Every fall, it brings us immense joy to welcome new students into the Palmer community to discover their unique talents, passions, and above all, their sense of God's calling. One of these remarkable students is Arman Brown, a new MDiv student studying in the Adaptive Leadership Track.
Arman graduated from Cleveland State University in May of 2023. He was discerning seminary but suspected it was too late for a Fall 2023 enrollment–until meeting Palmer’s Dean, Kimberlee A. Johnson this past June in Puerto Rico. While attending the American Baptist Home Mission Society’s Biennial with his pastor, Rev. Dr. James P. Quincy III a Marriage and Family Therapy doctoral alumnus of Eastern University, he visited Palmer’s exhibit table and the Spirit began making a way.
Mr. Brown’s sense of call was shaped by Lee Road Baptist Church in Cleveland, OH. He describes it as a community full of educators who had a passion for youth and love for the Gospel. At Lee Road, he was mentored, licensed as a minister in the American Baptist Church, and felt God’s call to finish his undergraduate degree. Arman first enrolled at Cleveland State in 2017 to study social work. Due to life circumstances a few semesters’ break was necessary. Upon returning, Arman switched his major to Comparative Religions; his experience with a variety of faith traditions, including Islam, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and Hinduism, has empowered him to converse in compassionate and loving ways with people of all faith backgrounds, seeking the common good for the work of God.
Arman feels called to pastor, taking his interfaith communication skills, as well as his passion for youth work and juvenile justice, to the local church. Arman believes he’s in the right place to be equipped for this work. Compared to his education in Comparative Religions where he studied a wide breadth of traditions, he says it makes a significant difference to have professors who all share a common faith. “The professors are very confident and believe what they are teaching.” He emphasizes that all of his professors make themselves available and want to be asked the tough questions. “Everyone I’ve met at Palmer is good company… Scripture says bad company corrupts good character, and I think good character increases good character.”
This reflects how intrinsic Palmer’s mission, The Whole Gospel for the Whole World through Whole Persons, is to its institutional culture. Arman says he sees it lived every day through conversations and interactions. Students and faculty alike reflect that God’s love is not limited to age, skin color, ethnicity, or denominational background.
The Spirit did, indeed, make a way for Arman. That June connection with Dean Johnson not only resulted in a midsummer application and acceptance, Arman Brown is the inaugural recipient of the Mary Foehl Scholarship! This new scholarship offers 100% tuition for master's degree programs for emerging leaders (35 years old or younger) in American Baptist congregations. Arman was also provided with on-campus housing in Doane Hall soon after the semester began. When reflecting on his journey so far, he sees God’s hand and faithfulness through it all. “My journey has never been a smooth road, but if I didn’t take my time to see what God wanted from me, I would still be wandering.”