Degrees conferred on largest graduating class in Moravian's 202 year history

Bishop William Willimon awarded Honorary Doctorate

Commencement ceremonies marking the conclusion of the 202nd academic year of Moravian Theological Seminary were held on Saturday, May 16, 2009 in Central Moravian Church. Twenty-seven students received degrees and certificates, making this year's class the largest in the Seminary's history.

Two students from Winston-Salem, NC, received the Certificate in Theological Studies: James William Demby and Nola Reed Knouse, who graduated with magna cum laude honors.

In preparation for work in professional ministry, fifteen students were awarded the Master of Divinity: Matthew James Gillard (Bethlehem, PA), Jodie L. Lean Harney (Bethlehem, PA), Debra K Hess (Nazareth, PA), Trina Holmberg (Edmonton, AB), Kevin Lee Kinsey (Wilmington, DE), Margaret M. Knapich (Clifford, PA), Christie Ellen Melby-Gibbons magna cum laude(Elkport, IA), Ruth Allen Mosher (Fogelsville, PA), Michele Ann O'Connell cum laude (Bethlehem, PA), Shanti Kumar Pradhan (Kathmandu, Nepal), Vani Pradhan (Kathmandu, Nepal), Eric Dean Renner (New Philadelphia, OH), Catherine A. Strouse cum laude(Kunkletown, PA), Lori Lynn Van Keuren (Andes, NY), and Joshua R. Viste (Sturgeon Bay, WI).

Six students from eastern Pennsylvania received the Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling. Prepared to serve as professional pastoral counselors are Chrislyn Elise Echols (Reading, PA), Dody Star Freed (Nazareth, PA), Susan Marie Hanson magna cum laude (Chester Springs, PA), Kathryn Elise Renner (Bechtelsville, PA), Linda Susan Staples cum laude (Pottsville, PA), and Pamela M. Ware cum laude(Hilltown Township, PA).

The degree of Master of Arts in Theological Studies was conferred upon four students who will serve in a variety theological settings: James J. Darcy (Allentown, PA), Jill Ann Kolodziej (Sturgeon Bay, WI), Nicole R. Melara (Shawnee-on-Delaware, PA), and Jan Musser (Port Trevarton, PA).

Selected by her classmates, Vani Pradhan presented the Senior Address. A candidate for ministry in the Moravian Church, Vani, her husband Shanti, and their son will return to their church in Nepal, where she will be the first woman in the country to be ordained in the Moravian Church.

In honor of his upcoming retirement, senior faculty member Rev. Dr. Glenn Asquith, professor of pastoral theology, presented the Commencement Address entitled “Our Faith Narrative” (Read the speech here). Dr. Asquith retires this summer after 31 years of teaching at the Seminary.  During his tenure he shepherded and shaped the Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling program from its beginning in the early 1980s, a program that has enriched the vitality of the Seminary’s life, increased the diversity of perspectives in the classroom, and ministered to countless lives through the graduates of the Seminary.  He was also instrumental in developing two dual degree programs with Marywood University in Scranton—the MDiv-MSW and the MAPC-MSW. Most recently, his leadership supported the development of the new graduate certificate in Formative Spirituality. His legacy to the field of Pastoral Counseling includes a four year term as co-editor of The Journal of Pastoral Theology and serving as one of the editors of a standard reference in the field, The Dictionary of Pastoral Care and Counseling.

An Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree was conferred upon Bishop William H. Willimon, Presiding Bishop of the Birmingham Area, North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church. After his ordination as a United Methodist pastor in 1971 he served congregations in Georgia and South Carolina until 1976 when he accepted the position of Assistant Professor of Liturgy and Worship at Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina. One of the youngest professors in the history of the Divinity School, he taught there until he returned to the parish ministry in 1980.

Again called to the teaching ministry, he returned to Duke University in 1984 where he served as Professor of Christian Ministry. In 1989 was named Presiding Minister in the Duke Divinity School Chapel (1989-2004). Since his election in 2004 as Bishop of the Birmingham Area, North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church, he has led the 157,000 Methodists and 792 pastors in northern Alabama.

Touching lives in the classroom and in lecture halls, Dr. Willimon’s impact on pastors, religious leaders, and congregational life grows exponentially when considering the influence of his publications. A prolific writer, he is the author of nearly sixty books. His Worship as Pastoral Care was selected as one of the ten most useful books for pastors in 1979 by the Academy of Parish Clergy. Over a million copies of his books have been sold. In 1996, an international survey conducted by Baylor University named him one of the Twelve Most Effective Preachers in the English-speaking world. His books have been translated into eight languages.

He is author of over 600 articles that have appeared in a variety of leading ministry publications including The Christian Ministry, Quarterly Review, Liturgy, Worship, and Christianity Today. He is Editor-at-Large for The Christian Century. He has served as Editor and Expositor (with his wife, Patricia) for Abingdon’s International Lesson Annual. He has written curriculum materials and video for youth, young adults, and adults. His Pulpit Resource is used each week by over eight thousand pastors in the USA, Canada, and Australia. A 2005 study by the Pulpit and Pew Research Center found that Bishop Willimon is the second most widely read author by mainline Protestant pastors.