The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary honored Timothy A. McCoy with the seminary’s distinguished alumnus award and congratulated alumnus Bryant Wright on his election as president of the Southern Baptist Convention during the Southern Seminary luncheon June 16.
The luncheon was held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention June 15-16 in Orlando, Fla. The seminary welcomed 600 guests into the sold out luncheon.
Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. presented the distinguished alumnus award to McCoy, senior pastor of Ingleside Baptist Church in Macon, Ga.
“Tim and I arrived at Southern Seminary in the same year — that was a very different hour in the life of Southern Seminary — and Tim McCoy stood out as a man with a mission. I have always admired and had great respect for him,” Mohler said.
McCoy graduated with honors from Louisiana College and earned his master of divinity and doctor of philosophy degrees at Southern Seminary. During his ministry, the Mississippi native has served as an officer in the Georgia Baptist Convention and as both a trustee and chairman of the International Mission Board. McCoy has served Ingleside since 1989.
Following the award presentation, Will Jackson, a May 2010 graduate of Southern and out-going president of Southern’s student ambassadors, shared a testimonial of his experience as an IMB Journeyman and how the Lord led him to attend Southern Seminary’s Billy Graham School.
“Southern is striving to balance strong Gospel theology with urgent missiology,” Jackson said. “They are preparing students like me to go into the world to make disciples of Christ.”
Mohler delivered a report of campus activity to the alumni and supporters in attendance. Mohler reflected on Southern Seminary’s sesquicentennial anniversary, saying that during this last year Southern maximized the anniversary not to the glory of the institution but in a sober and thankful way that reflects on what God has done for the institution.
Mohler led attendees in a prayer for Southern Seminary alumnus Bryant Wright in recognition of his June 15 election to succeed Johnny Hunt as president of the SBC.
Wright, senior pastor of the Atlanta-area Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, said, of the luncheon, “One reason I am so excited in being here and keeping up with what God is doing through the leadership, through the faculty, through the trustees, and through the key supporters of the seminary is seeing how God is working here.”
Of his SBC presidency, Wright said, “I am absolutely passionate about people renewing their relationship with Jesus Christ, that individual relationship with God through Christ. I’m absolutely passionate about global missions and seeing what can happen in the local church when people begin to not only give, and not only pray, but to go and develop partnerships around the world.”
Those in attendance included longtime supporters of the seminary Otis and Staci Ingram of Macon, Ga. Mohler announced a gift of the Ingram’s to fund a renovation project in Boyce College, the undergraduate institution of Southern Seminary.
Greg Brewton, associate dean for music and worship leadership at Southern, led guests in the singing of the seminary hymn, “Soldiers of Christ in Truth Arrayed.” The hymn, composed by one of the seminary founders Basil Manly Jr. circa 1860, is traditionally sung at the annual luncheon.