Saturday, March 14, 2020 was a historical day for a great many reasons. One of these was the rapidly expanding Covid-19 Corona Virus, which advanced from epidemic to pandemic during this fateful weekend. The other monumental event was the presentation of my dissertation before the New York Theological Seminary. My review panel included legendary professor and activist Dr. C. Vernon Mason, and the renowned theological and technological expert Dr. Rafael Reyes, III. There were other participants representing my local institution, the New Theological Seminary of the West. As businesses and institutions were rushing to close in response to the pandemic, I was fortunate to have reserved one of the last available dates to present my work in person, along with my cohort colleague Dr. Grace Park. Needless to say it was a nerve wracking experience to navigate a cross country trip to New York. Seeing the city nearly vacant was surreal, and exercising extreme safety with masks, face shields, rubber gloves and ever-present hand sanitizer was a new experience everyone was learning to navigate. Still, I was able to stand and deliver my dissertation project, “Walk Worthy, Not Weary: Balancing the Calling and Career of the Bi-Vocational Pastor.”
Since this moment, Zoom meetings are the norm, making virtual collaborations and even celebrations an everyday affair. On this day however, it was all a big gamble. I did not know if I would be allowed to fly back to Los Angeles without a quarantine mandate. I was unsure if I would be able to attend graduation (it was postponed and eventually a virtual experience). No, my mom and family were not able to join me, and one dear friend, Mr. Michael Viner was able to sneak into town and treat me to dinner after my presentation was done. I am grateful for everyone who has been apart of my journey and my village, and this is the work that allowed me to become “Doc Hop.” Thank you, and Thank God!
(Click the Header to read the dissertation or visit: https://archive.org/details/wayne-c-hopkins-nyts-dissertation-march-14-2020/mode/2up)