This past November, for the 57th consecutive year, the Blandy Lecture and Alumni Convocation gathered alumni and friends of Seminary of the Southwest for a joyful time of reunion, learning, and fellowship. Planned and led by the Southwest Alumni Association Steering Committee and Office of Advancement and Communications, this year’s Blandy delivered the invigorating, inspirational experience that generations of Southwest graduates have come to cherish. The intermingling of alumni, guests, and current students across campus offered a vivid reminder that members of the Southwest community never truly depart—they simply serve in new locations.
The festivities began the evening prior with a virtual reunion featuring reflections and conversation with current Southwest leadership. The day of Blandy opened with Morning Prayer before attendees joined one of three class sessions: New Testament with the Rev. Dr. Jeehei Park, Theology with Dr. Tony Baker, or Anglican Studies with the Rev. Nathan Jennings, Ph.D.
At midday, alumni gathered with students, faculty, and staff for Holy Eucharist, during which the Hal Brook Perry Award was presented to the Rev. Andy Andrews. Andrews, who earned his M.Div. from Southwest in 1996, currently serves as Missioner for Beloved Community and Congregational Vitality in the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi. His ministry centers on reconciliation, healing, and justice—work that has shaped parish communities, strengthened diocesan initiatives, and built partnerships in places yearning for transformation and hope. His leadership reflects the spirit of faithful engagement and compassionate service that Hal Brook Perry embodied and encouraged. Read the award citation here.
The Rev. Dr. Minerva Skeith ’19 presided at the Eucharist, and the Rev. Constance Coleman-Fletcher ’20 preached (view sermon here).
Over lunch with the full community, Eric Scott, Vice President for Advancement and Communications, offered words of welcome—kicking off his remarks with a celebratory walk to the podium carrying the Polity Bowl trophy. Afterward, guests explored campus including Trinity Crossing outside the Bishop Dena A. Harrison Library and the Campus Bookstore, where alumni enjoyed dessert and browsed the latest Thuribull gear.
In the afternoon, Blandy lecturer Kazu Haga joined Dr. Gena St. David for a workshop titled “Embodied Nonviolence in a Time of Collective Tension.” Their conversation drew on themes from Dr. St. David’s forthcoming book The Nonviolent Brain: Unlocking our Potential to Save the Planet, Animals, and Ourselves and Haga’s recently published Fierce Vulnerability: Healing from Trauma, Emerging Through Collapse. Designed especially for MHC students and alumni, the workshop offered continuing education credit and invited participants to explore the spiritual and neurobiological foundations of nonviolent practice.
After the workshop and Evening Prayer, attendees gathered in the dining hall for a festive dinner and the chance to reconnect with friends old and new.
Before the keynote address, the Alumni Association presented the inaugural Dave Scheider Award, named in honor of the Rev. Dave Scheider, whose vision and determination shaped the founding of Southwest’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. Scheider imagined a program where spirituality and psychology were deeply integrated—forming counselors prepared to be healers in every dimension of human experience.
The award’s first recipient, Kevin Overton-Hadnot ’23, exemplifies this holistic vision. As founder of Counseling For Us in Austin, Overton-Hadnot has expanded access to culturally responsive mental health care, reduced stigma around therapy, and created therapeutic environments rooted in dignity and belonging. His work demonstrates both professional excellence and unwavering commitment to community well-being. Read the award citation here.
“It was uplifting to greet so many mental health counseling alumni returning to campus to spend the evening with former faculty and current students,” said Dr. Gena St. David, Director of the Louise Henderson Wessendorff Center for Counseling and Spirituality. “We are grateful for everyone who contributed to this warm, inspiring homecoming. From the counseling CEU workshop, to the dinner, inaugural counseling award, and keynote lecture, the time together was poignant and energizing.”
The evening concluded with the keynote lecture delivered by Kazu Haga, who spoke on the meaning of nonviolence, his journey in reconciliation work, and the intentional community of Canticle Farm where he makes his home.
Southwest Academic Dean, the Rev. Benjamin King, Ph.D., shared, “I was delighted that our Blandy lecturer addressed the concerns of alums and students across all our programs. Kazu Haga reminded us that in this fraught time for the world we must pay attention to the smaller points of joy or abundance or grace in our lives, and so begin to see the patterns of those things throughout creation. I came away from the lecture filled with hope and grateful for our alums who, through their service, change the world in innumerable small and big ways.”
“Once again, this year, our events brought together the best of the seminary’s traditions with some new traditions for our entire Alumni community to build upon for the future,” reflected the Rev. Lecia Brannon, Director of Alumni Relations and liaison to the Alumni Association Steering Committee. “Whether our alumni were on campus or joining virtually, our Alumni Convocation events and the Blandy Lecture offered a Southwest connection for everyone. Thank you to the members of the Alumni Steering Committee and the Southwest Alumni Association for their dedication and commitment to this event for the seminary community.”
