A musical celebration featuring Ken Medema and Drew’s Mark Miller
May 2022 – Drew Theological School presented “Let Justice Roll, a Musical Celebration,” an evening of justice through song and faith made possible by Drew’s Social Justice Leadership Project.
Drew welcomed Ken Medema, a songwriter, composer, and recording artist with a career spanning nearly 50 years, and Mark Miller, Drew’s professor of church music, director of Craig Chapel, and Composer in Residence.
“It’s good to be back together making music,” said Miller, who has been leading the Theological School in song since 1994.
Drew’s Social Justice Leadership Project, supported by a generous grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, is committed to lifting up the voices of justice artists to partner in collaborative projects to generate ideas from social justice thought leaders and coalitions with leading activist organizations and justice artists.
Interim Dean of the Theological School Melanie Johnson-DeBaufre welcomed the in-person and virtual audience at Drew’s Dorothy Young Center for the Arts. “Music and the arts are such a critical part of social justice work and transformation,” she said. “It is music that gives us the steady beat for justice. It gives voice for the longings too deep for words. It helps us all to connect, reimagine, and dream a new world—again and again.”
A justice-centered medley of original Mark Miller songs was performed with Lydia Munoz T’21, Jillian Tundidor C’10, G’11, and Julian Wamble C’11 on vocals.
Medema, who is blind from birth, is a gifted storyteller through song improvisation—capturing the shared stories of audience members in original song.
Here’s a closer look.
