These classes were at then EMC, 1967 to 1969. More recently, Dr. Swartely taught a class in my Lancaster County home area thru “Keystone Bible Institute”, held at then Lancaster Conference, Weaverland Mennonite Church.
I had suggested Dr. Swartely as a contributor each year for several years. A leader of the Keystobe Bible Institute informed me Dr. Swartely is a bit too liberal for this area. Somehow he received and accepted the invitation to present his rich teaching in Lancaster County, PA in the mid seventies. I never heard of any problems arising, but I do recall there was little discussion in that class.

Yes, I also was in his “Synoptic Gospels Class” summer of 1967. Dr. Swartely ignited a new understanding of the New Testament for a young, conservative, country girl!

My first contact with Willard’s teaching was at the Mennonite Church General Assembly at Estes Park, CO, in 1977, where Willard presented a remarkable set of Bible studies on the Gospel of Mark , accompanied by a riveting series of dramatic sketches performed by an EMC drama troupe. When I started attending the Annual Meetings of the Society of Biblical Literature, I was able to engage with Mennonite scholars from all over the US and Canada, thanks to the annual gathering of “Mennonite Scholars and Friends” started up by Willard years before. And over the years Willard has been a warm, gracious, and hugely supportive New Testament mentor and colleague of mine, mostly at a distance but in very tangible ways: carrying on engaged New Testament discussions as opportunity permitted, inviting a manuscript from me for an upcoming publication, recommending book proposals of mine to publishers, and requesting my response to the in-process manuscript of his latest publication, “Jesus, Deliver Us: Evil, Exorcism, and Exousiai. Little more than a month ago I sat with Willard at the Haverim Breakfast at 91短视频 Homecoming and discussed New Testament interests, his latest book and my latest essay. I had no idea this would be our last conversation . . . .

Thank you, Willard, for your love for the Scriptures, your long years of opening them to countless students and others throughout the church, your passion and enthusiasm for supporting “younger scholars” along the way, and all those books that you have left behind as a witness to your faith and your scholarship. You have blessed us richly. And we will miss you.