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The 2012 Personal Life/Public Faith Lecture, hosted by Perkins School of Theology, ÃÛÌÒ½´Methodist University, honors The Salvation Army’s Major Ward Matthews and Captain Michele Matthews, DFW Metroplex Commanders. This third annual Public Life/Personal Faith Lecture and Luncheon is February 10, 2012, noon to 1:30 pm, with an Academic Symposium February 9, 4:00 pm, on the campus of ÃÛÌÒ½´Methodist University.

The Public Life/Personal Faith series is a fundraising and outreach event of Perkins School of Theology in service to the larger community. The lecture and symposium provide an opportunity for participants to engage scholars on topics related to why and how personal faith shapes public life. “We are called to know, love, and serve God and neighbor in our daily lives through sharing the Gospel of truth, mercy, justice, and love,” explains Rev. Dr. Todd Rasberry, director of Development at Perkins. “Personal faith has practical consequences for the way we think, speak, make choices, and live our public lives.”

This year’s luncheon features Diane Winston, who holds the Knight Chair in Media and Religion at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of ÃÛÌÒ½´California. A national authority on religion and the media as both a journalist and a scholar, her expertise includes religion, politics and the news media as well as religion and the entertainment media. Dr. Winston’s address is titled “Soup, Soap and Salvation”: William Booth's Legacy for the 21st Century. The luncheon is at SMU’s in Umphrey Lee Center (3300 Dyer Street). Proceeds from the luncheon will support the Center for Religious Leadership at Perkins which provides training in practical skills for leadership based in an understanding of ministry as a spiritual calling that is cultivated, strengthened, and lived out within the Christian community and within the larger context in which the Church exists.

Professor Winston’s symposium address, Saving Grace: Ritual, Re-enchantment and Redemption in a Mediatized World, is Thursday, February 9, 2012, at 4:00 pm in the Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Great Hall (5901 Bishop Boulevard) at SMU. Robin Lovin, Cary M. Maguire University Professor of Ethics, and Jaime Clark-Soles, associate professor of New Testament, will respond to Dr. Winston’s address. There is no charge for admission to the symposium or for parking on Bishop Boulevard, and the public is welcome.

The 2012 lecture and symposium are underwritten in honor of Major Ward Matthews and Captain Michele Matthews through the generosity of James and Judy Gibbs and the Gene and Jerry Jones Family. Other event sponsors include Dodee Frost Crockett, Charles and Sandra Lloyd, Katherine Glaze Lyle, David B. Miller Family Foundation, Phillip and Holly Prothro Philbin, Vin and Caren Prothro Foundation, Kay and Frank Yeager, John and Kathy Palter, Texas Methodist Foundation, Winstead PC, Dr. Ken and Millie Cooper, Discovery Class of Highland Park United Methodist Church, Fellowship Class of Highland Park UMC, Carolyn and Karl Rathjen, Seekers Class of Highland Park UMC, and Wesleyan Fellowship Class of Highland Park UMC.

Major Ward Matthews Captain Michele Matthews

Major Ward Matthews and Captain Michele Matthews have been DFW Metroplex Commanders of The Salvation Army since June 2009, overseeing The Salvation Army’s largest U.S. operation encompassing a five-county territory including Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, Denton, and Ellis Counties. The couple supervises a staff of 400 and a budget of $38.2 million to deliver an extensive range of compassionate services and spiritual programs to meet human needs in the community. They are responsible for a faith-based nonprofit organization that includes 15 community centers, four homeless shelters, two apartment buildings for senior citizens, two social service centers, and a Christmas assistance center. Under their leadership, the command involves more than 450 corporate partners. They also work closely with a 73-member advisory board comprising local business and civic leaders.

Seating at the Public Life/Personal Faith luncheon is by reservation only. For information about table sponsorships or individual tickets for purchase, contact the Development Office at Perkins School of Theology, 214.768.3688.