Perkins Names Distinguished Alumni Award recipients for 2024 and 2025

Perkins School of Theology announces the 2024 and 2025 recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award: The Rev. Dr. John C. Holbert (M.Th., 1971; Ph.D., 1975) a pastor, scholar and former Perkins professor, is the 2024 Awardee, and the Rev. Denise Alice Sawyer (M.Div., 1999) a pastor, hospital chaplain and community leader, is the 2025 Awardee.

The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes Perkins graduates who have demonstrated effectiveness and integrity in service to the church, continuing support for the goals of Perkins and SMU, distinguished service to the community and exemplary character.

“Just as the work of the church takes place in a range of places, the work of these Awardees spans an array of contexts: parish ministry, teaching, service, scholarship and advocacy, both within and beyond the church,” said Hugo Magallanes, Perkins Dean ad interim. “We are pleased to honor these outstanding Perkins graduates for their faithful leadership and Christian ministry.”

Holbert and Sawyer, as well as recipients of the 2024 and 2025 Woodrow B. Seals Laity Award, will be honored at the Perkins Awards Banquet on Monday, April 7, at 6:30 p.m. in the Great Hall of Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Hall, 5901 Bishop Blvd. on the campus of SMU in Dallas. The Seals award honors laypersons in the United States who exemplify an exceptional commitment of service to Christ through faith and action in the church, community and world. This is the first year to present both the Distinguished Alumni and Seals Laity awards in the same evening.

Registration for the Awards Banquet is open now and through April 1. Tickets are $45.00 per person and $300.00 per table of 8.  Parking passes ($10) are also available. To purchase tickets and register for the banquet, click HERE.

About the Recipients:

2024 Distinguished Alumni Award: 

The Rev. Dr. John C. Holbert

The Rev. Dr. John C. Holbert earned an M.Th. in 1971 from Perkins School of Theology and a PhD in Hebrew Bible in 1975 from SMU. Holbert joined the Perkins faculty in 1979, teaching there until retirement in 2012 as Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics for the last 16 years of his faculty appointment.

Over the course of his career, he has taught and preached in more than 1,000 churches in every state in the U.S. and 20 countries. Holbert remains active in ministry, contributing weekly lectionary reflections on the Hebrew Bible and New Testament through the Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence’s Lively Lectionary blog. Currently, he resides in Los Angeles with his wife, the Rev. Dr. Diana Brown Holbert (Master of Music 1971, M.Div. 1993, D.Min. 2005) and serves as head of Adult Education at Westwood United Methodist Church.

An ordained elder in The United Methodist Church, he has also served as interim senior minister at First United Methodist Church in both Fort Worth and Dallas. A past president of the Academy of Homiletics and former co-editor of the journal Homiletic, Holbert has authored numerous works and preached and lectured globally.

The Rev. Martha (Allen) Soper (M.Div., 1998), a retired United Methodist pastor and former student, praised Holbert’s gifts as a faculty member who supported and inspired student preachers.

“His combination of warmth, humor, and wisdom gave me the courage I needed to find and use my own voice,” Soper said.

Soper also noted that Holbert, a talented vocalist, co-wrote an opera about the Book of Job with his son.

The Rev. Anna Hosemann-Butler (M.Div., 1998), a retired United Methodist pastor, praised his integrity and dedication. She shared how Holbert’s encouragement transformed her path, recalling his words: “Use the gifts given to you, find the joy in it, love the Word of God, and let it be proclaimed.”

“We, the ripples of John Holbert’s life, continue to make waves. And we are so grateful,” Hosemann-Butler wrote.

2025 Distinguished Alumni Award:

The Rev. Denise Sawyer

The Rev. Denise Sawyer (M.Div., 1999) grew up in the Methodist Church of the Bahamas before attending Perkins School of Theology. While at Perkins, she excelled as a student, co-chaired the Black Seminarians Association and advocated for increased faculty diversity. After graduating, she served five churches in the Bahamas, then returned to the U.S. to serve as an ordained United Methodist elder in what is now the Great Plains Conference.

“Her commitment to parish ministry was outstanding,” said Sally Vonner (M.Div., 2008) in a letter recommending Sawyer for the award. “She was beloved by many for her faithful prayers and companionship through difficult life moments.”

After 10 years in parish ministry, Sawyer transitioned to the chaplaincy, relocating to Dallas to serve in Methodist Health System’s Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program. She was endorsed by the United Methodist Endorsing Agency of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and certified as a chaplain by the Association of Professional Chaplains.

In 2011, Sawyer joined Lee Health in Fort Myers, Florida, where she currently serves as director of spiritual services.

“Rev. Sawyer’s leadership extends far beyond her official responsibilities,” said Jennifer Higgins, Lee Health’s chief nursing officer. “She has selflessly supported staff members facing terminal illnesses, often traveling long distances to visit them and their families. Her empathy, kindness and generosity of spirit inspire us all.”

Sawyer also continues to preach regularly in a seasonal community church in Naples, Florida, and is an active member of Hope United Methodist Church in Fort Myers. She remains connected to her home church, Ebenezer Methodist Church, in the Bahamas.

“Her life is an example of one who seeks to walk in the likeness of Jesus, leading with a servant heart through the brokenness of our world,” said the Rev. Debra Crumpton (M.Div., 2000), a retired United Methodist pastor and Perkins classmate. “She impacts lives, changes hearts, brings joy and radiates love.”

List of all past Perkins School of Theology Distinguished Alumnus/a Award Recipients