Bishop Hayes, Dean Oden to give lectures

Bishop Robert Hayes and Dean Amy Oden will speak at OCU Feb. 16.

OCU School of Religion will mark 30 years

The Lemon Lectures on campus Feb. 16 will feature two outstanding United Methodists: Bishop Robert Hayes Jr. and Dr. Amy Oden, dean of Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, D.C., and originally from Oklahoma.

Their free lectures are part of a day of celebration, marking the 30th anniversary for the Wimberly School of Religion at Oklahoma City University. Their theme will be "The Bible and the Church."

The 2012 Martha Jean Lemon Special Lectures—a series of three presentations—will be in the Bishop Angie Smith Chapel at 1, 3, and 7:30 p.m. All are free and open to the public.

Beginning at 4 p.m., guests are welcome to attend an informal open house in the chapel building, an opportunity to see recent changes in office space and classrooms updated with new technology. Students, professors, the chapel pastoral staff, and representatives of Saint Paul School of Theology will visit with guests to inform them about current programming.

A reception, beginning at 5:15 p.m., followed by a ticketed dinner, at 6, will precede the evening lecture. To purchase dinner tickets, contact Cathy Bewley, 405-208-5284 or cbewley@okcu.edu.

This is the second year for the Lemon Lectures, and the speakers are especially appropriate for the School of Religion’s anniversary observance. Bishop Hayes is a great friend of the university. Among the many ways he supports the school is his service on the OCU Board of Trustees, preaching annually in a weekly chapel worship service, and visiting with students interested in pursuing ordained ministry. He also honors the Bishop’s Scholars each year at the University-Church Relations Christmas dinner. Bishop’s Scholars are young people from each class year who are chosen for their potential in serving the Church.

Dean Oden is well known in the Oklahoma Conference. She is the daughter of Tal and the late Jane Oden of Altus. She comes from a family whose members have served as a Conference Lay Leader, United Methodist bishop, and seminary professor. This will be a special homecoming for her, as she has served on the School of Religion faculty. Oden is a book author and a contributor to the Wesley Study Bible. Her latest book is "God’s Welcome: Hospitality for a Gospel-Hungry World."

Lemon Lectures
Feb. 16, Smith Chapel

• "How the Bible Shaped the Church," chapel worship service, Bishop Hayes preaching, 1 p.m.
• "How the Church Shaped the Bible," Dean Oden lecture, 3 p.m.
• "The Bible and the Church," dialogue lecture, Bishop Hayes and Dean Oden, 7:30 p.m.