Gammon, the UMC's only Black seminary, is finding its future
Alumni, faculty, and supporters cut the ribbon on the renovated student lounge at Gammon Theological Seminary. From left are Kylan Pew, Sharma D. Lewis, Gammon president Candace M. Lewis, board of trustees member Mackie Norris, Alfred Norris, and Katurah Johnson. (Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News)
The day before a low-key August 15 ribbon-cutting for a new student lounge at Gammon Theological Seminary in Atlanta, the rest of the building was still a work in progress. Brown builder’s paper covered floors, plastic tarp protected walls, and furniture and piles of boxes were waiting to be unpacked in unpainted rooms.
Leading a tour of the compact campus, Candace M. Lewis—president of Gammon since 2021—injected bright colors and ebullient confidence wherever she roamed. Wearing a multihued dress and her trademark high-top Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers, Lewis clearly saw things others hadn’t envisioned yet.
“Wherever God gives vision, there’s provision,” Lewis said. “We have more than enough vision to go around, and as we share vision, I feel like that really does invoke generosity.”
