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DALLAS (SMU) - The 2018 Perkins Theological School for the Laity, a three-day event focusing on the Bible, theology, and spirituality is set for March 22-24 on the ÃÛÌÒ½´Methodist University campus. A free evening lecture will feature the Rev. Dr. Mark Teasdale, Associate Professor of Evangelism at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. graduate of ÃÛÌÒ½´Methodist University.

Dr. Teasdale will deliver the Wallace Chappell Lecture—Stewards of God's Mystery, Leaders for the World—which will focus on engaging and equipping church leaders through real world examples of evangelism in the local church.  The lecture is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 22, in the Great Hall of Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Hall. Funded by The Foundation for Evangelism, the Wallace Chappell Lecture provides the opportunity for a United Methodist seminary to bring to campus a national leader in evangelism to lecture on a topic related to evangelism. 

As an ordained elder in the Baltimore-Washington Conference of The United Methodist Church, Dr. Teasdale served in a variety of roles for 12 years, including youth pastor, associate pastor, and senior pastor. He is the president of the Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education (AETE) and served for six years as the editor of Witness: The Journal of the Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education.

Rev. Dr. Margot Perez-Greene, Associate Dean of Enrollment Management at Perkins, will preside over the opening worship service on Thursday, March 22.

Throughout the event, six members of the Perkins School of Theology faculty and Dr. Teasdale will conduct full and half-day courses. They include:

• Dr. Jack Levison – Bible Study from Scratch (Thursday afternoon)
• Dr. Theodore Walker Jr. – Agreements Between Science and Religion: Evolution and Creationism (Thursday afternoon)
• – Knowing, Doing, and Being the Good News: A Reintroduction to Evangelism (Friday) 
• Dr. Jaime Clark-Soles – Land Matters: Geography and the Bible (Friday)
• Dr. O. Wesley Allen Jr. – Parables: Not the Stories You Think They Are (Saturday)
• – Will the Real God of the Universe Please Stand Up? The Book of Job (Saturday)
• Dr. Susanne Scholz – The Bible and Yoga (Saturday afternoon)

Additionally, recipients of the 2018 Woodrow B. Seals Laity Award will be recognized during the opening worship service in Perkins Chapel on Thursday, March 22.  The 2018 awardees include Lydia Bean, a member of Life in Deep Ellum, Dallas; Kathryn S. Stream, a member of First United Methodist Church, Denton; and Lydia E. White, a member of Highland Park United Methodist Church, Dallas. Read the full release here.

More registration information for Perkins Theological School of the Laity is available at smu.edu/perkins/ptsl2018. Advanced discounted registration ends Thursday, March 15, and first-time attendees can receive a $25 discount for a full-day course by using the code NEW when registering. Also, continuing education credits will be provided for a $15 fee.

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Perkins School of Theology, founded in 1911, is one of five official University-related schools of theology of The United Methodist Church. Degree programs include the Master of Divinity, Master of Sacred Music, Master of Theological Studies, Master of Arts in Ministry, Master of Theology, Doctor of Ministry, and Doctor of Pastoral Music as well as the Ph.D., in cooperation with The Graduate Program in Religious Studies at SMU’s Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences.

Media Contacts:

Rev. Connie Nelson
Perkins Director of Public Affairs and Alumni/ae Relations
214-768-2335
lnelson@smu.edu

Bridget Oswald Anderson
Associate Director of Perkins Public Affairs and Alumni/ae Relations
214-768-1319
boswald@smu.edu