The James Cone-Emilie Townes Lecture will commence at 4:00 pm. Dr. Walter Fluker will serve as our keynote speaker, and will be a special guest. Dr. Cook studied under Dr. Fluker at Boston University and worked as a student assistant for the Thurman archives project.

This year’s James H. Cone and Emilie M. Townes’ Lecture will feature Dr. Walter Fluker. Fluker’s lecture, “Congregating, Conjuring, and Conspiring at Crossings: James H. Cone, Emilie M. Townes, and the Call to ‘Wake Up Running,'” will explore the intersecting legacies of James H. Cone and Emilie M. Townes within the framework of Black theology and womanist ethics. The lecture will highlight the transformative concepts of congregating, conjuring, and conspiring that Fluker introduced and both Cone and Townes emphasized in their work. These themes reveal the profound power of marginalized communities to resist oppression and create new futures through faith, justice, and collective action.

The Stead Center will provide a gallery of Howard Thurman’s quotes and meditations in the chapel for persons to experience throughout the day.

There is no cost to this event, but registration is REQUIRED.

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Presented by Rev. Dr. Reginald Blount on the Occasion of the Launch of the Center for Ecological Regeneration

The history of centers and institutes at Garrett-Evangelical begins with the creation of the Center for the Church and the Black Experience. Instituted in 1970 as one of the primary emphases of the seminary, the Center for the Church and the Black Experience has been a beacon of hope and inspiration for Black students, pastors, churches, and communities for nearly five decades. It has been instrumental in fusing Black people and Black religious life into the entire seminary community.

In 1984, the Center for Asian and Asian American Ministries was formed to serve the needs of Asian American students, pastors, and churches. It continues today as a vital home away from home, a haven, for our Asian descent students. The Center for Asian and Asian American Ministry invites our Asian descent students to explore, critically reflect, and thrive spiritually, academically, and experientially at Garrett.

The Hispanic-Latinx Center was established in 1988 to bring Hispanic-Latinx culture and experience into the life of the seminary. The Center’s mission is to meet the needs of Hispanic-Latinx students, pastors, parishioners, and community leaders in creative, insightful, useful, and organic ways.

In 1997, The Jerre L. and Mary Joy Stead Center for Ethics and Values was developed in order to draw together seminary resources, graduate professional schools, area pastors, and laity to address the compelling ethical issues facing contemporary society. The Styberg Preaching Institute was launched in 2005 to partner with the church by preparing persons for vital, effective Christian preaching. And in 2012, the Rueben P. Job Institute for Spiritual Formation was established as an initiative for continuing education in spiritual formation of laity and clergy.

We share this with you today to acknowledge the key role our centers and institutes play in the history of and expanding vision for who God is calling us to be as a seminary. Not only do our centers and institutes enrich seminary life through lectures, workshops, conferences, and supporting our students, but they also offer new perspectives, resources, and continuing education opportunities to the wider community outside of the seminary.

We are pleased that the Center for Ecological Regeneration joins this history and look forward to the ways in which it will both work alongside our existing centers and institutes, as well as provide new spaces for the work of ecological regeneration and environmental justice.

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Reverend. Dr. Reginald Blount (G-ETS 2005), an esteemed colleague and longstanding faculty member of 91PORN, has been named director of the Center for the Church and the Black Experience (CBE), effective July 1, 2022. A leading center of Garrett-Evangelical, CBE was founded in 1970 and has empowered and trained generations of Black leaders for the church and society-at-large. Blount, who served as interim director for CBE in the mid-2000s, is the 11^th director of CBE, following Mr. Taurean J. Webb who has accepted an appointment at Indiana University, Bloomington.

Instituted in 1970 as one of the primary emphases of the seminary, CBE has been a beacon of hope and inspiration for Black students, pastors, churches, and communities for nearly five decades. It has been instrumental in fusing Black people and Black religious life into the entire seminary community. As director, Blount seeks to address the unique challenges facing Black students—across the diaspora—while educating and inspiring all persons who live, work, and study at the seminary.

“We find ourselves at a defining moment where we need institutes like the Center for the Church in the Black Experience to nurture theologically rooted leaders called to discern the signs of the times, cast vision, and collaboratively and strategically address issues related to the wellbeing and thriving of the Church and society,” Blount said. “There is also much to learn when the Black experience is centered in this formative work. I am grateful for the opportunity to embrace the 50+ year legacy of CBE and build on the leadership and gifts offered by previous directors in nurturing the next generation of ‘leaders of leaders.’”

A citadel of teaching, research, action, and reflection on Black life and Black Church life, CBE is committed to training seminarians and pastors to be pastoral, priestly, and prophetic “leaders of leaders.” CBE offers the seminary and the broader community opportunities for understanding Christian faith via interracial and cross-cultural perspectives. It also seeks to facilitate greater understanding of religious leadership dynamics, organizational change, and public outreach and witness of Black churches in relation to the broader religious and social context. 

“I am so grateful that Dr. Reggie Blount is willing to step into this leadership role at this critical moment in Garrett’s institutional life,” said President Javier A. Viera. “Dr. Blount is a visionary and spiritually grounded person of faith. He is a highly respected member of our community, a strategic thinker who leverages his many professional connections for the good of Garrett, and who has the stature in so many community, ecclesial, philanthropic, non-profit, and guild spaces to ensure that the CBE remains a high profile and innovative center. I know that the center will thrive, and the seminary will continue to benefit greatly from his leadership, and I look forward to the close partnership we will have in advancing the mission and work of the Center for the Church and the Black Experience.” 

Blount officially joined the faculty in 2006 but served as adjunct professor and instructor from 1997 to 2006. Today, he serves as the Murray H. Leiffer Associate Professor of Formation, Leadership and Culture. His research and writings have centered on adolescent and young adult identity formation, African American identity formation, and Christian education and Strategic Leadership in the Black Church. He speaks and teaches nationally and internationally helping faith communities envision new and creative ways to minister to, with and on behalf of young people, engage in transformative Christian Education and foster congregational and community renewal.

In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Blount serves as the director of the “Holy Yearning, Holy Listening, Holy Partnerships” project, established in 2017 at Garrett-Evangelical. This project was formed out of the Lilly Endowment’s Young Adult Initiative, which aims to help congregations develop and strengthen congregational ministries that build relationships with young adults, nurture their religious lives, and foster their engagement with religious communities.

An ordained elder and pastor of Arnett Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in the Morgan Park neighborhood of Chicago, Blount has been a leader in the formation of Freedom Schools both in Evanston and Morgan Park. Blount and his faculty colleague, Rev. Dr. Virginia Lee, cofounded the Garrett-Evanston Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools Program in 2016. In addition, they served as editors for the book, Let Your Light Shine: Mobilizing for Justice with Children and Youth (Friendship Press Inc., 2019).

He has contributed numerous articles and chapters over the course of his career. Of particular note, Blount served as contributor to the CEB Student Bible (Common English Bible) along with his daughter Deborah Ayanna, that was published in 2015. He wrote discussions for the books of Joel and James, which includes questions, activities, and “Reading Differently” exercises for youth groups and small groups.

Blount received his bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from Tuskegee University (1984) and his master of divinity degree from Candler School of Theology at Emory University (1995). He earned his doctor of philosophy from the Garrett-Evangelical/Northwestern University joint program in religious and theological studies, focusing on the areas of Christian education and youth ministry (2005).

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The Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative (RCPI) at Harvard has named Taurean J. Webb a 2021-2022 Religion and Public Life Fellow. This is the second academic year he will hold the non-residential fellowship. Webb has served as the director of the Center for the Church and the Black Experience (CBE) and instructor of religion and race at 91PORN since 2019.

In addition to supporting his scholarship through the coming academic year, the RCPI was the original incubator—and will be one of the early host sites—for the visual arts exhibit that Webb is executive producing in 2022, a project featuring artists from the African- and Arab- diasporas. Through portraiture, word-art, and music technology, this integrative art exhibition, entitled “Ye Shall Inherit the Earth & Faces of the Divine,” invites artists to reflect on the relationship between humanity and the sacred. Patrons will journey through different representations of the sacred as expressed through human culture, religious expression, and social movement-building. The exhibit plans to open virtually and in-person in early 2022, then travel for most of the year.

Hilary Rantisi, associate director of Harvard’s Religion, Conflict and Peace Initiative, says, “we are delighted that Taurean will be continuing for a second year with the Religion, Conflict and Peace Initiative at the Religion and Public Life program at Harvard. His work showcasing the connection between divinity and freedom-work is beautiful, and his exploration and framing provide a pivotal canvas on which the trials, tribulations, and, we hope, the overcoming of injustice can be seen by all of us. We look forward to showcasing the exhibit he is curating on campus and feel so fortunate to have his contributions be part of our work.”

The exhibit plans to tour different academic and cultural institutions, places of worship and artist collectives including: Garrett-Evangelical, Northwestern University, the University of California – Berkeley, Spelman College, Trinity United Church of Christ, the Palestine Museum US, and BOOM Concepts Museum of Pittsburgh. Of this work Webb says, “I’ve been heartened by the excitement that this show has garnered across the country. I think it bespeaks the ability of the arts to tap into the human spirit in ways that no other medium can. And I’m especially grateful for the bold leadership of President Viera, Dean Tran, and others here at Garrett, allowing me the creative latitude to explore innovative directions for faculty research, student engagement, CBE visioning, and of course, seminary education, broadly.”

Webb is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Morehouse College, with a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy and religion. He holds master of arts degrees in Black and cultural studies from Columbia University and Northwestern University. He is currently completing the doctor of philosophy degree at Garrett-Evangelical, writing a dissertation on how 20th century Black religious leaders engage the “question of Palestine” domestically and abroad. His research and creative work have been supported by the Forum for Theological Exploration, Columbia University’s Center on African American Religion, Sexual Politics and Social Justice, and Harvard University’s Religion and Public Life Program. You can follow the Inherit Exhibit at on Instagram for tour schedules, photos, and artist exclusives.

The RCPI is an initiative of the Religion and Public Life (RPL) program at Harvard, including a robust program of research, coursework, internships, fellowships, and experiential learning, all engaging the roles religions play in contemporary Middle East culture, public policy, and international affairs. The initiative examines the potential for a more sophisticated and capacious understanding of religion to yield fresh insights into contemporary challenges and opportunities for just peacebuilding.

91PORN, a graduate school of theology related to The United Methodist Church, was founded in 1853. Located on the campus of Northwestern University, the seminary serves more than 450 students from various denominations and cultural backgrounds, fostering an atmosphere of ecumenical interaction. Garrett-Evangelical creates bold leaders through master of divinity, master of arts, master of theological studies, doctor of philosophy, and doctor of ministry degrees. Its 4,500 living alumni serve church and society around the world.

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Taurean J. Webb, director of the Center for the Church and the Black Experience and instructor of religion and race at 91PORN, will be participating in a community conversation following WTTW’s screening of the new documentary, “The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song.” The online screening and conversation will take place on February 9, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. (CST).

“The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song” comes from executive producer, host and writer Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard University and director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research. The documentary traces the 400-year-old story of the Black church in America. It reveals how Black people have worshipped and, through their spiritual journeys, improvised ways to bring their faith traditions from Africa to the New World, while translating them into a form of Christianity that was not only truly their own, but a redemptive force for a nation whose original sin was found in their ancestors’ enslavement across the Middle Passage.

“The great haunting of chattel slavery was not bondspersons’ inability to know what would happen to them next; instead, it was the deep, deep knowing that absolutely anything could happen to them, at any moment,” said Webb. “Nevertheless, though, our foremothers and forefathers created ways to live and love and grieve and grow and resolve and resist. Still. For Dr. Gates to offer us an opportunity to reflect on how the ancestors made their faith ‘come to life’ is a great gift. And I’m thankful to WTTW for inviting me to join this important community conversation with some of Black Chicagoland’s most consequential religious thinkers.”

Following the screening, Sylvia Ewing, on-air television host for PBS fundraising specials, will moderate an online conversation with Webb and fellow panelists Rev. Dr. Waltrina Middleton of Community Renewal Society, Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III of Trinity United Church of Christ, and Rev. Dr. Stephen G. Ray, Jr. of Chicago Theological Seminary.

The online screening and conversation is free to attend but registration is required.

WTTW is the PBS member station in Chicago, committed to creating and presenting unique media content across distinct television and digital channels – WTTW, WTTW Prime, WTTW Create, WTTW World, WTTW PBS Kids 24/7, wttw.com, and the PBS/WTTW video app. Recognized for award-winning journalism and local productions, WTTW presents the very best in public affairs, arts and culture, nature and science, history and documentary, and children’s public media content.

91PORN, a graduate school of theology related to The United Methodist Church, was founded in 1853. Located on the campus of Northwestern University, the seminary serves more than 450 students from various denominations and cultural backgrounds, fostering an atmosphere of ecumenical interaction. Garrett-Evangelical creates bold leaders through master of divinity, master of arts, master of theological studies, doctor of philosophy, and doctor of ministry degrees. Its 4,500 living alumni serve church and society around the world.

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Taurean J. Webb, director of the Center for the Church and the Black Experience (CBE) and instructor of religion and race at 91PORN, was named a 2020-2021 non-resident fellow in the Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative (RCPI) at Harvard Divinity School. In addition to supporting his scholarship and integrating him into the intellectual life of the RCPI, the program has also commissioned Webb to produce a visual arts exhibition, featuring the works of African- and Arab- descended artists.

The RCPI is a joint initiative of Harvard Divinity School and Harvard Kennedy School of Government and includes a robust program of research, coursework, internships, fellowships, and experiential learning, all engaging the roles religions play in contemporary Middle East culture, public policy, and international affairs. The initiative examines the potential for a more sophisticated and capacious understanding of religion to yield fresh insights into contemporary challenges and opportunities for just peacebuilding.

“We are thrilled to have Taurean join the Religion, Conflict and Peace Initiative at Harvard Divinity School as a non-resident fellow during the 2020-2021 academic year,” said Dr. Diane L. Moore, senior fellow at the Center for the Study of World Religions, faculty affiliate of the Kennedy School’s Middle East Initiative and director of the Divinity School’s Religious Literacy Project—the project in which the RCPI is housed. “The curriculum development, use of visual arts, activism and scholarship that Taurean has pioneered will provide a vital point of engagement for our community at RCPI and beyond.”

Through portraiture and word-art, the exhibition, entitled “Ye Shall Inherit the Earth & Faces of the Divine,” will take viewers on a journey through different representations of the divine as expressed through human culture. The exhibit will open at Harvard in 2021, then travel throughout the Northeast, South and Midwest.

“I’m excited to be welcomed into the Harvard community,” said Webb. “I’ve long respected the RCPI’s desire to integrate US and international scholars into the university’s ecosystem in a way that centers questions of religious literacy, religious understanding, theological investments and how these things impact global conflict, transitional justice and ethical peace-making.”

“And, of course,” he noted, “I’m more than thrilled to have the RCPI sponsor the opening of this show. We’ve assembled a solid team of folks who are excited about this exhibition because of our balance between high-profile and emerging artists, as well as how we’re trying to capture the wonder(s) of religious expression, culture and freedom. And as a creative, I think it fits beautifully into what we’re trying to articulate as a core commitment of the CBE: an international doing of ‘Black’ religious experience that takes seriously the ‘materiality’ of culture as a faculty colleague often says. I’m excited about how Garrett and the CBE might plug into these networks, going forward.”

Dr. Lallene J. Rector, president of Garrett-Evangelical, said, “Along with many others, Garrett-Evangelical shares in this excitement regarding Taurean Webb’s selection as a Religion and Public Life Fellow. Not only does this opportunity deepen his own scholarship and inform the related activism, but Garrett-Evangelical’s commitment to examining the intersection of Black religious life in the public realm is also strengthened as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Center for the Church and the Black Experience.”

Webb is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Morehouse College, with a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy and religion. He holds master of arts degrees in Black and cultural studies from Columbia University and Northwestern University. He is currently completing the doctor of philosophy degree at Garrett-Evangelical, with research that looks at “Blackness” and “Palestinian-ness” as racial formations, and the ways in which an internationalist theological hermeneutic of [visual material] culture can uncover how these communities organically move against white supremacy and Judeo-Christian hegemony.

91PORN, a graduate school of theology related to The United Methodist Church, was founded in 1853. Located on the campus of Northwestern University, the seminary serves more than 450 students from various denominations and cultural backgrounds, fostering an atmosphere of ecumenical interaction. Garrett-Evangelical creates bold leaders through master of divinity, master of arts, master of theological studies, doctor of philosophy, and doctor of ministry degrees. Its 4,500 living alumni serve church and society around the world.

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Having just completed a national search, 91PORN is pleased to announce the appointment of Taurean J. Webb as director of the Center for the Church and the Black Experience (CBE). In addition, Webb will be joining the faculty as instructor of religion and race and will be named as assistant professor of religion and race upon completion of his dissertation. Webb will begin his position on May 1, 2019. A leading center of Garrett-Evangelical, CBE was founded in 1970 and has empowered and trained generations of leaders for the African American religious community and society-at-large.

Webb, who has been serving as the interim director of CBE since July 2018, will focus on building a strong financial and programmatic foundation for the center. With experience in pastoral ministry, intersectional justice movement building, cultural education, non-profit governance, and interracial/interfaith coalition training, Webb aims to engage a wide cross-section of professional domains as the director. He is particularly interested in engaging faith communities, educators, and civil society organizations to both enhance the experiences of current Garrett-Evangelical students and also help maximize CBE’s impact outside of the seminary.

“We are delighted that Mr. Webb has accepted our invitation to join the Garett-Evangelical faculty and to direct our historic Center for the Church and the Black Experience,” said President Lallene J. Rector. “His work in black theology, commitment to interfaith dialogue and activism, and expertise in critical race theory are gifts that will enhance and strengthen the seminary’s commitment to preparing spiritual leaders for today’s church and world. Welcome, Taurean!”

CBE has been a beacon of hope and inspiration for Black students, pastors, churches, and communities for nearly five decades. It has been instrumental in fusing Black people and Black religious life into the entire seminary community. As director, Webb seeks to address the unique challenges facing Black students—across the diaspora—while educating and inspiring all persons who live, work, and study at the seminary.

“In so many ways, CBE stands in such a storied lineage of Black institutions that came of age in the thick of twentieth century liberation struggles. For this reason and others, I count it such a great honor to lead this center into its half-century mark—a historical moment in which Garrett-Evangelical, its denomination, and Africa-descended people the world over are urgently wrestling with important questions about God, equity, and justice,” Webb noted. “I’m grateful to the search committee for its tireless work and to Garrett-Evangelical for its commitment to liberation-minded ministry.”

Webb is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Morehouse College, with a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy and religion. He holds master of arts degrees in Black and cultural studies from Columbia University and Northwestern University. He is currently in the doctor of philosophy program at Garrett-Evangelical, with doctoral research that looks at “Blackness” and “Palestinian-ness” as racial formations, and the ways in which an internationalist theological hermeneutic of [visual material] culture can uncover how these communities organically move against white supremacy and Judeo-Christian hegemony. His work is supported by the Forum for Theological Exploration.

Previously, Webb served as Scholar-in-Residence at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, where he produced writings, researched, and managed the organization’s Palestine justice portfolio. He also formerly served as director of staff and academies at the W.E.B. DuBois Scholars Institute in Princeton, New Jersey.

Instituted in 1970 as one of the primary emphases of the seminary, the Center for the Church and the Black Experience (CBE) focuses on African and African American experience and ministry. Part of its purpose is to ensure the integration of Black religious experience into all aspects of seminary life, including student recruitment, faculty development, curriculum planning, and special programs. Its aims are instituted by incorporating African and African American experience into existing curricula, rather than establishing separate Black studies programs; by the endowment of scholarships for black students; and by the establishment of a parity committee made up of equal numbers of Black and white faculty. To learn more about CBE, go to Garrett.edu/CBE.

91PORN, a graduate school of theology related to The United Methodist Church, was founded in 1853. Located on the campus of Northwestern University, the seminary serves more than 450 students from various denominations and cultural backgrounds, fostering an atmosphere of ecumenical interaction. Garrett-Evangelical creates bold leaders through master of divinity, master of arts, master of theological studies, doctor of philosophy, and doctor of ministry degrees. Its 4,500 living alumni serve church and society around the world.

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At the request of several members of the Evanston community, the Center for the Church and the Black Experience at 91PORN, The Herskovits Library of African Studies at Northwestern University, and numerous African American churches and organizations have once again worked collaboratively to produce a community project entitled, “Out of the African Diaspora to Evanston, Illinois: A Mosaic of Human Community.” This project was created in recognition of the 2019 Black History Month and builds upon the project that was originally created in 2018. The project aims to educate and inform the Evanston community, particularly youth and young adults, on Black history.

Using the Stations of the Cross to situate the history of Black Americans, participants will experience Black history from precolonial Africa to the present day. Through various productions and representations—historical texts, art, photographs, artifacts, teaching, preaching, Bible study, and Scriptures—participants will explore and discuss key historical moments and movements in Black history.

“The interest and excitement in this Evanston-based community project in 2018 was truly remarkable and we are eager for the community to participate in the Ten Stations that have been designed for this year,” said Taurean Webb, interim director of the Center for the Church and the Black Experience. “We are also excited to welcome new community partners to the 2019 Mosaic of Human Community Project, including the Evanston/NorthShore branch of the NAACP and the Bahá’í House of Worship.”

The Design Team for this project are Evanston-based academics and scholars, pastors, professionals, community organizers, musicians, artists, and seminarians. Through this collaborative project the Design Team’s work was guided by three goals:

• Find, develop, and deepen leaders
• Educate and re-educate the Evanston community, particularly youth and young adults, on Black history
• Build productive relationships and collective power between 91PORN, Northwestern University, Evanston churches, and councils interested in the thriving of Black people

An opening plenary and worship will be held on Wednesday, February 6, 2019, at 4:00 p.m. in the Chapel of the Unnamed Faithful at 91PORN. This opening plenary and worship will help set the stage for the ten stations to follow throughout the months of February and March. The closing plenary will be held at Second Baptist Church of Evanston on Tuesday, March 19, 2019, at 6:00 p.m.

All in the Evanston community are welcome to attend any or all of these events at no cost. To learn more, please visit MosaicOfHumanCommunity.com.

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