Alumni News
BUSTH Publishes Annual FOCUS Magazine for 2024
The Boston University School of Theology is pleased to announce the 2024 publication of its annual scholarly magazine, focus. The magazine’s theme this year is theological humility, and the issue raises the question of how to equip theologically humble faith leaders in the current landscape. The magazine features close-ups on faculty promotions, creating a more welcoming church, preparing the next generation of preachers, and thought-provoking articles written by alumni, students, and faculty. The featured sermon was preached by assistant professor of ethics Peng Yin at the first community worship service of the 2023-24 academic year.
Any questions about the magazine can be directed to sthcomm@bu.edu.
Read the full magazine here.
BUSTH celebrates Class of 2024
On Saturday, May 18, 2024, the Boston University School of Theology held its annual convocation ceremony and celebrated one of its most diverse classes ever. Friends and families of the graduates gathered in person at Marsh Chapel for the hooding and diploma ceremony, and many more were able to watch live online (see recording below). 116 students were named as candidates for graduation in the program bulletin, and 93 received their diplomas in person. This year, the School graduated its largest-ever Doctor of Ministry class with 17 graduates.
“It is good to be here in this time of great celebration as we celebrate this amazing class of graduates,” Dean G. Sujin Pak said to applause from attendees. “I extend a special welcome to family and friends, partners and mentors, who have come near and far. Indeed, this is your celebration, too.”
Professor Emeritus Walter E. Fluker (’88) delivers 2024 BU Baccalaureate Address
The following is an excerpt from BU Today’s article ““We Are Called, My Friends, to Be Peacemakers,” Rev. Walter E. Fluker Tells Boston University’s Baccalaureate Audience” by Rich Barlow published on May 19, 2024, featuring Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor Emeritus of Ethical Leadership Walter E. Fluker.
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Addressing the hundreds gathered in Marsh Chapel, Fluker (GRS’88, STH’88, Hon.’24), Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor Emeritus, of Ethical Leadership at BU’s School of Theology, warned of today’s “potential for madness—moral, spiritual, psychological, collective chaos,” evidenced in the “social and geopolitical” strife engulfing the United States, the Middle East, Latin America, and other nations.
To leaven any sense of doom, Fluker sang and then led the congregation in a brief, impromptu hymn, “There’s Hope for This World.” Fulfilling that hope, he continued, requires following the embrace of “holy madness” by the late BU professor and Holocaust survivor/chronicler Elie Wiesel (Hon.’74)—the insistence on human rights in a world that often denies them.
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Prof. Nicolette Manglos-Weber writes about BU Graduate Workers Union strike in The Christian Century
The following is an excerpt from the article “What's behind the grad student strike at Boston University?” by Associate Professor of Religion and Society Nicolette Manglos-Weber, published on May 16, 2024 by The Christian Century. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Boston University School of Theology, its employees, faculty, or students.
For the past several weeks, hundreds of graduate student workers at Boston University, where I am on the faculty, have been on strike. The strike follows several years of union organizing—and a much longer history of frustration with the failure of grad worker pay and benefits to keep up with the cost of living.
Given that I work for a theology school and seminary attached to a private university, one might assume that my biggest existential concerns have to do with ideological polarization or church decline. But those are not the things that keep me up at night. Rather, my daily work of teaching, writing, and administration is shaped by worry for the bodily wellbeing of students. They face both the grind of academic pressure and the weight of material poverty. While current discourse focuses on ideological conflict on university campuses, students face more mundane threats as well: threats of creeping exploitation.
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BUSTH Announces Faculty Publications and Presentations for May 2024
The School of Theology is pleased to announce the following faculty publications and scholarly presentations for May 2024:
- Eunil David Cho
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"Chaplaincy Education: Exploring Creative Collaboration," Journal of Pastoral Theology 34, no. 1 (2024): 1-2. https://doi.org/10.1080/10649867.2024.2342047
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Rebecca Copeland (presentation)
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Edward L. Mark Lecture at Harvard-Epworth UMC on April 28, 2024: “Entangled Being, Unoriginal Sin, & Recovering the Christian Practice of Repentance for Systemic Evils"
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- Christopher Evans ('85) (presentation)
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“The Social Gospel: The Heart of Progressive Christianity.” at St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York City on May 5th, 2024.
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- James McCarty
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“From Service to Solidarity: On the (Im)Possibilities of Liberative Service-Learning,” Religion & Education (2024), 1–19. doi:10.1080/15507394.2024.2346055
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- Steven J. Sandage, et al
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Sandage, S.J., & Stein, L.B. (2024). Mindfulness and other virtues in the development of intercultural and interreligious competence. Mindfulness. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-024-02372-z
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- Nimi Wariboko
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Lifemaking: Political Philosophy for Human Flourishing in African Perspective. State University of New York Press, 2024.
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Kálábárí Témétéín Ékwen (Bantu Edition). Noirledge Publishing, 2024.
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The Mind of African Strategists: A Study of Kalabari Management Practice. Paperworth Books Limited, 2024.
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“Religious Studies Whither and Why: Deeper Move into the Sacred,” Religious Studies Review, Vol. 50, no. 1 (April 2024): 43-47.
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Benno van den Toren, Joseph Bosco Bangura, and Richard Seed, Is Africa Incurably Religious? Secularization and Discipleship in Africa. Missiology: An International Review, 52 (2), 234-235. https://doi.org/10.1177/00918296241227732
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- Karen Westerfield Tucker (presentation)
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Presentation for the “Feast of Creation and the Mystery of Creation” Conference in Assisi, Rome, March 14-17.
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- Claire Wolfteich
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“Sabbath Stillness: Thoughts of a Lingering God,” Spiritus: A Journal in Christian Spirituality 24 (2024): 146-159. https://doi.org/10.1353/scs.2024.a924578
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Shively T. J. Smith promoted to Associate Professor with tenure
The Boston University School of Theology is pleased to announce the promotion of Shively T. J. Smith to Associate Professor of New Testament as of spring 2024. Prof. Smith joined BUSTH in 2018, and in 2023 was announced as the inaugural director of the Doctor of Philosophy program. As a New Testament scholar, Smith writes and teaches on all the books of the New Testament, with a focus on the Book of Peter, diaspora studies, hermeneutics, Womanist and African American biblical interpretation, and theologian Howard Thurman. Her most recent works include her publication Interpreting 2 Peter through African American Women's Moral Writing and her vocal recording of Revelation for The People's Book.
In a letter to the community, Dean G. Sujin Pak offers these words of congratulations to Prof. Smith: “We applaud your pioneering scholarship, innovative teaching, institutional assessment work on behalf of theological education, and guild leadership. I am grateful for the multiple ways you share your beautiful gifts with students and colleagues on behalf of [the School of Theology], BU, the church, and the academy.”
Prof. Christopher Evans (’85) speaks on The Social Gospel: The Heart of Progressive Christianity
Professor of History of Christianity and Methodist Studies Christopher Evans was the featured speaker for the May 5, 2024 The Forum at St. Bart’s episode produced by St. Bartholomew's Church New York. During this talk, he spoke about the late 19th century and early 20th century Christianity in America and how the Social Gospel movement continues to shape American Christianity through today.
“If I were to summarize the Social Gospel as a historical movement,” began Prof. Evans, “it came into being largely through the circumstances of industrialization, the changes that were taking place in the United States with immigration, with the wealth inequalities that were being exacerbated by industrial capitalism.”
BUSTH announces 2024 Student Leadership Awards
On Thursday, May 9, the BUSTH community gathered to celebrate the graduating class of 2024 and to announce the Student Leadership Awards. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Bryan Stone, and Interim Associate Dean for Students and Community Life Nicolette Manglos-Weber awarded 15 outstanding students certificates reflecting their extraordinary contributions to the School and their fellow students.
Award Title |
Description |
Awardee |
| Belonging & Justice | Awarded to an outstanding student who has made significant contributions to fulfilling the School of Theology’s stated commitment to being a place that celebrates cultural diversity, creates an inclusive environment for all members of the STH community, and/or furthers racial justice, gender justice, disability justice, and/or justice for other minoritized communities at the School of Theology | Claudia Alvarez Hurtado |
| Chaplaincy Leadership | Awarded to a graduating student who has exhibited outstanding promise in the work of chaplaincy | Patrice Rose, Ben Harney |
| Community Life and Fellowship | Community life awards are given to students across residential master’s programs, the PhD program, and online and hybrid programs at STH. Awardees will be graduating students who model leadership within the social and/or academic life of the STH community | Madison Chau, Rebekah Neuberger, Emily Padgett, Barbara Welling Hall |
| Interfaith Leadership | Awarded to an outstanding student who has exercised transformative leadership toward making the School of Theology a place where people across religious traditions are included and their gifts nurtured | Seigen Johnson |
| International Student Leadership | Awarded to an international student who has exercised leadership in building community among international students and/or between international and domestic students | Philip Kirui |
| Justice, Advocacy, and Community Engagement Beyond BU | Awarded to a student who has provided outstanding service to and leadership in the work of social justice in the communities of Boston, New England, and/or globally | Shea Thompson |
| Methodist/Wesleyan Spirituality | Awarded to a graduating student from a Wesleyan tradition who has embodied the spirit of Wesleyan spirituality at the School of Theology and/or is a promising leader in the broader Wesleyan fellowship of churches | Eric Falley, Adam McAllister |
| Doctor of Ministry Leadership | Awarded to a graduating DMin student who has provided leadership in cultivating community among DMin students and modeled the transformative leadership that is the signature of STH's DMin program | Mary Brown, Dana Gonsal |
| Pastoral Leadership | Awarded to a graduating student who has demonstrated extraordinary promise in the work of pastoral care | Amber Jogie |
Alumni Testimonials from Historic 2024 UMC General Conference
Information for this article came from The United Methodist Church’s website pages entitled “General Conference” and “General Conference News and Commentary.” Photography credits to Anastasia Kidd (STH ‘04, STH ‘18), Andrew Kimble (STH ‘19), and Emily Ling (STH ‘19). Special thanks to our alumni and current students who provided quotes.
Between April 23, 2024 and May 3, 2024 The United Methodist Church gathered in Charlotte, North Carolina for their long-anticipated 2020 General Conference. The General Conference is the highest legislative body for United Methodists and includes representatives from the worldwide Church who vote on the Church’s budget and policies related to the overall functioning, beliefs, and mission of the denomination. This quadrennium’s meeting dealt with the standard business of the Church, but also sought to address the schism within the denomination around human sexuality. Prior to and during the Conference, this debate led to the disaffiliation of many churches who are against affirming the LGBTQ+ community and then, during the Conference, the revising of UMC policy to allow for greater flourishing and inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals.
As a historical United Methodist seminary, Boston University School of Theology has a strong contingent of alums — including Bishop LaTrelle Easterling (STH ‘04), Bishop Sally Dyck (STH ‘78, CAS 76), and Bishop Deborah Kiesey (STH ‘76) — who attend and participate in the General Conference, in addition to sending a group of students to the Conference on a travel seminar.
One of these students, Kenna Bartholomew (STH ‘25), said of their experience: “Going to General Conference with my friends and peers has 
been such a blessing. As someone raised in the UMC, it's been wonderful that I've been given the opportunity to watch as our delegates make important decisions about who we want to become as a church. There's truly nothing quite like working on ordination paperwork during a break while surrounded by my Methodist family!”
BU STH hosted an alumni dinner during the conference, of which one alumna, Reverend Lauren DeLano (STH ‘16), wrote in a social media post:
“There are not enough words to express my gratitude for Boston University School of Theology and its impact on my life and ministry. Last night, BUSTH hosted an alumni dinner and seeing the faces of those who mentored and cared for me in seminary, as well as classmates, sent so many memories flooding back.
While in seminary, I learned so much about my vocation and who I am called to be as a pastoral leader. I made some of the best friends I will ever have. I always say, my undergraduate experience was formative, but when I got to STH, I realized, these are my people. This is where I was always meant to be.
I am still friends with a tight knit group of women (Amy Aub, Alyssa Baker, Amanda Cherry, Kristin Sutrave, Lyndsey Janelle Medford, Sarah Alphin) who have continued over the last eight years to nurture each other and cheer each other on as we have figured out what our calling is, as we have gotten married, made career moves and our first friend has had a baby and everything in between. These women are the best thing my seminary education gave me.
And now two of my best friends from seminary (Haley Jones Wells and Eva Englert-Jessen) are in Arkansas serving as deacons in the UMC and doing amazing work with people who are often neglected or dismissed.
Thanks to STH, I worked in the alumni and development office, strengthening my skills in networking and stewardship. I had amazing contextual education and internship opportunities at the local church and in college chaplaincy with Robin Olson. I traveled to India on a travel seminar for 10 days and after graduation (with classmates who became great friends - 
Kate Froehlich, Wes Conn and Eva). And, as an alum in 2018 I got to join a trip to England to learn about Methodism in the post-Christian world thanks to Chris Evans invitation.
If this is how BUSTH has enriched my life in the last 11 years, since I began
attending the Fall of 2013 and graduated in 2016, I cannot imagine how it will continue to make a difference in my life in the years to come. While I’d give anything to go back to three of the best years of my life, I’m grateful that other students are receiving the benefit of an education at BUSTH, a place that cares for students beyond just their academic life.”
Another STH alumna, Emily Ling (STH ‘19), shared that “My soul feels such rejuvenation after this weekend in Charlotte Thanks to the UMC General Conference being in town, I was able to attend a Boston University Alumni dinner. I appreciated meeting Dean Pak & learning about all the new developments happening at the School of Theology. And I had a truly delightful time catching up on post-seminary-life with Dean Moore & friends.”
We are grateful for all of our alumni and students who participated in this historic UMC conferencing over the past two weeks, and for the opportunity to connect with one another during this event.
Reverend Dr. Hyveth Marjorie Williams (STH ’98) Speaks at Summit on Social Consciousness Hosted by Andrews University
The following is an excerpt from the Lake Union Herald article “Andrews University hosts Race and Religion Summit” by Andrew Francis, published on March 13, 2024.
"The ninth Summit on Social Consciousness took place on Thursday, Feb. 29, and Saturday, March 2, 2024, with the theme “Race. Religion. Reflections. Andrews University: The Institutional Saga (1960–1980).”
Each of the gatherings featured a recorded interview, followed by a panel reacting to the film.
The Summit explored the theme from three perspectives: Andrews University’s female employees, past and present student groups, and the voice of Andrews’ Seminary alumnus Alvin Kibble. At each session, attendees and participants discussed the lived experiences of individuals at Andrews University in the 1960s through the 1980s.
The first segment of the Summit was titled “The Andrews Saga: Through the Eyes of Our Women.” The program centered on Hyveth Williams, PhD, DMin, who is director of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary’s Doctor of Ministry program. Williams is the first Black female pastor and female senior pastor in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
In the video screening, Williams spoke of her call to ministry and how, in response to that call, she enrolled in the Master of Divinity program at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary in 1986.
After completing her MDiv, Williams wished to further develop her skills and understanding of ministry, and therefore sought admission into the Doctor of Ministry program that the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary started in 1989. Despite being otherwise qualified, Williams was denied entrance into the program and told that it was only open to “ordained pastors who were men.” Williams then applied to and was accepted into the Boston University School of Theology doctoral program.
After completing her Doctor of Ministry and serving as a successful pastor, Williams was asked to join the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary in 2009 as a professor of homiletics. In a twist of irony and divine guidance, in 2022 Williams became the director of the Doctor of Ministry program, the same program to which she had been denied access. Williams celebrates the increase of women in Seminary and in more leadership roles in the Adventist church. "
Read the full article here.