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Rev. Dr. Ann Kemper to be honored at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School
May 12, 2025 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School (CRCDS), a theological institution with over two centuries of tradition and transformation, will honor outstanding graduates at its 2025 Alumni/ae & Friends Reunion. The celebration, rooted in CRCDS’s enduring mission of peace, service, and justice, will recognize alumni/ae whose ministries and vocations exemplify the school’s legacy of leadership and impact. The Distinguished Alumni/ae Award celebrates excellence in theological education, scholarship, and leadership.
Among the honorees is the Rev. Dr. Ann Kemper, who serves as Chairperson of the Board of Ordained Ministry in Upper New York and as pastor of Covenant UMC in Rochester, NY. A dedicated pastor, mentor, and community advocate, Rev. Dr. Kemper will be recognized for her leadership in combating food insecurity and advancing literacy in underserved areas.
“I am deeply honored to be recognized as a distinguished alum of CRCDS. I always thought it was me who owed a debt of gratitude to CRCDS for equipping me for ministry in an urban context,” said Rev. Dr. Kemper.
CRCDS helped Rev. Dr. Kemper shape her theological understanding of divine grace—grace that serves as a lens through which she views urban ministry as deeply relational. “When a family suffers from food insecurity, it is the gracious act of the church to do its best to address not only the immediate need for food, but to respond to the systemic reasons the family is in need. Ministering in the mindset of divine grace means we do our best to make sure children have every opportunity to succeed. If education is the lock to reversing the downward spiral of poverty, then literacy is the key to unlocking a child's potential.”
Rev. Dr. Kemper believes that building relationships and trust is the only way to transform the world; one family at a time; one child at a time. “If I were to sum up my years of urban ministry it would be to love. You can never go wrong with love based on mutuality and trust.”
The awards will be presented at the Alumni/ae Awards Dinner on Thursday, May 15, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. in Rochester during the multi-day Alumni/ae & Friends Reunion. The ceremony is one highlight in a weekend filled with meaningful events at CRCDS from May 14–17, 2025.