Moravian Theological Seminary celebrates 2019 Commencement

Moravian Seminary graduates

The 212th academic year of Moravian Theological Seminary came to a close when 14 graduates received degrees and certificates at its commencement service on Saturday, May 11, 2019, at College Hill Moravian Church in Bethlehem, Pa. The church was filled to capacity with friends and family celebrating the accomplishments of the graduates.

Among those receiving the Master of Divinity was Timothy Naisby, a member of the Central Moravian Church. He also earned the Certificate in Biblical Studies and was honored with the Elmer Bender Memorial Award in recognition of qualities suited for ministry in the Moravian Church. Timothy has accepted the call to serve as pastor of the Moravian Church in Unionville, Michigan. He will be ordained on June 29 at Central Church and will be installed at Unionville in July.

During the awarding of academic prizes, Charlie McDonald, a member of Edgeboro Moravian Church and a current MDiv student at the Seminary, received the Frueauff Prize in Moravian History for his outstanding research and work in Moravian history.

True to our ecumenical roots, students from other denominations received degrees from Moravian Seminary. In addition to Timothy Naisby, four individuals received Master of Divinity degrees and will be entering leadership positions in area churches. Christine Potter-Kass (Easton, Pa.) will serve as pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Hokendauqua, Pa. Nicole Vogel completed her degree in December, and has been serving as pastor of the East Stroudsburg Presbyterian Church. Ken McDowell has accepted the call to serve as pastor of St. Paul’s Summer Hill United Church of Christ in Auburn, Pa. Completing her credentialing with the United Church of Christ, Rebecca Sausser will be serving a local UCC congregation for the next year.

Receiving the Master of Arts in Chaplaincy, Wanda Brothers (Easton, Pa.) will enter a year-long chaplain residency.

Three students received a Master of Arts in Theological Studies: Jennifer Denlinger (Bethlehem Township, N.J.), James Jackson (Baltimore, Md.), and Robert Yurvati
(Whitehall, Pa.).

Graduating with a Masters of Arts in Clinical Counseling were Michael Brown (Coopersburg, Pa.), Emily Klein (Quakertown, Pa.), and Jacqueline Kost (Allentown, Pa.). Christine Confer (Phillipsburg, N.J.) completed the dual degree program, earning the Masters of Arts in Clinical Counseling from Moravian Seminary and the Masters of Social Work from Marywood University in Scranton, Pa. A testimony to the caliber of our program and students, all of our MACC graduates had accepted counseling positions in area mental health agencies prior to graduation.

The Graduate Certificate in Biblical Studies was earned by Florence Kimball (Bethlehem, Pa.), Christine Potter-Kass and
Nicole Vogel.

The Director of Enrollment at the Seminary, the Rev. Dr. Dave DeRemer, will retire at the end of the academic year and was invited to give the commencement address. Dave will continue to serve as the Director of Supervised Ministry and as an adjunct faculty member at the Seminary.

We celebrate the accomplishments of our graduates and look forward to their unfolding ministries

Jane Weber is the director of administration for Moravian Theological Seminary in Bethlehem, Pa. www.moravianseminary.edu