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How long has it been for you? Thirty years ago this May I graduated from seminary. To be honest, I can’t recall who spoke at the commencement ceremony. (Give me a break. I was getting married four days later!) I do remember, however, being overwhelmed with gratitude for what God had done in my life during those four years of study. Thirty years later, I’m still grateful for my seminary experience. It established a foundation for learning that I’ve built upon each and every year of ministry.

In a couple of weeks, 134 students will walk toward me with a big smile and an outstretched hand to receive their diploma from Denver Seminary. Truthfully, I don’t see students crossing that stage; I see pastors, teachers, counselors, evangelists, and missionaries. Commencement is pay day for an educator.

I’m not sure who handed you a diploma from Denver Seminary. But I guarantee you that God has used you in their life to keep them going back into that classroom for the sake of the Kingdom. If you have a minute in the next few days, send a note to someone at the seminary whose life impacted yours in a powerful way. It will mean the world to them.

Grateful for you,

Cetin (Kazim) Erdogdu (M.Div. 2009) Greetings from Turkey! God has been helping us in our spiritual growth as a church. We just finished the baptism course for four believers. Please pray for them as they are now a target for Satan and some of their families are not believers and give them a hard time. The church evangelism activities are going well.

30 people joined us for a trip to Ephesus, 10 of which were non-believers who  heard the gospel message. Please pray for the Christian churches in Turkey as they are coming under scrutiny from the government and persecution from the community. Some happy news to share is that God has brought the right woman into my life and she is a fellow Turkish believer - our wedding is planned for October 1st 2011.

Nate Gustafson (M.Div. 2005)
I will be facilitating a community-based clinical pastoral education training this summer at the Denver Tech Center Campus of Colorado Christian University. This is a great ministry training opportunity for those pastors, chaplains, counselors, social workers, lay-ministers, musicians and church leaders serving those in crisis and life transition. To apply, go to www.rmcet.org and e-mail an application to Nate Gustafson at .

Jonah Haddad (M.A. Philosophy of Religion 2007)
Jonah has published a new book called Leaving Dirt Place: Love as an Apologetic for Christianity. Denver Seminary faculty Dr. Douglas R. Groothuis wrote the foreword for this book, which you can find here.

Richard Hoyt (M.Div. 1985) Richard and Anne are ministry area leaders serving in Chad, Africa with The Evangelical Alliance Mission. Primary areas of ministry are church development, Muslim outreach and HIV ministries.
Please pray for the country of Chad, especially in light of all the political unrest in the surrounding countries. Chad's status as a secular state is very important as freedom of religion is part of their constitution. Pray this door remains open so the Hoyts and other TEAM members can continue to be used to bring light in a dark world.

William H. Marty (M.Div. 1973)
Bill's book The Whole Bible Story was recently published by Bethany House. Bill is a professor at Moody Bible Institute. He has published two textbooks: Surveying the New Testament and A Survey of the Old Testament: Student Notes. In his spare time he enjoys competing in triathlons.

Michael Norton (M.Div. 2009)
I am a May 2009 M.Div. graduate of Denver Seminary (and very proud of it). As I have been engaged in the private practice of law for several years, it took me almost 14 years to complete my course work. On April 18, 2011, I begin a new chapter in my legal career as Senior Counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund based in Denver, CO. ADF is a legal alliance that defends the right to hear and speak the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through strategy, training, funding, and civil litigation. ADF was launched in 1993 by leaders of more than 30 ministries including the late Dr. Bill Bright, the late Larry Burkett, Dr. James Dobson, the late Dr. D. James Kennedy, and the late Marlin Maddoux.

Dr. Tony Pezzotta (M.Div. 1988)
Tony is a former Catholic Priest who graduated from Denver Seminary with an MDiv in 1988. He has served under World Venture with Conservative Baptists of Southern California in an outreach to Spanish speaking people. Due to health issues, he has moved back to Denver with his wife, Zita. Tony was granted an honorary doctorate from Western Seminary, and has written an excellent book, a Bible study for Catholics titled, Truth Encounter.

Scott Bottoms (M.A. Urban & Intercultural Ministry 2006)
Scott received his Doctor of Ministry from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary on April 30th in Springfield, MO. Congratulations!

We would love to hear what God is doing in your life!  Please send your personal and/or ministry updates, plus photos, to .

Meeting Alums in Missouri and Kansas! Dr. Jim Howard, the VP of Advancement for Denver Seminary, took a trip to the midwest in April and met with alumni in Wichita and Kansas City, KS, as well as St. Louis, MO. Developing relationships with our alums is a goal of the Advancement department and these meetings allowed Jim the chance to meet and hear from you about the best way to keep in touch. Jim also shared the new vision for the Seminary and the plans for honoring the late Dr. Vernon Grounds. We are planning more of these events this summer, please see below for details.

2011 Commencement Events

Friday, May 13
10:00-11:00 a.m. – Alumni Reception w/ Dr. Mark Young and Gordon MacDonald
DETAILS AND RSVP

11:30-1:00 – Lunch with Gordon MacDonald
DETAILS AND RSVP

Alumni Events this Summer

June
We will be coming to the Seattle and Portland area in June. Details coming soon.

July
July 18: New York/New Jersey area
July 21: Boston/New England area
Details coming soon.

Want to be contacted about events in these areas? Please email us at and indicate what area you live in. We will make sure and email you with all the details!

A Conversation with Rob Bell As mentioned in our last Alumni Connection, Denver Seminary held a discussion session with the pastor of Mars Hill Church, Rob Bell. Bell, who was scheduled to be in Denver for another event, agreed to come to Denver Seminary for what was described as an “open discussion.”

It included a thirty-minute presentation by Bell on the themes and goal of the book, Love Wins, thirty minutes of questions from our faculty member, Dr. Scott Wenig, and thirty minutes of questions from the student body. We believe this type of event expresses our core commitments of vigorous scholarship and charitable orthodoxy. (See all of our core commitments HERE and our doctrinal statement HERE.) Through this kind of presentation and discussion we want our students to learn how to critically engage controversial ideas by asking probing questions based on solid exegesis and theological reasoning. Just as importantly we want them to learn how to engage in this kind of conversation in a charitable and civil way.   We trust that you will find this recording helpful in thinking through the issues that have been raised by Bell in his book. We would encourage you to read through the seminary’s doctrinal statement as a point of reference while listening to the discussion. The recording is available HERE.

Dr. Bruce Demarest Retiring On Saturday April 2nd, friends, colleagues, students, and the family of Dr. Bruce Demarest celebrated his 36 years of teaching at Denver Seminary with a Retirement Brunch. His wife Elsie and his three children (Scott, Starr, and Sharon) shared memories of their father and husband.

Dr. Craig Blomberg, Professor of New Testament, spoke about Dr. Demarest's diverse career accomplishments. There was a surprise visit from three people that have most influenced Dr. Demarest's spiritual formation; St. Augustine, St. Teresa of Avila, and John Calvin. Each of them spoke on how their writings and life impacted Dr. Demarest. Many other friends and students shared about how Dr. Demarest impacted their lives. If you wish to send well wishes to Dr. Demarest and Elsie, you can send to . Pictures and audio of the program are available ONLINE.

The Passing of Mrs. Ann Grounds

Salt and Light - A Day to Serve

2011 Commencement

10:00 a.m. – Commencement Services at Southeast Christian Church