Tuesday, June 2, 2015

STONES OF HOPE



Here is the text version of my Commencement address at the Graduate Theological Foundation in South Bend, Indiana on Friday, May 8, 2015:

by Rev. Dr. C. Anthony Hunt

First, I would like to express my appreciation to Dr. Kendra Clayton, the Board of Directors of the Graduate Theological Foundation, the faculty, students and administration, for the very kind invitation to share with you on this momentous occasion.   It is quite an honor for me to return to this institution that has been one of my intellectual homes – an institution where I was a graduate student, and where I have been privileged to serve as a part of the faculty over the past several years.  

And especially to the graduates of the 2015 class of the Graduate Theological Foundation, I offer words of congratulations and blessing to you, your families and the places you serve.

I am reminded of a portion of a simple poem by the great American poet Langston Hughes that encourages us to -

Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow. Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
Hold fast to dreams

For when dreams go

Life is a barren field

Frozen with snow. (“Dreams”)

 

It is my sense that one of the things that all people of faith and conscious wrestle with, and seek to hold to - in any variety of traditions, perspectives, persuasions, or systems of belief – including those of the Abrahamic faith traditions – Judaism, Islam and Christianity - is the matter of hope.  The yearning to comprehend, and appropriate hope is something that we all hold in common.

These are days of tremendous change and challenge in our world.   From the collapse of  economies that affect all of us – to the wars that are now being fought in various places across the globe - to natural catastrophe – to the proliferation of violence that affects many people and communities across America and the world, these are days of unprecedented change and challenge.

The Church and School Partnerships

Here is a link to a Black Enterprise magazine article that I and Epworth Chapel are featured in dealing with Baltimore, and especially the church's work in the community:  http://www.blackenterprise.com/education/education-19/

The Church and Community Parnterships

Here is an article on the UM General Commission on Religion and Race website on community partnerships in the midst of the unrest in Baltimore in which I am featured: http://gcorr.org/stories/baltimore-community-partnership.