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Mhm O Lord open my lips and my mouth shall proclaim your praise. The Lord's unfailing love and mercy never cease. Fresh as the morning. And sure as the sunrise this the sea boy almost let us

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pray faithful God, touch our minds and hearts with your wisdom as we gather around your word to find what you know. We need renewal, insight, comfort, challenge, transformation. Love. We ask

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this in your holy name. Amen. A Reading from Luke chapter 1: verse 39- 56. In those days, mary set out and went with haste to a judean town in the hill country where she

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entered the house of Zachariah and greeted Elizabeth when Elizabeth heard mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry. Blessed are you among women

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and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me that the mother of my Lord comes to me. For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting the child in

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my womb leaped for joy And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord. And mary said , my soul magnifies the Lord. And Mary remained

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with her about three months and then returned to her home. Holy wisdom. Holy word May! The words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be acceptable in your sight. O Lord

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! Our rock and our redeemer. Amen, welcome to all of you visiting Austin seminary for the first time or after a while, whether you're here as a Master of Arts and Youth Ministry student or as

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a guest of Dean gamers, We're so glad you're here on this Auspicious day, Margaret will need your support because being an academic Dean is hard. There's academic planning, supporting students and faculty disciplinary cases,

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keeping up to date on accreditation and federal education laws , making partnerships in the community, doing your own research, reading and teaching and so very many meetings . Academic Dean is not a job for the faint

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of heart as our M. A. Y. M. Students know being a youth Minister is also no picnic. You love the youth, your church has now in the year of our Lord 2022.

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While adults in the congregation pressure you to have a program. They remember from 1985 or 55 parents are terrified of all the potential trouble their newly independent Children can get into. So they take out their anxiety

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on you. There's often one person on church staff administrator who inexplicably undermines you. You're the adult who sits with these kids as they mourn their friends deaths to suicide, who holds their hands as they wait

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for that panicked pregnancy test result, who listens while they worry about their safety in a world of gun violence and climate change. Yet people around you treat you like a teenager. There are times Margaret and

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Emma am students when you'll feel the weight of the world is on your shoulders and that you alone bear it. You are not alone. And our reading from the gospel of luke today marries in a bit

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of a complicated situation herself. She's had a wild encounter with an angel that has led to an abrupt change in her circumstances. She's received a job offer of sorts as far as we know she did not

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apply for or express express interest in this job in any way but her new boss, God heard about her somehow and think she'll be a great candidate. God sends a rather dramatic recruiter and when mary hears

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the offer she accepts the job starts immediately, the recruiter leaves and now marries in a real predicament while accepting the job of bearing the son of God. The Savior of the world makes sense when there's an

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angels, light and charisma surrounding you after the light dims, there might be a moment of panic, what have I done? How will I raise a baby alone? What will the community say thankfully for

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mary the angel slash recruiter has given her some direction for what to do next. And now your relative Elizabeth and her old age has also conceived a son . So mary packs her bags and goes to visit

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her cousin and friend. We don't hear a word out of mary's mouth until after the moment Elizabeth greets her warmly and acknowledges their shared bond with these mysterious experiences with God the moment this friend sees and celebrates

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with mary mary breaks open and words of praise tumble out of her mouth. My soul magnifies the Lord having her experience validated and understood by someone who loves her, enables her to accept what is happening and

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lean into everything that is new and exciting in her world. In contrast, the story of Ruth and Naomi shows us friendship can give us other kinds of freedom for those of you who are not familiar.

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Naomi has two sons and two daughters in law. There's a terrible famine where they live, her husband dies leaving her, leaving her with the two sons . They married the local women, but the sons

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die soon after one daughter in law or PPA goes back to her kids people. But Ruth vows to stay with Naomi and take Naomi's God and people as her own. While mary exults with joy about the

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goodness of God, as soon as Ruth declares her loyalty to Naomi and the women make the trek back to Bethlehem. Naomi feels free to break open her sorrow. She wails call me no longer. Naomi

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call me mara for the Almighty has dealt bitterly with me. Naomi has suffered so much but it's finally when she's secure at home with her old friends and her new friend Ruth that she's able to allow the

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grief to pour out of her God gave mary and Naomi these beautiful intergenerational friendships, women whom they could trust to protect them physically and emotionally in the safety of these friendships, mary and Naomi are able to

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exalt and to weep to share the deepest, most holy parts of themselves. Friendship is an expression of freedom. We can choose our friends, mary could have stayed home, ruth could easily have walked away

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, but each freely chose to spend time with their friend to move to new levels of friendship. As our friends get to know us, we share more of ourselves with them. Friends mourn and celebrate with

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us. Friends create the spaces in our lives where we try out our new ideas and our new identities . I first discerned a call to the Episcopal priesthood on a sort of woo woo women's retreat during a

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guided meditation In the meditation. The word was just there about 50-point aerial white text on a black background priest. The women in my small group could tell something weird had happened to me, but I was

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too freaked out to tell them what I had seen . I rushed home and told my roommate Ellen who mirrored back my joy and confusion the more I told friends and ultimately another priest, the more I could

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trust this vision I had been given. I needed those relationships to affirm what was true about myself, I could never have had those experiences with the strangers at the retreat or conversely my own family where the

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stakes would have been far too high friendship exists in a unique category. People who are close enough to trust but not so close as to oppress by obligation and expectation in ministry, whether you're an academic dean

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, president, a youth minister, a pastor, a professor. Friends are so important to both be the repositories of our grief and anxieties, but also those who pull out from us the truth of who

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God is calling us to be and what new life god might be bringing to our communities. The job mary was asked to do was to bring God to us in a new form, fully human, fully

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divine, someone who chooses to be friends with us . Even if we're totally isolated in our ministry context . I know some of y'all are in small towns , Jesus is ready to bear our sorrows and celebrate

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our joys, Jesus friendship pushes us out into the world since his love for our neighbors can't help but to grow in our hearts. In our article toward a theology of friendship, mary fisher writes in friendship

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with the creator and through friendship with other persons were called to manifest divine hospitality to the world. The birth of our de puertas. Obertas fellowships and scholarships for students from the global majority is a great example

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of friendship leading to hospitality. These fellowships and scholarships are about two years old and while most fellowships are created after a specific financial gift from a donor. These have a different birth story. These fellowships and

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scholarships were born out of a friendship among the bible department and the enrollment management teams because of their friendship . They knew they could trust each other with big ideas, even ideas that had never been done before

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. Had a shared vision of an Austin seminary that was more hospitable to more communities they dreamed together and their friendship plus like a bunch of meetings and robert's rules of order led to a restructuring of our fellowships

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and scholarships. Friendship led to hospitality. Another story with a youth ministry twist. My husband is the pastor of university Presbyterian Church down the street invited his friend Carrie Graham to work with his congregations committees.

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One thing she noticed was that the church was functioning like it was on an island. She wondered what might happen if the church members reached out to their equivalent committees and the other churches on their block Rachel

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. The associate pastor and caron a member of the christian education committee befriended the christian educators at the U . C. C. And baptist churches on the block and now, among other things, our own

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David angulo. He didn't know he was in the sermon gatherers, our youth group to hang out with their youth groups. Three Sundays a month christian friendship leads to hospitality. This sunday the youth groups will

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be visiting a local mosque creating even more friendships and connections with the community mary and Naomi were blessed with faithful friends but the blessing of the friendship didn't stay within their relationship. Naomi pushed ruth to take a

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risk and asked boaz to be her next of kin , to give them security. Their marriage led to the birth of Obed who became the father of jesse , who became the father of David, who changed

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the trajectory of Israel. Elizabeth's encouragement of mary lead her to incredible theological insights about the birth of jesus . Also a descendent of ruth at least according to Matthew mary tenderly cared for the son of God,

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protecting him from any number of dangers so he could grow up and transform humanity in our relationship to God . The gift of friendship blesses us, but it's not only for our own enjoyment, but for the

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blessing of the world, Margaret and masters of Arts and youth ministry students. I pray in your ministries . You are blessed with an abundance of friendships, friendships where you can be your full selves or your

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sorrows and joys can break open through which you can extend God's hospitality to the world. And on days when you're surrounded by friends and days when your your loneliness, I pray jesus friendship sustains you and pushes

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you. I'm in members and friends of Austin Theological Seminary community. It is my great joy and privilege to welcome dr Margaret aimer for installation as academic Dean of Austin Seminary, a leading scholar in her field

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of Biblical studies. A cherished colleague on this faculty and astute writer, an inspiring preacher and a woman of great vision, Margaret aimer is aptly qualified and ready for this momentous, momentous time in the life

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of this institution. And so I present her to you with a deep sense of gratitude for the manifold ways she will continue to bring forward her gifts to fulfill God's call to this position. I would like

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to invite. Um now for a prayer of installation dr Don young young to come forward. Let us pray or wondrous God, God of the oppressed and silenced god of migrants. Your grace extends beyond all

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human boundaries in jesus christ. You have called all of us, your servants upon whom you poured out your holy spirit equally and abundantly to prophesy to see visions and to dream dreams. Your grace called us

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into your covenant community. one body of Christ in the Holy Spirit, you are transforming all of us into your disciples, equipping each of us with your gifts and graces to proclaim your word to heal the

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wounded and to resist evil. Oh, gracious God ! We thank you for strengthening this seminary, its faculty, its staff and its students of all programs to participate in your mission for the world. We

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thank you for your servant and disciple Margaret upon whom you poured out your holy spirit abundantly for the service of God as Minister professor and now as academic dean of the seminary. Oh God, she's yours,

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sustain her with love of learning and teaching. Love of you, love of your word and love of your people bless her ministry and her leadership so that your blessings may flow here at the seminary and beyond

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the walls. Oh God cultivate in all of us . Open minds fostering us loving hearts cause us cause our faith to grow and help us accept each other in mutual respect that this seminary and all who pass

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through it may give glory to you. We pray in the name of jesus christ our Lord Amen Margaret by the authority granted me as president of this institution . I declare that you are now installed as Academic

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Dean of Austrian Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Be faithful and true in this ministry so that your whole life will bear witness to the crucified and recent christ may God bless you now and always. And join me in

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celebrating this moment with an applause magnificat, Animal Mayor Dominique for those of you in the M. O . A. M. Program that was my soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord. My soul magnifies

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the Lord first of all, thank you, Thank you for calling me to this new vocation for praying for me for all the supportive words and gestures for your presence and your affirmation. I cannot personally name

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all the people I would like to thank. But I must give special mention to my colleagues. Alison Riemersma and mona sent Andrea. Um and all of those who have helped me figure it out what key

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goes into which lock in the past three months as well as to my faculty colleagues gathered here and to our new president. Um I extend a word of welcome to all who are here, whether in zumar

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, in person with particular greetings to the President of the Seminary of the Southwest. Dr Cynthia Kittredge, the Dean of the Seminary of the Southwest dr scott butters say, the visiting professor of the Seminary of

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the Southwest um dr steven Rae. I don't have this all written down so I'm trying to do this from memory. Um Judge Lora Livingston who is here or Houston who are here beth flowers one of our

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trustees and everyone else who's here. And I want to shout out, especially the reverend, Katherine Mulligan and the reverend's molly and David. Castile who are here from Louisville, Kentucky and Long island new york

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. And I also wanted some of you don't know him and some of you don't believe I'm married, but my husband is in the back The Reverend, Laura, O.J. We've been married for 17 years

00:32:27.820 - 00:32:45.300

. I promise he took a day off to be here recently. Professor Gregory quasar pointed me to an excellent podcast on the future of theological education created by christian Theological seminary. The first episode featured dr Stephen

00:32:45.300 - 00:33:06.330

Lewis of the forum, Theological education, Theological exploration and MS joana Rodriguez of the Hispanic Theological Institute as they spoke, Joann Rodriguez emphasized a central tenet of latin X theology, that theology must be done and

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convento together as a whole people, our work, our successes, our failures, our brave attempts. These are the results of our communities of this community , working theologically and ethically and convento to live more

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fully into our call to winsome nous to community to God's divine order as realized here on God's beloved earth . So it is with my presence here. It is true that I stand before you as the first

00:33:43.310 - 00:34:06.860

woman, the first person of african descent, the first person of asian descent, the first immigrant to the United States and the first caribbean person to become academic Dean of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. As the

00:34:06.860 - 00:34:23.760

first I joined other history makers of the seminary, reverend Antonio Horacio perpetually o the first latino professor, reverend dr Rachel Hendler light, the first female professor , reverend dr David ng the first asian american professor

00:34:23.770 - 00:34:44.430

, reverend dr Stephen Breck Reid the first african american professor, reverend dr mana stubbs. The first female african american professor, reverend dr Susie Park, the first female asian american professor and reverend dr Jose Irizarry

00:34:44.670 - 00:35:02.680

, the first Don White president of this institution. It is equally true that I stand here as an example of what happens when people start dreaming and in the year 2002, there had only ever been seven

00:35:02.680 - 00:35:22.850

faculty of color in the 100 year history of Austin seminary. Then this seminary started dreaming and thinking and praying and working and convento for a faculty that better represents the global church and as a result we have

00:35:22.850 - 00:35:44.960

hired 12 new faculty members of color in 22 years , nine of whom still teach here today, dr Rigby can attest that in the year 2002 women faculty were as scarce as hen's teeth. Then this seminary

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started thinking and dreaming and praying and working and convento for a faculty that better represents the whole people of God. Now I belong to a sisterhood of eight women, four of whom have tender, three of

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whom are full professors today. Austin Seminary, I honor our work, our work as learners and teachers and dreamers and justice seekers and convento. Our work over decades that brought me to this call that named

00:36:19.400 - 00:36:31.690

me to this work that prayed this day into being . We have not been alone in this work of course as a seminary, you have been working in continental with many who supported and prayed me along this

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journey, including a particular set of strong women educated women who are watching from zoom my sisters Valerie um er professor of landscape architecture at Cornell and Anne Marie Amor, head of youth services at Summit Library in

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New Jersey, my sister in law, reverend kristen Clare foley priest in charge of ST paul's Episcopal Church and my mother Mrs Shirley Amer herself a retired educator and with the approach of all Saints Day, we

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remember that we also work in Toronto with a great cloud of witnesses ancestors whose names we invoke as we walk into our buildings today I name my ancestors the reverend dr Albert Amor my grandmother's mabel Williams, mila

00:37:22.480 - 00:37:42.570

net tamer and Joyce loo in my grandfather's john Amer and Charles Morales Lewin and all of the Morales is Williams's amours Mitchell's Walsh's and the names forgotten to indentured servitude and human trafficking names from africa and India and

00:37:42.570 - 00:38:00.820

the isthmus of Panama. Yet we know that working , praying, thinking, learning, dreaming and convento are not always enough. Many have had these dreams before and tried and worked and prayed and not come

00:38:00.820 - 00:38:21.790

to this place. Still this we know and on this we stand, God's grace is sufficient. God's power is made perfect in our weakness. We do not work alone but in Toronto with the merciful God

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of our understanding. God stands in convento with our dreaming and are working are failing and are trying our plateaus and our success is working out God's own plans far beyond any of our understanding. Even when we

00:38:38.110 - 00:38:59.900

think we have failed and loving us beyond our ability even to comprehend as paul puts it one plants another waters but God gives the growth or to quote the psalmist this is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous

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in our eyes this day marks a point in our journey and convento with the God of our understanding and God is still at work and we must journey on from here today on national coming out day we know

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that there are more voices to bring to this table more stakes to strengthen a wider tent to cast. So then let us rejoice in the hope that this present has brought us and then let us go on

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in continental with one another and with God into the future God is shaping that we cannot yet imagine solely devil Gloria friends. The following statement can be found in our academic catalog and student handbook, it says

00:42:28.150 - 00:42:40.050

, as an instrument of the church. The seminary is not merely an institution for academic study and membership in it is not granted an answer solely to the private interest or personal decision of those who present themselves

00:42:40.050 - 00:42:55.690

for admission. However, thoroughly qualified academically, both for faculty and student membership in the community is by invitation and commitment, the call of God and the approbation of God's people are appropriately attended by declaration of

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one's commitment and acknowledgement of one's obligation to make full use of all means to the cultivation of the gifts of God for fulfilling the ministries to which one has been called. This occurs not only by devotion to

00:43:08.920 - 00:43:23.670

study, but also by responsible participation in the whole of the communities varied life of worship and work, as well as by exercise of personal prayer. The seminary therefore invites its students to sign a declaration of

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that intent. This tradition of signing the book dates back to the founding of this institution in 1902 and is considered part of the matriculation process here at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary this morning. We're pleased to add

00:43:40.590 - 00:43:52.780

more signatures to this book and I'll note that there are three students in the bulletin listed who actually signed it last spring, so I won't read their names and you can relax. I see them relaxing right

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now too and it's at this time I want you to hold on to your bulletin because what you're gonna say is on your bulletin that I asked those who are matriculating into the Master of Arts and Youth Ministry

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to stand where you are and recite together the words of the declaration of intent that can be found in your order of worship, in recognition on the claims of God upon me and in reliance upon God's grace

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. I declare my intention to live responsibly in this community to be persistent in the pursuit of learning diligent and prayer and praise responsive to the needs of my fellow members and open to their efforts to contribute to

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my equipment for the service of christ as I call your name. Please come forward and affix your signature to this book in the place designated by our academic dean Margaret, um er anna Ahern Skyland, United

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Methodist Church, Asheville north Carolina laura Akinola development Houston texas Malia alexander Grace, Presbyterian Church lubbock texas lin . A baldwin Dyersburg First United Methodist Church Dyersburg Tennessee Hanna coy. The church of ST john the Divine

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Houston texas Robert Joey Crowder, 1st United Methodist Church , Denham Springs Louisiana melissa Huffins, North Shore United Methodist Church, Canyon Lake texas Philip kim youth front Kansas city Kansas joseph le buff University United Methodist church

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baton rouge Louisiana, Jackson Long 1st Presbyterian Church Fayetteville Tennessee Shannon Mckinney ST luke's Episcopal Church, Gladstone, New Jersey, Mark McGraw, 1st United Methodist Church Pulaski Tennessee Nakamura at ST Matthew's United Methodist Church Memphis

00:46:45.880 - 00:47:32.380

Tennessee. Cristy rice maples Memorial United Methodist olive branch Mississippi Brynn Schmidt Church of the Good samaritan Paoli pennsylvania . Allison sink ST paul United Methodist Church Lakeland Tennessee . Please welcome our newest students. Please join me

00:47:32.380 - 00:47:52.060

in saying the seminary prayer which can be found in your bulletin, eternal God the creator and preserver of all things. We beseech you to bestow upon this , your seminary, your manifold gifts of grace,

00:47:52.070 - 00:48:07.800

your truth to those who teach your joy to those who learn your wisdom, to those who administer your laws, to those who hold its mission and its work and trust by these gracious influences of your spirit

00:48:07.830 - 00:48:25.510

. Find all who bear the name of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Into the company of those who know your steadfast love, amen. Please join me for the prayers of the people Father. We pray for

00:48:25.510 - 00:48:52.970

your holy catholic church granted every member of the Church May truly and humbly serve you. We pray for all who Minister in the Church. We pray for all who teach and learn in this Seminary. We

00:48:52.970 - 00:49:08.680

pray for all who govern and hold authority in the nations of the world. Give us grace to do your will and all that. We undertake property. Have compassion on those who suffer from any grief or

00:49:08.680 - 00:49:39.810

trouble. Give to the departed eternal rest. We praise you for your saints who have entered into joy . Mhm. Let us pray for our own needs and those of others. O Lord! Our God

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! Except the fervent prayers of your people and the multitude of your mercies look with compassion upon us and all who turn to you for help for you are gracious. Oh lover of souls and to you,

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we give glory, Father Son and Holy Spirit. Now and forever. Amen. Now let us say the words that jesus taught us. Our father in heaven, hallowed, be your name, your kingdom

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. Come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread, forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time

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of trial and deliver us from evil for the Kingdom . The power and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen. Mhm mm. May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace through

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the power of the Holy Spirit. Bless the Lord