Alumni Class Notes

Roland “Bud” Brown (M.Div ‘77) will retire at the end of June 2013.  He has been Senior Pastor of the Sykesville Parish UMC (St. Paul's and Gaither Churches) for 26 years. Bud and his wife Carolyn, his spouse of 32 years, plan to retire in Westminster, MD. Their daughter, Lorilyn, is completing her junior year at West Virginia Wesleyan College.

The Honorable Calvin D. Hawkins (M.Div.‘74). The National Judicial College has announced that the Honorable Calvin D. Hawkins has been inducted into Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society. Judge Hawkins is also a recipient of the Certificate of Judicial Development, General Jurisdiction Trial Skills. He currently leads a Lake County Initiative, It’s Cool to Stay in School, which encourages students to stay in school to receive a good education. 

David Fenrick (M.Div ‘96) is the new book review editor for Missiology: An International Review, an academic journal with distribution in more than 70 countries. He was also appointed to the American Society of Missiology Board of Publications and serves as secretary-treasurer for the Association of Professors of Mission. David is director of the Center for Global Reconciliation and Cultural Education and teaches Intercultural Studies at Northwestern College in St. Paul, MN.

Richard Gentzler (M.Div ‘76) was presented with the “Outstanding Leadership in Older Adult Ministries” award at the 2012 Symposium for United Methodist Leaders of Older Adult Ministries in Nashville, TN on September 21.  In addition, it was announced that the award was renamed for all future recipients as the “Dr. Richard H. Gentzler, Jr. Award in Older Adult Ministries.”  Dr. Gentzler is the director of the Center on Aging and Older Adult Ministries for the General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church in Nashville, TN.

Shonda Nicole Gladden (M.Div ‘04) was granted a transfer from the Chicago Annual Conference to the Indiana Annual Conference and was appointed Senior Pastor of Bethel AME Church in Lafayette, IN.

R. Alan Streett (M.Div ‘72) has two new publications coming out in early 2013. They are Subversive Meals: Eating the Lord's Supper under Roman Domination in the First Century CE (Wipf and Stock); and Heaven on Earth: Experiencing the Kingdom of God in the Here and Now (Harvest House).

Sidney Williams (M.Div ‘08) was elected President of the Morris Area Clergy Council in Morristown, NJ where he serves as Pastor of Bethel AME Church,www.bethelamemorristown.org.

Chett Pritchett (MTS ‘03) The Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA), an unofficial progressive caucus, has named Chett Pritchett, the organization’s development and communications associate, as interim executive director beginning on November 1, 2012.

Tom Brunkow (D.Min ‘82), adjunct professor at Wesley, will represent the United States at the 32nd ITF Super Seniors World Team Championships in Croatia. The nation’s top men and women tennis players in age groups from 60 to 80 will compete against teams from over 30 countries. Brunkow, a retired minister and inductee of the Depauw University Hall of Fame, has played competitive tennis most of his life. Within the last year, he has won the National Men's 70 Grass, Clay, and Indoor Doubles Championships. He has also won national titles with his son Ben in Senior Father/Son tournament play.