Rev. Kathryn (Katie) Choy-Wong
Katie was honored as the 2023 recipient of the Cora and John Sparrowk President’s Award at the 2023 American Baptist Churches Biennial Mission Summit. In addition, Katie serves on BST Board of Trustees as the Chair, and recently published a book called Building Lasting Bridges: An Updated Handbook for Intercultural Ministries. Katie is a retired pastor from New Life Christian Fellowship, an American Baptist church in Castro Valley, California.
Don Jordan
Don Jordan who received a Master of Community Leadership degree at Commencement 2023! Don was a student at BST when it was still Berkeley Baptist Divinity School in the 1960s but transferred before completing his MDiv degree. Following graduation from San Francisco State, he had a long career that included decades leading a multi-state region of the United Way. After a recent review of his transcript, he was determined to have more than enough credits for the MCL degree. Well done, Don! BST is proud of your academic achievements and your faithful leadership in the community.
Rev. Michael-Ray Mathews
Michael is president of the Alliance of Baptists and Deputy Director for Faith in Action, formerly PICO National Network, a national community organizing network that gives people of faith the tools that they need to fight for justice and work towards a more equitable society. Michael is a senior fellow at Auburn Seminary and affiliate faculty at BST.
Rev. Dr. Randle (Rick) Mixon
On August 1, 2023, Rev. Dr. Mixon started as Interim Senior Minister of Old Cambridge Baptist Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Rev. Dr. Mixon is an ordained American Baptist minister with over 30 years of experience in pastoral ministry, church leadership, and social justice advocacy. He has been involved in various regional and national organizations. These include the Alliance of Baptists, the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists, and the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America. Rev. Dr. Mixon also holds a Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy from California State University and a Doctorate in Religion and Psychology from Graduate Theological Union.
Rev. Hkun Naung
Rev. Naung graduated from BST with his Master of Divinity, was ordained in 2024, and is Pastor of the Washington Kachin Baptist Church which meets at Panther Lake Community Church in Kent, Washington. On December 29, 2024, Rev. Naung performed his first baptisms. Initially, the baptism candidates were a group of youths from Washington Kachin Baptist Church, and grew to include members of the Karen Community Church of Greater Seattle. The December 29 service included 12 baptisms performed by the three pastors, special music, scripture readings in English, Karen, and Kachin, a sermon, communion, and a celebratory lunch. The full story can be read in the latest edition of Evergreen Notes. Rev. Naung asks people to pray for the Kachin people, who suffer in great danger in a civil war.
Lia Rochill
BST’s Director of Admissions, Ms. Lia Rochill, has a wonderful reason to celebrate! This 2019 Master of Divinity graduate and BST staff member was recently married in a beautiful ceremony right on the BST campus!
Lia met her future husband, Leokato Yepthomi, through a mutual auntie. What began as a friendship blossomed into a three-year long-distance relationship before Leo popped the question! Lia and Leo were married on Saturday, October 25, in a beautiful outdoor ceremony held on BST’s historic campus. For Lia, celebrating this milestone in the very place where she works and completed her theological studies added a truly special significance to the day.
Both Lia and Leo hail from the Sumi tribe in Nagaland, India, and the wedding was a vibrant and beautiful blend of Naga and American cultural traditions, creating a truly memorable evening.
Adding a personal touch, the ceremony was officiated by BST’s own Dean LeAnn Snow Flesher. The joy of the day was made even more profound by the attendance of Lia’s mother, Ms. Bokali Haralu, who traveled all the way from India to be present for the special occasion. The entire BST community extends its warmest congratulations to the happy couple!
