When you love what you do: alums celebrate their experiences
1-01-2023
McCormick alums reflect on their love for God and community.
I stand in the Gathering Area (lobby) of Hope Church in mid-December, and this is what I see: purple Advent candles drawing people toward Advent devotionals and calendars, guiding toward Christmas; information offered on Christmas giving opportunities that range from partnering with an Afghan woman seeking asylum, to collecting pjs for children with incarcerated parents, to addressing the South Sudan refugee crisis, to donating household items for women seeking shelter from domestic violence; an Advent art project providing canvas for a communal creation; a display on an affordable housing initiative for which Hope Church is donating its land; an invitation for a community Kwanzaa celebration. And if you would take a stroll outside the building, you would see a Black Lives Matter banner and a Rainbow Flag that are displayed at Hope Church no matter the liturgical season.
This what I love about being a parish pastor, the remarkable number of threads that make up the life of a congregation, all woven together into a community of faith that is alive, an expression of the Body of Christ in our place and time. And I love the particular tapestry of those threads that make up a season like Advent and Christmas. And one of the gifts of my McCormick DMin experience was to expand and deepen within me the theological, pastoral, prophetic conviction that all of these threads – nurture, compassion, justice, advocacy, care, prophetic voice, Beloved Community – these are what the Incarnation at Christmas is about.
Rev. Dr. Gordon Stuart Wiersma, DMin 2019
My name is Llewellyn S. Dixon. You can call me, ‘Lew’. I serve as the pastor of Jubilee Faith Community Church ELCA in Country Club Hills, IL. I love my service to the people of God, but I first love service to God! Any who hang around me will see that the smile on my face emanates from the joy in my heart. I served two tours of duty as I traversed the hallways of McCormick! LOL! I worked to receive my MDiv and DMin from McCormick. It was hard work, but it was my place of “AHA!” It was such an eye-opening experience that sharpened my skill sets to minister to the people of God. McCormick prepared me well to join theological conversations in our ‘beloved community’. I have been in this work for over 30 years. For me, McCormick was the place that sharpened me for the work that I was already in and continues to be an influence in the life I live. I am thankful that the work that McCormick does did not end with me but continues today to provide our community with well-prepared leaders.
Dr. Llewellyn Dixon, MDiv 2005 and DMin 2013
Rev. Dr. Gordon Stuart Wiersma
DMin 2019
Dr. Llewellyn Dixon
MDiv 2005 and DMin 2013