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Bexley's Newest Alums
Commencement on May 19

Standing:  2012 Bexley graduates (l-r) Marie Mulford, Lisa O'Rear-Lassen, Shaun LaDuc, Jon White and Mike Petrochuk
Seated:  Bexley faculty (l-r) Elise Feyerherm, Tom Ferguson, Jason Fout

In This Issue
Commencement
2012 Graduates
General Convention
Bexley Day: James Cone
Ferlo Elected President
Annual Fund

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Spotlight on 2012 Graduates 

  

Shaun LaDuc plans to travel around the Midwest for a month following graduation. On July 1 he starts full-time ministry at  St. Michael's Episcopal Church, Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan. He expects to be ordained to the diaconate December 8 and ordained to the priesthood in June 2013. His sponsoring diocese is the Diocese of Michigan. Of his experience at Bexley, he said "It was an ideal place to be. I couldn't imagine myself anywhere else."

 

  

  

Marie L. Mulford will continue to serve as pastor to St. John's Episcopal Church in Ripley, West Virginia and Grace Episcopal Church in Ravenswood, West Virginia. She was ordained a deacon in 2002 and a priest in 2003. She was a previously a teacher of students with multiple disabilities but retired to become a full-time priest and to pursue an MDiv at Bexley. "My time at Bexley Hall was enriching, energizing and provided an in-depth compliment to my previous ministry training. I hope to enrich the lives of those I serve by sharing the knowledge, leadership and spirituality that I have experienced at Bexley Hall and Trinity Lutheran." While at Bexley, Marie received the inaugural Philander Chase Award for Leadership and Service.  

 

Lisa O'Rear-Lassen lives in Bay Village, Ohio, and was sponsored by the Diocese of Ohio. After graduation she will be ordained to the transitional diaconate on June 9, 2012. A licensed attorney, she expects "to be bi-vocational, serve a short-term curacy until the New Year, then seek to serve a community of faith that is seeking to live into what it means to be Christ's Body in the midst of a changing world. I have a particular interest in emerging church and material Christianity." Lisa has a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis and a BA in political science from DePauw University.

  

Michael A. Petrochuk says he is called to a bi-vocational ministry. He expects to serve a small parish part-time while he maintains his position as a college professor. He is director of the MBA program and professor of marketing and healthcare management in The DeVille School of Business at Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio. Because he went to seminary part-time, it took about six years to earn his MDiv from Bexley Hall. He also has a doctorate in business administration from Cleveland State and a master's in healthcare administration from Xavier University. He describes the six years he attended Bexley part-time as "a wonderful experience. Bexley's commitment to theological education and spiritual formation are a key strength." His sponsoring parish was St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Akron, in the Diocese of Ohio.

  

Jon White was sponsored by the Diocese of Oregon, and he will be ordained June 23 at St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church, Portland, which was his sponsoring parish. After graduation he will begin serving as Deacon in Charge at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Beckley, West Virginia. While at seminary he served as Bexley Society President for two years and was a student representative on the seminary's board of trustees. He was also a preaching teaching assistant and the sacristan for Trinity Lutheran Seminary. He has been nominated for the David H.C. Reading Preaching/Scholar award, given by Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church and he received the Howard Weaver & G. David White award for academic excellence from Bexley Hall. Prior to seminary, he was an engineer at Intel Corp in Hillsboro, Oregon.


General Convention Seminary Night
Join us on July 10 in Indianapolis
 


Join Bexley and Seabury in Indianapolis on Tuesday, July 10 at 7 pm at the JW Marriott Hotel, 10 S. West Street, to meet our new president, Roger Ferlo, and learn about our new federation.

Register now for good conversation, a large selection of hot and cold appetizers, and cold drinks.

Questions? Contact Lynn Bowers via email or at 773-380-6786.  

 

While you're at General Convention, please visit us at booth #318. 


Bexley and Trinity Days 2012   

Bexley Day on September 26; Theologian James Cone on September 27   

 

Plan now to visit campus on September 26-27 for Bexley and Trinity Days. Our guest speaker on September 27 will be Professor James H. Cone, the founder of black liberation theology. He will deliver two lectures:  "A Reflection on the Writing of The Cross and the Lynching Tree" and "'Let Justice Roll': A Reflection on the Life and Ministry of Martin Luther King Jr." Learn more.

Professor Cone is the Charles A. Briggs Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology at Union Theological Seminary. An ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, he holds a Master of Divinity degree from Garrett Theological Seminary and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Northwestern University. Dr. Cone has been conferred thirteen honorary degrees, including an honoris causa from the Institut Protestant de Th�ologie in Paris, France.

Dr. Cone is the author of Black Theology & Black Power, A Black Theology of Liberation, God of the Oppressed, and Martin & Malcolm & America: A Dream or a Nightmare?. His most recent book is titled The Cross and the Lynching Tree; it received the 2012 Nautilus Silver Award in Religion/Spirituality-Western Traditions.

On September 26, the Bexley Alumni Association will hold a luncheon panel discussion on "The Future of Theological Education in the 21st Century" and a question and answer session with President Roger Ferlo. Alums will gather for dinner that evening.

Watch future issues of Bexley Cross for more details and registration.  

Roger Ferlo Elected President   

Bexley and Seabury Federate 

 

On March 27, the leaders of Seabury and Bexley Hall announced that the boards of the two seminaries have unanimously voted to federate and to elect the Rev. Roger Albert Ferlo, Ph.D., D.D., as the Federation's first president.

"Last fall, when we embarked on the search that led us to Roger, we asked ourselves what kind of leaders the Episcopal Church needs for the 21st century," they wrote. "Roger embodies our ideal, and we are eager for him to lead the formation of our next generation of students."

Read the letter from the Rt. Rev. W. Michie Klusmeyer and the Rev. Dr. Gwynne Wright and the Episcopal News Service story.


Professor Fout on New Urbanism  

Episcopal News Service Commentary Advocates Walkable Neighborhoods

 

On April 20, the Episcopal News Service published a commentary by Professor Jason Fout

 

"In my position at Bexley Hall, I teach theology, ethics and liturgics. I also teach a class on The New Urbanism and urban design. When I talk with people about what I do, it is that last area that elicits the most quizzical looks; occasionally someone will be bold enough to ask what it has to do with the church. 

 

"It's a good question."

 

Read the entire commentary


Give to the Annual Fund

Student Association President Asks for Support Before June 30       

 

Dear Friends:

 

As president of the student body at Bexley Hall, I want to ask that you consider giving to help Bexley continue preparing students for Christian ministry in a pluralistic world.

 

I've been blessed to see firsthand Bexley's intimate, inclusive and ecumenical approach to theological education and spiritual formation. It is making an amazing difference in my life.

 

My path to seminary has been long. I retired from Nationwide Insurance in 2007 and entered Bexley in 2011. I'm not sure what direction my ministry will take, but I know that I couldn't have chosen a better seminary for my preparation. The faculty is superb, the courses are rigorous, and the community is incredibly supportive.  

 

Our new federation with Seabury will complement our partnership with Trinity Lutheran that makes my Bexley experience so valuable. This partnership provides a real plus for donors, too. Because Bexley has no property to maintain and has a minimal administrative staff, there's no doubt that your contribution goes directly to the education of students, scholarships and faculty support. That's a guarantee few institutions can give.  

 

Please be generous with your gift to Bexley's 2012 Annual Fund before June 30, and please also urge your parish to give. Give online or mail your contribution to Bexley Hall, 583 Sheridan Avenue, Columbus, OH 43209.  

 

All of us--students, faculty, and trustees--are grateful for your support.

 

Sincerely,

Bob Saik