Class of 2011 ready to serve as pastors, chaplains, spiritual directors

San Francisco Theological Seminary will celebrate the Class of 2011 on Saturday, May 21, at 9 a.m. at Bouick Field when the Commencement Service takes place.

We are admittedly biased, but we believe God has great things in store for the new Master of Divinity graduates. For instance, Evans Presley-McGowan has already accepted a two-year ordained position with the Lily Residency Program at First Presbyterian Church of Ann Arbor, Mich. He’s most excited about discerning which areas of pastoral ministry he is being called to and in what capacity. This residency program gives him ample opportunity to explore God’s calling in this way.

With a passion for ministering to young adults, Evans feels blessed to be heading to a college town since the church is located near the University of Michigan. His SFTS internship is at First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley, near the University of California, where he teaches in the church’s Learning Community, helps out with the men’s ministry and organizes retreats for 20- and 30-year-olds.

Elizabeth Campbell has been accepted into the “For Such a Time as This” program offered through the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Vocation. This two-year residency program seeks to pair small, healthy congregations without pastoral leadership with recent seminary graduates exploring a call to ministry in the small church. Elizabeth will serve in the Ohio Valley Presbytery.

“I am very excited about this opportunity to go back to my roots and serve in a small church in the United States,” Elizabeth said. “This program is unique in that the pastors in this program will have the opportunity to develop community together as well as have the opportunity to be supported by the greater denomination.”

Elizabeth will serve in a full-time designated pastor position. She will work with a mentor and with the presbytery and synod to gain pastoral experience and insights during her first years of ministry.

Please keep the Class of 2011 in your prayers and consider employing these future church leaders at your church or nonprofit organization. Here’s a look at the calls and ministries other students will be pursuing upon graduation:

Barbara England is looking for work in the areas of social justice and missions, and is interested in being a tentmaker.

Heather Grantham is seeking a call to a congregation or community in which she can explore the connectivity between physicality and spirituality. She seeks to embody her Master of Divinity education within the global church, connecting U.S. churches with our brothers and sisters in the global south.

Natasha Iwalani Hicks hopes to serve within a church that is passionate about growing in God’s grace and serving amongst those on the margins.

Sung Doo Hong has been accepted to the SFTS Doctor of Ministry program so he and his family will remain in San Anselmo. Please keep him in your prayers.

Christina Jensen is looking to serve small churches of the rural Midwest with pastoral ministry.

Miok Kang is applying to the SFTS Doctor of Ministry program and looking for a ministry opportunity at a Korean church in the Bay Area.

Ray Maleke hopes to be involved in a ministry engaged in both the academic and congregational setting.

Sinhyang Lee Park is looking to serve a Korean church with her gift in spiritual direction ministry. She will continue to work as a spiritual director in the Interfaith Counseling Center housed in Lloyd Dobbins Hall on the SFTS campus.

Talitha Given Phillips will continue with part-time work at Montclair Presbyterian Church near Oakland, Calif., and part-time volunteering for Children of Uganda (www.childrenofuganda.org).

Lydia Suh is seeking a pastoral call at an urban context church with diversity and heart for transforming the city through service, mission and education.

Erin Tamayo is seeking an ordained position in a faith-rooted organizing ministry in Southern California. She hopes to serve the urban poor with persons of a wide variety of faith traditions.

Joseph Um is already working as an assistant pastor at Golden Gate Presbyterian Church and will continue to work there after graduation. Before coming to SFTS, Joseph worked in various mission fields in Mexico, Malaysia and China for seven years, and his ultimate goal is to be a missionary and serve in a multicultural ministry.

Luke Williams is seeking ordination in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and plans to study at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago for his “Lutheran year.”

Please contact SFTS if your church or nonprofit organization is interested in speaking directly with a new graduate.

Contact: Lynn Dunn, associate vice president of advancement
Phone: 415-451-2882
E-mail: ldunn@sfts.edu