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College President and Bishop to Receive Seminary Honors
April 1, 2009
COLUMBIA, SC--Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary announces the awarding of two Doctor of Divinity honorary degrees to be conferred at the 2009 Commencement Service. Receiving the degrees will be Michael Creed Maxey, President of Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, and the Right Reverend Philip Lok, Bishop of the Lutheran Church in Malaysia and Singapore (LCMS).
"We realize that we cannot do the work of a seminary in isolation from other servants and so Southern Seminary is committed to building bridges to our many partners throughout the church and the world. Mr. Maxey and Bishop Lok are examples of these partners whom we cherish and, with this degree, honor," states the Rev. Dr. Marcus Miller, President of the seminary.
The seminary awards the degree of Doctor of Divinity to individuals who have provided outstanding service to the seminary's mission to teach, form, and nurture women and men for the ministry of Christ's church.
The degree recognizes persons who have provided leadership in the church and in academia. The mission of the seminary depends on the cooperative labors of persons in many fields. By awarding this degree, the seminary honors partners in the task of education for ministry and builds bridges to those who share its goals.
Maxey became Roanoke's 11th president in 2007. At the time of his appointment, Maxey had been part of the Roanoke College community for 22 years and a member of the president's cabinet for 17 years. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from Wake Forest University and a Master of Arts in education, counselor education, from Wake Forest. He also earned a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in counselor education at University of New Hampshire. He attended the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University.
"The Reformation was born in a classroom with a professor, not in a church," Maxey said in his inaugural address. "That is an encouraging heritage for an institution of higher learning … Lutherans give us more than room to breathe, they give us breath."
"Mr. Maxey has been a steady and faithful servant at Roanoke College for many years," Miller said. "Now as he serves as President of Roanoke, the seminary expresses its admiration for him and for the college with this award. We are grateful for all he does for all that Roanoke College does for the church, for their students, and for the world."
Lok has served as Bishop of LCMS since 2005, a church of about 10,000 members and 60 congregations. Under his leadership, the church has been active in mission work throughout Southeast Asia. He has grown six major social ministries including homes for children and elderly and a free health care clinic. He developed the LUTHER plan, a strategic initiative that serves to develop the LCMS and its contribution to society.
"Bishop Lok's faithful service to the church in Malaysia and Singapore is a shining example to the whole church of servant leadership," Miller said. "His leadership and attention to the least of these in a place where the Christian Church is a minority religion is an inspiration to all of us. We are grateful that he can be present to receive this award."
The seminary's commencement service will be held May 15, 2009, at Ebenezer Lutheran Church in Columbia, South Carolina. Along with Maxey and Lok, 38 students of the seminary will receive their post-graduate theological degrees. Delivering the keynote address will be Rev. Dr. Richard Lischer, Clelan Professor of Preaching at Duke University.
Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary is a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and is located in Columbia, South Carolina. The only ELCA seminary in the southern United States, it offers four post-graduate theological degree programs to Lutherans and many other Christian denominations.
For more information contact:
Andrew Boozer
Director of Communications
AndrewBoozer@ltss.edu
(803) 461-3296
