Society of John Wesley Award of Merit

Each year, the John Wesley Society Award is awarded by the alumni themselves, under the guidance of the previous awardees.  This year, there are two. 

The first is the Rev. Dr. Giovanni Arroyo, Master of Divinity class of 2007 and Doctor of Ministry class 2020.  He is the lead official of the United Methodist agency that cultivates racial inclusion and the full participation of all people into the work, witness and life of our denomination.  He has worked for the Commission as Team Leader for Monitoring and Advocacy, and since 2013 as Team Leader for Program Ministries. 

Born in Puerto Rico and raised in New York City, he started professional ministry in 2001 as pastor of Iglesia Metodista Unida El Camino and served as one of three chaplains caring for families, victims, and survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. He was at Bellevue Hospital where 287 survivors received medical care following the attack, and also comforted family members at the city morgue.

Dr. Arroyo served cross-racial/cross-cultural pastorates in both the New York and Baltimore-Washington conferences of The United Methodist Church. Before becoming ordained, he was a researcher at The City College of New York in language acquisition and experimental psychology. He did further research at the New York State Psychiatric Institute on exposure to violence and child abuse and at the National Development and Research Institute with young adult drug users. He also served as adjunct faculty, teaching English as a second language and world religions.

Gio has worked to support Wesley advising us and guiding many students to his alma mater.  He brings grace and reconciliation in every step he takes, helping to bring about a more beloved community. He supports Wesley advising us and guiding many students to his alma mater.  He brings grace and reconciliation in every step he takes, helping to bring about a more beloved community. And he has done so while risking his ordination with his life partner, Leo. Until 5 days ago when our denomination rescinded its discrimination of LGBTQ people.  Congratulations Gio.

We are also recognizing an alum at the top of her profession and the center of this community.  The Rev. Dr., Professor Emeritus, Board of Governor Member, Lucy Lind Hogan, Doctor of Ministry class of 1987.  Lucy suspects she is receiving this award in return for assisting, once again, as Marshall of this ceremony.  Not true.  Her sister and brother alumni and her faculty colleagues acclaim this recognition. 

After gaining her B.A. at MacAlester College, and her seminary work at Virginia Theological Seminary and Wesley, Lucy earned a Ph.D. at the University of Maryland, College Park in 1995 with an emphasis on rhetoric, communications, and the history of women's public speaking and preaching.  She then joined the tenured faculty, and in the fullness of time occupied the Hugh Latimore Elderdice Chair in Homiletics.        

The Rev. Dr. Hogan was ordained in her home diocese in Minnesota in 1982 and has ever since served at the intersection of the academy and the church.  She is a leader in her Guild.   Former President and Board member of Societas Homiletica; past President of the North American Academy of Homelitics and a number of other professional and clergy associations.  She is constantly called upon to serve in both academic and ecclesial positions. 

She is a prolific author. Including the books: Connecting with the Congregation, Graceful Speech: An Invitation to Preaching; Lenten Services, The Six Deadly Sins of Preaching, and too many articles to recount here.

In addition to her work as a faculty member, which included listening to and gently critiquing thousands of student sermons, Lucy served for a number of years as Chapel Elder and a leader within the faculty.  Most notably from a president’s perspective, Lucy has been twice a key player in Wesley successfully achieving re-accreditation.  And oh yes, she has also run these shows.  Lucy, and her late husband, Kevin, beloved member of the Wesley Community, have two sons, John and Paul.  Congratulations Lucy.