[Blog] Dean Stone's February Reflection

As we who are Christians walk through the Lenten journey together at this time of the year, we find ourselves called into both remembrance and responsibility. In January, Perkins joined the wider SMU community in marking the 60th anniversary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s address on our campus. That commemoration was more than a nod to history; it was a summons to faithfulness in the present.  

We were especially grateful for the leadership of our own Dr. Theodore Walker, whose contributions reminded us that King’s vision remains unfinished work—work entrusted to communities like ours. That same spirit of engaged scholarship continues to shape our faculty’s impact throughout our region and beyond.  

Rev. Dr. Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner recently served as keynote speaker for Clergy Covenant Day in the Horizon Annual Conference, embodying the wisdom, pastoral depth, and theological clarity that define Perkins at its best. 

I was also grateful for the opportunity to visit Memphis Theological Seminary with other administrators from Perkins as we continue to work out the details of our teach-out agreement and learn the beauty and power of that seminary’s witness over the years. Engaging students and leadership there was both humbling and hopeful—a reminder that theological education is sustained not by institutions alone, but by relationships of trust and shared vocation. Lent is a season of learning steady faithfulness. We remember well. We take responsibility seriously. And together, we continue the journey forward.