Perkins Names 小鲁本·萨恩斯主教. 作为2022年杰出校友

达拉斯(smu) The 珀金斯神学院 校友/ae Council has selected 小鲁本·萨恩斯主教. (M.Div. ‘97; D.最小值. ‘09) as the 2022 recipient of the Perkins Distinguished Alumnus/a Award.

萨斯博士, a native of south 德州 and lifelong United Methodist, was elected bishop in 2016 at the South Central Jurisdictional Conference and assigned to the Great Plains Conference, 总部设在托皮卡, 堪萨斯. In his role as episcopal leader in 堪萨斯 and Nebraska, 萨斯博士 has worked to unify three former conferences that came together in 2014. In 2022, he was additionally assigned as the Coverage Bishop of 德州中部会议, 总部设在沃斯堡, 德州.

“Bishop 萨斯博士 has led the Great Plains Conference, 最近, 德州中部会议, with grace and courage through some very challenging times,克雷格·希尔说, Dean of 珀金斯神学院. “He truly exemplifies the kind of Christian leader we strive to prepare our students at Perkins to become.”

In a letter affirming 萨斯博士’s nomination for the award, 牧师. 亚当·汉密尔顿(M).Div., 1988), senior pastor of 联合卫理公会教堂 of the Resurrection in Leawood, 堪萨斯, called 萨斯博士 “a Christlike leader who seeks to live the gospel we preach. He genuinely cares about people, has an astute theological mind, and has navigated a challenging time for not only our annual conference but for the ‘people called Methodists.’”

牧师. 克林特·琼斯, pastor of First United Methodist of Hico, 德州, noted that 萨斯博士 not only helped steady the Central 德州 Annual Conference and mitigate its losses through disaffiliation, but “he has even gone as far as to begin to energize our churches and push them beyond what is transpiring... He has come to the conference as the right person at the right moment.”

牧师. 玛丽莲•琼斯, pastor of First United Methodist Church in Stephenville, 德州, 呼应了这一观点, adding that 萨斯博士 has maintained a hectic travel schedule, alternating each week between Great Plains and Central 德州. “In his short tenue in our conference, he has shown tremendous compassion for all churches and clergy,她写道。. “Bishop 萨斯博士 has uniquely answered the call ‘for such a time as this’ and many in the Central 德州 Annual Conference are grateful.”

萨斯博士 is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, 德州, and a former high school teacher, 高中足球教练, 和商人. 第二职业牧师, he served congregations in East Dallas, 达拉斯橡树崖, 埃尔帕索, 和爱丁堡, 德州. El Buen Pastor (The Good Shepherd) in Edinburg, 德州, was the largest Hispanic-American United Methodist Church in the country during his 10-year pastoral tenure. 作为牧师, he focused his ministry on intentional spiritual practice and formation, 发展平信徒使徒的, and equipping people with tools and encouragement to move out of generational poverty. In 2010, he was appointed to serve as the Southwest 德州 director of congregational and new church development, and he helped start 11 new churches before being appointed to director of conference connectional ministries and executive director of the Rio 德州 Conference’s 任务 Vitality Center in January 2015.

萨斯博士 has been married to Mayé for 41 years. They have four adult children, all active in the life of 联合卫理公会教堂. 他们的两个儿子, 亚伦和鲁本三世, serve as pastors of growing congregations in the Rio 德州 Conference. He and Mayé have nine grandchildren.

Bishop Ruben 萨斯博士 will be honored at the Distinguished 校友 Awards Banquet on November 14 on the campus of SMU. The banquet will also recognize the 2021 Award recipient, 伊夫林帕克, 以及2020年的获奖者, 牧师. 唐纳德W. 安德伍德和牧师. Dr. 西德尼·G. 大厅,三世. The event takes place from 5 to 7 p.m. in SMU's Martha Proctor Mack Grand Ballroom (Umphrey Lee Center, 3300 Dyer Street, Dallas, TX 75205). Cost is $55 per person or $550 for a table of 10. 在此购票.

Read about the 2020 Distinguished 校友 Award Recipients

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珀金斯神学院, founded in 1911, is one of five official University-related schools of theology of 联合卫理公会教堂. Degree programs include the Master of Divinity, 圣乐大师, 神学研究硕士, 文学硕士在部, 神学硕士, 部长博士, and Doctor of Pastoral Music as well as the Ph.D.与…合作 The Graduate Program in Religious Studies 在SMU的 Dedman学院人文科学.