2022 Faculty Citation and Alumnus of the Year Awards

Jim and Debbie Strietelmeier, receiving the 2022 Alumni of the Year Award from Nancy (Andersen ’80) Hastings. Also pictured, Dr. Mark Jobe.

On Thursday, Feb. 3, and Friday, Feb. 4, the Moody Alumni Association presented two annual awards during Moody’s Founder’s Week conference: the 2022 Faculty Citation Award and the 2022 Alumni of the Year Award.

Faculty Citation Award to Professor and Program Head at MTS Michigan

This year’s Faculty Citation Award was given to Dr. J. Brian Tucker, professor of New Testament and program head for the Master of Divinity at Moody Theological Seminary in Michigan. Jeff Bope ’11, incoming executive director of the Alumni Association, presented the award to Tucker on February 4, 2022.

Dr. J. Brian Tucker receiving the 2022 Faculty Citation Award from Moody Alumni Association executive director, Jeff Bope ’11. (From left to right Nancy Hastings, Jeff Bope, Amber Tucker, Brian Tucker.

Born in Kentucky, Tucker grew up in Michigan and Ohio. From a young age, he was curious about things he read in the Bible. He wanted to know more, to search for answers. At the encouragement of one of his pastors, he pursued a Bible-based college education. In 1988 he married Amber Bates, and the Tuckers have raised a “straight-A” family of girls: Ashley, Alexandria, Annaliese, and Abigail.

Tucker was a dedicated student with a thirst for in-depth biblical and theological knowledge and understanding. He has passed on this hunger for scriptural truth to countless people in his long and diverse ministry career. 

In 2006, Tucker joined the faculty of Michigan Theological Seminary. He later joined Moody’s faculty during the 2010 merger of Michigan Theological Seminary with Moody Theological Seminary. As a scholar, he is the first Moody professor to receive the distinction of membership in the prestigious Society for New Testament Studies (Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas). His recent published works include The T&T Clark Social Identity Commentary on the New Testament (T&T Clark, 2020) and Reading Romans after Supersessionism (Cascade Books, 2018).

For his above-and-beyond dedication, Tucker was honored at Founder’s Week Alumni Day on Feb. 4 with the 2022 Faculty Citation Award.

To hear about the life and ministry of Dr. Tucker, please watch the Faculty Citation Award video tribute below, which was shown during Friday morning’s award presentation.

Alumni of the Year Award to Ministry Couple

During the Thursday evening session of Founder’s Week, Nancy (Andersen ’80) Hastings, outgoing executive director of the Alumni Association, presented the 2022 Alumni of the Year Award to Jim ’86 and Debbie (Jackson ’88) Strietelmeier on February 3, 2022.

In the community where Jim and Debbie Strietelmeier live and serve, they are known simply by their first names. It’s an endearing sign of how beloved they are to countless residents of Indianapolis for their roles as pastor, teacher, provider, caregiver, advocate, family builders, church planters, and followers of Jesus Christ.

Jim and Debbie met as teens at a summer Bible camp in Indiana, then both attended Moody Bible Institute with a desire to serve God in urban ministry. Their training and study of God’s Word at Moody prepared them to share the gospel and demonstrate humility and sacrifice as modeled by Jesus Himself.

They were married in the summer of 1984 and after graduation appointed as missionaries to South Africa at the height of apartheid. Their year of experience on the South African mission field prepared them to minister to another underserved, brokenhearted community that would soon become the focus of their life’s work. 

The Strietelmeiers have written an extraordinary book chronicling their experiences living and ministering in American poverty, Empty Pockets, Open Hearts (AuthorHouse, 2017). The love, mercy, and compassion that emanates from Jim and Debbie’s lives begin in their home, where they have four biological children, two adopted children, and two foster children.

To hear about the life and ministry of Jim and Debbie Strietelmeier, please watch the Alumni of the Year Award video tribute, which was shown during the award presentation.

For more information about Founder’s Week, and to watch sessions online, please visit www.foundersweek.com.