SEMINARY IN THE CITY

Dr. J. Alfred Smith Sr., professor of preaching, has been busy speaking and writing. The senior pastor of Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, Smith contributed four essays to the newly released edition of the “Men of Color Study Bible” (NIA Publishing Company, 2002): “Moses, Prayer, and Faith”; “African American Men and Criminal Justice”; “Lord Teach Us to Pray”; and “African Men and Social Justice.”

In February he preached at the 12th Annual PCA Western Regional Church Conference at All Nations Presbyterian Church in Oakland on the theme "Gospel Ministry in a Changing World."

For his work, Smith has received several recent honors. He was awarded the “Agape Award” for 2002 from the women’s ministry of Shiloh Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes "men in ministry who have been willing to challenge the unfair treatment of women in ministry" that exists today. The award was presented during the inaugural conference for women ministers and musicians held at Shiloh Baptist Church.

In February he received the “From Hence They Came Award” from the Allstate Insurance Company in Oakland. Smith was also honored recently by Morehouse College in Atlanta with the “Gandhi, King, Ikeda Award.” According to the presentation, Smith received the award for “his outstanding contributions for peace, non-violence and his outstanding leadership as a preacher-scholar in revitalizing the human spirit and building community. The award was created to celebrate the lives and work of three individuals from three different cultures and continents whose common path of profound dedication to peace has been recognized internationally.”

Allen Temple received a $500,000 Workforce Investment Act Grant for its job training programs for hard-to-serve individuals. The award was given during a special ceremony of the California Faith-Based Initiative held at Allen Temple. The recognition was made by California Governor Gray Davis.

Dr. Tim Tseng, associate professor of American religious history, published an essay in the forthcoming “Realizing the America of Our Hearts: Theological Voices of Asian Americans,” edited by Fumitaka Matsuoka and Eleazar S. Fernandez. Tseng’s essay is titled “Beyond Orientalism and Assimilation: The Asian American as Historical Subject.”

In March Tseng addressed Wheaton College’s Center for Applied Christian Ethics conference on “Exploring Moral Formation: The College Experience.” Tseng gave a presentation on “Ethnic Studies and the Formation of Social Conscience” at the Wheaton, Ill. conference.

In early May Tseng spoke on “The May 4th Movement, Chinese Nationalism, and Christian Social Activism” at the Chinese Campus Evangelistic Fellowship (CEF) at Stanford University. Later this month he will address the Christians Supporting Community Organizing Annual Meeting in Boston and the Asian American Baptist Caucus Steering Committee Meeting in Valley Forge, Penn.

Dr. Marian Ronan, assistant professor of contemporary theology and religion, led a Bible study in February on “The Women Who Anointed Jesus” with the Emmanuel Family Group at First Chinese Baptist Church of San Francisco. Also in February, Ronan presented a lecture on “New Feminist Theologies and Women’s Ordination” to the Board of Directors of the (Roman Catholic) Women’s Ordination Conference.

Ronan published two articles in the April-June 2002 edition of The Living Pulpit, which is edited by ABSW President Keith Russell. She also contributed an article titled “Sexual Complexity and Women's Ordination” in the March-May 2002 edition of the journal EqualwRites.

The Rev. Katie Choy Wong, director of admissions and instructor in ministry, addressed the East Bay Area American Baptist Women Ministries (ABW) Spring Rally at Church of the Valley in San Ramon, Calif. She was also a speaker for the recent East Bay Area American Baptist Churches of the West Family Night at First Baptist Church of Richmond.

Choy-Wong led a seminar on spiritual gifts in early May at Imani Community Church in Oakland.

President Keith Russell preached in a number of Bay Area congregations this spring, including Allen Temple in Oakland, First Baptist Palo Alto, First Baptist Pacific Grove, Church by the Side of the Road in Berkeley, and Liberty Hills Missionary Baptist, also in Berkeley.The Rev. Desmond Hoffmeister, dean of community life and director of the Global Prophetic Network, co-facilitated two meetings of a National Ministries task force convened to strengthen American Baptist prophetic ministries. The task force met in February in Valley Forge and last November in Seattle, where it participated in the National Gathering for Social Entrepreneurs. Hoffmeister worked with Daniel Pryfogle (’01), principal of Signal Hill, a consulting firm that is guiding National Ministries through a strategic planning process. The Rev. Valerie Miles-Tribble (’01), associate pastor of Imani Community Church, is a member of the task force, which includes community development leaders, nonprofit executives, and church leaders.

Sook Grace Sohn, a first-year ABSW student, attended the PANAAWTM (Pacific Asian, and North American Asian Women in Theology and Ministry) 17th annual conference in April in Newton, Mass. Sohn says she got some practical help at the conference on applying for a doctoral program and also received a good introduction to current North American Asian feminist theological perspectives.

Seven seminary students participated in “Seven Last Words,” Allen Temple Baptist Church’s annual Good Friday Service: Sheryl Davis, Barbara Galloway-Lee, Patricia Gardner, Doris Casey-Jackson, Brenda Lewis Franklin, and Eunice Tina Bryant. Daphyne Brown-McClenton presided over the service. She also preached at the 6 a.m. Easter service at Allen Temple.