 Tennessee
Wesleyan College invites its students, faculty,
staff, parents, and the community to celebrate
its 2008 graduating class during the
institution’s annual baccalaureate service
beginning at 8 p.m. Friday, May 9, 2008, in
Townsend Auditorium. Bishop James E. Swanson
Sr., resident bishop of the Holston Annual
Conference, will preside over the service. The
traditional service is held annually prior to
Commencement services, which will be held
Saturday, May 10, 2008, beginning at 9 a.m. in
the Nocatula Garden.
Swanson was elected to the episcopacy in July
2004. At the time of his election, he was
superintendent of the Savannah District of the
South Georgia Annual Conference. He holds a
bachelor of science degree from Southern Bible
College and master of divinity degree from C.H.
Mason Seminary, ITC, Atlanta, Ga. He is
currently pursuing a doctor of ministry degree
in evangelism at Perkins School of Theology,
Southern Methodist University.
His most recent pastoral appointment was St.
Mary’s Road United Methodist Church, a
congregation that grew from 16 active members to
a membership of 950 with an average attendance
of over 525. He has served as chair of the Board
of Commissioners for the Housing Authority of
Columbus, Ga., received a Hope VI grant to
revitalize a depressed community in Columbus and
headed the Mayor’s Task Force on Gangs. He is a
popular preacher, teacher, and leader within our
connection.
Bishop Swanson and his wife, the former Delphine
Yvonne Ramsey, have six children and 10
grandchildren. They reside in Knoxville with
their two teenage children. His hobbies include
golf and hiking.
Prior to the Baccalaureate service, a pinning
ceremony for the graduates of the Tennessee
Wesleyan College-Fort Sanders Nursing Program
will be held at Cokesbury United Methodist
Church in Knoxville, Tenn., Thursday, May 8,
2006, at 7 p.m.
Tennessee Wesleyan College, founded in Athens,
Tenn., in 1857, is a four-year liberal arts
institution affiliated with the Holston
Conference of the United Methodist Church. The
college’s dedicated faculty and staff are
committed to providing the resources and support
students need to grow into socially responsible,
intellectually skilled and spiritually developed
members of our community. |
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