Hood Theological Seminary announced that 10 alumni were ordained and 14 commissioned as provisional elders by the Boards of Ordained Ministry throughout three annual conferences of the United Methodist Church in June.

Hood Seminary alumni commissioned in the Western North Carolina Conference are Walter Bates Christian, Hendersonville; Donna Friddle, Stokesdale; Adam Love and Tracy Love, Kannapolis; Roy Miller, Mocksville; Jesse Smith, Conover; Juston Smith, Lawndale; Vic Wilfong, Gastonia; and Daniel Robert Wilson, Concord.

Those ordained to the ministry after provisional membership are Bradley Van Bruce, Kristy Hardin Burnette, Michael Franklin Burris, Arnold Parks Gosnell, Jeanette Tatum Hayes, Christopher Neil Lakey, Donald Wayne Mason, Kevin Parker McCormac, Jeremiah Patton Pegram, and Julie Ann Roberts.

Four Hood alumni commissioned as provisional members within the South Carolina annual conference are Lawrence Cantey, Columbia; Ernest Frierson, Lynchburg; Cheryl Johnson, Hemingway; and William Wrighten, St. Stephen. Charles Scott Spence of Saltville, Va., was commissioned in the Holston Conference, which includes southwestern Virginia and eastern Tennessee.

In making the announcement, Dr. Michael Turner, associate professor of the history of Christianity and director of United Methodist at Hood, said “We are extremely proud of all of our recent United Methodist graduates who have either received provisional status or ordination by their respective annual conferences. At Hood, we take our commitment to helping prepare UMC students for the ordination process very seriously. Hood is an AME Zion institution, deeply grounded in the shared Wesleyan theological heritage of all Methodist bodies. Faculty members work at instilling a respect and love for their heritage into all of our students. We also host ordination workshops and focus extensively on board of ordination ministry preparation in all of our United Methodist Studies classes. It is our hope that Hood will continue to be seen as a premiere destination for those UM students seeking ordination in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and beyond for years to come.”

Hood Theological Seminary, located at 1810 Lutheran Synod Drive, is a graduate and professional school sponsored by the A.M.E. Zion Church and approved by the University Senate of the United Methodist Church.

The commissioning service took place on June 20, 2015 during the Annual Conference of the WNCC at Lake Junaluska, NC. After a two year period as a provisional elder, these alumni and students are eligible to be ordained as elders in full connection within their respective annual conferences.