From @austinseminary ... "The Reed" for September 2018

• Enthusiasm infuses new academic year

Austin Seminary is pleased to welcome forty-two new students this fall. Here's a snapshot of the new class:

• Sixty-two percent are single, 58% are male, and 29% are persons of color.
• The median age is 28.
• They hail from fifteen states and represent fifteen different denominations.
• Nine new Master of Arts in Youth Ministry (MAYM) students have placements in churches from Houston to Arlington.

What were they doing before applying to seminary?

• One worked for twenty years for the postal service and one was a firefighter.
• Three are military veterans and two already have their PhDs (in chemistry and robotics).
• One was a college basketball referee and another was a liaison for US Border Patrol.
• One student managed a pop-up restaurant which raised $80k for charity during its first month.

We are delighted to host five international students in this incoming class. Two are here through the generosity of donors to the Weaving Promise and Practice into Ministry comprehensive fundraising campaign. The New Covenant International Student Fellowship brings Daniel Awuah from Ghana, and the The Robert W. and Shirley S. Johnston International Fellowship brings Axolile Qina from South Africa. They are joined by global partners Webster Kaisi from Malawi, Alexandra Matz from The Netherlands, and Aymara Albury from Nassau, the Bahamas.

• Special services open new academic year

Each year Austin Seminary opens the new academic year with two special services in Shelton Chapel. In the morning, Opening Convocation features an address by a faculty member. In the evening, the entire Seminary community gathers for an Opening Worship service where all new students add their names to a book alongside the names of every student who has ever matriculated at Austin Seminary.

 CLICK HERE to listen to Dr. Paul Hooker's Convocation Address, "Angels in the Laundry"
 CLICK HERE to hear President Ted Wardlaw's sermon, "Today."

• Go here to view upcoming campus events!

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