General Assembly Events bring Recognition
and Funds to Meadville Lombard Community

The annual gathering of the Unitarian Universalist community at the General Assembly in Ft. Worth, Texas proved to be full of news and events for the Meadville Lombard Theological School community.

At the Alumni/ae dinner held Friday, June 24, Kendyl Gibbons, DMin '80, was celebrated for her 25 years of service, and Fred Wooden read the words of Clark Kucheman, BD '55, who was unable to attend the dinner but addressed the changing of the world and Meadville Lombard since his graduation 50 years earlier.

Early on Saturday morning, June 25, nearly 400 people gathered for the inaugural breakfast fundraiser for Meadville Lombard's Partners in Ministry program. The event featured speeches by Lee Barker DMin, '78 DD '01, President, and Anthony David, MDiv '03. 

"Shaping Ministers Who Change Lives," a video produced for the event, made its debut at the breakfast. The video featured Anthony David, as well as Mark Morrison-Reed, DMin '79, Donna Morrison-Reed, DMin '79, and Beth Marshall, MDiv '02.

The one-hour breakfast program sought multi-year pledges from attendees and the response to the request was overwhelming, with close to $650,000 being raised that morning.  Pledges from the breakfast event continue to be mailed in.

In the Plenary session on Monday, June 27, Meadville Lombard was allotted seven minutes to commemorate 160 years of educating ministers in the Unitarian Universalist tradition.  After brief remarks from Lee Barker, the "Shaping Ministers Who Change Lives" video rolled onscreen in the arena.

Just before the video, two Meadville Lombard graduates were honored with awards bestowed upon them:

• Mark Ward, MDiv '04, received the Seventh Annual Albert Schweitzer Sermon Award for his sermon, "How Wide the Web." The Schweitzer award is sponsored by Unitarian Universalists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and is given for the sermon that best celebrates reverence for life.  The award comes with a $400 honorarium.

·        Naomi King, MDiv '05, received the Stewardship Sermon Award for the sermon judged most effective in exploring and promoting financial support of the Unitarian Universalist faith.  It is sponsored jointly by the Annual Program Fund (APF), the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association (UUMA) and the Liberal Religious Educators Association (LREDA). King also received a check for $1,000. The text of King's sermon can be found at Stand By This Faith.