Alumni Updates- November 2015
skittles are life-giving
Church Start!
Dr. Jack Shields (M.Div. 1990; D.Min. 2002) is planting a new Covenant church in Blaine, Minnesota called The Door! May God’s light shine through this new church.
We are pleased to announce the appointment of The Reverend Doctor James K. McNeely, II to a new assignment.
Dr. James McNeely, II (M.Div., 1994) is appointed as the Vicar of New Hope Anglican Church in Watertown, Connecticut. Dr. McNeely serves under the episcopal ministry of the Right Reverend William Murdoch, bishop ordinary of the Anglican Diocese of New England. This assignment follows Dr. McNeely’s service and retirement as a chaplain in the United States Army.
Father McNeely is an ordained priest with the Anglican Church in North America. He holds degrees from Bethel College (Indiana), Asbury Theological Seminary (Kentucky), Drury University (Missouri), Webster University (Missouri), Erskine Theological Seminary (South Carolina), and a post-graduate certificate in management from Northcentral University (Arizona).
Doctor McNeely is the son of James and Nora McNeely of Elkhart, Indiana.
Doctor McNeely is married to the former Alisa Lairmore of Fulton, Missouri. They have five children and one granddaughter.
For inquiries, please contact Jim McNeely at cecpadre@yahoo.com .
Grant to our Alum
Reported by: Elizabeth Holmes
Dr. Derrick Lemons (ATS M.Div. 1997 and D.Min. 2008), a faculty member in the Department of Religion at the University of Georgia, hosted a mini-conference in Atlanta from September 20-22, entitled Theologically-Engaged Anthropology. Dr. Lemons received a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation to organize two mini-conferences to form collaborations between anthropologists and theologians from around the world. Dr. Joel Robbins, Dr. Don Seeman, Dr. Brian Howell, Dr. Frances X. Clooney, Dr. Jon Bialecki, Dr. Timothy Larsen, Dr. Michael Rynkiewich, Dr. James Bielo, Dr. Paul Kollman, and Dr. Khaled Furani were the scholars invited to take part in 
the Atlanta conference.
Along with Dr. Lemons, the scholars met for three days at Atlanta’s UGA Alumni Center to discuss what theology could contribute to cultural anthropology and ethnography. Each scholar wrote a paper addressing the topic, and each paper was discussed at length. These papers, along with the works from the upcoming conference in February, will be combined and published in an edited book.
Dr. Frances Clooney, a faculty of Harvard Divinity School, says that the conference started a long overdue conversation about the relationship between theology and anthropology.
“This conversation that attempts to rectify a historical split between theology and anthropology and take advantage of the obvious commonalties, in a sense rectifying an old divorce that seems now to be ready to be overcome,” said Clooney. “This conference is a significant contribution to that conversation, as will be the volume that will come out of the conference. But it is a complicated subject and needs further study.”
Clooney believes the next step in the conversation would be to have Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic, and other non-Christian Western traditions involved in the conference, alongside the Christian theologies that were presented.
Dr. Joel Robbins of Cambridge University is optimistic about the results from the conference.
“We were mapping uncharted territory, and we did a good job of tracing the key routes through it,” reflects Robbins. “We realized how hard it is to define theology from an anthropological point of view. We also learned how anthropologists can approach theology and theologians from a lot of different directions, as a topic whose role in society they can study anthropologically, as fellow academics with whom they can debate, and as a form of thought that can transform their own theoretical thinking.”
The second mini-conference will take place in England at Trinity College, University of Cambridge, in February 2016. Scholars will include Dr. Sarah Coakley, Dr. Fenella Cannell, Dr. Naomi Haynes, Dr. Alister McGrath, Dr. Douglas Davies, Dr. Martyn Percy, Dr. Tim Jenkins, and Dr. Nicholas Adams.
Continued Alum work in Swaziland!
Ben Kickert continues to work in a management role for a Swazi based Catholic non-profit. Their work includes provision of Health Care (primarily HIV and TB related), care of Orphans and Vulnerable Children, social service case management and assistance, as well as various education initiatives.
You can find out more from their annual report (a bit dated as they’re working on the new one currently) at http://www.cabriniministries.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Cabrini-2014-Program-Report-FINAL.pdf
Here is the summary version of the organization’s work and the work which Ben Kickert is engaged in:
Cabrini Ministries Swaziland is a Catholic, faith and community-based, not-for-profit organization working in the Lubombo lowveld of Swaziland to show God’s love in action through service. Cabrini Ministries is based at St. Philip’s Mission and operates for the good of the larger community, including the chiefdoms of Ngcamphalala, Mamba, and Gamedze with some activities in Shongwe, Mkweli, and Nceka.
The Kingdom of Swaziland in Southern Africa is geographically small, but culturally rich. While Swazi culture is considered relatively homogenous by African standards, it boasts a myriad of challenges as well as strengths. Nearly one third of adults are HIV positive (the highest prevalence rate in the world), and more Swazis contract tuberculosis in a year than anywhere else in the world. Nearly two thirds of the country lives on less than $2/day and unemployment currently stands at over 60%. These struggles have led to a nation overwhelmed by orphans and vulnerable children—48% of Swazi children officially fall into this category.
Cabrini’s work is fundamentally about responding to local need which includes addressing issues of health, nutrition, education, and protection, as well as ensuring mental and spiritual well-being. Delivery of services is primarily achieved through four integrated departments: Health Care, Child Care, Education, and Family Services. In performing its work, Cabrini emphasizes three key methodologies: Responses are Community and Family Centric, Interventions are Assessment Based, and Service Delivery is Comprehensive and Integrated. These approaches are synergistic and result in an efficient and effective package of services for our clients.
Cabrini is founded on the work and principles of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart (MSCs) and their founder, St. Francis Xavier Cabrini. The sisters have worked in Swaziland for over 40 years after originally coming to the country at the request of King Sobhuza II in 1971. In the early 2000s, in response to the escalating HIV and TB crisis, all resources were shifted to address the urgent health concerns, as well as the emerging orphan crisis created by the massive loss of life. This transition was solidified with the founding of a new organization: Cabrini Ministries Swaziland.
This year marks the eleventh anniversary of the organization. In the past decade, more than 8,000 people have received HIV and/or TB services and more than 2,000 orphans and vulnerable children have been served. What began as a few people doing what they could to help their neighbors has evolved into a full service
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