noon, Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Lansing, Michigan, with lunch following. IHM is the parish where Nancy and I met, and where we ministered together for some 8 years prior to our marriage.
- Interment: Date and time TBD, early November, Cathedral Memorial Gardens, Christ Cathedral, Diocese of Orange, Garden Grove, California. Nancy was a diocesan director in Orange for some 8 years; I worked in several parishes in the diocese, primarily Our Lady of Fatima in San Clemente.
If you wish to make a donation in Nancy’s memory, I might suggest one of these options:
- The CTEPH foundation, which studies the underlying lung condition that Nancy was battling even before she was aware of it. The link is below.
- Donate blood, if you’re able. Nancy’s crisis required a significant amount of blood, which saved her life, even though for only several days.
- Support any constructive cause that is near to your heart. Nancy would never tell you where to put your energy or money, but will be honored if you remember her as you do whatever you do to make life better for others.”
Professor Dana Robert Teaches at Institute for Multicultural Ministry
Multicultural ministries in the midst of migration
In recent years, Methodist congregations across Europe have opened their doors to refugees, asylum seekers and migrants from distant lands in search of greater freedoms and opportunities. The churches have provided humanitarian assistance to those in need and are receiving new members who speak different languages and worship according to different traditions.
That can be complicated.
New members representing other cultural norms can energize congregational life, but many local churches also experience difficulty integrating these new members from faraway lands.
The United Methodist Board of Global Ministries has responded with a pilot project to train pastors and laity leading congregations affected by migration. The first session of the Institute for Multicultural Ministry was held Aug. 22-30 at The United Methodist Church of Germany Educational and Training Center in Stuttgart.