Seminary recognizes 2005 graduates with special awards and
celebrates ministerial and professional placement of sixty-three percent of class
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary wishes to recognize the 73 men and women who earned degrees, certificates, and diplomas in preparation for ordination, counseling, and other ministerial leadership.
The following degrees were conferred at the 152nd Commencement exercises held May 22, 2005: Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy (10), Master of Divinity (31), and Doctor of Ministry (5). Jeannette M. Martin received dual degrees in both the Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy. The Certificate of Pastoral Counseling Supervision was awarded to six individuals, and 22 men and women received the Diploma in Pastoral Studies through the Commissioned Lay Pastors program supported by Louisville Seminary.
During the ceremony held at Harvey Browne Memorial Presbyterian Church in Louisville, Ky., the following awards were presented:
Matthew Thomas Means received the Alum Award for the Outstanding Graduating Senior, which honors the graduate who has excelled in all facets of his or her education and potential for ministry.
Derek Curtis Longbrake received The Alan M. Jackson Preaching Award, presented by the Anchorage Presbyterian Church, Ky., to an outstanding male student preacher.
Roberta Lee Bella was the recipient of The Pastoral Ministry Award, which honors the graduating senior who has demonstrated outstanding promise for parish ministry.
David M. Bradley was awarded The Westminster/John Knox Press Award for Creative Integration of Theology and Marriage and Family Therapy, which recognizes a graduating senior who has demonstrated outstanding creativity and ability to bring together theology, one’s personal faith tradition, and marriage and family therapy theory into the clinical practice of marriage and family therapy.
Lauren Theresa Randall received The Esther Horner Award, which is the only prize whose recipient, selected by the graduating class, is a graduating senior who has made the greatest contribution to campus community life.
Wendy Wolford Hare and Julie G. Peterson were the recipients of The Field Education Award, which is provided by the Presbyterian Women of St. Andrew Presbytery and is given to a graduating senior who has shown outstanding accomplishments in his or her field education placements while maintaining a “B” average in other course work.
Janis M. Christensen, Laura Suzanne Frazey, Jeannette M. Martin, Lauren Theresa Randall, and Carol S. Taylor were each awarded The Interpretation Journal Award for Excellence in Biblical Studies, Theology, and Pastoral Ministry. The award is presented to graduates who have distinguished themselves in biblical and theological studies and intend to pursue careers in parish ministry.
Lewis O. Brogdon was awarded The Joseph T. Sudduth Award, which honors the graduating senior who has demonstrated achievement in biblical studies.
Hyungsool Kim received The James W. Tinsley Prize, which honors a graduating senior who has demonstrated commitment and perseverance in preparation for ministry.
Amy E. Loving was the recipient of The Melanie Lane Preaching Award for outstanding female student preacher.
Rhonda Lee received The Bernice Bean and Gladys Kendall Prize, presented to the graduate who, in the judgment of the Faculty, has demonstrated a superior record of academic achievement.
Melissa Lynn DeRosia was awarded The George and Jean Edwards Award in the Interpretation of Scripture to Christian Life, which recognizes the ability of a student to relate scripture to critical issues confronting the church and society, especially in areas of peace and justice.
Lewis O. Brogdon, Ken Folmsbee, Cheri Harper, Rebecca Heid, and Derek Longbrake were recognized with Presbyterian Publishing Corporation Awards for Excellence in Biblical Studies, Theology, and Pastoral Ministry, which honors graduates who have distinguished themselves in biblical and theological studies and who intend to pursue careers in parish ministry.
The call or placement process for seminary graduates can often take up to 18 months following graduation, with many graduates working on job searches during the summer months. Just two months after Louisville Seminary commencement exercises in May, more than half (63%) of the 2005 graduates in the Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy and Master of Divinity degree programs have already secured ministry placements.
The graduating class of 2005 included (with hometown, previous degree, and
ministry placement if known):
* = In Absentia; • = Degree conferred December 2004; + = With Distinction
Master of Arts in Marriage & Family Therapy David M. Bradley*•, Decatur, GA –
Columbia Theological Seminary, GA - MDiv
Baptist Hospital Network, Resident, Winston-Salem, NC
Lesley Earles-Berry, Fayetteville, AR - Hendrix College, AR
Florida State University, Student, PhD Program, Tallahassee, FL
Marilyn S. Feather, Louisville, KY – University of Kentucky
Private Practice, Louisville, KY
Shane David Lindsay•, Saint Louis, MO
Davidson College, NC – BA
Seven Counties Services, Therapist, Louisville, KY
Katherine P. Longbrake•, Silver Spring, MD
College of Wooster, OH – BA
Seeking placement
Jeannette M. Martin, Louisville, KY
Ball State University, IN – BS
Seeking placement
Jennifer A. Schiller, Louisville, KY
Hanover College, IN – BA
Saint Bernard Catholic Church, School & Parish Counselor, Louisville, KY
Charmaine Maria Smith, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
University of Maryland – BS
Home of the Innocents, Family Therapist, Louisville, KY
Walter W. Turner Jr.*•, Pikeville, KY – Pikeville College, KY
Seven Counties Services, Therapist, Louisville, KY
James L. Vester, Fairdale, KY
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, KY – MDiv
Vester’s Counseling Services, LLC, President
Master of Divinity Roberta Lee Bella, Britton, MI – Western Kentucky University
Seeking a call
Lewis O. Brogdon, Bluefield, VA
Regent University School of Divinity, Student, PhD Program,
Virginia Beach, VA
Brogdon also submitted and completed a thesis entitled,
Interpreting Pauline Slave Texts
Audra Dee Cain, Louisville, KY, Centre College, BA
Janis M. Christensen•, Stromsburg, NE
University of Nebraska-Kearney – BS
First Presbyterian Church, Interim Associate Pastor,
Rapid City, SD
Brian W. Dearing•, Louisville, KY
University of Louisville Hospital, CPE Residency,
Louisville, KY
Melissa Lynn DeRosia, East Lansing, MI,- Alma College, MI – BA
Norton Healthcare, Chaplain, Children’s Psychiatric Ward,
Louisville, KY
Richard Joe Dunbar•, Urbana, OH – Ohio State University – BS
Seeking a call
John C. Erickson•, Ohio – Hanover College, IN – BA
Seeking a call
Kenneth J. Folmsbee*•, Binghamton, NY – State University of
New York – BA
Community Presbyterian Church, Pastor, Howey In The Hills, FL
Laura Suzanne Frazey, Hoxie, KS – Fort Hays State University, KS – BA
Wesley Medical Center, CPE Resident, Wichita, KS
Wendy Wolford Hare, Birmingham, AL – University of
Alabama-Tuscaloosa – BA
Seeking a call
Cheri V. Harper, Dallas, TX – Austin College, TX – BA
Presbyterian Church (USA) Center, Presbyterian Women Associate for Synod Support, Louisville, KY
Rebecca Kathleen Heid, Louisville, KY – University of
Notre Dame, MD – BSN
Christ Church United Methodist Church, Minister for Senior Adults,
Louisville, KY
Hyungsool Kim, Seoul, Korea
Fourth Avenue United Methodist Church, Director of Children’s Ministry, Louisville, KY
Candice Lynn Klein, Houston, TX – University of Tennessee-Knoxville – BA
Seeking CPE Residency in North Carolina
Rhonda Lee, Montreal, Quebec, Canada – McGill University (Canada) – BA
Calvary Episcopal Church, Deacon, Louisville, KY
Derek Curtis Longbrake, College Park, MD – College of Wooster, OH – BA
Seeking a call
Amy E. Loving, Saint Joseph, MI – Heidelberg College, OH – BA
First Presbyterian Church, Associate Pastor, Macomb, IL
Angela Dionne Madden, Wichita, KS – Wichita State University, KS – BA
Interim Coordinator for Youth Ministries at Harvey Browne Memorial Presbyterian Church in Louisville, KY
Jeannette M. Martin, Louisville, KY – Ball State University, IN – BS
Seeking a call
Shannon M. Pershke Meacham, Bowling Green, KY – University of Louisville, KY – BA
Bethany Presbyterian Church, Pastor, Menands, NY
Matthew Thomas Means, Rochester, MI – Michigan
State University, MI – BA
Memorial United Presbyterian Church, Associate Pastor, Youth, Young Adult & Family Ministry, Xenia, OH
Cynthia A. Miske, Elizabethtown, OH
Presbyterian Church (USA) Center, Intern, Stewardship Office, Louisville, KY
Katheryne Ann Mitchell, Louisville, KY
Seeking a call
Sharon McCormick Murray, Princeton, KY
First Presbyterian Church, Student Intern, Sturgis, KY
Millicent M. Owen*•, New Albany, IN – Indiana University Southeast – BS
Family Health Ministries, Missionary, Fondwa, Haiti
Julie G. Peterson, Neenah, WI
Central Presbyterian Church, Pastor, Petersburg, IL
Lauren Theresa Randall, Tahlequah, OK – William Jewell
College, MO – BA
Seeking a call
Carol S. Taylor, Carrollton, MO – Michigan State University, MI – BA
The Village of Manor Park, CPE Internship in Geriatric
Ministry, Milwaukee, WI
Marvin Christopher Turner, Morehead, KY –
Morehead State University, KY – BA
Seeking a call
Landon Timothy Whitsitt, Lawrence, KS, Sterling College, KS – BA
Cathedral Heritage Foundation, Program Director, Louisville, KY
Profiles of graduates seeking ministerial calls are available on the Seminary’s
website. As students are cleared by their Committee on Preparation for Ministry (CPM), they are invited to post their personal information. The profile provides the student an opportunity to introduce him or herself and describe experiences and hopes for continuing the ministry of Jesus Christ in the world. As students receive a call, the profile is removed from the site. This means that there are frequent additions and subtractions of profiles; check the website often for new
student profiles.
In the programs for postgraduate degrees, certificate, and diploma studies, individuals already serving in ministerial positions or serving as lay ministers in congregations received the following recognitions:
Doctor of Ministry (with current ministry position and
thesis title)
Howard B. Chapman+, co-pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Marion, IA
Learning to Listen: Empowering the Laity with Basic Homiletical Theory
Frank Rollin Dunbar, Project Planner, Religious/Inspirational Projects, Willis Building Company, Inc., Saline, MI
Gathering Around the Lord’s Table: Change in Congregational Self-Understanding by Moving the Communion Table to the Center of the
Worship Space
Avis A. Hoyt-O’Connor, pastor, Quinsigamond United Methodist Church, Worcester, MA
Reading the Bible with Our Children
Steven A. Ingram, pastoral counselor, Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton, OH
Reducing the Stigma of Mental Illness in the Church: An Eight-Session Educational Process
Lawrence A. Jones, pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Marquette, MI
The Enemy is Inertia: A Theological Reflection on Managing Change in a Healthy Church
Certificate in Pastoral Counseling Supervision Granted to persons who are completing postgraduate training in pastoral counseling supervision *Mary Fraser
*Anne Ierardi
*Roban Kubic
*Jeffrey Lindner
*Patricia McCluskey
*Sherry Steinbock
Diploma in Pastoral Studies
Granted to persons who are preparing to serve as commissioned lay pastors in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and have completed a two-year course of study in accordance with the Book of Order.
Frederic Barnes
Ben Blake
Herbert Brantley
Gayle Burns
Thomas Burns
*Roy Chalmers
Donald Crousore
*Richard Dye
Sharon Fesmire
Alan Harder
Judith Jones
Sharon Kutz-Mellem
Edward McCoy
Joyce Ochs
Ralph Priddy
Ellen Rexing
Trey Shelton
Alejandra Spir-Haddad
Andrew Traister
Robert Van Bruggen
Reginald Wallace
Pamela Wessel
Master of Arts in Spirituality
This degree is a joint program between Louisville Seminary and Bellarmine University. Degrees were conferred upon the first cohort in the degree program by Bellarmine University on May 14, 2005.
Elizabeth B. Deerwester
Dawn M. Dones
William P. Doyle
Claudia K. Grenough
Sally J. Iseral-Shepherd
Mark C. Meade
Richard K. Panther
Laura L. Pitvorec
Linda Reynolds
Donald P. Wolf (posthumously)
The mission of Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary is to serve the church and the world by educating men and women for participation in the continuing ministry of Jesus Christ. Founded in 1853, the Seminary offers an inclusive and diverse community, welcoming individuals from wider ecumenical backgrounds. The Seminary is one of ten institutions of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Commencement 2005 Photo Gallery