Thanks for the memories

The 50th anniversary celebration for Saint Paul School of Theology was held on Monday and Tuesday of this week. It was a wonderful time, with packed rooms full of people you remember (though I confess my recall of names never was any good). During the opening reception on Monday, former Saint Paul presidents McElvaney and Weems spoke briefly, as did Heather Holter Ellis, daughter of our first president Don Holter. Current president McCoy also spoke.

Emmanuel Cleaver II flew in from Washington to deliver an opening sermon/address on appropriate use of anger, drawing on a temple scene in Mark's gospel where Jesus healed a man with a withered hand. On Tuesday, there was lots of food---a graduate council breakfast, a brown-bag lunch, and a BBQ dinner---and plenty of show. Susan Vogel planned and led a memorable worship service. Tex Sample talked overtime on the future of John Wesley's theology, especially as it could be complemented with a particular reading of Pauline theology; lots to think about there, and no one wanted it to end. Saint Paul faculty signed books in the afternoon, and there were campus tours--even to the library! Gene Lowry and a couple of 1976 grads entertained us with music and song through the dinner hour as we watched PowerPoint shows of schools pictures dug up out of the archives.

Thank God for archives and archivists! Sales of our 50th anniversary book, done by our own archivist Maggi Mueller, were brisk throughout the big event. Lots of great pictures in it. I wish I could say I could give you one, but I had to buy all six copies I wanted for our library. At $27 (plus $6 s/h), it's not a bad deal, and I'd be happy to hand deliver ($0 s/h) to anyone at next month's meeting who wants one. I'll bring one to the meeting for show and tell. Thanks, Maggi, for all those memories.