The 2021 Alumni Lectures & Homecoming will take place on Sept. 28–30. The guest lecturers are the Rt. Rev. Phoebe Roaf, bishop of the Diocese of West Tennessee, the Rt. Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, bishop of the Diocese of Indianapolis, and the Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, bishop of the Diocese of Maryland. 

Lecture Details

The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows
The Language of Dismantling White Supremacy: Intentional Words for Intentional Witness

Word choice matters deeply to the gospel work of dismantling the sinful and systemic systems of racial oppression. Bishop Baskerville-Burrows will speak about her experience as a Black woman leading a majority-White diocese through a period of racial justice reckoning in the name of the Word made flesh, Jesus. She will share how defining the words shapes the work in the Diocese of Indianapolis as they create spaces where people can bring their real and vulnerable selves to the work of dismantling systems of injustice.

The Rt. Rev. Phoebe Roaf
Addressing Racial Reconciliation in Different Contexts

Roaf will focus on the promises contained in our baptismal covenant as guiding principles for our collective response to racism within the Church and society. As Baskerville-Burrows’ context in Indianapolis is very different from Roaf’s context in Memphis, she will explore how these two dioceses are addressing the question of racial reconciliation and becoming beloved community.

The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton
Four Steps to Becoming a Racially-Reconciled Church

Fifty years after the Civil Rights Era, have we as a Church and society made as much progress in racial justice and reconciliation as we had hoped? Recent polls consistently reveal a pessimism and hardening of racial attitudes among many Americans. Given our well-documented collusion with the forces of slavery, segregation and injustice, can The Episcopal Church lead the way toward becoming a more racially-reconciled community that faithfully reflects the values of the reign of God? In his presentation, Bishop Sutton will lead us in reflecting on these issues, and will suggest concrete ways that we as a Church can shape a brighter future.

The lectures will not be live streamed, however, video recordings will be available shortly after the event.

Schedule

You can view the schedule here.

Schedule Details

Lunch at Shenanigan's: This is an opportunity for those arriving early to meet up with friends for an informal lunch. Those that choose to attend will pay for themselves.

Hike: If you are in the mood to see some beautiful trails around the Domain, weather permitting, join the group for an easy two-mile hike to Piney Point and back. Meet at the University gates on 41A.

Companions in Ministry Coffee: Blue Chair
Spouses and partners can meet at the Blue Chair for coffee at 9 a.m. All attendees will pay for themselves.


Workshops: All workshops will take place from 9–11:45 a.m. in Hamilton Hall. See descriptions below. To register for a workshop using the online form, click here.

  • Workshop 1: Confederate Symbols in Episcopal Parishes: Leading for Change, led by the Rev. Kellan Day
    Description:     Confederate symbols, names, memorials, and plaques decorate Episcopal parishes across the country. This workshop will equip parish clergy and leaders to uncover the theology of the symbols in or around their sacred spaces, analyze those symbols through visual rhetorical methods, and engage best practices for transforming their congregation and sacred space. Participants are encouraged to bring examples of Confederate imagery from their own context for small group discussion.

     

  • Workshop 2: Death and Resurrection in Small, Struggling Parishes, led by the Rev. Dr. Julia Gatta
    Description: Many parishes today face a diminishing number of members—a situation that brings in its train loss of revenue, energy, and sometimes, hope. This workshop, a combination of presentation and participant discussion, seeks to help pastors of such congregations find faithful options for going forward, including revitalization, moving to part-time or bi-vocational clergy, merger, and yoking. It will discuss when a parish may need to close and how to oversee that process. Participants will be limited to 20 to enhance in-person, candid conversation.   

  • Workshop 3: Are holy lives evidence of God? led by the Rev. Dr. Robert MacSwain
    Description: Most religious people naturally hold that their beliefs about God are true, but rarely consider what evidence or reason might support them. Many philosophers or theologians who consider this question would point to the nature of the created order, or to personal religious experiences. But some influential figures such as Rowan Williams and Sarah Coakley have suggested that the best evidence for God is found in those holy lives often known as "saints," which term here extends beyond officially canonized figures to include a much broader range of individuals, perhaps even those we have actually met. In this workshop, Dr. MacSwain will share the preliminary results of his research into this question, drawing on material from his forthcoming book The Saint is Our Evidence: The Hagiological Argument for the Existence of God.

 

Continuing education credits

Registered participants will receive up to four hours of continuing education for attending the lectures and the conversation with the bishops, and up to three hours for attending a workshop, for a maximum of seven hours. You can pick up your letter of continuing education credits at the registration table.

 

Registration

You can access the registration form here. Reminder, the lectures by themselves do not require registration.

Lodging

All 20 rooms at the Anna House at St. Mary’s Sewanee (770 St. Mary’s Lane) are being held for the nights of Sept. 28 and 29, for $85 per night. To reserve a room, email Mary Beth Best at St. Mary’s Sewanee at reservations@stmaryssewanee.org) and mention “University/Alumni Lectures” for the discounted rate. There will be a $50 deposit required for the booking.

The School of Theology has reserved 20 rooms at the Sewanee Inn. An online reservation can be made here. If you call the Inn to book a reservation,  931.598.3568, use the booking code “School of Theology Alumni Lectures & Homecoming (promo code = SOTAL0921).” The Inn will begin taking reservations on May 24, 2021.

Transportation on Campus

There will be a shuttle running daily from the Sewanee Inn to Convocation Hall on Sept. 29 and from the Inn to Hamilton Hall on Sept. 30. A complete schedule of shuttle times and locations will be posted soon.

The Rt. Rev. Phoebe Roaf

The Rt. Rev. Phoebe Roaf, a lifelong Episcopalian, grew up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Following her work as a public policy analyst and an attorney, she was ordained in the Diocese of Louisiana. She served as associate rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in New Orleans and rector of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia, prior to her ordination and consecration as the fourth Bishop of West Tennessee on May 4, 2019. Roaf graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary in 2008 and currently serves as vice-chair of their Board of Trustees. She enjoys reading, taking long walks, listening to live music, and spending time with family and friends.

The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows

The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows is a native of New York City. Before being elected bishop in 2016, she served in the Dioceses of Newark, Central New York and Chicago. She is the first black woman to be elected a diocesan bishop in The Episcopal Church. Her expertise includes historic preservation of religious buildings, stewardship and development, race and class reconciliation, and spiritual direction. She is an accomplished distance runner and triathlete and a passionate chef and baker. She and her husband, Harrison Burrows, are parents to Timothy.

The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton

The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton is bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, elected in 2008. Sutton has written about and been recognized as a thought leader on the issues of racial reconciliation and reparations, testifying before the United States Congress with author Ta-Nehisi Coates, actor Danny Glover, economist Julianne Malveaux and others for Congressional Bill HR40 that calls for the establishment of a national bipartisan commission to study and make recommendations for addressing reparations as a restitution for slavery and racial discrimination. He has since lectured and spoken for the benefits that reparations can bring for American society on National Public Radio, Fox News, The Chautauqua Institution, Howard University, and other public forums.