Bethany Seminary confers 14 master’s degrees, 12 graduate certificates

Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., conferred 14 master’s degrees and 12 graduate certificates during its 2023 Academic Commencement Ceremony on May 13. Jana Carter, a Bethany alumna, delivered the commencement address. The event also included remarks by Eric Bishop, chair of the seminary’s board of trustees, and organ music performed by Carolyn Ripp.

This year’s graduates are listed below with their degrees and/or certificates:

Wazani Ijarafu Adamu of Jos, Nigeria, certificate in biblical peacemaking

Philip James Collins of Dearborn Heights, Mich., master of divinity

Daniel Dauda of Jos, Nigeria, certificate in biblical peacemaking

Mychael De’Angelo Dia-Bethune of Charlotte, N.C., certificate in theopoetics and theological imagination

Carla Lynne Gillespie of Tipp City, Ohio, master of divinity

Mary Beth Gray of Westlake, Ohio, master of arts in theopoetics and writing with the portfolio topic “Theopoetics and Motherhood: Considerations and Examples,” certificate in just peace and conflict transformation

Bethany Seminary president Jeff Carter takes a selfie with guest speaker Jana Carter (no relation) and board chair Eric Bishop, as faculty, staff, and graduates line up for this year’s commencement ceremony. Photo courtesy of Bethany Seminary

Please pray… For each seminary graduate and for all of the faculty and staff and others who mentored them.

Nicholas Paul Gutierrez of Akron, Ohio, master of arts with the thesis topic “Walking into Eternity: A Poetic and Theological Account of Christian Pilgrimage,” master of arts in theopoetics and writing with the portfolio topic “The Theopoetic Potential of Haiku”

Travis Eugene Hartman of Leesburg, Ind., master of arts with the thesis topic “Examining Open Theism in Exodus”

Sewuese Isaiah of Jos, Nigeria, certificate in biblical peacemaking

Isaiah Torkuma Jam of Jos, Nigeria, certificate in biblical peacemaking

Margo Janey McKenzie of Middletown, Del., certificate in theopoetics and theological imagination

Gabriel Nelson of Freeland, Mich., master of divinity

Clifford Sterling Nunn of Richmond, Ind., master of divinity

Ezra Parah of Jos, Nigeria, certificate of achievement in theological studies

Staci Ann Peterson of Cincinnati, Ohio, master of divinity

Ingrid Rogers of Menlo Park, Calif., master of arts in theopoetics and writing with the portfolio topic “In God’s Garden”

Lucky Simon of Jos, Nigeria, certificate in biblical peacemaking

Alina Rose Sayre Skujins of Greenville, S.C., certificate in theopoetics and theological imagination

Hope Elizabeth Woodard Staton of Indianapolis, Ind., master of divinity, certificate in intercontextual biblical interpretation

Timothy Lloyd Troyer of Huntington, Ind., master of divinity

Desiree Marie Weaver-Spidel of Elizabethtown, Pa., master of arts in spiritual and social transformation

Richard Curtis Wehrle of Midland, Va., master of divinity, certificate in intercontextual biblical interpretation

For additional information, including a video of the ceremony and more about the class of 2023, visit the seminary’s commencement page at https://bethanyseminary.edu/commencement.

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