Former Moderator Rev. Jean Morris to receive Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa, from VST
VANCOUVER, BC — The Board of Governors of Vancouver School of Theology announce that the Rev. Jean Morris and the Rev. Dr. Derek Evans will be awarded the degree of Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa, at VST’s 39th Convocation, May 10, 2010 at Kerrisdale Presbyterian Church.
Widely respected in The Presbyterian Church in Canada and beyond, Jean Morris is best known for her ground-breaking work across the continuum of adult aging. With more than 20 years of leadership experience in congregations and faith-based organizations, Jean is currently Director, Spirituality and Pastoral Care Services for Bethany Care Society, Calgary Alberta, one of western Canada’s largest voluntary not-for-profit providers of care and service. Jean and her team have developed and implemented a Spiritual Care Model which directs the delivery of pastoral care services and articulates spirituality as a core organizational competence for leaders and staff. Jean received her ThM degree from VST in 2000, and is our first alumna to be elected Moderator of the 131st General Assembly of The Presbyterian Church in Canada.
Renowned for his work in human rights and conflict resolution, Derek Evans is best known for his work with Amnesty International. Derek joined the International Secretariat of Amnesty International in 1990 as Head of the organization's Asia and Pacific Research program, and three years later was appointed Deputy Secretary General (London, 1993-1999), with responsibility for strategic direction of the organization's global human rights research, campaigning and development programs. In 1997 he was appointed senior political advisor of the Amnesty movement, responsible additionally for legal affairs, inter-governmental relations, and policy formulation. In 2005 he was awarded the McGeachy Senior Scholarship for his work in community and international reconciliation.
Derek was commissioned as a Conference Minister of the United Church of Canada (Vancouver, 1979-86), with responsibility for research, advocacy and social policy. He has led more than 70 international delegations in all world regions, primarily dealing with human rights and conflict resolution. Throughout his career, he has had extensive involvement with non-governmental and community organizations – local, national, and global – both in governance and senior management, and he frequently serves as public commentator on human rights and international affairs.
A published poet and accredited member of The Writers’ Union of Canada, he is the author or co-author of some 14 books, including most recently Before the War (Northstone, 2004), Dispatches from the Global Village (Copperhouse, 2007), and Creator Glimpsed Serving Tea (Okanagan Institute, 2008).
