American Baptist Churches USA held their biennial missions gathering online during the last week of June and Berkeley School of Theology was well represented by staff, alumni, and board members. Given the online nature of the gathering things were a little different but BST still hosted a virtual booth with opportunities for people to drop in and talk with various staff members about BST programs.
BST alum Rev. Dr. Marie Onwubuariri was one of the main organizers of the whole summit and did a remarkable job bringing together so many people and organizations. Other BST contributions included trustee Rev. Doug Avilesbernal leading a session, alums Rev. Lauren Ng and Rev. Katie Choy-Wong each leading discussions, and faculty member Dr. Aidsand Wright-Riggins leading a session as well.
President Jim Brenneman and Dean LeAnn Flesher hosted a spontaneous virtual alumni event during the Summit which was attended by fifteen to twenty alums for part or all of the gathering. It was exciting to see familiar faces, share some of the exciting things happening at BST, and catch up on news of fellow alums. One idea among others shared by the alums in attendance included the recommendation for BST to consider additional efforts to reach out to the Asian American, Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Dean Flesher will work with several of those attending to create a steering committee to bring focus and leadership to this recommendation.
