Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

~ Presents~

A Symposium – Living Our Faith Through Action A Conversation on Race, Gender, & Equity

Monday, April 26, 2021 10am

Welcome from the President of United Lutheran Seminary

The Rev. Dr. R. Guy Erwin

I want to welcome you, on behalf of United Lutheran Seminary, to this symposium conversation! We are glad to have you with us, and hope that you will find this time to be educational, inspiring, and edifying.

Our panelists come from a variety of backgrounds, but all share—as ULS does—a deep commitment to raising understanding around questions of diversity and inclusion in religious communities and agencies and seminaries like ours. The pressing need for dialogue and constructive conversation, based in the idea that to listen well is to learn deeply, has never been more urgent in our country than it is right now.

Christians and Americans of good will need, I believe, to find ways to stand together, language they can use in common to describe the realities around us, and the mutual respect that will allow us to grow closer in our commitments. I hope today’s conversation contributes richly to that goal, at least in our own circles and networks.

Wherever you are, and however you are joining us today, know that you are heartily welcome here as a sibling and a neighbor, as we all think together about how to translate our faith in God’s mercy and grace into true care for the well-being of our neighbor, especially those different from ourselves.

May God bless our time together and may the joy of Easter remain in your heart!

In Christ,

The Rev. Dr. R. Guy Erwin

United Lutheran Seminary

Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

~ Presents ~

A Symposium - Living Our Faith Through Action A Conversation on Race, Gender and Equity

April 26, 2021 @ 10:00 a.m.

Welcome Address…………..…………..………….ULS President, The Rev. Dr. R. Guy Erwin

Opening Prayer …….…….....……….UTI Executive Director, The Rev. Dr. Quintin Robertson

Introduction of Panelists……….………………President/Vice President, ULS Student Council W.R. Randolph / Sarah Moore

Moderator, Dean/Vice President of Student Affairs……… The Rev. Dr. J. Jayakiran Sebastian

~ Panelists ~

The Rev. Dr. William J. Shaw……………. Sr. Pastor, White Rock Baptist Church, Phila, PA

The Rev. Dr. Karyn Wiseman, …………….……………Faculty, Pastor of Gloria Dei Church

The Rev. Dr. Martin Zimmann…...………..…. ..………….Director of ULS Church Relations

The Rev. John H. Roberts…………………………Pastor Emeritus Garden of Prayer, COGIC

The Rev. Canon Dr. Lynn Collins .……....Rector, St. John’s the Evangelist Episcopal Church

Mr. Damon Fordham……..……....….…Adjunct Professor at Charleston Southern University

Closing Remarks …………….…………………..……………………………President Erwin

The Charge …………………President, Sarasota Chapter of the NAACP, Mr. Trevor Harvey

Closing Prayer ……….…..…………………………………………………….Dean Sebastian

This Symposium is in honor of and dedicated to the memory and service of our late Director of Safety, Michael Cecil Reid.

The Rev. Dr. J. Jayakiran Sebastian is a Presbyter of the Church of South India, and currently Dean and H. George Anderson Professor of Mission and Cultures at the United Lutheran Seminary. He has been Professor in the Department of Theology and Ethics at the United Theological College, Bengaluru, India, where he has served as Chairperson of the Department and also as Dean of Doctoral Studies at the College. He regularly preaches and presides at worship services in congregations in the greater area and beyond. His doctorate (magna cum laude) is from the University of Hamburg, Germany, where his dissertation was entitled 'baptisma unum in sancta ecclesia': A Theological Appraisal of the Baptismal Controversy in the Work and Writings of Cyprian of Carthage.

He is a Member of the Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton, NJ, and was in residence there from August 2003 to May 2004. He is also a member of the North American Patristics Society, the International Association of Patristic Studies, International Association of Mission Studies, and the American Academy of Religion. He has been the Associate Editor and now Contributing Editor of the journal, Mission Studies. He is also a member of the Global Network for Public Theology and is an Advisory Panel member of its journal, the International Journal of Public Theology. He is the Co-editor of the series, Postcolonialism and Religions, published by Palgrave Macmillan, and 14 books have already been published as part of this series (http://www.palgrave.com/jp/series/14535)

The Rev. Dr. Quintin L. Robertson, a native of Newark, New Jersey, is the Director of the Urban Theological Institute and the Black Church Studies Program. He holds ordination in the Baptist Church ( Eastern Keystone Baptist Association) and the Church of God in Christ. Prior to joining United Lutheran Seminary (ULS), he served as Director of Admission and Recruitment for the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) in Atlanta, GA. Since his arrival at ULS he has seen the growth of African American students by over 120% and overseen the growth of the endowed chair in African American Studies by more than $500,000 and the collection of more than $350,000 in scholarship aid. He has served as Interim Pastor of the Grace Baptist Church of Germantown and the First Baptist Church of Philadelphia. He has preached at more than 25 colleges and universities. He has preached and conducted seminars and workshops across denominational lines at local churches, associations, and conferences throughout the nation.

Trevor Harvey, a native of Sarasota FL. received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management and Administration from Eckerd College. He is a member of Light of the World International Church where he serves as the executive assistant to the senior pastor, an ordained deacon, and currently employed with State College of Florida as a Student Development Advisor.

Currently he is the Vice-Chair of the Coalition of African- American Leadership, Vice-Chair of the School Advisory Council for Booker High School and its foundation, board member of the Sarasota County Enterprise Zone Agency Board, the Robert L. Taylor community Center Taskforce, Humanity Working to End Genocide, a board member of the Sarasota Family YMCA and was appointed to the Civil Service board for the State of Florida in 2015 by President Barack Obama and Governor Rick Scott.

If that is not enough, Trevor currently serves as the President of the Sarasota County Branch of the NAACP a title he has held since 2005 and was appointed the Area Director for the Florida State Conference of the NAACP in 2007. He received the inaugural 2008 Humanitarian of the Year Award given by the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drum Major for Justice Committee and the Citizens of the Year Award by the Sarasota-Manatee Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity; 2011 Greatest Beyond Measure Spotlight Award and the Man of the Year by the Sarasota County Youth Branch- NAACP; the 2013 NAACP Trailblazer Award by the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter Teamsters National Black Caucus; 2015 Congressional Associate Service Award by Congressman Vern Buchanan.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Zimmann serves with the Advancement team as gift officer and alumni/ae relations director; he also serves as Adjunct faculty in the field of culture and ethnic studies at ULS. He is the Executive Director of the Stewardship of Life Institute. Martin helped shape the synodical partnership between the Southeast Michigan Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Holy Land and Jordan and has helped to organize ELCA delegations to Jerusalem and the West Bank. He has taught a variety of topics, including Ethnic Studies, White Fragility, Climate Change and Sustainability, Practical Uses of Digital Technology for Ministry, and Apocalypse Theology. Beginning in February of 2013, he served the English Congregation of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem and was assistant to former LWF President, Bishop Munib Younan for 1.5 years. He currently serves on the board of the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development in the Middle East, the LGBTQIA+ Affirming Task force of the Lower Susquehanna Synod, the Adams Council Human Rights Council, and the Candidacy Committee of the Northwest Pennsylvania Synod. Martin is the founder of the Flag Removal Team, a group of volunteers committed to removing hate symbols from the in concordance with Guidelines. Martin is a frequent contributor to the online Living Lutheran magazine.

Rev. Dr. William J. Shaw attended Bishop College graduating Summa cum laude at age nineteen with a major in Philosophy and Religion and a minor in World History. Pastor Shaw received his Bachelor of Divinity Degree (now known as the Master of Divinity) from Union Theological Seminary in New York in 1957. He earned a Doctor of Ministry Degree from Colgate Rochester Divinity School in Rochester, New York in 1975 with an emphasis on Biblical Interpretation from the Black Perspective. Pastor Shaw was called to serve as Pastor of the White Rock Baptist Church in Philadelphia in 1956.

Pastor Shaw is a recognized leader in Pennsylvania and across the nation. He serves as Chairman of the Trustee Board for the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and is a member ex officio on the Board of Penn Medicine. His affiliations include a seat on the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement of Delaware Valley, Inc., membership in the Philadelphia Rotary; Martin Luther King, Jr. Fellows in Black Church Studies; Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, and the Airport Advisory Board. Pastor Shaw has also served as Executive Director of the Opportunities Industrialization Center.

On September 9, 1999, Pastor Shaw was elected the sixteenth President of The National Baptist Convention, USA. Inc. and re-elected in 2004. He served on the Bush-Clinton Katrina Hurricane Relief Fund, as a member of the steering committee for Christian Churches Together—an interracial fellowship of Baptists in the United States, Canada and North America and in 2009, President Barack H. Obama appointed Pastor Shaw to his President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. In 2010 and again in 2013 he was appointed by President Obama to serve as a Commissioner on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. In 2011, Pastor Shaw was appointed to the Board of Bread for the World where he served as Chairman of the Advocacy Strategy Committee.

Rev. Dr. Karyn Wiseman is the Herman G. Stuempfle Associate Professor of Homiletics at United Lutheran Seminary. She is an ordained pastor in The United Church of Christ. Her degree is in Liturgical Studies, with major study in both Preaching and Emerging Trends in the Church. She received her PhD from Drew University in 2006. Her first book, I Refuse to Preach a Boring Sermon: Engaging 21st Century Listeners, was published in 2013 by Pilgrim Press. Dr. Wiseman also pastors Gloria Dei Church in Huntingdon Valley, PA as their Lead Pastor.

Karyn lives with her family in the Philadelphia area where they love to visit historical sites, go to the movies, and to head up to NYC to see musicals/plays. Karyn utilizes social media in her personal and professional life and loves looking at the ways that culture and ministry intertwine. And she loves to preach.

Pastor John Howard Roberts, Sr., a native of Philadelphia, PA. He has been Pastoring for over 30 Years, six of those years he pastored at Faith, Hope and Love Church, his remaining 24 years of Pastoring was at the Garden of Prayer World’s Prayer Center. He currently serves as the first Chaplain of the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office.

He received his formal training of preaching and teaching the Lord’s word through the ministries of the late Bishop Benjamin and Elizabeth J. Dabney. There he received his minister’s license under the watchful eye of the late Pastor Harry Judge. Bishop George A. Williams ordained Pastor Roberts, where he served as Assistant Superintendent of the Keystone Jurisdiction of Pennsylvania Church of God In Christ.

It is his prison ministry, which allows him to be an inspiration to many inmates where the word of God has touched so many of their lives. Upon their release, they have reunited with their families and obtained gainful employment. Pastor Roberts was eminently instrumental in spearheading the completion of the Mother E.J. Dabney Square construction project, which is comprised of 28 low-income housing complexes.

Damon Lamar Fordham received his Masters Degree in history from the College of Charleston and the Citadel, and his undergraduate degrees at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. He is currently an adjunct professor of World Civilizations, United States, and African- American History at Charleston Southern University and The Citadel in Charleston, SC and has taught US History and African-American Studies at the College of Charleston.

He was a weekly columnist, a You Tube commentator, the author of three books and numerous scholarly articles. He has also commented on history and storytelling for numerous radio, television programs, and public appearances in the United States, Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom. He conducts a walking tour called “The Lost Stories of Black Charleston and has received a citation form the South Carolina House of Representatives for his work in education, historical research, and social justice.

The Rev. Canon Dr. Lynn Collins presently serves as the Rector of St John’s the Evangelist Episcopal Church in Lynbrook, NY, and the past NE Regional Director for the National Union of Black Episcopalians.

She is a Lecturer at the George Mercer School of Theology in Garden City and serves as the Chairperson of the Diocesan Stewardship Committee for the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island. She is a sixth generation Episcopalian and a fourth- generation Episcopal priest. Dr. Collins received her Masters of Divinity and Doctorate of Ministry from New York Theological Seminary and a graduate of the Harvard University Leadership Program.

Before serving in Lynbrook, she was a missionary in Alaska, Zimbabwe, Panama, Costa Rico, and the Virgin Island. Before her ordination as a priest, she was a senior systems engineer for 15 years on Wall Street. Thus, she brings a variety of administrative, financial, and spiritual gifts to her ordained ministry.

W. Roger Randolph III is a second-year student pursuing an MDiv with a concentration in Black Church Studies at ULS, where he is President of the Student Body Government Executive Council.

From Pittsburgh, PA, he is a candidate for ordination to the Roster of Word and Sacrament in the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod of the ELCA. Roger is also a Chaplain Candidate in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, serving in the Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 1st Battalion, 111th Infantry Regiment in Plymouth Meeting, PA.

Sarah Moore is in her second year of the Master of Divinity program at United Lutheran Seminary and is pursuing ordained ministry of Word and Sacrament in the Southern Ohio Synod.

She is currently serving as Vice President of the Student Body Government and is attending classes online from the Gettysburg campus.

Living Their Faith Through Action

Michael J. Garner, MBA - Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, State of New York. Through the MTA’s MWDBE/SDVOB programs (Minority, Women, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise / Service Disabled Veterans Owned Business) more than $5.5 Billion have been paid to New York State certified MWBEs.

Mr. Garner is an advisor and speaker on MWDBE matters to various U.S. Cities and States, across the Nation and has served on various advisory committees including:

• NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo’s MWBE Team • NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio’s MWBE Advisory Committee • Most Immediate Past President (2014 – 2020) – Founding Chapter One Hundred Black Men of NYC

Mr. Garner is an active member of the Canaan Baptist Church in Harlem

The Rev, Dr. Wayne E. Croft Sr., serves as the Pastor of the St. Paul’s Baptist Church in West Chester, PA. He also serves as The Jeremiah A. Wright, Sr. Associate Professor of Homiletics and Liturgics in African American Studies at United Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia.

Dr. Croft graduated Magna Cum Laude from Trinity College earning a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Divinity from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now Palmer Theological Seminary), Master of Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary and graduated with distinction from Drew University earning a Doctor of Ministry, Master of Philosophy, and a Doctor of Philosophy. He is also a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., President of the NAACP West Chester Branch, and prolific author of several books and publications.

His newest book, A HISTORY Of THE BLACK BAPTIST CHURCH: I Don’t Feel No Ways Tired, examines the history of black people in the United States. A history of the black Baptist church, steeped in the hope and strength that African Americans have derived from their faith in God and from the church that provided safety, community, consolation, and empowerment.

Dr. Croft, through his book teaches us and helps us traverse from the eighteenth century, through the twentieth century’s civil rights movement, highlighting key leaders, theological concepts, historic events, and social concerns that influenced the growth of what we know today as the diverse black Baptist family of churches,

Thanks, and Appreciation

It takes a village to begin something new.

The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion wishes to thank, and appreciates the active part of everyone, no matter how small, in helping us with what we hope is just the first of many relevant conversations.

President, R. Guy Erwin Dean, Jayakiran Sebastian

Thank you for your Thank you for your faith and support in this guidance, mentorship, new direction and collaboration.

Executive Assistant, Carla E. Pavlick

Thank you for always lending a helping hand and keeping us on track.

The family of Michael Cecil Reid saw him as being a great father, grandfather, brother and professional at work. He believed in Civil Rights for everyone and that all should have justice in the pursuit of happiness. His views were originated from his family's structure whom most were born and raised in South Carolina during slavery. He truly loved all of his family as well as his family in Philadelphia where he was born and raised. He would always say, "Where is the Love, Peace and Caring for Everyone?” He would also say to people, "Never Give Up!"

Lovingly Submitted by the Reid and Bradford Family!

MICHAEL CECIL REID Rest in Peace and Rise in Glory

In Recognition

Reverend James A. Lovett, II Rev. Lovett was ordained in May of 1978 at the Wayland Temple Baptist Church of Philadelphia, PA, under the leadership of the Reverend Robert J. Lovett. In 1981, he was called to Pastor the historic Tasker Street Missionary Baptist Church in Philadelphia, PA. Under his leadership the church has experienced phenomenal growth in membership, stewardship and spirituality. Reverend Lovett’s affiliations include, but are not limited to: the Martin Luther King, Jr. Fellows in Black Church Studies and Former Professor of Personal Dimensions of Ministry at the Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Elder Craig Davis Pastor Mount Sinai Church of God In Christ Philadelphia, PA

Bishop Robert L. Hargrove West District Holy Temple Church of God In Christ Philadelphia, PA

The Reverend Dr. Raymond Gordon Pastor St. Matthew’s Baptist Church Williamstown, NJ

Rev John A. Jones Pastor Emeritus, First Nazarene Baptist Church Camden, NJ

Bishop George Williams Rehoboth Temple Church of God in Christ Philadelphia, PA

Deaconess Francine P. Henry Covenant House of God Philadelphia, PA

Trustee Delores Fields Tasker Street Missionary Baptist Church Philadelphia, PA

Rev. Dr. Abraham E. Fenton Abundant Life Fellowship Church Beverly, NJ

Rev. Bruce D. Points Zion A.M.E Church Philadelphia, PA

Missionary Alice Shepard Tasker Street Missionary Baptist Church Philadelphia, PA

Elder Frank Jenkins Sr. Pastor, Faith Temple Church of God in Christ Palmetto, FL

Mrs. Yvonne Joe Educator Cincinnati, OH

Mrs. Pearl Boyton-Lucas 19th Street Baptist Church Philadelphia, PA

Resting in Glory

Reverend Thornton Pastor, Zion A.M.E Church Philadelphia, PA

Dr. Marlene D. Talley Founder, Church of Faith Hope & Love Church of God In Christ Philadelphia, PA

Willing Worker, Lillian Taylor First African Baptist Church Darby, PA

Laborer, Arlene Brewer Church of the Redeemer Baptist Church Philadelphia, PA

Bishop Carl E. Williams Institutional Church of God in Christ, International Brooklyn, NY

Tasker Street Missionary Baptist Church

For their support in the Civil Rights Struggle.

From humble beginnings in 1874, then known as Bethsaida Church

under the Rev. B.C. Coles, to present, under the leadership of

Rev. James A. Lovett II since 1982.

For One Hundred Thirty- Eight Years, the Tasker Street Missionary Baptist Church continues as “People in Pilgrimage”, ever struggling to attain the highest goals. A Church built upon the “Word of God” and on the “Word”, shall always stand.

Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion