A Special Invitation for Alumni of Bangor Theological Seminary

The BTS Center

97 India Street • Portland, ME 04101

www.thebtscenter.org

September 10, 2021

Dear friends:

I am writing today with a special invitation to alumni of Bangor Theological Seminary.

First of all, a warm hello from The BTS Center, the missional successor to the Seminary. As another September rolls around, I wonder if you find yourself thinking about your seminary days — the classes that enriched and challenged you, the professors who mentored and inspired you, the theological and ethical grounding that prepared you for ministry and service in the world. Whenever it was that you had this experience, I suspect you can reflect now on how your seminary education formed you and shaped you in significant ways — that was certainly true of my experience.

I suspect at one time or another, during your days at Bangor Seminary or sometime thereafter, you have attended a Convocation. Held annually since 1905 — except for 1918 and 1919, during the Spanish flu pandemic — Convocation has long been a highlight of the year, and this year is no exception. Plans are coming together nicely for this year's Convocation, coming up Thursday, September 30 and Friday, October 1 — a blend of online and guided offline sessions around the theme "We Are God's Soil: Spiritual Leadership in a Climate-Changed World." You'll find all the details here.

Today, though, I want to invite you to a special Alumni Pre-Convocation Care & Connection Gathering, to be held on Wednesday, September 29, 4:00-5:30 pm (Eastern), online. We hope you'll plan to register for Convocation, and join with fellow alumni for 90 minutes on the afternoon beforehand — but even if you're unable to attend Convocation in full, you'd be warmly welcomed to this Alumni Gathering. I'll be there, along with other members of The BTS Center staff team, and we are grateful to partner with three Alumni Co-Conveners: Rev. Annette Mott ('08), Rev. Tara Olsen Allen ('10), and Rev. Doug Clark ('74). You'll find all the details and a registration link below.

We wish you God's blessings, and we hope to see you soon!

With gratitude and hope,

Rev. Allen Ewing-Merrill

Executive Director • The BTS Center

allen@thebtscenter.org

Bangor Theological Seminary Alumni

Pre-Convocation Care & Connection Gathering

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

4:00-5:30pm (Eastern) • via Zoom

During a season of isolation, this gathering will be an opportunity to connect. During a season of depletion, this gathering will be an opportunity to find care and renewal. During a season of loss, this gathering will be an opportunity to honor the pain while also sparking spiritual imagination.

All Bangor Theological Seminary alums are welcome, regardless of whether you're able to participate in Convocation.

We welcome all for this opportunity to meet members of The BTS Center team, and we are grateful to partner with Alumni Co-Conveners Rev. Annette Mott (’08), Rev. Tara Olsen Allen (’10), and Rev. Doug Clark (’74)

Meet your Alumni Co-Conveners

Rev. Annette Mott (’08)

Rev. Annette Mott worked as the Resource Center Director, and later as the Director of Local Church Resources, for the Maine Conference UCC for 26 years as a lay worker. She graduated from Bangor Theological Seminary in 2008, was ordained in the United Church of Christ, and served as an Intentional Interim Minister at six different Maine UCC churches. She retired in August of this year.

Rev. Tara Olsen Allen (’10)

Rev. Tara Olsen Allen serves as Pastor of Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Brentwood NH and has worked with the UCC at the local, association, and national levels. She recently served a church in Beverly, MA as Pastor for Congregational Life. Tara is a “born and bred UCCer” who grew up in a small town in MA. Tara received her Master of Divinity from Bangor Theological Seminary while at the same time pursuing a certificate in Youth and Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. In her spare time, Tara enjoys listening to live music, especially from her husband Daemian, who plays a variety of instruments.

Rev. Doug Clark (’74)

Rev. Doug Clark, a 1974 graduate of BTS, was ordained in 1975 and served UCC congregations in Maine, Massachusetts, and Southern California as a settled pastor. He transitioned to intentional interim ministry in 2001 and served congregations in the Washington, DC metro area and in Connecticut until his retirement in 2017. He is married to the Rev. Dr. Mary Moschella, who is the Roger Squire Professor of Pastoral Care at Yale Divinity School. Doug is passionate about the role of spirituality in addressing the climate emergency. He is the co-host of a podcast on creation care and climate justice with Jenna Van Donselaar, a recent graduate of Yale Divinity School and an activist with Young Evangelicals for Climate Action.

Convocation 2021

We Are God's Soil:

Spiritual Leadership in a Climate-Changed World

Thursday, September 30 – Friday, October 1

Online Sessions • Guided Offline Sessions

$30 • Bangor Theological Seminary alumni discount rate

Learn more

“A cloak of loose, soft material, held to the Earth’s hard surface by gravity, is all that lies between life and lifelessness.”

—Wallace H. Fuller, PhD, soil scientist, 1975

Join us for Convocation 2021. Over the course of two days this fall, we’ll gather for online sessions, and we’ll log off for some intentional, self-guided, offline sessions, returning to digital space for continued learning and reflection. Incorporating music, the arts, and contemplative practice, Convocation 2021 will inspire and challenge us to ground our spiritual leadership in the common good and in the sacredness of our planetary home. We look forward to this blend of online and offline experiences, which will weave together to facilitate learning, nurture respite, and deepen community.