The dean of Duke Chapel at Duke University visits campus for a May 22 program in Alumni Gym to honor graduating seniors and their families.
The Rev. Luke A. Powery, dean of Duke Chapel at Duke University, will deliver Elon University’s Baccalaureate sermon on Friday, May 22, 2015.
The ceremony will take place at Alumni Gym at 3 p.m. The program is open to the public, with all graduates and their families invited to attend.
Powery received his undergraduate degree in music with a concentration in vocal performance from Stanford University. He later obtained his Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and his Doctor of Theology from Emmanuel College, the University of Toronto.
He was ordained by the Progressive National Baptist Convention and has served at churches in Switzerland, Canada and the United States. Powery also serves as secretary of the Academy of Homiletics and is a member of both the American Academy of Religion and the Society for the Study of Black Religion.
A member of the executive lectionary team for The African American Lectionary, an online ecumenical project funded by the Lilly Endowment, Inc., Powery is the recipient of numerous scholastic fellowships and awards from organizations such as the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion and the Fund for Theological Education.
In recognition for his work, Powery was named one of “20 to Watch” by the African American Pulpit in 2008, a distinction given to 20 outstanding black ministers under the age of 40 who are shaping the future direction of the church.
The 2015 Commencement ceremonies will take place Under the Oaks at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday, May 23.