Alumni News
Seeking in the Company of Others – The Wisdom of Group Spiritual Direction by Dr. Roslyn G. Weiner (STH’01,’03)
“Seeking in the Company of Others – The Wisdom of Group Spiritual Direction”, written by spiritual director and psychologist Roslyn G. Weiner. With over eighteen years of experience facilitating groups in spiritual direction, dr. Weiner brings a warm, creative, and practical approach to one of the key aspects of our contemplative calling and it will complement any spiritual director's bookshelf.
“Spirituality is a deeply intimate, personal journey. Yet we benefit so much from companions on the way, others who seek the holy, who desire to live more authentically, who long for justice, who seek to repair and heal the world around them in some small way. In this book, Roslyn Weiner offers us the fruit of nearly two decades of practice in group spiritual direction.”
—Dr. Claire Wolfteich, Boston University
Roslyn G. Weiner, PhD, STM, a seasoned spiritual director and psychologist, conveys passion for the practice of spiritual direction through writing and teaching, rooted in listening for the sacred whispering within her soul and the souls of those who invite her to witness their seeking. She earned a PhD in psychology from Yale University and an STM degree from the School of Theology, Boston University.
Prof. Shively Smith Quoted in Religion News Service Article about New NRSV English Translation
The following is an excerpt from the article “New Revised Standard Version Bible updated with consideration for ‘modern sensibilities’” by Adelle M. Banks, published on November 17, 2021 by Religion News Service. Click here to read the full article. Prof. Smith’s profile can be found here.
Shively T.J. Smith, a New Testament assistant professor at Boston University School of Theology who edited 1-3 John for the project, said she appreciated the range of voices that were heard and considered as the updated edition took shape.
“The NRSVue is an updated English translation that listened broadly and closely to a variety of faith-based constituencies, reading the Bible in our current times,” said Smith, who worked with focus groups and discussed the updated edition with African Methodist Episcopal Church bishops and students in her classroom.
“It attempts to reverse the historic trend in translation history from the 19th and 20th centuries in which some Christian communities and scholars of the Bible were historically excluded from the translation endeavors of our English Bibles.”
BUSTH Announces Faculty Publications for November 2021
The School of Theology is pleased to announce the following faculty publications for the month of November 2021:
- Jonathan Calvillo
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“Sustaining Borderlands Traditions in a Latinx Pentecostal Church,” in City of Dreams: Los Angeles as a Cradle for Religious Activism, Innovation, and Diversity, edited by Richard Flory and Diane Winston. New York: Routledge Press.
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- David Schnasa Jacobsen
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“Second Sunday after Pentecost.” Working Preacher. June 6, 2021.
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“Third Sunday after Pentecost.” Working Preacher. June 13, 2021.
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“Fourth Sunday after Pentecost.” Working Preacher. June 20, 2021.
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“Fifth Sunday after Pentecost.” Working Preacher. June 27, 2021.
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“There Was a Man Who Had Two Sons,” Consensus: Vol. 41 : Iss. 1, Article 16. 2020.
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Karen Bray, Grave Attending: A Political Theology of the Unredeemed: Fordham University Press, 2020. Homiletic, 45(1). 2020.
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Joseph Evans, The Art of Eloquence: The Sacred Rhetoric of Gardner C. Taylor: Judson Press, 2020. Homiletic 45 (2):97-98. 2020.
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George Buttrick and Charles N. Davidson, ed., George Buttrick’s Guide to Preaching the Gospel, Abingdon, 2020. Homiletic 46 (1):110. 2021.
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- Steven Sandage
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Katie M. Heiden-Rootes, Katelyn O. Coburn, Steven J. Sandage & Eugene L. Hall (2021). Minority Stress & Mental Health for Sexual Minority Adults from Religious Families: the Role of Religious Coping, International Journal of Systemic Therapy, DOI: 10.1080/2692398X.2021.1984125
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Endorsement
- Nimi Wariboko
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The Worldview of the Word of Faith Movement: Eden Redeemed, Mikael Stenhammar.
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BUSTH Appoints Rev. Dr. Anastasia Kidd as Co-Director of Contextual Education
November 2021 – Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) is pleased to announce the promotion of Rev. Dr. Anastasia Kidd as Co-Director of Contextual Education, effective immediately. Rev. Dr. Kidd has served BUSTH for the past 17 years in the admissions office, most recently as the Director of Enrollment. This new appointment will focus Rev. Dr. Kidd’s scholarship and work more squarely on our academic programs and on assisting students with vocational discernment as she co-superintends this area of BUSTH’s curriculum with Dr. Wanda Stahl.
Rev. Dr. Kidd joined the BUSTH community in fall of 2001 when she began her Master of Divinity program. In 2018, she earned a Doctor of Ministry with a thesis that explored how seminaries can better support seminarians experiencing crises of faith during their theological education. This academic scholarship will continue to prove vital in this new position.
“Because of Anna’s leadership, our enrollments have steadily climbed over the past decade even as enrollments at other schools have declined or those schools have had to close their doors,” says Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Bryan Stone. “Our superb admissions staff Gretchen Brown and Mahalia Damm will continue to anchor this important recruitment work as we launch a search for the Director of Enrollment position.”
Says Rev. Dr. Kidd, “This promotion into contextual education is a dream job, allowing me to emphasize what I’ve most enjoyed from my years of admissions work, namely helping students with their vocational discernment. I’m grateful to the deans for their faith in me to do this work going forward and can’t wait to get started! I leave my 17 years in admissions feeling both excitement and some sadness. This has been work I’ve truly loved, and it’s difficult to leave the day-to-day fellowship of the wonderful Suite 108 Student Services team. I look forward to what this new stage in my professional journey will bring.”
The open Director of Enrollment position is posted on the Boston University careers website and is now accepting applications.
Ambiguous Parables: Poems and Prose of Loss and Renewal by Rev. Ted W. Bowman (STH’68)
The collected prose and poetic pages herein are the voice of a man seeking greater comfort with ambiguity. What seems to be is not always what is. A life-long quest has been to find words – the words of others through conversations, poetry, song lyrics, fiction, non-fiction, scriptures – and/or my own words – to acknowledge and address ambiguous experiences. To find, years ago, these lines in James Baldwin’ s Another Country, resonated and affirmed my quest. “…one is never what one seems — never — and yet, what one seems to be is probably, in some sense, almost exactly what one is”
Click to read More about Ted.
United States residents, a printable order form (PDF) is available here bowman-books-order-form-2.
Rev. Eleanor C. Cresson (STH’84, SSW’84)
Eleanor Cresson of Hatfield, Massachusetts, passed away on September 25, 2021, after a long illness. She was 68 years old. She was born in New York City, grew up in Summit, New Jersey and graduated with a B.A. in English from Ithaca College. She later received a Master of Divinity and a Master of Social Work from Boston University and was ordained as a minister in the United Methodist Church (New York Annual Conference), serving as Associate Pastor in Poughkeepsie, New York and Senior Pastor in Naugatuck, Connecticut. Eleanor then ran a hospice program, and then worked for many years as a greatly respected substance abuse counselor at Cooley Dickinson Hospital and Clinical and Support Options, a non-profit community mental health agency in Northampton, Massachusetts.
She was an avid outdoor enthusiast. Hiking, camping, canoeing and kayaking were some of her favorite activities. She was an "Adirondack 46er," climbing the 46 peaks in the Adirondack Mountains that are more than 4,600 feet tall. She was active in Women Outdoors. In addition, she also enjoyed contradance and was active with Rainbow Contradance of Western Massachusetts. Eleanor loved classical music concerts and was a devoted choral singer, singing soprano for many years in the Hampshire Choral Society.
She is predeceased by her parents, Francis Cresson, Jr. and Ruth Cresson, and is survived by her brother, Doug Cresson and his wife, Pat Hill Cresson, her brother Fred Cresson and his wife, Cathy Cresson, and her nephews Eric Cresson, Matthew Cresson and Luke Cresson.
Eleanor joyfully participated in a living celebration of her life in August at which her family and friends shared stories, photos and songs. She will be missed by her many loving and loyal friends and extended family. A memorial service is planned for the Spring.
Rev. Norman G. Callaway (STH’53)
Norman was born in Chicago, IL. and spent his boyhood years in Illinois and Nebraska. He moved with his family to Red Bluff, CA. in 1939. He attended and graduated from Red Bluff Union High School in 1944, and shortly thereafter enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served in the Signal Corps as a cryptographer (codes and ciphers) and spent the majority of his Army tour at the Pentagon. He graduated from Stanford University, a psychology major, in 1950 planning for a career in psychiatry. Then led by the Holy Spirit he enrolled in seminary at Boston University School of Theology where he graduated in 1953 with a M.A. in Sacred Theology.
On April 2, 1950, one week after graduation from Stanford, Norman married Ardith Schrepel in San Diego. They were married for 69 years. They had four children, Susan (Glenn) Ogawa, Ellen (Edward) Cundiff, Stephen (Joan) Callaway, and Carol (Paul) Head. Eight grandchildren, now grown, were affectionately and collectively known as 'the Great Eight.' He was a great-grandfather to six adored great-grandchildren.
Rev. Callaway was ordained in the California-Nevada Conference of the Methodist Church in 1954 and served 40 years as a UM church pastor in northern California. Congregation members remember his depth of his pastoral care, the wideness and forwardness of his thinking, and the contagious energy he brought to his work. He gave leadership to the larger church on conference, regional, and national committees. Post-graduate study at various seminaries kept him apprised of new discoveries and thrusts in the field of theology. He and his late wife Ardith moved to Woodland at his retirement. Norman was a member of many groups in Woodland and Yolo County. He volunteered with Friends of the Woodland Public Library for many years; he wrote a weekly book review for "Friends" published in the Woodland Daily Democrat. His contributions of new books to the Woodland Library have been commemorated with a bookplate that bears his name and features his signature bow-ties. He served on the Yolo County Grand Jury in the 1990s and on the Board of Yolo County Historical Society. He termed out after 12 years on the Board of the Yolo County Food Bank. He was a Volunteer Chaplain at Woodland Memorial Hospital and a member of its Ethics Committee. He and Ardith were faithful participants in the monthly Peace Vigil at the old Courthouse and were active in the Woodland United Methodist Church.
The celebration of his life will be held at the Woodland United Methodist Church on Saturday November 13, 2021, at 2 p.m. It will be live streamed from the church's YouTube page. Memorial gifts may be made to the Yolo Food Bank, the Yolo Diaper Bank, or United Methodist Committee on Relief (advance.umcor.org).
Dr. Charles H. Moore (STH’58, GRS’69)
Unknown original source. Please be in touch with us to be credited at sthalum@bu.edu.
Obituary for Charles Moore, 88 (January 28,1933 To October 18,2021)
Visitation Funeral Services Memorial Service 1 PM, November 27, 2021 at Fayette First Christian Church Interment Private Memorials Alzheimer's Research in care of Friemonth-Freese Funeral Service, 174 Hwy 5 & 240 N Fayette, MO 65248
Charles H. Moore (1933-2021) Long time Fayette Resident, Charlie Moore passed away on October 18th, 2021. Born in 1933, he would have turned 89 in January.
He graduated from Roosevelt High School in St. Louis, MO in 1951. He attended Central Methodist College in Fayette graduating in 1955. He also met Willa Dean (Brown) at Central and they were married August 14th, 1955. While at Central he served as pastor for several small churches in North Central Missouri, including Callao, from 1952-1955.
From there he attended post graduate studies at Boston University earning a Masters in Theology and a PHD in Social Ethics. During this time, he also teamed up with a fellow seminary student to fish and lobster commercially in the North Atlantic and they also provided a charter sailing service in which Willa was part of the charter crew. This work resulted in many adventures, not the least of which was the sinking of their fishing boat and gear in 1958, miles off shore, during a late December Storm. He also owned a Mobile Oil gas station in Brookline, MA during 1957-1959 In the early 60's, they moved to Chesterfield, New Hampshire where Charlie served as a circuit Minister in several small communities. He also served as a Volunteer Fire fighter in the mid 60's, he accepted a position teaching at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa.
During his tenure in Sioux City he also learned to fly at Martin field in South Sioux City, Nebraska, earning a commercial pilot rating. He also administered the head-start program in in the north-central plain states for a couple of years and in support of that program, conducted many a flight into Native American Reservations and other remote areas, using a field or pasture to land when a runway wasn't available Charlie returned to Fayette in the late 60's to head up the Sociology Department at Central. He and Willa purchased a farm located between Fayette and Glasgow where they raised Angus cattle, alfalfa, the odd horse (or two) and kids, not necessarily in that order. Growing up, the kids were told: "after you learn to ride, then we'll talk about a bridle and saddle " After getting out of the cattle business, he planted thousands of hardwoods across the farm, which are still growing today He was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to teach at the University of Sokoto in Nigeria in the early 1980's. After leaving Central, Charles and Willa worked and taught in Taiwan and Japan in support of various Higher Education programs in the late 80' and throughout the 90'sAfter retirement, Charlie and Willa led numerous volunteer mission trips to Central and South America, often accompanied by other Howard County volunteers.
Charlie and Willa loved sailing on Mark Twain Lake and were active in the Mark Twain Lake Sailing Association for many years. He enjoyed racing and served one year as the association Commodore. He is preceded in death by Willa and his younger brother, Lionel (Moore). They have three Children, Ivan (Stephanie Rasche), Jean (Larry Monnig), and Alan (Sharon Cromer), 6 wonderful granddaughters and two great grandchildren.
Memorial services are planned for November 27th at Fayette First Christian Church at 1:00pm. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, any memorials be directed to Alzheimer research.
Rev. Linwood Blizzard’s (STH’17,’19) Statement on 99th District Delegate Campaign
Statement courtesy of Rev. Linwood Blizzard.
Friends,
Eight months ago, I announced my intention to run for the House of Delegates here in the 99th district. I didn’t seek public office to advance my career, or to fulfill a personal agenda. I ran because I believed in a simple declaration, the opening words in our nation’s constitution: We The People.
I’ve spent the past eight months centering my campaign around those words. I championed issues that touch all of our lives here in the Northern Neck - jobs, education, infrastructure, and access to high-speed broadband. These are not partisan issues, or frivolous topics that pit red versus blue. My campaign was about people, not politics, and I’m extraordinarily proud of what we accomplished.
Tonight, we came up short, and I want to congratulate Delegate Margaret Ransone on her re-election. I pray for her success and hope that she listens to the voices of those who’ve been left out of the political process for too long.
While this campaign may have concluded, I’m proud that we’ve brought countless Northern Neck residents into the democratic process for the first time. We built this movement by knocking doors, by constantly showing up in forgotten communities, and by focusing on real issues.
Rural Virginia has been ignored for too long. To build an economy and a democracy that works for everyone, we must invest in areas that my party has often looked down upon, or outright ridiculed. To bring real change to my community and others like mine, we must move past a politics that incentivizes hatred and fear of the other side. I ran to bring people together, and I intend to continue that mission in whatever capacity my future holds. Whether my name is on the ballot or not, I will fight for this region, and We The People will continue to strive for real change.
To those who supported my campaign, and especially to my wife and three children, I cannot express what your work and patience has meant to me. To those who did not support me in this election, know that I will continue to pray for and with you and fight for your interests with all that I have.
With immense gratitude,
Mr. James L. Hickey (STH’70)
The obituary was originally published by Boston Globe from Oct. 27 to Oct. 31, 2021 and can be found here.
HICKEY, James Leo Age 85 of West Roxbury, passed away October 22, 2021. Born in Boston, February 12, 1936. Jim was the devoted husband of the late Claire Ryan Hickey and the beloved dad of Maureen Hickey and her husband Jeremy Kamm of Roslindale and Kathleen Hickey and her husband Alfonso Pruneda Fuentes of West Roxbury.
For nearly five decades, Jim drew strength from his loving relationship with his wife, Claire, and together they leave a legacy of love, generosity, and kindness. Jim was the second son of the late William J. and Catherine A. Hickey. He was a cherished brother to the late William J. Hickey, Jr., Patricia A. Leger, Kathleen D. Hickey, and Mary Ellen Sullivan. Jim was an adoring Papa to Colin, Nora, Claire, and Rafael, and he delighted in playing, reading, and spending time with them. A loving uncle to many nieces and nephews, especially his nephew James L. Hickey, with whom he had a wonderful relationship. Jim enjoyed supporting and celebrating his family members, and especially his daughters, through all of life's experiences. Jim graduated from Boston College High School, and he earned degrees from St. John's Seminary and Boston University. He spent about a decade as a priest, during which time he met lifelong friends, built community, and supported people in need. After leaving the ministry, Jim served as Dean of Student Affairs at Boston University, a role that allowed him to blend his interest in advising students and his leadership skills. During the final two decades of Jim's work life, he transitioned to roles in public service as Chief Administrative Officer and later Commissioner of Public Works for the City of Newton. After retirement, Jim and Claire spent fifteen wonderful years enjoying sunshine and great friends on St. Croix, the island they visited on their honeymoon. Jim was naturally charismatic, and he fostered strong, positive relationships throughout his life. He greeted life with a bright smile, a commitment to justice, and a desire to help others. He was equally enthusiastic singing songs at a party, telling a story at a family meal, or engaging in civic initiatives. He enjoyed creating warm and inviting spaces to gather with family and friends, so he took great pride in maintaining his home and gardens.
Jim had a deep respect for the natural world; in lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to The Nature Conservancy, www.nature.org Funeral from the Robert J. Lawler & Crosby Funeral Home, 1803 Centre St., WEST ROXBURY on Friday, November 5, at 9:30 am. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in St. John Chrysostom Church, 4750 Washington Street, West Roxbury on Friday, at 10 am. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. Visiting Hour in the funeral home Friday morning from 8:30 to 9:30 am. Interment Forest Hills Cemetery. www.lawlerfuneralhome.com Lawler & Crosby Funeral Home 617-323-5600