The Rev. Dr. Almeda Wright, associate professor of religious education at Yale Divinity School and author of Teaching to Live: Black Religion, Activist-Educators, and Radical Social Change (Oxford University Press, 2024), will present at EMU’s annual Augsburger Lecture Series on Monday, Oct. 27, in the MainStage Theater (University Commons 170). The lecture starts at 7 p.m. and will be followed by a reception.

Her lecture will explore the lives and pedagogical genius of 20th century African American educators. 

“We will wrestle with the ways that teachers are often underacknowledged as exemplars of faith and social change,” states a description of her lecture. “We will focus on the lives of Anna Julia Cooper and Septima Clark, who, like many other 20th century African American women teachers, embodied an unwavering faith in God, in their cause, in their students, and in themselves that pushed them to continue working for justice despite efforts to thwart them.”

Wright’s research focuses on African American religion, adolescent spiritual development, and the intersections of religion and public life. Prior to her arrival at Yale, she served for four years as assistant professor of religion and youth ministry at Pfeiffer University and, before that, was an adjunct faculty member and teaching assistant at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. 

She is also the author of The Spiritual Lives of Young African Americans (Oxford, 2017) and the co-editor of Children, Youth, and Spirituality in a Troubling World.��

Wright is an ordained minister of the American Baptist Churches and has been on the ministerial staff of several churches, including Union Baptist Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Victory for the World United Church of Christ in Stone Mountain, Georgia. 

She holds a PhD from Emory University, an MDiv from Harvard Divinity School, an MA in teaching from Simmons College, and a bachelor of science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The Augsburger Lecture Series was founded in 1984 by Myron S. and Esther Augsburger to address “topics in the area of Christian evangelism and mission for the stimulation and development of a vision for evangelism and missions for the EMU community.”

For more information, visit .

“That,” he said, pointing at the banners proclaiming the purpose and mission of EMU, “is our vocation. I came in here and I read that banner and I thought, ‘Yes, yes, yes.’ This is the outward-facing project. This is not extra to being saved. This is what you’re saved for – to be part of God’s creative purposes in the world.”

Wright drew standing-room-only crowds at several events during his two-day visit to Harrisonburg. In a service at Eastern Mennonite Seminary’s Martin Chapel, even the organ bench was occupied, and a breakfast lecture drew area church leaders from various denominations representing a wide spectrum of conservative and progressive perspectives.

The coalition that invited Wright was ecumenical: the included Eastern Mennonite Seminary, Park View Mennonite Church, Virginia Mennonite Conference and Virginia Mennonite Missions, and the Church of the Incarnation, Anglican Church of North America. ��ݮ���� was represented in the partnership through campus ministries, the Bible, religion and theology department and the Augsburger Lectureship.

“We were delighted with the community response stemming from an ecumenical planning partnership,” said Campus Pastor Brian Martin Burkholder. “This approach supported and connected the lecture series in meaningful ways and certainly broadened our reach.”

Wright, a research professor of New Testament and early Christianity at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and former Bishop of Durham, developed the broad theme of “Discerning the Dawn” over five lectures. At James Madison University’s Memorial Hall the first evening, all 1,045 seats were filled, and many turned away at the door. The Augsburger Lecture the next evening at EMU was the most highly attended in many years that he could recall, said Burkholder.

The “dawn” of Wright’s thematic focus refers in part to the Kingdom here on earth and to humans’ role as God’s “image-bearers” and “god-reflectors,” he said in an early lecture.

“When the spirit comes, the spirit will enable us – you – to speak and live the truth, that Jesus is Lord, and that there is a new way to be human, that there is a true justice and that arrogant power has already been judged,” he said. “This vision is at the heart of the genuine Christian spiritual experience. The new day has already dawned and a new way of being human has been launched upon the world.”

Wright’s lecture series drew audience members from as far away as California and Colorado.

David Works, who both corresponds with Wright regularly and has long and deep connections to EMU, flew from Denver to attend all of the lectures. A descendant of Thomas Jefferson, Works is member of , and has participated in Strategies for Trauma and Resilience (STAR) trainings and restorative justice as a survivor of violent crime.

For Works, the opportunity to see and hear Wright speak at EMU – where he knew Wright’s message would surely resonate – was irresistible.

“I said, ‘I need to be there.’ EMU has played such an important role in my own life, and here is this other person who has as well,” Works said. “His message of faith in action that he talked about today interfaces with EMU almost uniquely.”

Podcasts

• Nov. 13, Seminary Chapel: “The Spirit and the Church’s Task (John 16:4b–15)” with Q&A beginning at 51:20.
• Nov. 14, Campus Worship: “The Day the Revolution Began: Atonement the Right Way” with Q&A beginning at 54:40.
• Nov. 14, Augsburger Lecture: Promised Glory: Straightforth Thinking About God and the World” with Q&A beginning at 1:05:05.

This bridge actually exists in Honduras: it was built in the 1930s by the Army Corps of Engineers as part of the Pan-American Highway, but was abandoned in 1998 when the river changed its course after a hurricane.

“It is still beautiful and it still stands,” said Okanya, during a lecture at ��ݮ����, “but the river is not there. The river has moved.”

Similarly, Okanya said, the historical, traditional model of mission engagement – with churches of the global north “sending” missionaries into the “receiving” global south – must be restructured to accommodate changing flows of worldwide Anabaptist faith.

Okanya’s visit to campus, in which he also spoke at two worship services, is part of the annual , originally funded by Myron S. and Esther Augsburger to address “topics in the area of Christian evangelism and mission for the stimulation and development of a vision for evangelism and missions for the EMU community.”

The first mission took place in the 1930s, Okanya reminded the audience during his chapel sermon, and those who were called, and those who sent them, were compelled by the powerful story of Jesus Christ. Like the early martyrs of the Anabaptist faith, they suffered for their faith. “You can see their graves,” Okanya said, recalling Elam Stauffer ’64, one of the first missionaries to be sent by EMM. Stauffer suffered for his convictions, losing an infant and then his wife, Elizabeth, after arriving in Tanzania.

Young people seeking purpose are often confronted with the popular narrative of “moving towards something we will get for doing things right,” Okanya said, adding that he too went to college for this reason. Yet there is an alternative narrative: the one followed by missionaries.

Think about “the difference that you can make in life because you are completed not by what you can get but in response to the One who loves you and gave you life,” he urged.

Okanya, who was born and raised in Kenya, pointed as evidence of this compelling narrative and the power of missions to the rapidly growing numbers of Mennonites in Africa. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia have the, behind the United States.

In his youth, Okanya interacted with the Kenya Mennonite Church and the EMM mission community in Nairobi. (When he preaches, he wanders away from the microphone, Okanya joked, because he is still a “Kenyan shepherd boy” at heart.) After graduating from university in Nairobi, Okanya came to the Baltimore area with the YES (Youth Evangelism Service) program and eventually attended seminary at EMU, where he met his wife Jessica Lawrence Okanya ’01.

Okanya has served as president of EMM since 2011, following years of mission work and also six years as lead pastor of Capital Christian Fellowship in Lanham, Maryland.

In his lecture titled “What Needs to Change? A Paradigm Shift in Missions Engagement and Implications for Western Mission Agencies,” Okanya shared some of the challenges affecting mission work today. He and his staff continue to grapple with the question of “what it means to be missional in today’s environment,” considering the issues of sustainable funding mechanisms, human resources, increasing hostility toward Westerners, changing stakeholders and globalization.

“There is a lot the church in North America can offer the world,” he said, “but there is much that the churches in the global South can offer us here. I’ve met with Lancaster Conference bishops asking about receiving missionaries here. What does that mean? What are the benefits? They want to know this and we want to help them.”

The way to engage youth in missions, and in church itself, is sharing and teaching with authenticity, Okanya said, just as the prophets, disciples and Jesus himself did.

“Are we ‘almost Christian’?” he asked, using a term coined by author Kendra Dean Creasy. “Are we not serious enough about our faith and not taking seriously what He said and what He meant? We lack the strength to tell the story, and if we do not have it, then we cannot pass it on. We must be passionate.”

Internationally-renowned theologian, author and educator Marva J. Dawn will present the annual Augsburger Lecture Series Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 20-21.

Dr. Dawn is teaching fellow in spiritual theology at Regent College in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Speaking schedule:

• Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 11 a.m. in Martin Chapel. Topic: "The Scintillating Word," based on Heb. 4:12-1.
• Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m. in Martin Chapel. Topic: "Just the Exuberance the World Needs" 7 p.m. that evening in Martin Chapel and address the question, "What is our Mission in a Post-Postmodern Age?"
• Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 10 a.m. for university chapel. Topic: "What is our Mission in a Post-Postmodern Age?" She will be available for a talk-back session following the service.

Dawn will also speak during the faculty and staff Tuesday luncheon, part of a year-long series, and at a breakfast meeting for area pastors 7:30 a.m. Wednesday in the west dining room of Northlawn. The pastors’ breakfast topic will be "What to do about Millennial Agnostics," based on II Tim. 4:3-8.

A popular preacher and speaker for all ages

As an educator with Christians Equipped for Ministry (CEM), Dawn has preached and taught at seminaries, clergy conferences, churches, Assemblies, and universities across North American and in numerous overseas settings.

A scholar with four master’s degrees and a PhD in Christian ethics and the scriptures from the University of Notre Dame, Dawn is also a popular preacher and speaker for people of all ages. She is the author of numerous articles and over 20 books, several of which have won awards or been translated into Chinese, Korean, Portuguese and other languages.

"Marva Dawn is known for being solid in her Christian theology and dynamic as a speaker," said Brian Martin Burkholder, EMU campus pastor. "One cannot encounter her work or presentations and leave without being affected in some way. It’s a privilege to host her at EMU."

More information

Admission to all presentations is free.

The Augsburger Lectureship was established by EMU president emeritus Myron S. Augsburger and his wife Esther to bring noted speakers to campus to address topics in the areas of Christian mission and evangelism.

For more information, contact EMU campus ministries, (540) 432-4115.

Brian D. McLaren, an innovative Christian leader, thinker and activist, will present the annual Augsburger Lecture Series Wednesday and Thursday, (Apr. 1-2).

McLaren will speak in several undergraduate and seminary settings on the relevance of the Church in applying the core message of Jesus to today’s global problems.

McLaren’s schedule on campus

He will open the series 10 a.m. Wednesday with a university chapel address on “Everything Must Change: Jesus’ Gospel and Today’s Global Crises.”

McLaren will give a public lecture 7 p.m. that evening in Lehman Auditorium on “Finding the Seventh Story,” contrasting violence with Christ’s gospel as a peace narrative. A talk-back session with the speaker will follow at 8:15 p.m. in the Campus Center Greeting Hall.

McLaren will take part in an early morning pastor’s breakfast before speaking in seminary chapel 9:30 a.m. Thursday in Martin Chapel on “The Gospel in Full-Spectrum Light,” a focus on different ways of viewing Christian theology and practice.

McLaren’s evangelical innovation

McLaren is a frequent guest on television, radio, and news media programs. He has appeared on many broadcasts including Larry King Live, Religion and Ethics Newsweekly and Nightline. His work has also been covered in “Time” (where he was listed as “one of American’s 25 most influential evangelicals”), Christianity Today, Christian Century, the Washington Post, and many other print media.

From 1978 to 1986, McLaren taught college English, and in 1982, he helped form Cedar Ridge Community Church, an innovative, nondenominational church in the Baltimore-Washington region ). He left higher education in 1986 to serve as the church’s founding pastor and served in that capacity until 2006.

He serves as a board chair for Sojourners/Call to Renewal (), and is a founding member of Red Letter Christians, a group of communicators seeking to broaden and deepen the dialogue about faith and public life.

Born in 1956, he graduated from the University of Maryland with degrees in English (BA, summa cum laude, 1978, and MA, 1981). His academic interests include Medieval drama, Romantic poets, modern philosophical literature and the novels of Dr. Walker Percy. In 2004, he was awarded a doctor of divinity degree (honoris causa) from Carey Theological Seminary in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Augsburger lecture series

The Augsburger Lectureship was established by EMU president emeritus Myron S. Augsburger and his wife Esther to bring noted speakers to campus to address topics in the areas of Christian mission and evangelism.

Admission to all presentations is free.

For more information, call the campus ministries office at 540-432-4115.

A veteran urban mission worker will present the annual Augsburger Lecture Series Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 14-15, at ��ݮ����.

Mary Thiessen Nation, currently of Harrisonburg, will speak and lead discussion on her journey from a Canadian farming community to years spent in a violent neighborhood in Los Angeles, Calif., and then to London, England and finally to Harrisonburg.

She will share discoveries about authentic biblical and communal hope gleaned with the help of her inner-city friends in presentations 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 14 in Lehman Auditorium, 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15 in Martin Chapel of the seminary building and in a lecture-forum setting 7 p.m. that day, also in Martin Chapel.

Dr. Thiessen Nation, the third oldest of 10 children, grew up on a farm in Southern Alberta, the daughter of Russian immigrants. After graduating from high school, she attended a Mennonite Brethren Bible College in British Columbia for two years, followed by a year in the Netherlands in an exchange program sponsored by Mennonite Central Committee. She received her teaching credential at Tabor College in Kansas, volunteering in inner-city mission on weekends during her final year in college.

Upon graduation, Thiessen Nation moved to Los Angeles, Calif., to serve with World Impact, an interdenominational Christian mission organization. She lived and served in the inner city for 18 years.

She completed a masters degree in Intercultural Studies in 1993, a masters in theology in 1994 and a Ph.D. in 2004, both from the School of Intercultural Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, Calif. Her dissertation was, "Realizing Hope in the Midst of Despair: Narratives of an Urban Mission Community."

She married Mark Nation, a Mennonite theologian and ethicist at Fuller Seminary, in 1995. The couple moved to London, England with Mennonite Mission Network in 1996 where Mary served as a consultant on urban mission and spirituality at the London Mennonite Centre. Her spouse is now an associate professor of theology at Eastern Mennonite Seminary.

Thiessen Nation has served as an adjunct professor in urban mission and spirituality at three Mennonite seminaries and at Fuller Seminary. After completing her dissertation, she hopes to mentor/partner with urban missionaries, particularly those who serve among people who have experienced trauma. She will seek opportunities to write, speak and teach about what she learned through her experience in mission and through her study of hope and despair.

Admission to all presentations is free.

The Augsburger Lectureship was established by EMU president emeritus Myron S. Augsburger and his wife Esther to bring noted speakers to campus to address topics in the areas of Christian mission and evangelism.

For more information, call the office at 540-432-4342.