MLFlash.org - A Meadville Lombard blog discussing seminary news and direction

In Memoriam: Rev. Dr. Robert Franke, MDiv '00, and Dr. Roy Smith, DHL '84

In recent weeks, Meadville Lombard Theological School lost two members of its wider community.

• The Rev. Robert Franke, Ph.D., MDiv '00, of Mount Pleasant, Michigan, died in Arkansas on December 27 at the age of 78. He was a minister, educator, naturalist, author, and arts supporter.
• Dr. Roy Smith, DHL '84, died on December 13 at the age of 75. He was the retired general secretary of the United Kingdom's General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches and a former president of the International Association for Religious Freedom.

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Dr. Franke came to Meadville Lombard in the mid-1990s after a career in higher education in positions at universities in both Arkansas and Michigan. 

According to an obituary written by his son David, Dr. Franke was born in Muskegon, Michigan, and took an early interest in the beauty and complexity of nature. He majored in biology. earned a doctorate in botany at the University of Texas at Austin, and later was certified as a master gardener. He taught on topics such as nature studies, human sexuality, biology, and botany.

In 1975, he and his wife, Dorothy, who survives him, published Man and His Environment, a cutting-edge textbook. He also became a university administrator, serving as provost of Central Michigan University before retiring in 1990.

After retiring and earning his masters in divinity from Meadville Lombard, Dr. Franke helped to establish the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant and served as its founding minister. Later, after choosing to relocate to an assited-living facility in Little Rock near his daughter, Sara Franke Bowling, he was abruptly evicted with the institution discovered his HIV+ status while reviewing the medical records he had submitted. With the assistance of Lamda Legal, Dr. Franke and his daughter sued the assisted-living facility and received a settlement that earned him recognition for his stand against discrimination. He was honored in 2010 at a White House conference on HIV and aging.

Services were held January 7 at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Michigan and in Arkansas. Contributions can be made to Lamda Legal. He is survived by his wife, four children, and 14 grandchildren.

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Dr. Smith treasured the doctorate of humane letters he received from Meadville Lombard in 1984 to recognize his work on behalf of British Unitarians and Unitarians around the world.

According to an obituary published this month in Impulse, the newsletter of the Festival of Unitarians in London and the South East (of England), the degree for Dr. Smith provided recognition for his academic capabilities despite having left formal schooling at the age of 16 to work in support of family finances. He was the eldest of four children in a Leicester, England, family and he went to work at a local department store to help make ends meet.

Dr. Smith was exposed to Unitarianism while serving for three years in the Royal Air Force. Around the same time, he met and married his wife, Carole.

Dr. Smith worked as deputy secretary of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches in London from 1961 to 1974. For five years after that, he worked for another organization, and then returned to the Unitarians in 1979 as general secretary. He retired from the post in 1994 and then took up the presidency of the International Association for Religious Freedom.

He had been the first non-minister to serve as general secretary, and he continued to set an example for lay leaders in retirement. Having moved 10 years ago to Ashford, a town in Kent, Dr. Smith received appointment as lay leader of The Unitarian Old Meeting House in nearby Tenterden.

During his retirement, Dr. Smith worked with special needs children and continued lifelong passions for music appreciation and watching and analyzing the cinema.

A memorial service was held on December 30. Dr. Smith is survived by his wife, two sisters, a brother, three children, eight grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

(A historical note for American and British Unitarians: The Unitarian Old Meeting House of Tenterden was built in 1695. In 1783, Dr. Benjamin Franklin worshipped at the Meeting House of Tenterden when his friend The Rev. Dr. Joseph Priestley was preaching. It was an auspicious year. Franklin was serving as an American minister to France. He had, along with John Adams and John Jay, negotiated the Treaty of Paris ending the American Revolutionary War between Britain, the United States, and the American allies of France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic. Priestley was living in Birmingham, England, and only a year earlier published An History of the Corruptions of Christianity in defense of Unitarianism; in 1783 Preistley was actively encouraging new Unitarian chapels in Britain and the United States.)

 

 

 

President Barker to Students: 'Built Upon the Work of Many Dedicated People Over the Years … We Are The Ones Making ... One of the Most Dramatic and Important Steps in the School's History'

Meadville Lombard Theological School has moved. It's now operating in its new home in the downtown Chicago Loop, having left Hyde Park behind. The task now is to get ready for students' arrival at January Convocation and intensive classes.

The school's president and professor of ministry, The Rev. Dr. Lee Barker, DMin '78, DD '01, wrote about the significance of the move to the student body last week. President Barker had just returned from a meeting in New Mexico of leaders from other seminaries, and he briefed them on Meadville Lombard's success in staying independent and moving into a new facility that is designed for the school's program.

Here is what Dr. Barker wrote to students:

Dear Meadville Lombard students,

Last week, I was in New Mexico where I had been invited to make a presentation to theological school presidents. I was invited to describe the planning and programs that led to the school’s decision to move from Hyde Park to the Loop, a move that is currently underway. Our work was universally recognized and applauded as being a significant accomplishment, not just for Meadville Lombard but for all of  theological education. In making that presentation, I was particularly mindful that our generation has not conducted all of the planning and strategizing in isolation. We have built upon the work of many dedicated people over the years. And yet, with this move, we  are the ones who are making what will turn out to be one of the most dramatic and important steps in the school's history. 

Because my commitment to be in New Mexico had long been on the calendar, I packed up my office in advance of that trip. As I did, I took my time to wander through the halls, the library  and some of the offices. I couldn't help be moved and grateful for all that the school has been and the people who have stewarded it through the years. In the last few days, our staff and faculty did exactly that same thing. They said farewell to a building that housed the formation of so many of us.

This is an important time for Meadville Lombard and I hope you will pause over the next few days to keep your school in your thoughts. Even as we look toward the future, there is much in the past for which to be grateful. May our prayers of gratitude be directed to all those who taught and learned in these buildings and to all those who have brought us to this new place of possibility. We are the grateful recipients of their work and their vision. We owe everything to them.

 In the spirit of deep appreciation,

Lee

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Below: The Hyde Park Main Building, Dr. Barker, and the new Spertus Building at 610 S. Michigan Ave. in downtown Chicago. (Click on thumbnail image to view larger image.)

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On MLK Day, Four UU Ministers to Offer Help to Divinity Students to Shape Their Visions of Multicultural and Multiracial Ministries

As part of "Catalyst for Change," the umbrella term for multicultural and multitracial program planning at Meadville Lombard Theological School, four Unitarian Universalist ministers have been invited to share their experiences with master of divinity students on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January.

The MLK Day program will give students a special opportunity to take their next step to become ministers who are able to lead churches and communities in becoming institutions that are multiracial and multicultural.

The four ministers who have agreed to assist divinity students on this significant day are:

• The Rev. Dr. Kristen Harper, DMin '99, senior minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Barnstable, Massachusetts.
• The Rev. Hope Johnson, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Central Nassau in Garden City, Long Island, New York.
• The Rev. Nancy Palmer Jones, senior minister of First Unitarian Church of San José, California.
• The Rev. Charles Blustein Ortman, MDiv '92, senior minister of The Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, New Jersey. 

 

Meadville Lombard Plans Two Dedication Ceremonies for New Building

Meadville Lombard Theological School plans two dedication ceremonies for its new quarters in the Chicago Loop at 610 South Michigan Avenue, the school's president announced.

The Rev. Dr. Lee Barker, DMin '78, DD '01, said the first ceremony will be held at the beginning of January Convocation and intensive classes right after New Year's Day. The first ceremony will be led and offered primarily for students, faculty, staff, and teaching pastors who are in residence for the convocation.

The second ceremony will be part of our alumni/ae reunion in July. This blog will post details as as plans are developed by the school and the alumni/ae association.

Seven New Trustees at Meadville Lombard: Linda Berez, James Coakley, Lauren Furst, Mark Hicks, Stephanie Mitchem, Gail Pesyna, and Susan Stenovec

Seven Unitarian Universalists have been elected to their first terms on the Board of Trustees of Meadville Lombard Theological School. Four of the new trustees were elected by the current members of the board during a meeting earlier this month. The other three were selected this year by three constituent groups each entitled to elect one member to the board.

Here are the four new members selected by the current trustees during their regular meeting this month:

• Lauren M. Furst, a certified financial planner, founder of Pathways to Wealth LLC, and a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock in Manhasset, Long Island, New York.
• Dr. Stephanie Y. Mitchem, professor and chair in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of South Carolina and former director of the university's African American Studies Program.
• Dr. Gail M. Pesyna, vice president for human resources and program management at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and a member of the Unitarian Church in Westport, Connecticut.
• Susan W. Stenovec, a nurse and volunteer leader in the local Food Bank Coalition, Democratic Party, Rotary Club, and Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, all of San Luis Obispo, California.

The three new trustees selected by constituent groups are:

• The Rev. Linda B. Berez, MDiv '06, a Unitarian Universalist minister in Raritan, New Jersey. She was elected by the Meadville Lombard Alumni/ae Association.
• James Coakley, a Meadville Lombard student, a sales planning team leader for Kimberly-Clark, and a member of the Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Appleton, Wisconsin. He was elected by the student body.
• Dr. Mark Hicks, the Angus MacLean professor of religious education and director of the Sophia Lyon Fahs Center for Religious Education at Meadville Lombard. He was elected by the faculty.

Additional information about the new trustees follows. Trustees are listed in alphabetical order.

The Rev. Linda B. Berez became a trustee by virtue of being elected the president of the school's alumni/ae association in June. She recently moved to New Jersey with her partner, The Rev. Marcia Marino, interim minister at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Somerset Hills in Somerville, New Jersey. Prior to her relocation to New Jersey, Rev. Berez was consulting minister to the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Decatur, Illinois, from 2010 to 2011. From 2007 to 2009, she was consulting minister at Lake Country Unitarian Universalist Church in Hartland, Wisconsin. Rev. Berez spent much of her life in California. She served in the U.S. Air Force and worked as a systems analyst for the University of California at San Diego prior to entering Meadville Lombard as a residential student in 2002. While living in New Jersey, she is taking steps to update her technology skills.

James Coakley was elected by Meadville Lombard students as their direct member on the seminary's Board of Trustees. Mr. Coakley lives in Appleton, Wisconsin, with his spouse and two teenage children. He graduated from St. Olaf College with a degree in economics and German. He also earned an M.B.A. from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. He has been with Kimberly-Clark for 17 years. Before that, he worked for Dayton Hudson Department Stores (now Macy's Inc.), Revlon, and Godiva. He is a bicyclist, swimmer, runner, and cook. He participates in community theater and a chorale. Raised a Lutheran, he and his family joined Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship when they moved from Minnesota to Wisconsin. He has taught religious education classes, been a coming-of-age mentor, led the Finance Committee, served on the board, and participated as a lay minister. A part-time student, he plans to finish his master of divinity degree in 2015 after retiring from Kimberly-Clark.

Lauren M. Furst was elected to the board by the board's current members. She lives in Roslyn Heights, Long Island, New York, with her spouse and son. Ms. Furst earned a B.A. in economics from the University of Chicago and an M.B.A. from Hofstra University. Her company, Pathways to Wealth, is dedicated to helping individuals and families gain control of their finances, regardless of asset levels. A lifelong Unitarian Universalist, Ms. Furst has served the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock as its president and earlier as chair of the Investment Committee, a founder of the Socially Responsible Investing Committee, a trustee, treasurer and, for 11 years, a kindergarten teacher in the religious education program. She is also a member of the board and treasurer of Sustainable Long Island, which promotes local economic development, environmental health, and social equity.

Dr. Mark Hicks, the Angus MacLean professor of religious education and director of the Sophia Lyon Fahs Center for Religious Education, was elected by the faculty to serve as the faculty representative on the Board of Trustees. He holds a doctorate in philosophy and education and a masters in higher and adult education, both from Teachers College at Columbia University in the City of New York. Before coming to Meadville Lombard, Dr. Hicks drew on his experiences a teacher, musician, university administrator, and advocate for social change to design a nationally recognized professional development degree that transforms the teaching and learning lives of public school teachers and students. The program, developed at George Mason University, is called, "Initiatives in Educational Transformation." This year, he delivered the Fahs Lecture at the 50th Unitarian Universalist General Assembly in Charlotte, challenging the UU movement as well as the field of religious education to expand conceptions of faith development to include the developmental needs of people targeted for social oppression.

Dr. Stephanie Y. Mitchem, professor and chair of religious studies at the University of South Carolina, was elected by the current members of the board. With a commitment to liberatory educational practice, Dr. Mitchem teaches contemporary theology and women's studies, emphasizing the experiences and perspectives of black women, both in the United States and in the African diaspora. Her current research interests include contemporary religious thought with emphasis on feminist and anthropological/ethnographic methodologies, women in the African diaspora, postcolonialism, class, and African American religious thought and experience. She has also served as chair of the university's African American Studies Program. She holds a doctorate in theology awarded by a joint program of Northwestern University and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. She is a contributing editor of CrossCurrents, and the author or editor of books including Faith, Health, and Healing in African American Life (co-edited with Emilie M. Townes; Praeger, 2008), African American Folk Healing (New York University Press, 2007), Name It and Claim It? Prosperity Preaching in the Black Church (Pilgrim Press, 2007), African American Women Tapping Power and Spiritual Wellness (Pilgrim Press, 2004), and Introducing Womanist Theology (Orbis Books, 2002).

Dr. Gail M. Pesyna was elected to the board by the current members of the board. At The Unitarian Church in Westport, Connecticut, Dr. Pesyna has chaired the Membership Committee and led eight canvasses. Profesionally, she is vice president for human resources and program management at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which she joined in 1996. She manages the industry studies program and shares management responsibilities in the economic institutions, behavior, and performance program. Her expertise and interests are in the areas of corporate governance, globalization, health care, and innovation. Prior to arriving at the Sloan Foundation, Dr. Pesyna spent most of her career at DuPont. She served in business and sales management, marketing, new business development, and business operations in DuPont's high-tech businesses that include pharmaceuticals, medical diagnostics, as well as printing and publishing. She also served in the federal government before and after her work at DuPont. She was a science and technology policy analyst for the House of Representatives (1975-1978), a budget examiner for the Office of Management and Budget (1978-1981), and deputy assistant secretary for management and finance in the Energy Department's Environmental Management Program (1994-1996). She has served on committees of the National Research Council, National Science Foundation, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She holds a doctorate in analytical chemistry and computer science from Cornell University and a bachelors degree from Wells College.

Susan W. Stenovec was elected to the board by current members of the board. She is a nurse and volunteer community leader of many organizations in San Luis Obispo County, California. A lifelong Unitarian Universalist, she is a trustee of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Luis Obispo County. She also serves on the board of the Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County and is a member of the county Democratic Central Committee and the Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo Daybreak. Ms. Stenovec is pleased to have been raised in the Unitarian Church in Westport, Connecticut, by her parents, Joe and Marion Wertheim.

Students, Teaching Pastors, and Teaching Congregations -- Is Meadville Lombard at Work Near You This Year?

You don't have to travel to Chicago to interact with Meadville Lombard Theological School. Your connection to theological education and formation of the next generation of liberal religious ministers may be right down the road from you.

Take a look at this map. It pinpoints the locations where 56 Meadville Lombard students are working in the 2011-12 academic year with 54 teaching pastors in 53 congregations in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

View Teaching Pastors and Congregations, 2011-12 in a full screen map. NOTE: Students are labeled as "Student A" in most locations because some locations have two students; those cases use the designations "Student A" and "Student B."

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The map above shows congregations and teaching pastors associated with several denominations, not just Unitarian Universalism. Also, ministers who are alumni/ae of many seminaries are serving as teaching pastors; their participation widens the community and perspectives of Meadville Lombard. (Only 17 of the 54 teaching pastors are Meadville Lombard alumni/ae; the rest are not. Teaching pastors who are alumni/ae are identified in the map information with their degree and class year.)

The contributions made to the future of liberal religion from the heartfelt investments of time and wisdom by teaching pastors and teaching congregations cannot be overstated.

How to use this map?

Invitation to Alumni/ae, Ministers, DREs, and Congregational Leaders: Join Dr. Mark Hicks in the New Course, 'Multicultural Congregations as an Act of Faith'

Here's an invitation for alumni/ae, ministers, religious education directors, and lay congregational leaders.

Consider traveling to Washington, D.C., in February to join in the inaugural presentation of Dr. Mark Hicks' new course, "Multicultural Congregations as an Act of Faith."

The course will be offered from Sunday, February 12, 2012, through the morning of Friday, February 17, 2012, at the historic urban, multiracial, and multicultural congregation of All Souls Church (Unitarian) in Washington, and the suburban Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, Virginia.

From the course description posted at meadville.edu:

In a world where "race" and culture matter, sustaining an intentional community of faith is neither easy nor accidental. This course looks at the work of building a multi-racial, multicultural congregation through the lens of faith development, specifically, how to respond thoughtfully and systematically to the cognitive, cultural and emotional dynamics of "growing souls" in a cross-cultural context. Said another way: how can a congregational setting be transformed into a multi-racial, multicultural and theologically diverse (TD) learning community poised to meet the spiritual and justice demands of the 21st century?

Set in the historic multi-racial/multicultural congregation of All Souls Church, Unitarian in Washington, DC and the UU Church of Arlington, Virginia, students will explore the dynamics of an urban and suburban UU congregation by a) experiencing worship and religious education as an engine for faith development; b) connecting the racial history of a congregation with current vision and practices; c) gaining first-person insights on the dynamics of leadership in a MR/MC/TD congregation, d) exploring models of faith development and organizational change in the context of MR/MC work; and e) connecting the learners personal history to the work of leadership in a MR/MC congregation.

The course may be attended for as little as $250, but this depends on the status of the student and requirements for the course to appear on an official transcript. Students are required to make their own housing and transportation arrangements.

Meadville Lombard New Home Preview: What It's Like to be In a Classroom

On Friday, November 4, 2011, the Board of Trustees, administration, faculty, and staff of Meadville Lombard Theological School took a tour of the school's new home at 610 South Michigan Avenue in Chicago. The building, which opened in 2007 to architectural acclaim, was developed by the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies. Meadville Lombard will be a long-term tenant inside the Spertus building.

The move to 610 South Michigan Avenue will take place on December 12, 2011. Between now and then, the school's offices and gathering spaces on the sixth floor will be built out to the school's specifications, and the existing library will be prepared to accept the addition of Meadville Lombard's Wiggin Library collection, which will be operated side-by-side with Spertus' Asher Library.

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Members of the November 4, 2011, tour were able to visit classrooms only briefly as some Spertus classes were in session. In the photo below, The Rev. Dr. Qiyamah Rahman, MDiv '08, director of contextual ministry and senior lecturer, checks out the high-tech lectern in one classroom.

More about the November 4, 2011, tour of 610 South Michigan Avenue.

 

Meadville Lombard New Home Preview: Looking In at the New Wiggin Library Space

On Friday, November 4, 2011, the Board of Trustees, administration, faculty, and staff of Meadville Lombard Theological School took a tour of the school's new home at 610 South Michigan Avenue in Chicago. The building, which opened in 2007 to architectural acclaim, was developed by the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies. Meadville Lombard will be a long-term tenant inside the Spertus building.

The move to 610 South Michigan Avenue will take place on December 12, 2011. Between now and then, the school's offices and gathering spaces on the sixth floor will be built out to the school's specifications, and the existing library will be prepared to accept the addition of Meadville Lombard's Wiggin Library collection, which will be operated side-by-side with Spertus' Asher Library.

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Library Dean Rev. Dr. Neil Gerdes was eager to review the library space. Making use of high-tech compression shelving, the facility will have space for Meadville Lombard's collection of Unitarian Universalist and liberal religion books and materials. The library has large study spaces and lots of natural light. At the end of the library tour, Dr. Gerdes and Library Assistant Eric Biddy appear appropriately pleased.

Click on thumbnail photos along the top row of the slide show to select photos. Click on the photo itself to open the original photo shown at full size in a separate tab or window.

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Some photos courtesy of Spertus Institute.

More about the November 4, 2011, tour of 610 South Michigan Avenue.

 

Meadville Lombard New Home Preview: Flexible Assembly Space for January Convocation

On Friday, November 4, 2011, the Board of Trustees, administration, faculty, and staff of Meadville Lombard Theological School took a tour of the school's new home at 610 South Michigan Avenue in Chicago. The building, which opened in 2007 to architectural acclaim, was developed by the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies. Meadville Lombard will be a long-term tenant inside the Spertus building.

The move to 610 South Michigan Avenue will take place on December 12, 2011. Between now and then, the school's offices and gathering spaces on the sixth floor will be built out to the school's specifications, and the existing library will be prepared to accept the addition of Meadville Lombard's Wiggin Library collection, which will be operated side-by-side with Spertus' Asher Library.

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On the ninth floor, Tina Porter, senior director for student services and communications, showed others on the tour how the assembly space might be used for January Convocation. Also on the ninth floor, the Meadville Lombard visitors found an overlook into the library, one floor below.

Click on thumbnail photos along the top row of the slide show to select photos. Click on the photo itself to open the original photo shown at full size in a separate tab or window.

 

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More about the November 4, 2011, tour of 610 South Michigan Avenue.