A Commencement Album "Tell the truth," Commencement speaker Wright urges the graduates. Class officers Karyn D. Bodenschatz and Steven P. A. Woyen offer remarks Lula Glass Custis of Willingboro, NJ, celebrates her degree with her minister, The Rev. Ronald Bates. Dianne Johnson of Philadelphia enjoys a moment with her pastor, Dr. George E. Gibson, Jr., and Dr. Gibson's spouse, Tricia. Johnson was a musical soloist for the commencement. Graduates Diedone Diela, left, and David Maddox congratulate each other. Honors graduates are, from left, Preston Thompson, Karen Safstrom, Peter Perella and Barbara Melosh. Barbara Melosh enjoys the moment with husband, Gary Kulik and son, Michael Kulik.   The UTI graduating class was the largest ever. At left front is UTI co-founder Dr. Andrew Willis. At right front is UTI Professor William Staton. Top left is Seminary President Philip D. W. Krey.

Seventy-four graduate during
Seminary's 141st commencement

LANSDALE, PA (May 22, 2005) - Seventy-four seminarians were awarded degrees and certificates today during the 141st commencement exercises of The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia.

The afternoon ceremonies at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church here were packed with emotion and highlights. Eighteen graduates, a record, studied as part of the seminary's 25-year-old Urban Theological Institute program. The commencement address by the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., pulled no punches when it came to urging future preachers to "tell the truth." Wright, pastor of the 8,000-member Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, described seven "Be-Attitudes of Ministry" during his remarks. Soon-to-be graduate A. Dianne Johnson's magnificent solo rendition of "Shout to the Lord" won't soon be forgotten.

Probably the day's most moving moment came when seminarian Suzanne H. Kershaw of Philadelphia, accompanied by young son, Derrick, accepted an Advanced Graduate Certificate on behalf of her late husband, Charles Edward Kershaw. Charles Kershaw, a D.Min. degree candidate, died tragically and unexpectedly during a worship service several months ago at Grace Baptist Church in Philadelphia's Germantown. He had earned enough credits to be awarded the certificate posthumously. The first professional degree graduates included Curtis A. Haynes of Marlton, NJ, the seminary's chief financial officer. Haynes studied in the UTI program. Degrees were conferred on one married couple as well - Kenneth D. Mitchem and Natalie D. Mitchem of Willingboro, NJ. They studied in the UTI program as did Carlton E. Rodgers of Philadelphia (19138), who toiled steadily for 14 years to earn his M.Div. degree.

In addition to the 18 UTI awardees, the class of 2005 included four individuals who graduated with honors - the Rev. Preston E. Thompson, Jr. of Philadelphia (19135); Barbara S. Melosh of Wilmington, DE; Karen B. Safstrom of Worcester, MA, and Peter J. Perella of Hershey, PA. The Rev. Emmanuel M. Chemengich of Philadelphia (19151) was awarded a D.Min. degree with distinction. He was among 19 scholars to be awarded an Advanced Level Degree.

Frances D. Baxter of Philadelphia (19144) received her M.Div. with a Certificate in Urban Concentration. Receiving M.Div. degrees with a Certificate of Latino Concentration were Diedone P. Diela of Philadelphia (19119); Brenda Jack of Jamaica, NY; JoEllen Morrison of Dobbs Ferry, NY; Giovanny F. Sanchez of Brooklyn, NY, and John P. Seyler of Chester Springs, PA. The 18 UTI graduates will be noted in the list below.

Offering remarks on behalf of the graduates were class officers Karyn D. Bodenschatz of Tustin, CA; and Steven P. A. Woyen of Avon Lake, OH. Both paid inspired tribute to their class colleagues and students, faculty, staff and extended gratitude to graduates' families for their patience and support.

Names of the degree recipients were read by Dr. Karl Krueger, secretary of the faculty and the degrees were conferred by Wright, Seminary President Philip D. W. Krey and Dean J. Paul Rajashekar. The Seminary Choir, led by Seminary Musician Mark Mummert, sang two stirring selections - Walter Pelz's "Peace I Leave with You" and Keith Hampton's "Praise His Holy Name." The Rev. Serena Sellers, interim senior pastor at the host congregation and an alum, welcomed the graduates to the seminary's Alumni/ae Association. The offering from the commencement went toward the underwriting of The Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Sr. Chair for African American Studies at the seminary. The elder Dr. Wright was one of the first two African Americans to receive a degree from the seminary - in 1949. Dr. Wright, Sr., was pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Philadelphia's Germantown for 42 years and was pastor emeritus of the congregation an additional 21 years after retiring. The Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Huwiler, seminary chaplain, offered the opening and closing prayers.

Commencement Speaker Wright, a frequent keynoter for the seminary's annual Preaching with Power series, gave advice about attitudes needed to "fulfill one's calling."

The attitudes he described were, "Be grateful. Be mindful. Be humble. Be prayerful. Be truthful. Be for real. And be faithful."

"Be grateful you were chosen to be a minister. God could have chosen a rock, but he chose you," Wright said. He reminded the graduates that in maintaining an attitude of gratitude, God can see into their most private places.

"Be mindful," Wright said, "about boundary issues. You can do damage to someone. Keep learning. Keep studying. Be mindful of your own personal quiet time. Make sure your inflow spiritually matches your outflow."

"Be humble," he continued. "You are only in ministry for God's mercy." He reminded the future pastors not to believe, "your own newspaper clippings. There is always somebody out there who can preach better than you can, think better than you can. You are one person, a cheap vessel holding a priceless treasure. Some out there are more preoccupied with pursuing gold than pursuing the gospel. They have forgotten how to be humble. Remember that someone is always in the wings waiting to take your job and do it better."

"Be prayerful," he said. "Pray without ceasing. If God doesn't meet you in prayer in the study, he won't meet you in the pulpit."

"Be truthful," he said. "Speak the truth in power no matter what the likes and dislikes of people are." He described the attitudes of pervasive sexism and heterosexism that need to be confronted. He slammed a wide variety of government policies, including the war in Iraq and past and present policies regarding dealing in Iran and what he termed as "lies" about weapons of mass destruction ascribed to Iraq and which had never been documented, he said. "God is not pleased with our pre-emptive presumptions," he said. "Speak the truth in power."

He urged the graduates to "Be for real…" "Racism is alive and well" in practices of genocide in places like The Sudan and Philadelphia. "Talk straight up on a political, personal and pastoral level." He urged the graduates to recall that clergy family life is frequently neglected by those focusing too much on the work of ministry.

In urging the graduates to "Be faithful," Wright said "God is watching what you do that is both spoken and unspoken in your sermons. You are not called to be successful. Be faithful to the idea of justice so that God gives you the crown of life." [listen online]

Graduates not previously mentioned in this story are as follows:

CERTIFICATE OF STUDY

Nancy Burton Dilliplane of Yardley, PA; Elizabeth Anne Haines of Allentown, PA; Richard H. Kremer of Marlborough, MA; and Carolyn V. Tryggestad of Norwood, MA.

ADVANCED GRADUATE CERTIFICATE

Robert Lee Helton, Jr. of Columbia, SC.

THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN RELIGION

Scott Stephen Reeder of Red Hill, PA.

THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF DIVINITY

Michael P. Anderson of Chicago, IL; Manuel Mathew Biagas (UTI) of Easthampton, NJ; Karyn Denise Bodenschatz of Tustin, CA; Delores Russell Brown of Philadelphia (19150); Jacqueline Gale Capers (UTI) of Upper Darby, PA; Heeralal Cheedie of Levittown, PA; Lula Glass Custis (UTI) of Willingboro, NJ; Romeo Karamchand Dabee of Queens, NY; Laura K. Daly of Etna, NY; Michael K. Evans, Sr. (UTI) of Chester, PA; Joseph D. Faust of Anchorage, AK; Tonia R. Graham (UTI) of Warminster, PA; Brent K. Halverson of Allentown, PA; Cheryl A. Hensil of Havertown, PA; A. Dianne Johnson (UTI) of Philadelphia (19151); Alberta Jones (UTI) of Philadelphia (19144); Irving Courtley Jones (UTI) of Philadelphia (19136); Brian E. Klawiter-Benton of South Bend, IN; David O. Maddox II of Philadelphia, PA (19138); Eva J. Martin (UTI) of Yeadon, PA; Jo Ellen Mauger of Norristown, PA; Michael A. Metz of Nazareth, PA; Reginald A. Monte (UTI) of Philadelphia (19140); Ernst A. Mossl of Modena, NY; Christian Nord of Wilmington, DE; Thomas M. O'Brien, Jr. of Willingboro, NJ; H. Theodore Proudford III (UTI) of Philadelphia (19144); Gregory B. Shreaves of Coopersburg, PA; A'Shellarien Smith of Philadelphia, PA (19119); Jonathan W. Suloff of Royersford, PA; Gloria W. Walker (UTI) of Philadelphia, PA; Rose Marie Wilkins (UTI) of Philadelphia (19144); Steven Paul Aaron Woyen of Avon Lake, OH; and Richard S. Yost of Syracuse, NY.

THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SACRED THEOLOGY

Shadrack N. Andiema of Kitale, Kenya; Roldano Auguste of New Windsor, NY; Kathleen E. Brennan of Augusta, ME; Eric Sean Childers of Philadelphia (19119), Sandra K. Cizek-Wood of Indiana, PA; Divendra Randolph Etwaroo of Jersey City, NJ; Edwin A. Fernando of San Diego, CA; Julia Lee Fraser of Greenville, PA; Carver Washington Israel of Lansdowne, PA; and Jonathan Scott Riches of Horsham, PA

THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF MINISTRY

Brian W. Armen of Windber, PA; David Arthur Brown of Inman, SC; Susan Cole of Philadelphia (19118); Catherine Cook Davis of Princeton, NJ; Catherine Jamieson-Ogg of Blythewood, SC; Abraham Cheng Shin Lu of Elmhurst, NY; Wanda E. McNeill of Washington, D.C.; and Mark Richard Summer of Oldwick, NJ.