Albright-Deering Lectures in Methodist Studies 2026
Celebrating 70 Years of Full Clergy Rights for Women in the United Methodist Church
March 3, 2026
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
The Rev. Stephanie York Arnold, general secretary for The General Commission on the Status and Role of Women of the United Methodist Church, and the Rev. Dr. Emily Nelms Chastain, assistant professor of Christian history and Methodist studies at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, will present the 2026 Albright-Deering Lectures.
Save the date! Full details coming soon.
In collaboration with and co-sponsored by the Western Pennsylvania Conference of The United Methodist Church
About the Presenters
The Rev. Stephanie York Arnold serves as the general secretary for The General Commission on the Status and Role of Women advocating for the full inclusion of women in the total life of The United Methodist Church. Previously, she led Birmingham First United Methodist Church in seeking to fulfill their mission to be an open place for all. Rev. York graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in communication studies and from Memphis Theological Seminary with a master of divinity.
The Rev. Dr. Emily Nelms Chastain is assistant professor of Christian history and Methodist studies at the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. She earned her Ph.D. in theological studies from Boston University in August 2025. Her research interests include American Christian history, Methodist studies, women's ordination, and feminism and women's studies. Though currently in Dallas, she is a proud native of Birmingham, Ala., and is a clergy member of the North Alabama Conference.
Questions
Please contact or call 412-924-1345.
About the Albright-Deering Lectures
The Albright-Deering Lectures in Methodist Studies were established in 1999 through individual contributions and a generous gift from Joseph and Gail Deering of Dayton, Ohio, to celebrate Joseph’s career accomplishments and to honor their former pastor, the Rev. Dr. H. Pat Albright. The lectureship is intended to bring outstanding scholars in the Wesleyan tradition to the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary community.
Joseph W. Deering was a graduate of Harvard University (B.A.) and Stanford University (M.B.A.). He came to Pittsburgh in 1980 as the president of Eljer Plumbingware. The following year his family became active in Mt. Lebanon United Methodist Church and began a lifelong friendship with the Albrights.
The Rev. Dr. H. Pat Albright was an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church, serving three churches in his 38 years of active ministry: Wesley United Methodist in New Castle, Pa., from 1956 to 1964; First United Methodist in Erie, Pa., from 1964 to 1978; and Mt. Lebanon United Methodist from 1978 until his retirement in active ministry in 1994.
During his life, Pat also served Pittsburgh Theological Seminary as adjunct faculty in homiletics, and served on the PTS Board of Directors from 1989 to 1998 and then as an emeritus member of the Board until his death in 2014. By all accounts he was a true Methodist, passionate about education and scholarship—not for the sake of acquiring knowledge only, but for the strengthening of ministry in local churches.