Looking on as the Presiding Bishops delivers his Commencement Address, from left to right are Dr. Thomas Cole, Interim President of the ITC; Dr. Ed Wimberly, Provost of the ITC; Dr. Harold V. Bennett, Dean of the C.H. Mason Theological Seminary; Dr. Paul Roberts, Dean of the Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary; and Dr. Frances Bryant Lowery, Dean of the Harry V. Richards Fellowship.

The Presiding Bishop spoke to a host of graduates  from major Protestant Denominations in the world: Gammon Theological Seminary (The United Methodist Church), Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary (The Presbyterian Church, USA), Turner Theological Seminary (The African Methodist Episcopal Church), Philips School of Theology (The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church), Morehouse School of Religion (The Baptist Church), as well as a host of students from other denominations whose churches do not have accredited Seminaries. Bishop Blake grounded his Commencement Address in the Jacob story.  He lifted the account of Jacob’s name being changed from Jacob to Israel, and he used this event to draw attention to the importance of struggle and what it means for becoming princes and princesses of God. The Presiding Bishop gave detailed attention to those dynamics that help to shape good leaders and effective Christian leadership in the church and in the world.

Six students graduated from the Charles H. Mason Theological Seminary. These students received the Master of Divinity degree, and they represent five jurisdictions in the Church of God in Christ.  These students plan to return home and continue working in their local jurisdictions.

Pictured from left to right with the Presiding Bishop are Andrea Richard (Birmingham, Al); Stephen McNeal (Memphis, TN) Jehiah Cundiff (Winston-Salem, NC); Wesley Williams (Memphis, TN) Clifton Williams, (Tampa, Florida). Standing to the left of the Presiding Bishop is Harold V. Bennett, PhD., Dean of the Charles H. Mason Theological Seminary. Missing from the photo is Briarck Bridges (Hassell, NC).

The C.H Mason Theological Seminary Class of 2010 and Student Fellowship President Elder Stephen McNeal stated: “Bishop Blake’s message has really encouraged and inspired me to confidently be a change agent in a hurting and oppressed world. I am certain that if I follow Christ and remember the steps that Bishop Blake gave the graduating class in his message, I will be effective and efficient in ministry.” Bishop concluded with his famous quote: I see you in the future and you look much better!!!

The fifty-first Commencement exercise of the ITC was a very significant event for the Charles H. Mason Theological Seminary. This event marked the fortieth year anniversary of the C.H. Mason Theological Seminary; it provided an opportunity for Bishop Charles E. Blake, the first student from the Church of God in Christ to attend the Interdenominational Theological Center, to return to the ITC as the Senior Ecclesiastical Official in the Church of God in Christ; and it culminated the successful Founder’s Week in February 2010, which was marked by generous giving from our leaders of the Church of God in Christ, Incorporated.

Mission Statement

The overall charge of the Charles H. Mason Theological Seminary, the official school for graduate training in theology and religious studies in the Church of God in Christ, is to educate men and women for ministry and other forms of service in the Church of God in Christ, and for careers in religious education in the global community. The Charles H. Mason Theological Seminary seeks to position men and women to advocate for a liberating and transforming spirituality, where the baptism of/in the Holy Spirit and the life of the mind intersect.

The Charles H. Mason Theological Seminary 2010 Board of Trustees
Bishop Roy L.H. Winbush, Chair Bishop D.A. Burton, Vice Chair Dr. Lawrence E. Williams, Secretary Dr. David A. Hall, Sr., Assistant Secretary Bishop Roy Dixon Bishop David Houston	Bishop Philip Porter Dr. Barbara McCoo-Lewis Dr. Alonzo Johnson Superintendent Leroy James Chaplain Diana James Bishop Howard Quillen Captain Gerald L. Gray
Trustee Emeritus	National Alumni Representative
Dorothy Exume	Elder John Redic, Sr
Ex-Officio	Student Representative
Dr. Harold V. Bennett	Stephen C. McNeal

 

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