Perkins Announces Recipients of Distinguished Alumni Awards and Woodrow B. Seals Laity Awards

DALLAS (SMU) – Perkins School of Theology is pleased to announce the recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award and the Woodrow B. Seals Laity Award for 2024 and 2025.

The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes Perkins graduates who have demonstrated effectiveness and integrity in service to the church, continuing support for the goals of Perkins and SMU, distinguished service to the community, and exemplary character. The Rev. Dr. John C. Holbert (M.Th., 1971; Ph.D., 1975,) a pastor, scholar and former Perkins professor, is the 2024 Awardee, and the Rev. Denise Alice Sawyer (M.Div., 1999,) a pastor, hospital chaplain and community leader, is the 2025 Awardee.

The Seals Laity Award honors laypersons in the United States who exemplify an exceptional commitment to service to Christ through faith and action in the church, community and world. Denise Espinosa Lloyd (M.Div., 1985), an active member of First United Methodist Church of Missouri City, Texas, and a longtime community volunteer and advocate for the unhoused, is the 2024 recipient. Thomas C. Sellers, a banking executive, community volunteer and lay leader in First United Methodist Church of Sulphur Springs, Texas, is the 2025 recipient.

“It is our distinct honor to recognize these outstanding alumni and laypersons whose faithful leadership and Christian ministry have made a lasting impact in the churches and communities they serve,” said Hugo Magallanes, Perkins dean ad interim. “Whether serving as parish ministers, community leaders, scholars or advocates, their witness has been transformative within and beyond the church.”

All four recipients will be honored at the Perkins Awards Banquet on Monday, April 7, at 6:30 p.m. in the Great Hall of Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Hall, 5901 Bishop Blvd., on the campus of SMU in Dallas. This marks the first year both the Distinguished Alumni and Seals Laity awards will be presented on the same evening. Registration for the Awards Banquet is open now through April 1. Tickets are $45 per person or $300 per table of eight. Parking passes are available for $10. [Click here to purchase tickets and register.]

About the Recipients:

2024 Distinguished Alumni Award: The Rev. Dr. John C. Holbert

The Rev. Dr. John C. Holbert earned an M.Th. in 1971 from Perkins School of Theology and a PhD in Hebrew Bible in 1975 from SMU. Holbert joined the Perkins faculty in 1979, teaching there until retirement in 2012 as Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics for the last 16 years of his faculty appointment.

Over the course of his career, he has taught and preached in more than 1,000 churches in every state in the U.S. and 20 countries. Holbert remains active in ministry, contributing weekly lectionary reflections on the Hebrew Bible and New Testament through the Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence’s Lively Lectionary blog. Currently, he resides in Los Angeles with his wife, the Rev. Dr. Diana Brown Holbert (Master of Music 1971, M.Div. 1993, D.Min. 2005) and serves as head of Adult Education at Westwood United Methodist Church.

An ordained elder in The United Methodist Church, he has also served as interim senior minister at First United Methodist Church in both Fort Worth and Dallas. A past president of the Academy of Homiletics and former co-editor of the journal Homiletic, Holbert has authored numerous works and preached and lectured globally.

The Rev. Martha (Allen) Soper (M.Div., 1998), a retired United Methodist pastor and former student, praised Holbert’s gifts as a faculty member who supported and inspired student preachers.

“His combination of warmth, humor, and wisdom gave me the courage I needed to find and use my own voice,” Soper said.

Soper also noted that Holbert, a talented vocalist, co-wrote an opera about the Book of Job with his son.

The Rev. Anna Hosemann-Butler (M.Div., 1998), a retired United Methodist pastor, praised his integrity and dedication. She shared how Holbert’s encouragement transformed her path, recalling his words: “Use the gifts given to you, find the joy in it, love the Word of God, and let it be proclaimed.”

“We, the ripples of John Holbert’s life, continue to make waves. And we are so grateful,” Hosemann-Butler wrote.

2025 Distinguished Alumni Award: The Rev. Denise Sawyer

The Rev. Denise Sawyer (M.Div., 1999) grew up in the Methodist Church of the Bahamas before attending Perkins School of Theology. While at Perkins, she excelled as a student, co-chaired the Black Seminarians Association and advocated for increased faculty diversity. After graduating, she served five churches in the Bahamas, then returned to the U.S. to serve as an ordained United Methodist elder in what is now the Great Plains Conference.

“Her commitment to parish ministry was outstanding,” said Sally Vonner (M.Div., 2008) in a letter recommending Sawyer for the award. “She was beloved by many for her faithful prayers and companionship through difficult life moments.”

After 10 years in parish ministry, Sawyer transitioned to the chaplaincy, relocating to Dallas to serve in Methodist Health System’s Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program. She was endorsed by the United Methodist Endorsing Agency of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and certified as a chaplain by the Association of Professional Chaplains.

In 2011, Sawyer joined Lee Health in Fort Myers, Florida, where she currently serves as director of spiritual services.

“Rev. Sawyer’s leadership extends far beyond her official responsibilities,” said Jennifer Higgins, Lee Health’s chief nursing officer. “She has selflessly supported staff members facing terminal illnesses, often traveling long distances to visit them and their families. Her empathy, kindness and generosity of spirit inspire us all.”

Sawyer also continues to preach regularly in a seasonal community church in Naples, Florida, and is an active member of Hope United Methodist Church in Fort Myers. She remains connected to her home church, Ebenezer Methodist Church, in the Bahamas.

“Her life is an example of one who seeks to walk in the likeness of Jesus, leading with a servant heart through the brokenness of our world,” said the Rev. Debra Crumpton (M.Div., 2000), a retired United Methodist pastor and Perkins classmate. “She impacts lives, changes hearts, brings joy and radiates love.”

 2024 Seals Laity Award: Denise Espinosa Lloyd

Denise Espinosa Lloyd graduated from Perkins School of Theology in 1985 and was ordained in what is now the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. She was the only Hispanic clergywoman in the conference at the time. After leaving ordained ministry, she remained an active layperson of First United Methodist Church in Missouri

City. Texas. She served as a choir member, missions committee leader, Disciple Bible Study leader, education committee chair, Sunday school teacher and for 20 years, a lay member of the Texas Annual Conference.

“Mrs. Lloyd shows her leadership by being organized, recruiting others, guiding and teaching people to be part of missions and outreach, and demonstrating compassion to families without homes as a longtime volunteer with Fort Bend Family Promise,” said the Rev. Dr. Jerome Brimmage, pastor of First United Methodist Church Missouri City.
A lifelong learner, Lloyd is also participating in the Fort Bend Leadership Forum, a 10-month program sponsored by the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce to expand her network of nonprofit organizations.

Lloyd currently serves as board president of Fort Bend Family Promise, a nonprofit that meets the immediate needs of families experiencing temporary housing insecurity while empowering them to regain self-sufficiency.

“I first met Denise during a challenging time when my family and I were welcomed as guests at Fort Bend Family Promise and empowered to self-sufficiency,” said Rosinda Pinon, now a housing navigator specialist at Fort Bend Family Promise. “Denise’s dedication to her work, community and faith is truly inspiring. She has been a blessing to the staff, families and community.”

 2025 Seals Laity Award: Thomas C. Sellers

Thomas C. Sellers is a longtime member of First United Methodist Church in Sulphur Springs, Texas, as well as an Eagle Scout, school board member and community volunteer. Over the years he has taught Sunday school and chaired multiple church committees; most recently, he began hosting “Toddler Time with Tom,” a weekly playdate in the church gym to welcome local families with young children.

Sellers graduated from SMU’s Southwestern Graduate School of Banking and joined Alliance Bank in 1988, rising to chief executive officer in 2004. In 2021, he was named chairman and CEO of Alliance Bank. Among those recommending Sellers for the award was Craig Roberts, a competitor at Guaranty Bank & Trust and a member of the Sunday school class Sellers taught for 20 years.

“As a professional, Tom and I have battled for business for 23 years,” Roberts said. “Never have we battled negatively. At times, we teamed up as bank leaders to help those in need or in our community development by sharing common goals.”
Barbara C. Law, a member of the church who was Sellers’ high school English teacher, highlighted his leadership during the recent disaffiliation process, when many members of First UMC Sulphur Springs left to form another congregation.

“His continued leadership and good sense, and especially his kindness and acceptance of varying viewpoints, helped keep our First UMC alive in Sulphur Springs,” Law said. “I believe that Tom exemplifies the Wesleyan concept that, while we cannot do everything for everyone, we can do something for someone.”

“We as a church had an incredible past, and we were going to have a beautiful, expectant future,” added the Rev. Peter McNabb, senior pastor of First UMC Sulphur Springs. “We just needed help seeing it. And Tom was key in helping us do that.
“Tom carries the torch of that long line of saints who have come before us and shines the light for the church going into the future.”

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Perkins School of Theology, founded in 1911, is one of five official University-related schools of theology of The United Methodist Church. Degree programs include the Master of Divinity, Master of Sacred Music, Master of Theological Studies, Master of Arts in Ministry, Master of Theology, Doctor of Ministry, and Doctor of Pastoral Music as well as the Ph.D., in cooperation with The Graduate Program in Religious Studies at SMU's Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences.