Please join the community of Seminary of the Southwest for the 56th Annual Blandy Lecture and Alumni Convocation on November 19-20, 2024. Created to honor the Very Rev. Gray M. Blandy for his ministry and work as the first dean of the Seminary of the Southwest, this gathering and lecture brings together former and current students each year to reconnect, learn, and grow.
“This Blandy convocation will provide opportunities for our alumni to eat, pray and learn together, and, for many, to see our newly renovated library and classrooms for the first time,” said Dr. Scott Bader-Saye, dean and President. “I look forward to catching up with our former students who are having big impacts in their communities.”
This year’s Blandy lecturer is The Rt. Rev. Dr. Dorothy Sanders Wells, Bishop of the Diocese of Mississippi. Read more about Bishop Wells and the event here.
“I am thrilled to welcome Dorothy Sanders Wells as our 2024 Blandy Speaker,” said Dean Bader-Saye. “I met Bishop Wells at the Jonathan Daniels Pilgrimage in August and was immediately impressed with her wisdom, warmth, and grace. She shared powerful reflections on her own story and offered wise counsel on our work toward racial justice, healing, and repair in our communities. We are fortunate to be able to hear her words and insights.”
At the midday Eucharist on Wednesday, November 20th, the Rev. Melvin Gray, Class of 1974, will be presented with the Hal Brook Perry Outstanding Alumni Award. Named for the the late assistant dean, registrar and instructor in church history, the Hal Brook Perry Award is conferred upon a graduate of Seminary of the Southwest who exemplifies exceptional ministry to parishes, dioceses, and/or specific communities or ministries – locally, regional, or worldwide.
The day will also include opportunities to observe current classes, to tour the new Harrison Library and learning complex, and to attend a lecture by Southwest Mental Health Counseling faculty member, Dr. Awa Jangha.
The event is presented free of charge this year. See below for the detailed schedule and a registration form.
Blandy Schedule of Events:
- A virtual reunion for all graduates, hosted on zoom
>>Click here to join the virtual reunion
- 8:30am: Hospitality and Check-in (Maddux Lounge)
- 9:00am: Morning Prayer (Christ Chapel)
- 9:40am: Class observation- choice of:
- Old Testament I with Dr. Steve Bishop
- Theology I with Dr. Tony Baker
- Pastoral Theology II (Leadership, Administration & Finance) with the Rev. Dr. Steven Tomlinson
- After registering, please send class choice to [email protected]
- 11:45am: Holy Eucharist and presentation of the Hal Brook Perry Award* (Christ Chapel)
- Presider – The Rev. Dr. James Pevehouse ’12 (DAS)
- Preacher – Rev. Toya Foster ’18 (MHC)
- 12:45pm: Community Lunch (Howell Dining Hall)
- 1:30pm – 4:00pm: Self Guided Tour of Bishop Harrison Library and Teaching Complex (or fellowship time)
- 4:00pm: Lecture from Dr. Awa Jangha*, Loise Henderson Wessendorff Associate Professor of Spiritual Integration in Counseling (Knapp Auditorium)
- 5:00pm: Evening Prayer (Christ Chapel)
- 6:00pm: “Dinner By The Bite” Reception (Howell Dining Hall)
- 7:00pm: Blandy Lecture* (Knapp Auditorium)
*These events will be livestreamed
