Pittsburgh Theological Seminary will celebrate its 216th commencement activities Fri., June 1 at 7:00 p.m. at East Liberty Presbyterian Church. The Service of Thanksgiving will be held Thurs., May 31 at 6:00 p.m. in the Seminary’s Hicks Memorial Chapel.
Anticipated graduates include 84 total with the following students receiving degrees—43 Master of Divinity (including one Master of Divinity/Master of Juris Doctor joint degree with Duquesne University), 11 Master of Arts, three Master of Sacred Theology, and 27 Doctor of Ministry. Additionally, one student has completed the University of Pittsburgh’s Ph.D. program.
The Rev. Dr. Robert M. Franklin, president of Morehouse College, will be the Commencement speaker. The Rev. Dr. Susan Kendall, director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at PTS, will preach the Service of Thanksgiving sermon.
Franklin is the 10th president of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga. Previously he served as the presidential distinguished professor of social ethics at Candler School of Theology, Emory University, and president of the Interdenominational Theological Center, both in Atlanta. He also served as a program officer in the Human Rights and Social Justice Program at the Ford Foundation. He has provided commentaries for National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” and televised commentary for Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasting. Franklin is the author of three books, Crisis in the Village: Restoring Hope in African American Communities (2007), Another Day’s Journey: Black Churches Confronting the American Crisis (1997), and Liberating Visions: Human Fulfillment and Social Justice in African American Thought (1989).
Kendall is the director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at the Seminary. She has served churches in Germany, Japan, Oregon, California, McLean, Va., Rockville, Md., and Washington, DC. Currently she serves as a parish associate at Lewinsville Presbyterian Church in McLean, Va. She has been an editor/writer, lobbyist, and office manager and director of proposal writing for Development Associates in Washington, DC. Kendall is a member of the American Academy of Religion and a member-at-large of the National Capital Presbytery, Washington, DC. She is part of the MidAtlantic Consultation on the Doctor of Ministry Degree. In addition, she is completing a book about her experiences in Pittsburgh titled Hunting for Jesus in Pittsburgh: Finding New Faith.
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is a graduate professional institution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). Founded in 1794, the Seminary is located in Pittsburgh, Pa. and approximately 310 students are enrolled yearly in the degree programs. The Seminary prepares leaders who proclaim with great joy God’s message of good news in both word and deed. PTS is rooted in the Reformed history of faithfulness to Scripture and commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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