News Release
May 2001
(Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) -- Moravian Theological Seminary
will hold its commencement on Saturday, May 12, at 4:00 p.m., in Central
Moravian Church. The commencement marks the Seminary’s 194th year
of service in the preparation of men and women for the ministry.
Ten students are scheduled to receive degrees at the ceremony,
while one student is scheduled to receive a certificate in theological
studies. The degrees and certificate will be presented by Dr. David
A. Schattschneider, vice president and dean, Moravian Theological Seminary,
and conferred by Dr. Ervin J. Rokke, president of Moravian College and
Moravian Theological Seminary.
Melissa L. Hertzog was elected by the graduating class
to present the graduate address, entitled, "What will you remember?"
Ms. Hertzog a resident of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, will receive a Master
of Divinity degree at commencement.
The Reverend Doctor Gene E. Handwerk, associate of the
bishop, Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America, will present H. George Anderson for the Honorary Degree
of Doctor of Divinity. Anderson is presiding bishop of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America, Chicago, Illinois.
For more than four decades, Bishop Anderson has worked
as an educator, leader, theologian, writer, and historian for communities
of faith and learning. He began his career as a teaching fellow in church
history at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and went
on to serve 23 years at the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in
Columbia, South Carolina as professor of church history, director of
graduate studies, and president. Bishop Anderson’s lifelong commitment
to education culminated in his presidency of Luther College from 1982
to 1996, where he led the College through a period of dynamic and visible
expansion of both programs and facilities, including a new, state-of-the-art
academic building.
As presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America, Anderson has led his denomination’s 5.2 million members
into a new century of sustained devotion, expanded fellowship, and Christian
unity.
Throughout his career, Bishop Anderson has been a prolific
writer, contributing a significant, growing body of thought and literature
on topics that reflect his understanding of both the historical context
and educational underpinnings of the Christian experience.
Bishop Anderson is a graduate of Yale University. He later
received a M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. At the
Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, he earned a B.D. and
S.T.M., and was a Benjamin Sadtler Fellow.
Reverend R. Burke Johnson, president, Provincial Elders’
Conference, Northern Province, The Moravian Church in America, will
present the Reverend Dr. Gordon L. Sommers for the Honorary Degree of
Doctor of Divinity.
For
over four decades, Rev. Dr. Gordon L. Sommers, has worked in virtually
every facet of Christian stewardship: on behalf of Moravian Theological
Seminary, on executive offices and boards, in congregations, and in
missions abroad. As a member of the Seminary’s board of trustees
for twenty years – including twelve years as its chairman –
he led the Seminary through a period of major programmatic innovation
and growth that included the development of new master of arts degrees
in pastoral counseling and theological studies.
As a result of his own personal experience as a missionary
in Nicaragua and Guyana, Sommers was also attentive to the central role
of the Seminary in the global church . As a Seminary trustee, he was
a powerful and effective advocate for enrollment of international students.
As a result of his efforts, Moravian Theological Seminary entered a
new era marked by programs that were highly responsive to the evolving
needs of theological education, and by a truly global outreach.
As President of the Moravian Church’s Northern Province,
Sommers led the province, its pastors, and its congregations through
a sweeping reorganization process. As President of the National Council
of the Churches of Christ, he directed an organizational communion of
33 denominations and 50 million Christians.
Reverend Sommers received a B.A. from Moravian College
and a M.Div. from Moravian Theological Seminary. He later earned a Th.M.
degree from Princeton Theological Seminary and a D.Min. degree from
New York Theological Seminary.
The commencement speaker will be Dr. David A. Schattschneider,
vice president and dean, Moravian Theological Seminary. Schattschneider’s
address is appropriately titled, "Transitions," as he announced
his resignation last year after serving more than twelve years as vice
president and dean of Moravian Theological Seminary. Schattschneider
will continue as dean until June, after which he will pursue several
projects related to the history of the modern Moravian Church, utilizing
the Seminary’s library and electronic resources.
Schattschneider received a B.A. from Moravian College,
a M.Div. from Yale Divinity School, and a M.A. and Ph.D. from the University
of Chicago. In 1968, he became instructor in historical theology and
world Christianity at Moravian Theological Seminary. In 1971, he became
assistant professor, in 1978 associate professor, and in 1986 professor
and holder of the S. Morgan Smith and Emma Fahs Smith Chair of Historical
Theology. From January to April, 1988, he was acting dean of Moravian
Seminary. Schattschneider served as vice president and dean since April
of 1988.
Moravian Theological Seminary is the seminary of the Moravian
Church in the United States. The seminary awards three degrees: Master
of Divinity, Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling, and Master of Arts
in Theological Studies. The institution also awards certificates in
theological studies.
