Meadville Lombard Alum Association

Welcome to the Meadville Lombard Alum Association*!

No matter whether you are a recent graduate of one of Meadville Lombard’s newest programs and remember looking out on Lake Michigan, or whether you spent your student years in Hyde Park across the way from First Unitarian Church, you are connected to a long line of scholars, ministers, teachers, and community advocates who share a strong academic foundation. We are part of an evolution that has nurtured our Unitarian and Universalist roots, and that has propelled us into different kinds of ministries and professions that continue to grow our faith and our dedication to peace and justice.

We are parish and community ministers, hospital and military chaplains, teachers, business people, entrepreneurs, and more. We move through the world asserting ethical and compassionate mores enhanced by our Meadville Lombard learning and associated praxis.

We recognize a need to seek each other out as we gather together in local clusters, at regional meetings, study groups, retreats, graduations, and General Assemblies. These bonds are not trivial and pay homage to our Meadville Lombard experience, connections, and roots. They help us to maintain and to rekindle friendships, to broaden and to strengthen our ministries. As we stay connected, we can support this living, breathing, evolving institution that has given us so much.

We can be proud of Meadville Lombard’s steadfastness and the innovation that has helped us remain a vital entity in religious education, while other institutions have not been so fortunate. Courageous choices have been made, and the consistent focus has continued to be on excellence in scholarship and ministry while broadening perspectives that encompass not only our congregations, but also the wider community.  

Take advantage of your benefits as a Meadville Lombard graduate:

• Take a class
• Visit the campus
• Make use of the incredible resources in the library and archives. The Wiggin Library now has a specific online catalog (with purple header) that our alums are encouraged to use. You can find the way back to the catalog homepage with the purple header by clicking the purple buttons or the link to the Wiggin Library. 

• Sign up for the Meadville Lombard newsletter to stay connected
• Update your information so the school can stay in touch with you

Join your fellow alums in giving back to our dear alma mater and paying it forward: 

• Become an internship supervisor
• Encourage your congregation to sponsor a student seeking candidate status
• Host President Elías Ortega or another school representative for a visit to your area
• Become a sustainer  of the school (or set up a recurring gift) to ensure that its work can continue

We can also support the mission of Meadville Lombard:

• Send in stories of your ministry to be featured in the ML Commons, social media posts, and newsletter
• Connect potential students in discernment with the Recruitment Officer
• Recommend possible donors and supporters to President Ortega and/or the Development Office

I am a proud Meadville Lombard grad, and I am pleased that I have been afforded an opportunity to serve and to have a venue to be a liaison between graduates and the school. Please feel free to contact me if you want to explore opportunities to be of service to Meadville Lombard or to talk about the exciting work of the school today.

May we all be vessels and witnesses for the good we need in the world.

Rev. Viola Abbitt, MDiv '19
President of the Alum Association

Rev. Kevin DeBeck, MDiv '18, Secretary

Rev. Kali Fyre, MDiv '17, Covenant Officer