2026 Donald Macleod Lectures | What a Friend We Have in Jesus: Preaching the Benefits of Reciprocal Relationship in an Epidemic of Loneliness.

About this event

Tuesday September 29, 2026 | 5:00 P.M. | In-Person and Livestream Theron Room, Wright Library 25 Library Pl, Princeton, NJ 08540 This lecture explores homiletical strategies for inviting listeners into a divine relationship we do not just create but rather encounter within and beyond ourselves. It depicts the reciprocal friendship God offers in both Old and New Testaments. A key purpose of preaching becomes demonstrating how the benefits of our reciprocal relationship with God exceed the scope and strength of the relationships we create. Sign up Today! Presented by: The Rev. Dr. Alyce M. McKenzie The Rev. Dr. Alyce M. McKenzie is the George W. and Nell Ayers Le Van Professor of Preaching and Worship at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University (SMU). She joined the Perkins faculty in 1999. McKenzie, an ordained United Methodist elder, is a member of the Horizon Conference of the United Methodist Church. McKenzie received her Bachelor of Arts in the History of Religions from Bryn Mawr College, her Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School, and her PhD in Theology and Communication in Preaching from Princeton Theological Seminary. From 1980-88 she served as associate pastor at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in York, Pennsylvania. From 1994-98 she served as visiting lecturer in homiletics at Princeton Theological Seminary. While teaching at Princeton Seminary, McKenzie served as interim pastor at several United Methodist congregations in eastern Pennsylvania. From 2011-19 McKenzie served as preacher-in-residence at Christ United Methodist Church in Plano, Texas, where she preached several times a year and served as preaching coach to members of their clergy staff. McKenzie is founder and co-director of the Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence at SMU, a center formed in 2013 dedicated to fostering excellence in preaching through innovative courses, workshops, peer groups, and online resources. The center has started dozens of…